immanuel nashville: cafe.

Sunday was Immanuel's first service at our new location: 4301 Charlotte Avenue. Tons of people worked really hard to get the building updated and ready. I haven't been over to see the kids' area, but our home—the cafe—looks awesome. Nate and I help on the hospitality team, making and serving coffee, iced coffee, tea, water …

My job was organizing our pantry. :) Nice to have this space.
We are saying NO to unnecessary junk accumulation.

People working really hard! They painted the ceiling tiles black, refinished the floor, installed counters, a sink, a coffee bar. A group of us assembled the tables and chairs.

Creating a new look

The new cafe is a big improvement from our old setup which was a self-serve coffee bar in the entryway of the church. This is a place where people can come to hang out, meet new people, and enjoy some quality coffee.

The sweet coffee bar. Lots of storage underneath.

Serving behind the bar on Sunday was neat because we met so many people. Several people from the neighborhood stopped in. Putting the coffee behind the counter and asking people what they would like to drink gave us a chance to interact with people.

The cafe setup. Love the orange bench and reclaimed wood wall.

Someone suggested we put up some local/member art like some local coffee shops do. We like the idea. The cafe is still a bit of a work in progress. For example, we don't have any lights yet! (Waiting on them to arrive.) Our sink isn't hooked up yet, and with the growing popularity of Sunday morning coffee, we are trying to figure out how to efficiently brew such great quantities.

Actually, Nate is on the task of figuring that out. He is the coffee master. (He actually is. He's done the training and wears a black apron at the 'bux instead of green.) It is an exciting time for Immanuel. An exciting time to reach out in the Sylvan Park neighborhood and see how God works through us as we strive to make the real Jesus non-ignorable in our city … and far beyond.

If you're ever in the Nashville area, come see us! Community groups start at 9am, and service starts at 10:30. Come early for coffee because we stop serving when the service starts. Coffee will be available from about 8:30–10:30 a.m.