A longing in Leiden became a reality
The rain falls gently on my coat as I get off at the railway station, right next to the Leiden student campus. Moments later, I walk into Het Koffiehoekje. The smell of fresh coffee, a smile from the ladies behind the bar and a table full of festive cake slices immediately brighten the grey November day. I am here for the reopening.
Prayer walk
Two years ago I sat around the table with the missionary committee of CGK Leiden, the chairman of the church council and missionary elder David Oppenhuizen. They had a desire to be more visible and meaningful in the city, but also questions: What does it actually mean to be missional in our time? How can we give it hands and feet here in Leiden?
As I sip my cappuccino, David says, smiling, “I imaginatively stood on the roof of our church and looked around. On one side, I saw the focus area, where we are active through diaconal projects like Christmas meals and the Food Bank. On the other side was an area where five thousand new homes would be built; mainly for young graduates. And then I thought: what would God want to do here?”
David started doing prayer walks through the neighbourhood. He often walked past this café, The Coffee Corner. What a beautiful place among people, he thought. When the business appeared on Funda, the question suddenly became concrete: might this be the place God is giving us?
Prayer answer
The church recognised that feeling. Spiritually, practically and financially, they saw that this was an opportunity. “It was as if God was truly leading the way for us,” says David. It turned out that the previous owner had once had a dream of starting a coffee bar. Over the years, she came to faith, but was planning to close her business because she was ready for a new challenge. “The fact that we are now able to give her dream a new lease of life, with a missionary desire, filled both her and us with gratitude.”
Today, they celebrate the festive reopening and Het Koffiehoekje has been buzzing all day. Community members, but also neighbouring Leiden churches, are involved in many ways: as volunteers, through the prayer app or through the foundation that provides salaried baristas. Meanwhile, they hope that slowly but surely more beautiful things may grow: contacts, friendships and conversations about meaning and faith.
Sign of hope
One wall is filled with a reproduction of Café terrace at night By Vincent van Gogh - also known as Terrasse du café le soir, painted at the Place du Forum in Arles. Some see the scene as a symbolic reference to Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper: Jesus in the midst of people at table, under a sky full of stars. A painting full of light in the night. A beautiful image of what this place wants to be: a warm, open coffee café where people may meet each other and something of God's presence. What started as a desire has grown into a living sign of hope, in the middle of the city of Leiden.
Petra de Jong-Heins, missionary consultant
Tips for your own environment
Start with prayer. Being missional starts with not planning, but with listen. Ask God: where are you already at work in my environment and how may I participate in that?
Look with open eyes. Like David, stand imaginary on the roof of your church. Look around you, at the neighbourhood, your work, your sports club. Where do you see opportunities for hopeful encounter?
