Coffee on the Corner
“Good coffee is a pleasure. Good friends are a treasure.”
Practice Coffee on the Corner
Spread the word. Start sharing the idea in advance, I guarantee you’re not the only person in your neighborhood eager to build community.
Start small. Maybe it’s just one day a month or a one-time gathering. We host every Friday from 8-9am.
Make it flexible. Set the expectation that people come and go as their schedule permits. Provide to-go cups for people before their commute or morning walk. Any connection is still a connection!
Make it accessible. Consider the demographics of your neighborhood, commitments, and schedules.
Make it sustainable. Don’t put too much work on yourself, brew some coffee, put a few mugs and creamer outside. Simplicity makes it sustainable.
The practice of Coffee Friday began as my attempt to get to know and love my neighbors.
Loving my neighbors started with getting to really know my neighbors. My connection with my neighbors was limited to a friendly wave or brief exchange as we raced through our days. What was required was a space dedicated to getting to know each other. I read “Staying is the New Going” by Alan Briggs, and was inspired by the idea in this book of “Free Coffee Fridays”. I know there are few ways to draw people out of their homes and into conversation. I bet on coffee.
We spread the word by inviting neighbors, set up our camping table on the sidewalk, brewed some coffee, and people actually came. People showed up the first week. They showed up the next week. They’ve showed up for coffee when it's 20 degrees and snowing, and they’re still showing up for Coffee Friday two years later.
Coffee Friday is still going, but now it looks different. We’re not just getting to know each other. We’re celebrating pregnancies and the birth of babies. We’re grieving bad news and hard times. We’re celebrating new jobs and sharing life with each other. We’re sharing the Gospel and talking about the love of Jesus. And it doesn’t stop on Friday mornings.
The simple rhythm of Coffee Friday has been a springboard for friendship throughout the week. We support our musicians by going to their shows together. We share meals together. We train for races together. We celebrate birthdays together. We’re living as an actual community in our community.
We must know our neighbors to love our neighbors. Only in doing life together do we make visible the heart of Jesus to our neighbors. Coffee Friday might be the practice for you to get to know your neighbors. Or, replace coffee with something else that might unite your neighbors. I bet on coffee.
Kaitlin Noser is a Texas native who has called Colorado home for 7 years now. She lives in the Baker neighborhood in central Denver, loving on neighbors alongside her community at Capitol City Church. She enjoys all things outdoors, her beloved pup Penny, and coffee of course.
