All your posts re; Third Place have been so helpful to our community (http://www.3dff.com)as we transition..

I just posted on s few of the surprises we see coming:

http://davewainscott.blogspot.com/2007/07/third-place-serendipities.html

You may have noted I added links to your post and a few others by church bloggers to the Third Place wikipedia article

Rob — I’ve never been to Grace cafe; I always figured the name told me all I’d ever need to know… including the liklihood that nobody gets very good tips there.

As for agendas and friendship, I figure you have to choose. Can’t have both… but it’s a trick question, because you’ll never accomplish your agenda without friendship, while having the agenda will prevent the friendship. Tread carefully.

Bill, you’ve got a puzzling question there. I could see the novelty of your proposed cafe style drawing paying customers. I wonder about changing the pricing model according to the hours. Coffee’s free from 10:30-11:30am and 2:00-5:00pm. Just thinking aloud.

We (my husband and I) have stumbled into the “third space” of my daughter’s hockey team. This is very clearly a community for these people. I was invited by the coach to be the team manager for the coming year. So I’ve taken on that task. I’ll do it to the best of my abilities and I’ll be intentional with my desire to engage in a relational style with the girls and the parents. To approach problem solving from a Christ-like perspective which involves mediation and redemption rather than confrontation, discipline, and being “right.” I may never talk openly about my faith, but I may plant seeds. It’s my hope that engaging in that relational style combined with prayer and guidance from my support network will at least give me some conversations. But if it doesn’t … well … I’ve still done what I was called to do. And I’ll still have some good friends.

The Grace Cafe does an excellent job of providing great food and coffee/beverages, but a few things immediately stand out:

1. With a name like “Grace Cafe”, it’s obviously a Christian place, and

2. The clientele (when I’ve visited) has been obviously church people enjoying church fellowship in a third space that is alcohol-free and “nice”. I know the original owner’s vision was more akin to “third space”, but that’s not how it’s turned out. The churchianity crew took it over and their $$ keeps it afloat, so what can the owners do?

3. The suburban location doesn’t help. The only people looking for a cafe that far away are the church people who already know where to find it.

And I agree with Jamie that there’s a trap of neutrality that leads to passivity if we view “intentional” as synonymous with “agenda”. I don’t like agenda-driven friendships (I have met some Christians with this kind of drive-through mentality, and like Sonja, I think it leaves a bad smell), but being intentional doesn’t have to be agenda-driven.

I totally agree with that … having intentional friendships that are not based on an agenda are great. Thanks for clarifying …

pax, Sonja

I hear what you are saying (I even blogged on this some time ago). However, I don’t necessarily think that having a loving intention is the same as having an agenda. I think there is a risk of being too neutral. Just a thought.

Peace,
Jamie

We are also working on a similar approach to the books themselves, but given our neighbourhood and the market, we have to develop that more intentionally and carefully.

Peace,
Jamie