The sidewalks were nearly deserted in downtown Columbus Monday afternoon. With lunch long forgotten and supper still a distant daydream, no one seemed in much of a hurry to get anywhere any time soon.
Floyd Acron strolled past the Varsity Twin, en route from his job at House of Tux to the Chevron at the bottom of the hill. It”s a trek he has made twice a day, every day, for the past 28 years. He used to be able to satisfy his java Jones at the nearby drugstore space occupied by Mississippi Coffeehouse, but when it closed, the gas station filled the gap.
If a local church gets its way though, Acron may soon be able to stop in the Twin and buy his coffee from the same theater lobby where large popcorn is still advertised for $5 and the last movie playing was “Freedomland” in 2006.
Hope Community Church pastor Bo Jeffares cradled a cup of coffee at Beans and Cream in the Brickerton shopping center Monday afternoon and talked about his vision for his church and the downtown area. His church wants to buy and renovate the vacant theater, operating a coffee shop there during the week and holding church there on Sundays.
Because the property is in a commercial district as well as a historic district, he will have to present his plan to the Columbus Planning Commission, the Main Street Association, and the Historic Preservation Commission. He has offered to pay property taxes and sales taxes on donations for coffee even though as a nonprofit, the church is tax-exempt.
Jeffares said he wants the coffee shop to be neutral and unassuming, focusing more on coffee and conversation than proselytism. There will be no signage referring to the church other than perhaps a folding sign on the sidewalk on Sunday mornings when services are being held.
There will be no religious books or pamphlets scattered amongst the creamer and sugar packets either. A person may walk in, get their coffee, and never even realize they are in a church.
It speaks to the overall style that has guided Hope for the past 12 years and the leadership style with which Jeffares has led for the past seven. The worship services are contemporary; the approach is low-key.
“We”re a community where seekers can find and believers can rediscover,” Jeffares said. “Plenty of churches are in people”s faces. We”re just going to try it another way.”
Church has a bad rap
He said he feels “church has a bad rap,” and he”d like to change that image. When he walks the streets of downtown Columbus, he said he sees a need for a neutral space for conversation. A place where people can mingle and talk about life”s questions. A place where people can enjoy art, music, and conversation.
“We”re going to make a valiant effort to be very neutral and non-threatening,” he said. “People are trying to figure out what life is and what it”s all about. A lot of churches don”t lend themselves well to people who have basic questions about existence. We want to be tolerant and walk patiently with them, let them metabolize at their own pace.”
Part of the lure of downtown is the proximity to the arts community. Jeffares, who studied music at Mississippi State University, is trained in classical guitar. His eyes glowed as he talked about potential partnerships with groups like the Arts Council. He foresees opening up the church — and its 200-seat auditorium — for community arts events.
“We want to celebrate music and art, because these things appeal to a higher part of ourselves,” he said. “We think it”s important for the church as a whole to celebrate the arts.”
Another part of the lure is sheer foot traffic. The church currently rents its space on Highway 45 South by the Creekstone Chevron, and Jeffares admitted that it”s not the most populated corner of Lowndes County.
“We feel like to execute our mission best, we need to rub shoulders with as many people as possible,” he said. “We could have our doors open 24 hours (in the current location), but it wouldn”t do any good. There”s nobody out there.”
Real ministry is messy
He said he particularly wants to minister to those people who often fall through the cracks of traditional churches.
“We specifically feel a call to minister to the people no one cares to minister to — the dregs of society,” he said. “Real ministry is messy. If someone doesn”t try to reach these people, no one will. Every person matters greatly to God.”
He said he has not ironed out the specifics of the coffee shop”s hours or management details. He”s not completely sure how the entire plan will unfold, and until the permit is approved, the church won”t officially purchase the property.
He understands the church may not benefit at all from the move, and he”s OK with that.
“If the community benefits more than the church, then that”s OK,” Jeffares said. “If we don”t do anything more than make downtown a better place and serve a cup of coffee to someone down on their luck, that would be ok. We just want to be friends.”
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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