Grace Curtis
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Long before any of us were alive, when coffeehouses were gaining popularity, the greatest underground minds of the world would come together to talk. These were poets, inventors, thinkers, ponderers, learners, and people who pushed society’s buttons. And amazing things happened! Bouncing ideas off of each other and having space to question and discuss caused real movement to happen in the world. Change was happening one cup of coffee at a time.
Why am I telling you this story? No, this is not a random history lesson. It is the foundation for the platform on which new, very special movement is happening. I was introduced to this by my good friend and spiritual director, Jacquie Lustig. Jacquie is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi. The Consecrated live in community together and work among to bring Christ’s Kingdom to the people of the world. They are a small part of a bigger body; there are also Legionary priests and lay people who take Regnum Christi’s charism to heart and live out their vocation under this order. One of the things I love most about this group of people is they are all about personal connections. We must first build bridges of trust between the hearts of individuals before we can bring Christ in their lives. Therefore, what I affectionately call Coffeehouse Evangelization was born.
Truthfully, people have always been reaching out to each other to find God ever since the founding of the Church. Goodness, even Jesus went out to the people and walked among them! He did all His ministry one-on-one, looking people in the eye with that amazing gaze of Love and making them whole. Christians have always answered the call to follow Christ’s footsteps, but it has taken a special turn in this new age. We are the generation to go out into the streets, seek out friends in the mundane daily life and bring them the Good News!
As I mentioned earlier, this method of evangelization first started with my spiritual director Jacquie Lustig. To this day we still meet, bond as we talk about life, and of course talk about Jesus! This style of conversation brought me closer in friendship with Jacquie, and while we became better friends I realized something deeper was occurring. While casually sipping coffee in Panera and people all around me going about their lives, this open dialogue about Jesus was bringing me into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. I found this fascinating and wanted to reach out and recreate the magical moment I felt watching this beautiful Consecrated woman show me the way to Christ. So when my friend was going through troubling times, I jumped at the opportunity to go out with her for… a cup of coffee (you can probably see where this is going J ). Let me tell you, it was amazing! There’s sparkling warmth that comes with the coffeehouse feel, the same feeling that allowed for such imagination and freedom to run wild in the same cafes long ago. I’ve become closer to my friends and our relationships with Jesus have been incredibly strengthened by the community and conversation.
So that’s the background story for this whole “Coffeehouse Evangelization”, now let’s zoom out and see this in a worldly view. There are certain universal themes that all humans have always experienced since the beginning of time until eternity. One of those themes are that people are absolutely desperate to talk about this mysterious man named Jesus!! BUT they are scared. They need an invitation and an open, loving environment to unpack all the questions in their hearts. That, my dear friends, is where this new evangelizing movement comes in. I know what you are probably thinking. “Do I have to drive all the way to a coffeehouse to talk about Jesus with my friend?” Of course not!! That is simply the fancy name I’ve given for the transcendent connection we are called to form with the friends God has entrusted to us. We are the normal, everyday saints called to reach out to our friends and invite them to an honest, down-to-earth conversation about what really matters in life.
Life moves too fast these days, so allow yourself the privilege of relaxing with your friend and sip some of that warm, smooth coffee. Who knows, you could end up bringing someone to an intimate relationship with Christ and not even know it.
You are the new generation of saints. You are the normal people who will bring Jesus to the world, one coffee cup at a time.
Your Sister in Christ
If you’d like to know more about Regnum Christi, see their website: http://www.regnumchristi.org/english/consecrated/