Holy Grounds: Why church coffee matters

Because sacred moments sometimes begin with caffeine.

Our church’s new coffee machine.

Before we come to the Lord’s table on Sunday mornings, we gather around another sacred table — the coffee table.

At our church, the communion wine is blessed, but let’s be honest: the coffee is borderline consecrated, too.

That’s why our church — Good Shepherd Anglican, with about 120 people on a typical Sunday morning — just spent more than $1,500 on a Bunn Axiom Twin APS Airport coffee brewer.

For years, we made do with a couple of regular, old-fashioned coffee makers that struggled to keep up with Sunday demand.

So we upgraded to a commercial-grade, 15-gallon workhorse that is directly plumbed into our building’s water line. No more filling carafes by hand.

That’s a big-ticket item for a small congregation. But we’re convinced it’s worth it. Because we’re not just brewing coffee — we’re brewing fellowship.

Coffee is the thing that gets people talking, lingering, laughing. It gives some of us a reason to get to church 15-20 minutes early, so we can gather with friends for small talk (and sometimes important talk) while sipping on coffee.

And in a world increasingly marked by isolation, these little rituals of connection matter more than ever.

And we’re not alone. Almost every church has some form of a coffee ministry, with a dark roast percolating quietly in the background as the unseen engine of hospitality.

Some even have full-service coffee houses — espresso machines, baristas, specialty drinks, the whole works.

At some large churches, these cafés serve as third spaces, where people can gather during the week, hold Bible studies, or just build relationships in a relaxed, welcoming environment.

I lead a men’s Bible study at 6:30 a.m. every Wednesday morning. I get to the church at 5:45 a.m. to make sure the coffee is ready when the men start arriving, looking for their morning jolt.

At our church, we choose to serve Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee, because every bag we buy supports Rwandan farmers and provides fair-wage livelihoods in the communities that cultivate the coffee beans.

Founded by Jonathan Golden in 2006 after a Rwandan bishop invited him to support post-genocide reconciliation through commerce, Land of a Thousand Hills Coffee now works with more than 10,000 farmers.

So yes, we splurged on a coffee maker. And no, it wasn’t a frivolous expense. It was an investment in the kind of fellowship that reflects the heart of Jesus.

We take communion every Sunday at Good Shepherd. It’s a high point of our worship. But many of us stop at the coffee table first as part of our faith journey.