The Coffee House

I recently received an email from Wendy, notifying me that the Coffee House in Frontier has been sold.

My instant reaction was a flooding of fond memories, followed by a sinking feeling that it was the end of an era. The Coffee House's sale, and imminent conversion into a rental property, got me to thinking of all the uniqueness that will have to be undone. First of all, the makeshift skateboard park on the cracked concrete driveway will have to go. Second of all, the restaurant-style booths in the living room, and the concession counter in the kitchen, will most likely have to be removed. And I'm sure there are countless dents in the walls, broken cupboard doors, and food stains everywhere that will have to be dealt with. After all, almost every teenager within a sixty-mile radius probably graced the place with their presence at least once, and most of them left a mark in one way or another.

The very first "Coffee House" was actually a one-time event in the church basement. Emily had a vision for a place where the youth of Frontier and area could hang out, without the formal Christian programming of a youth group, so that people who weren't comfortable with Bible studies wouldn't feel awkward about coming. It would be come-and-go, just a place with games and food and non-alcoholic drinks and music...an alternative to Friday night parties, and perhaps a place where a few seeds could be scattered by forming new friendships or talking with one of the adult supervisors. This one-time event went over very well, with a great turn-out. I remember it, but unfortunately a little vaguely -- my stomach was upset from drinking too much pop and having too much candy, so I ended up sitting at a table for awhile, trying to wait out the nausea! I guess that shows I'd had a great time up until then, anyway.

The exact timeline of the following events is unclear to me, but I know that the church's prayers were behind this vision...which is no surprise, as I was blessed to grow up in a church that celebrates all age groups, including the teenagers who sometimes giggled too loudly in the back of the church, and who played rock-style worship sets on the occasional Sunday morning, and who put on skits for the church that involved loud belching into a microphone. Anyway, at some point, Don and Donna Hernberg purchased some land beside their home, and this land contained a small old red-and-white house that had previously been occupied by a very sweet elderly woman who had to move into a long-term care facility. The home was donated (am I right, Wendy?) to the Bethel Church youth group, and that's where a lot of fun began!

I learned a lot about stripping paint from the outside of a house, and painting both the inside and outside of a house. The youth, and many adults, rolled up their sleeves and turned the little old house into a vibrant, brightly-coloured, multi-purpose recreation facility complete with video game systems, a pool table, fuseball, a candy and pop concession (which also included some fancy coffee drinks, Italian sodas, and homemade treats from time to time), and a VCR and TV area upstairs (only PG movies approved). There were tons of board games, card games, a lovely mishmash of sofas and chairs, and a bunch of cd's (who can forget the W's? "You are the devil, and the devil is bad...") for the stereo system. I think almost everything was donated by people in the church and community, although we also received pop cans from Honey Bee, which we would sort and recycle, using the money to keep things running smoothly. Oh yeah, and when I said brightly-coloured, I meant it. The ceilings were yellow-and-red-checkered. The walls were purple, with a large VW bug painted on one wall by Megan and Johanna (that was a fun time...they both got a little hyper off the fumes, and I don't just mean paint fumes. Someone must've given Johanna oranges). And the upstairs was painted all white, with a sky-blue ceiling full of white, fluffy clouds, and the painted message "See you there!" in reference to heaven. As well, there was a Twister board painted on the floor. It's interesting how many splinters you can manage to get all over your hands and feet when you play it that way. Oh yeah...and there was that one window upstairs that some teenagers liked to sneak out of so they could sit on the roof and be rebellious. (Not me, of course...I was a perfect child.)

The Coffee House, in my day, was usually open on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday nights. There were many wonderful adults in the church who took turns supervising on these nights, and I am one of many grateful people who grew up and recognized what a thoughtful gift of time they all gave us. I hope they all know that they were, in some way, influential in keeping Frontier's teenage night-life alternative alive and healthy. It kept boredom (a common reason that many youth get into the party life) at bay, and brought a lot of non-churched people into the midst of people who could show them that life in Christ doesn't have to make you stuffy. Who knows how many seeds were planted there? I certainly remember hearing accounts of some deep conversations that went on as a result of friendships being forged there, and some supervising adults who took the time to answer the serious questions that some kids brought forth. It was a wonderful mission field.

The face of the Coffee House changed little-by-little as time went on. Sometimes we would paint messages and pictures on the windows according to the season. We also repainted the whole inside at one point, as crazy bright colours were falling out of style, and classy colours were coming in. The exterior went from red-and-white to green-and-white, but I can't remember at what point that happened. Also, sometime after my age group had graduated and left town, half of the living room was converted into a restaurant-style room, with tables and booths made out of wood. Once when I was visiting, I remember thinking that it was different, but that it looked really good. (And on a personal note, my husband and his groomsmen had some pictures taken there before our wedding, and it was a nice setting!)

My first impression when I think back on Coffee House memories can be summed up in one word: LOUD. There was almost always blaring music, sugar and caffeine-hyped teenagers shouting/flirting/roughhousing, and video games screaming from the games room. Sometimes they even had local bands put on concerts in there, like 95 Pounds of Stupid (later called Straight Edge) and the Andrew/Brooks/Brodie band (they had a name, but it's slipped my mind I guess). The second word that comes to mind is HAPPY. The supervisors were there to keep things from getting out-of-hand or inappropriate, but all of them seemed to have their patience bar set on "teenager". People were free to be rambunctious and somewhat crazy. After all, this was their place to party, and they were going to party! Again, I'm so thankful for the supervisors who must've often gone home with headaches because they recognized the need for teenagers to have a safe outlet. At one point in time, the Coffee House was actually called "My Place." That name never really stuck, but it was true all the same...anyone who went there was free to be themselves and have a good, loud time.

I understand that the popularity of the Coffee House has waned since those earlier years. However, I also understand that there is enough interest to look into purchasing another building in Frontier to carry on the vision. I hope and pray that this happens! Even if there is less of a crowd, it's still a crowd of individuals who will benefit from having a place to let loose without alcohol, and maybe to keep planting seeds in people's minds and hearts about the faith in Christ that backs up the Coffee House.

Some other random memories that just came to me: the night Zac set a record by drinking thirteen Barq's Root Beers...the times that Perry and Carrie were supervising, and we caught them making eyes at each other...the times that people rode down the stairs on sofa cushions and crashed into the cupboards at the bottom...the times that people turned off the bathroom light so that whoever was on the toilet was stranded in the dark...the time we had a karaoke night...so many good times! Long live the Coffee House!