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LEWISTOWN -- Calvary Bible Church is on a mission to create the opportunity for fellowship while supporting ministries locally around the world.
During its Sunday service, a vision put in place by church leaders will come to life with the opening of Mission Cafe -- a former walk-in closet that has been remodeled and will now serve as a place where congregants and community members can enjoy a cup of coffee and conversation.
The cafe will be run by volunteers and will operate by donations, which will benefit various ministries.
The grand opening will be held during church services on Sunday from 8 to 11 a.m.
"We decided as a leadership that we needed to use this space for something more meaningful than to just to shove stuff into and pile up," said Pastor Ethan Druckenmiller. "We came up with the idea to build a cafe to build connections with our visitors and people in the church, but also for another avenue for people in our church to serve and at the same time -- everything here is donation based."
Youth Pastor Patrick Young said that congregants age 12 to 15 have volunteered to run the cafe, an opportunity that he said could bolster their resumes when they go to apply for their first jobs.
The pastors said community members and congregants volunteered for the project -- including a contractor who built everything from the bar, to shelving and furniture, and a community member who painted murals on the walls.
"It was a conglomerative effort," said Druckenmiller. "We wanted to create an atmosphere that was very warm and inviting and so that you can come here and go to the cafe and want to hang out there."
At some point, Young said the church hopes to be able to have the cafe open a few days a week for parents who drop their children off at the church's daycare.
"Ultimately, it is a bridge to be able to reach people in our community and share with them the hope of Christ most especially," Druckenmiller said.
The cafe hopes to be able to offer various pastries and four to six different types of coffees at a time.
Planning for the project began just before the pandemic and groundbreaking and renovations began in August.
Calvary Bible Church holds a traditional service at 8:30 a.m., a contemporary service at 11 a.m. and adult classes between services.