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Crossroads Coffee House provides good food, entertainment
by Reginald Rogers
Paraglide
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photo by Reginald Rogers/Paraglide
Attendees of the Crossroads Coffee House enjoy a friendly card game Dec. 17. On this night, the center treated more than 25 Soldiers and Family members to Papa John’s Pizza, soft drinks and coffee. The coffee house, which is located on the corner of Graves Street and Gruber Road, opens at 7 p.m. each Friday night. |
After a hard week at work, it is common for Soldiers to look forward to the various entertainment sources that off post has to offer. However, these activities can be expensive and hard to get to for Soldiers without a means of transportation.
Now, several chaplains on post are providing an inexpensive and convenient place for Soldiers and their Families to hang out.
The Crossroads Coffee House offers Soldiers and Family members an opportunity to relax, engage in thoughtful conversation, enjoy good food, listen to live music, and of course, drink good coffee, all without leaving post.
The coffee house, which is located on the corner of Grave Street and Gruber Road, opens its doors every Friday night at 7 p.m., and according to the chaplains who operate the facility, those who attend will not be disappointed.
Chaplain (Capt.) Chan Ham, along with Chaplain (Capt.) Stephen Taylor and Chaplain (Capt.) Josh Grimes, operate the facility and are in attendance every Friday night.
“The coffee house is an alternative way to entertain Soldiers on Friday night,” said Ham, who is assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Infantry Regiment. “Garrison supports this type of activity as an alternative way to spend Friday nights.”
According to Taylor, of the 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, the coffee house’s target is single Soldiers who are in need of a place to unwind after a long week working at an Army pace.
“We want to give them a great option, a great place to come where they can just unwind, shoot some pool, play ping-pong, play games, have great food and fellowship with friends,” Taylor explained. “Basically, it gives them a good alternative and a safe place where they can come.”
He said the coffee house is a Department of Defense facility, so those who attend are required to show their military or military Family member ID cards at the door before entering.
He said the coffee house’s offers live entertainment, which is most often provided by several Soldiers who arrive with their own instruments.
Taylor added that the chaplains also provide a short religious message for those who want to listen, but it is not a requirement for coming to the facility. Soldiers may still come just to enjoy the food and friendship, without the fear of being preached to.
“We allow people to ask questions to some of the chaplains later in the evening, about faith or about any issues that are of concern to them,” Taylor explained. “This allows guys an opportunity to minister to each other and to just hang out with guys from other units.”
Ham said the facility has been around for many years, but re-opened its door about two months ago.
“We’re beginning to build our rapport,” said Grimes, who is assigned to 2nd Bn., 319th Field Artillery Regiment. “I wonder how many times people have shown up and saw that it was closed and have been turned away. We have to look at getting the word out to let them know that we are open and available to them.”
Grimes said that new people venture to the coffee house every Friday to enjoy the fun and fellowship, but about three quarters of the attendees are there each week.
“I think it’s important to give them the knowledge that it is there and that it has changed a little more because I don’t know what the perception of it was before we shut it down,” Grimes added.
Ham said the coffee house’s format is relaxed, and Soldiers can enjoy food, which may include anything from Papa John’s pizza to Chinese food from one of Fayetteville’s many restaurants.
“For the first two hours, from 7 to 9 p.m., we feed them and just have open conversation,” Ham said. “From 9 p.m. and for the next hour or so, Chaplain Grimes and Chaplain Taylor lead them into a dialogue, which is not a Bible study, but we have a conversation that allows them to share experiences and make friends.”
Grimes said the group is encouraged to engage in meaningful discussions.
“When 9 p.m. comes, there is definitely fellowship involved in that, but it’s also for the sake of just picking an issue or topic and allowing them to interact versus being talked at,” he explained. “We’re saying, let’s just have a legitimate conversation and get your views out there and discuss things versus getting preached at or whatever else you associate with when dealing with the chaplain.”
The coffee house also has its own barista who is able to make some of the more popular coffee blends that are often found at other establishments.
Crossroads Coffee House opens its doors Fridays at 7 p.m., and all Soldiers and Family members are invited to attend.
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