Every Tuesday night, between at least 70 youth and young adults in Kelowna gather at the Mars Hill Music Café for an evening of music, fair trade coffee and lively discussions about current events and contemporary issues. As a community outreach of First Baptist Church, Kelowna, it is an unusual ministry because most of its leadership team comes from outside the church.

“We didn’t want to do the typical young adult ministry that works mostly for people already going to church,” says Connie Cristall, Associate Pastor of FBC Kelowna. “We really want to reach young adults who aren’t part of a church community. That means there may be some tensions over keeping a Christian vision but everyone involved knows the café is rooted in our faith.”

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“It has a bit of a beatnik feel to it and is a little bit of a throwback to the ‘70’s, and yet remains fresh and current” says Connie. “Young people want to be part of something cool, do something big. They are aware of social issues and want to start doing something to create change, but they have little money.”

While musicians perform, people attending the café can talk at tables and are led in conversations about social causes and how they might get involved. The café gives musicians of all genres a venue to perform and gives local artists a place to display their work, creating a lively, fun atmosphere attractive to students and others trying to find their place in the world.

The café provides a welcoming, engaging and thought-provoking place for young adults to dig deeper. For example, the recent earthquake in Haiti has led to meaningful discussions about where God is in a world of pain and suffering. As a result, some young people who have never set foot in a church in their lives are now starting to wander in. Bridges are being built between Christians and the community. So far, the cafe is financially self-sustaining and they have more volunteers than they can use.

Connie believes the vision FBC has to reach out to unchurched young people in the community can be shared by any congregation, regardless of whether they have musical or artistic talent. “You just have to be aware of the community around you and have a desire to reach people directly on your own doorstep.”

The café runs every Tuesday night at FBC’s Mars Hill Campus (on the site of the former KLO church), 1370 KLO Road, Kelowna. For more information, go to www.marshillkelowna.com or contact First Baptist Church at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it