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Coffeehouse brings Christians
and non-Christians together

A church has opened its doors to a coffeehouse, inviting the public for nights of music, coffee and fun. Mr. Michael Berck, director of the coffeehouse, Harry and Mary's, orchestrates the events and concerts planned. Harry and Mary's opens every third or fourth Saturday of each month. Northridge Community Church's sanctuary is used for the coffeehouse ministry.

"Harry and Mary's has never been a Northridge Community Church ministry. We want to build a regional church body and not restrict participants to one church," Mr. Berck said. The coffeehouse started as a means for Christians to bring unchurched friends to an evening of clean entertainment. Believers can take their friends to a church building for a non-threatening event.

"We want to show that Christians do have fun," Mr. Berck said. "Harry and Mary's is a coffeehouse for anybody; everyone is welcome. Minors are welcomed; there is no age limit," said Dr. Daniel Scalberg, professor of historical studies and previous organizer of the coffeehouse.

The purpose of Harry and Mary's is to give the congregation of Northridge Community Church an opportunity to mix socially with non-believers while enjoying music. The point is to establish relationships and shine God's light into other's lives.

"The music is not a church concert; it's not an act on stage evangelizing," Dr. Scalberg said. Most of the musicians that perform at Harry and Mary's are Christian.

The majority of the music played is jazz or blues. Jazz and Blues artists David Friesen and Jerry Hahn, Jesse Samsel, Roby Duke and Michael Gettel have played at the coffeehouse. Harry and Mary's also features Comedy Sportz once a year and other impromptu comedy. During the holidays, drama is performed. The coffeehouse hires performers for the same pay they would receive from any club downtown.

This year, Harry and Mary's celebrates its second year of entertainment and fellowship. A normal night's attendance averages 50 people. "We have had as few as 25 people show up and as high as 85 come," Dr. Scalberg said.

The menu offers a variety of iced and hot coffees and Italian sodas. Cheesecakes, chocolate mousse, pies and brownies accompany the hot drinks. Harry and Mary's serves Boyd's coffee. Northridge Community Church purchased a professional espresso bar for $8,000. Harry and Mary's is a smoke-free and non-alcoholic environment. Members of Alcoholics Anonymous get in for free. The cover charge is $5 for other customers.

The process from setup to clean-up is meticulous. Starting around 5:45 p.m., six or seven volunteers lay out white table cloths, candles and flowers on the tables. The sound man comes at 6 p.m. and the band arrives at 6:30 to 6:45 p.m. to run a sound check.

The volunteers wheel the coffee cart in from the back room, and at 6:30 p.m., the servers warm up the coffee. The waiters and waitresses from the church who volunteer their time and experience come at 6:45 p.m.

Seating begins at 7:15 p.m., and the entertainment begins at 7:30 p.m. Around 10 p.m. the band wraps up its set. Then the coffeehouse closes and the volunteers refurbish the sanctuary. The take-down process lasts approximately another hour.

Greeters and volunteers police the church's parking lot every half hour for the customer's convenience. Harry and Mary's is located in Milwaukie, Ore., on 2816 S.E. Harrison St.

"The best publicity we have is word-of-mouth. We have a brief ad in the A&E section of The Oregonian. We have two mailing lists. One is for U.S. postal and the other is for e-mail," Mr. Berck said.

Harry and Mary's e-mail address is: harryandmarys@juno.com