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By Lailani Mendoza
THIRD PLACE. It’s a term coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg. He said everyone needs a place
away from home and work, where a person can unwind – an informal meeting place, where people momentarily forget the stresses of
life.
For some, it’s a bar or a coffee shop. For many university students in Kelowna, the third
place is in a renovated industrial warehouse called The House. The facility
opened in September 2008. Its coffee shop and lounge has become a popular place
for students to chat while sipping their favourite caffeinated drinks.
Director Chad Johnson and Ed Weiss from Evangel Church run the drug- and
alcohol-free facility, with the help of volunteers. They wanted to create a
fun, art-focused community as an alternative to the club scene.
“Whenever there’s something happening in there, it’s just electric, it’s a buzz. There’s people all over the place visiting and talking,” said Johnson. “It’s cramped, it’s crowded . . . We have live music all of the time. There’s always somebody in the corner playing guitar or DJ-ing. If you came out and
were a part of us, you’d find it is different all of the time.”
Most of the facilities – computer room, wireless internet, laundry facility and study room – are free for the students to use. There’s also an entertainment area where people can play Wii and other video games.
Also popular is the performing arts space. “We’ve had the university come in and use it for a four-day professional workshop
series with 100 students. We’ve had rock concerts and CD release concerts come in. We’ve had fundraisers for other non-profits – silent auctions, art shows.”
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A multigenerational church community also meets at The House. Their vision is “to be a people and place of spiritual life and belonging.” The group meets every Sunday for a weekly worship night, with several bands
from different churches helping to lead the worship. Other ministries include
in-depth teaching and discussions, couple mentoring, discipleship school and
other workshops.
Wednesdays are Community Soup Nights, when the team offers free soup and buns.
Some 60 people usually show up to eat, and then stay for a hockey game or a
movie.
People wonder why the organizers offer all this, said Johnson. “They ask quite often. And we say we’re set up as a non-profit. We’re supported by churches – and caring individuals that just want to help . . . They’re a people of life. They’re the relationships that are there 24/7. But the place of life is this venue;
it’s the ability to create this ‘third place.’”
A lot of churches, he noted, “are wrestling with questions: ‘How do we stay relevant? How do we stay effective?’ We have lots of big buildings – that aren’t full of people. How do we turn these things around?”
Ministries such as The House, he said, “are beta levels. We’re stepping stones. I’m hoping that there’s gonna be some expressions of change, like The House, that will say: ‘You know what? It can be done differently, and it’s okay.’”
Contact: thehouseonline.ca. or 250.859.1037.
June 2010
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