Start A Cafe
Have you ever thought…
“I want to share Christ
with my neighbors,
but I don’t know how.”
The Neighborhood Cafe shows you how.
I will come alongside you and help you host a Neighborhood Cafe women’s Bible study. At every step, you’ll receive personal, prayerful encouragement as together we explore ways to adapt Neighborhood Cafe concepts to your unique situation, passions and gifting.
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Learn More about Hosting
A Neighborhood Cafe
Where?
- Amy shares how she started the first Neighborhood Café in her home.
- Introductions to the needs of women who live in every neighborhood.
- Reasons why the home is an ideal setting for ministry that complements the church, it doesn’t compete with it.
- Read more…
How?
- Using the Road to Emmaus, Amy illustrates how Jesus walked with His neighbors and how you can do the same.
- Jesus didn’t preach a three-point sermon or point an accusing finger. He just came alongside and walked with them on the street to their home.
- Provides suggestions ranging from small gestures to community gatherings to get to know your neighbors.
- Read more…
Why?
- Explains why women are starving for personal attention, meaningful relationships and purposeful lives.
- Compares the partial Gospel most Americans know by heart to the complete story found in relationship with Christ.
- Vividly illustrates how reaching out your hand in hospitality can touch the heart of your neighbors.
- Read more…
Why Not?
- Amy shares how she delayed and disobeyed the leading to reach out to her neighbors.
- Her excuses, fears and rationalizations are examined in detail, because they are common to all women.
- Explores ways women can engage their neighbors even if a Neighborhood Café isn’t their cup of tea.
- Read more…
Prepare Your Heart
- Once the commitment is made, a woman needs the blessing of her Lord, her husband and her church.
- Assures women that the Lord’s blessing isn’t always accompanied by a peaceful, easy feeling; nervousness is to be expected.
- Also addresses when to stop praying and start moving.
- Emphasizes the need for cooperation and support in your home and explains the important role the church plays in spiritual covering and accountability.
- Read more…
When?
- Gives methods for determining the day, time and frequency of your Neighborhood Café.
- Shows how to study when your neighborhood is most active and available for a gathering time.
- Provides pros and cons of short gatherings versus long gatherings and weekly versus monthly.
- Read more…
Who?
- Explores the dynamics of small group size and how in the world you’re going to fit all those people in your living room.
- Maximum size, absences and response rate are explained.
- Includes a formula for determining how many people you should invite to your Café based on your desired group size, and ways to determine the number of potential guests in your neighborhood.
- Read more…
The Invitation
- Reiterates that the sole purpose of the Neighborhood Café is to love your neighbors, not shove them into your agenda.
- Amy shares how her first Café was an Open House, not a Bible study, to open the door to women she had never met before.
- Three illustrations of women who left an indelible impression when inviting Amy into their homes.
- Provides suggested verbiage for invitations and even pre-designed invitations to download or purchase.
- Read more…
The Gift
- Uses Biblical examples to teach that gifts pacify people and open gates.
- Since it’s easier to knock on your neighbor’s door with one hand when you’re holding a gift in the other, shows numerous examples of inexpensive and adorable ways you can adorn an invitation to your Open House.
- Creative ways for spreading the word in your community center, supermarket or church bulletin.
- Read more…
Knock, Knock
- Jesus told His disciples to go door to door in nearby towns and villages, the very thing that’s being asked of a Neighborhood Café hostess.
- Matthew 10 is the basis for teaching gentleness, kindness, humility and sensitivity in response to typical reactions Amy received from her neighbors.
- Also offers tips on handling rejection and safety.
- Read more…
Countdown
- Checklists of what to do in the weeks, days and hours leading up to your Open House.
- Includes advice on menu planning and shares Amy’s favorite Café recipes along with housekeeping checklists and party planning tips. Preparation takes the stress out of setting the table!
- These checklists and recipes are also included in the convenient Planning Guide available for separate purchase.
- Read more…
To get started, provide as much of this basic information as you can – don’t worry, you can add to it or change it at any time.
The Neighborhood Cafe Kit contains everything you need to invite your neighbors over for “Coffee, Conversation & Christ!” Packaged in a keepsake box, the Cafe Kit is available with fill-in-the-blank invitations or personalized invitations preprinted with your Café logo and information. Each Kit includes:
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You can also start a Cafe using our free online Cafe tools including planning calendars, seating calculators and sample invitations. You’ll get the same level of support and you’ll find plenty of ideas, inspiration and encouragement online.
Your Neighborhood Cafe will also have its own page on this website where you can connect with your neighbors. If you can send an email, you can update your Cafe’s web page! This is an easy and effective way to let others know what God is doing in your neighborhood and instantly communicate to your Cafe members what’s happening in your group. You can even share prayer requests in a password-protected post that only your members can view.
Call me. Let’s pray together and see where the Lord leads you.
