A Standard Publishing Small Group Resource

1. A Standard Publishing Small Group Resource

2. Coffeehouse Nation Meeting people where they are

3. In case you haven’t • noticed, coffeehouses are big business these days. For the year 2007 • Starbucks posted • overall sales • of $9.4 billion.

4. Why Do They Go? People come to relax, to be at ease. They come to talk and think, to ask questions, to seek answers, to be . . . authentic. Sounds like something the church should be about, doesn’t it?

5. Where the church meets the needs of the coffeehouse nation

6. What is Faith Café?

7. Faith Caféis a topical, interactive curriculum designed for adult fellowship groups that derives material from the Faith Café talk show (currently televised on INSP’s iLifeTV). • Faith Caféis a fresh alternative to traditional, lecture-style teaching. • Faith Caféis an open, welcoming environment that promotes and nurtures community, authenticity, spiritual growth, and service.

8. COMMUNITY AUTHENTICITY SPIRITUAL GROWTH SERVICE

9. Faith Café Curriculum • 6 cycles • Each cycle (or year) called a season • Each season contains 4 parts (quarters) to be released as follows: July (Fall), October (Winter), January (Spring), April (Summer) • Each part contains 13 episodes (lessons) • E.g. Our first quarter is titled Season One: Episodes 1-13

10. Season One Outline Episodes 1-13Ourselves | Our God | Our WorldWith segments on our identity, our relationship with God, and how he wants to use us Episodes 14-26Inward | Upward | OutwardWith segments on who God wants us to be and using spiritual disciplines to help find out Episodes 27-39Direction | Distraction | DeceptionWith segments on the Ten Commandments and how they relate to our lives today Episodes 40-52On Idols of Faith | of Culture | of SelfWith segments on the things we idolize today and how to deal with them

11. Season Two Outline Episodes 1-13The Least of These | Who We Forget With segments on people the church has neglected and where we go from here Episodes 14-26The Apostles’ Creed | What We Believe With segments on the statements we believe and what they mean for the way we live Episodes 27-39We Are Unique | What They Believe With segments on other world religions and how Christianity is unique Episodes 40-52Jesus the Rebel | Who We Follow With segments on the radical life of Jesus and how we can follow him

13. Curriculum Materials

14. ENTER • Faith Café invites you to enter into an environment where it is safe to ask for and seek answers. Phrases lure your mind toward deeper paths; quotes dare you to stare into your real self; questions give you a chance to talk about what is relevant in your life. • DRINK • Portions of Scripture help you gain a better understanding of truth. Your soul can be refreshed by drinking in the living water of God’s Word. • SAVOR • Savor the stories of the struggles and triumphs of imperfect people like us who are journeying into a deeper relationship with Jesus. These bites of life help to guide, challenge, and focus you. • WALK • Suggestions are offered to walk out • with the truth you’ve explored and straightforward strategies for demonstrating doctrine in your everyday journey. • EXPERIENCE • Faith Café also offers statistics to investigate, books to read, video clips to watch, Web sites to peruse, and thoughts to ponder.

15. Sample Participant’s Episode

16. Additional Features of the Participant’s Guide • Consider it:Features a provocative quote for thought, discussion, or debate. • Look into it:Features a list of Web sites, books, videos, films, or audio recordings for further research. • Service and Spiritual disciplines:Each week ends with a challenge to take your faith “to go.” Ideas are provided for service activities, and a spiritual discipline is described that can be practiced throughout the week.

17. Sample Leader’s Episode

19. Additional Features of the Leader’s Guide • Go Deeper: Provides background information for the Scripture, additional Scriptures for use in the session, or further insight on the application of the Scripture • Look Further: Provides further statistics or articles that approach the topic of the episode in a different way or from another culturally relevant perspective • Interactive discussion options: Provides the leader with additional ways to use the material to actively involve every member of the group • DVD clip:Most episodes offer the option of utilizing a DVD clip from the included Faith Café DVD

20. Who isFaith Café?

21. Faith Café is for people who don’t feel at home in the traditional Sunday school setting. • Faith Café is for people who have questions and don’t want pat answers. • Faith Café is for couples, singles, divorced people— anyone who is seeking community with like-minded souls. • Faith Café is for people from every walk and stage of life—the forgotten, the neglected, the brokenhearted, the outraged, the annoyed, the talented, the underrated. • Faith Café is for the pastor, teacher, or member who needs this kind of space in their church.

22. Portrait of Participants • Includes a broad spectrum of ages and perspectives—from undergrads to empty nesters • Ranges from the “churched out” to those not churched at all—they may “love Jesus but hate church” • Enjoys a coffeehouse atmosphere • Likes music, uses the Internet, is media-savvy

23. Faith Café is for people like this guy. He wouldn’t be caught dead in a typical Sunday school classroom. But the openness of the Faith Café group, coupled with the vibrant discussion he finds there, draws him in. Faith Café is for people like this couple. They want to connect with people like them, but not just talk about marriage or relationship issues. They want to make a difference in their world. Faith Café is helping them find ways to do that.

24. Faith Café is for people like this woman. Single again after so many years, she has had a hard time trusting anyone . . . even God. But someone invited her to Faith Café. There she feels safe asking questions, revealing her doubts, looking for answers. She feels like she can be real with the people there, and theytalk about real issues that matter to her.

25. Why useFaith Café?

26. Faith Café offers media-enhanced, culturally relevant, easy-to-use sessions that foster: • Engaged community • Interactive learning • Solid spiritual growth • Natural Bible literacy • Authentic relationships

27. Faith Café is Unique • Diversepresentation for diverse learning styles • Mosaicrather than linear approach to Bible study • Interactiveepisodes as opposed to lecture-style, scripted classes; promotes whole-group involvement • Flexible—each episode can be tailored to fit • Media-enhanced, multisensory • Not just a curriculum—a place fora communityto live and grow together

28. DVD Features • Interviews with people of influence such as Larry Crabb, John Ortberg, Stormie Omartian, David Kinnaman • Performances by such artists as Margaret Becker, Jars of Clay, Derek Webb, Downhere, Ginny Owens, Rebecca St. James, Chris Rice, Ashley Cleveland • Powerful and enlightening dramatic performances by highly acclaimed Christian actor Curt Cloninger

29. TryFaith CaféToday

30. Faith Café—value for money • Participant’s Guide: $3.99 • Leader’s Guide (includes DVD):$14.99

31. Promotional Offers • Try Faith Café for free! Try it for 30 days—if it doesn’t satisfy, return it.

32. Design Your OwnFaith Café Available from Standard Publishing MUGS COASTERS APRONS

33. Available Products

34. If you’reinterested in designing a place in your church where people can create community with others seeking answers to similar questions, we’d like to invite you to Faith Café. Let us bring the perfect blend of Scripture, inspiration, and insight to you. Everything you’ll need to design your Faith Café space is available—just check out www.standardpub.com/faithcafe.

35. Everybody has a story . . . every story needs a place.

37. Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see—how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him. Psalm 34:8, The Message