City Harvest Church launches a barista ministry which serves good coffee for a good cause.
CN PHOTOS: Henzy David
Most people would agree that few things are more invigorating than the aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the morning—and this was what greeted City Harvest members when they stepped into church over the weekend of Apr 16 and 17. CHC’s new barista ministry has set up shop in a corner of Hall 605 at Suntec Singapore, right next to the siren red City Radio booth.
The coffee station is a community project that aims to encourage CHC churchgoers to “Drink Coffee, Do Good”. The best bit—patrons pay what they want for each cuppa and the profit goes to helping the beneficiaries of CHC‘s community service arm, City Harvest Community Services Association.
“A barista’s job is said to be the most romantic in America, so I think that it’s good for us to serve the members coffee,” says Ian Chong, pastoral supervisor in charge of the new ministry.
The barista ministry aims to encourage busy working professionals to serve in a ministry. “Some business owners and professionals are very busy but they have a desire to serve, so my aim is to let them come before service and serve coffee to the members … also, they will be learning a new skill!”
The first batch of 16 baristas consists of bankers, pilots and business owners, who had undergone a two-day course with Dutch Colony’s Roastery Academy and a food-handling course with the Workforce Development Authority.
“It actually takes a lot of discipline to make consistently good coffee,” says Chong. “Being a barista means you have to stand at the coffee machine to make cups after cups of good coffee. After standing for a few hours, it becomes quite a challenge to make consistently good coffee.”
Besides making coffee, the volunteers would also be waitpersons serving coffee to the churchgoers, while explaining the philosophy behind “Drink Coffee Do Good” and how it works.
THE CUP OF JOE
The aroma that fills the hall is a foretaste of the cup of coffee that the barista ministry has to offer. Brewed with freshly roasted coffee beans from Dutch Colony Coffee Co., each cup of artisan coffee boosts a rich earthy and chocolaty tang. Choose to have it black and strong or creamy with milk.
In two weeks’ time, the barista ministry will be doing a recruitment drive at the coffee station. The next batch of volunteers will be trained by no other than the first batch of baristas.
