Finally, the YAF Coffee Night has come and gone. Many of you would have read in the Lively Hope announcements for the past couple of months that the YAF was going to have a coffee night and probably wondered, “What’s a coffee night?” and “Why is the YAF having one?” This article is a report on the YAF Coffee Night, our aims, what actually happened and how it turned out.

How did the YAF Coffee Night come about? Well, way back in June, the Evangelism sub-group was discussing what kinds of activities we could have to share the gospel with our friends. Along with our normal ideas of a video night, or a dinner with a message, was this new idea of a coffee night. The person who suggested it had participated in some before and explained how they worked. Basically, we have our friends seated at tables where they are served coffee or tea and some nibbles. Then in this nice, informal, non-threatening environment, we provide entertainment with messages. Items to praise God and testify of His goodness in a very straightforward and inoffensive way. The idea was presented to the rest of the YAF and we were asked to volunteer to prepare items. People volunteered and practices began. Another important part of the preparation for the evening was prayer. For we know that as with anything else we do, we need God’s help for it to be a success. We prayed for the preparation, the participants, and for our friends. Firstly that they would come, but also that their hearts would be touched. It is God alone who has the power to save souls. Each member of the YAF had a part to play in this coffee night - presenting items, preparing refreshments, helping with set-up and inviting friends. As part of our YAF theme this year of “Christian Service”, we have looked at how each person, as a part of the body of Christ is important, and how we should serve God by working together and by using the gifts and abilities He has given us. This Coffee Night was a wonderful demonstration of this. Each person put in a lot of effort to serve God, cheerfully, sacrificially (giving up time), with commitment (saying they would do something and doing it). It’s amazing how much synergy we can generate when we all strive together for the same goal, in this case to glorify God.

The YAF Coffee Night was held on the 24th of September 2004, upstairs in the Green Room of the Stone Mansion. Invitations for the Coffee Night first came out in August, just in time for our evangelistic video night, but people had already started asking friends before this. Many people came, both young and not so young. In the end, we had close to 90 people attending (including YAF & Teens members). With tables for sitting around and a small stage area for the performances, this made the Green Room rather crowed so it was a bit difficult to move around. It was still good to see so many people though. The program was finalised a couple of weeks before and included time for just sitting around and talking with our friends, getting to know them better and to find out what they thought of what they had seen and heard. Printed copies of the program were placed on the tables, along with response slips, for guests to fill in if they wanted to find out more, and information pamphlets about the YAF. This gave an opportunity to invite friends to YAF and church. There were also tracts by the coffee table so that people would be free to take them and read them at their leisure.

Yes, there was coffee. There was also tea and other beverages, and lots of food as well, but that was not the main attraction of the evening. The main part of the evening was the entertainment. We had an instrumental item from the Teens, skits, and plenty of singing. The singing groups ranged from a duet, up to the church choir, and there was even a Chinese group. Although the items were entertaining, that was not our chief purpose in performing them. Every item was put together with the purpose of sharing the gospel and the Christian faith with our friends. Before each item, someone would share a brief testimony of why the song was chosen and what it means to them, which gave us an opportunity to share our faith with the audience. Each song was a testimony about God, His love for us, the assurances that was have in Him, His worthiness to be praised. The skits were aimed at making people think about God and what kind of part He has in our lives. The first skit, called “Time”, showed people being too busy to talk about God, and left the audience with the question “Do YOU have time for God?” The second skit was called “Hope”. In it, a young man with terminal cancer, shared his faith and hope in God with another young man who was angry that he had been diagnosed as being HIV+. The angry young man was left considering the cancer patient’s testimony and hope. Pastor Ki ended the Coffee Night with a message stirring those who listened, to consider, what it means to us, that Jesus Christ really did rise from the dead.

For most if not all, it was an enjoyable night. Praise and thanks must go to God for His blessings upon the evening, the wonderful attendance and the running of the night. Even though we had a rehearsal the night before, the program didn’t quite flow without hiccups. The rehearsal did actually turn into a series of mini-practices, so we didn’t get a good idea of how long (or rather short) the items would be. However, the performances did go well, and John did a great job as the official host of the evening. A big thank you to Darren for giving of his time and equipment to provide sound and lighting for the event. We would like to thank each person who had a part to play in the Coffee Night, however big or small, for making it the success that it was. It was really great to see everyone so enthusiastic and eager to serve and share the gospel. Hopefully this passion for Christ will continue in all that we do. Perhaps we might even have another coffee night next year. Even though the event is over, we must not forget to continue to pray for our friends, especially those who aren’t saved, that they may come to know Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

For a first attempt at such an event, by God’s grace, it went very well. There are things that we can learn from it, such as the blessing of using talents God has given us, the joy of serving Him, the effectiveness of working together and the importance of each person in producing such a night. An area we must continue to focus on is follow-up. Should we hold a similar event in the future we know that we need to think about a bigger space area for more people.

We would like to thank God for His grace upon us to share His gospel in this way and we do hope that there will be more opportunities where we can do this more often. How wonderful it is to have the freedom to spread the gospel like this in this country. May God continue to use us for His service and His purpose always.

In His Service,
Joyce and Purdee

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