City churches get hipper as youth take centrestage
Kamini Mathai
CHENNAI: Football leagues. Cafes. Rock concerts. Camps. Leadership teams instead of priests. If you thought church in Chennai was restricted to a Sunday morning sermon, you couldn’t be further from the truth. With newer, younger, “forward thinking” churches mushrooming in Chennai, Christianity in the city seems to be getting a whole new perspective.
For a start, how about some ‘Good News and Great Coffee.’ It’s what’s on the menu at JC’s — the inspirational cafe in Nungambakkam, JC being Jesus Christ for short. The cafe, says its owner Philip Vaseegaran, is based wholly on the Bible and is meant for the entire family, “unlike the other loud and noisy cafes in town. I want people who walk into my cafe to leave with a message, an inspiration,” he says.
Which is why along with its mocha and sandwiches, JC’s, which opens every morning at seven, has gospel music streaming through the cafe all day, Bibles as well as religious books and movies on sale, and plays televised sermons at regular intervals in the day (starting at 8 am with Joey Austin and moving on to the more famous Billy Graham).
“But that does not mean the Cafe is open to only Christians. People of all faiths and ages come here. I believe the Bible is a book for everyone,” says Philip, who adds that the one-month-old cafe is gaining popularity owing to its theme.
Then there’s Ashraya, a six-year-old church that like JC’s, is open to people of all faiths. Although the entire congregation meets on Sunday mornings, Ashraya organises a weekly programme called ‘Explore’, which is open to all cross-sections of society and aims to communicate the teachings of Jesus Christ in a manner that can be understood by all.
19 June 2008, The Times of India |
