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By Dorothy Brotherton
SHAWN AND LISA Klassen had shared the youth ministry at
St. David’s Presbyterian Church in Kelowna for a couple of years,
when they decided to try breathing life into an idea which was incubating.
With a $50,000 grant from the Presbyterian Innovative
Ministries Fund, they launched The Hubb, a coffee house outreach ministry.
The church offered a basement, and the Klassens went to
work, building a snack counter, bathrooms, games room, stage and
sound-equipped lounge.
The venue has evolved – and now has all the
‘cool’ which kids want, and all the control parents want.
Kids from grades 7 – 12 drop in from 3 – 6
pm every school day. And they just hang; that’s what it’s all
about.
“Kids just want to hang out; you don’t have
to build huge programs. We’d see kids hanging out together at the gas
station,” said Shawn.
They lounge on couches or at tables, grab snacks, talk,
do homework, giggle, listen to music, play games. A standing challenge is
that if you beat Shawn at pool you get a free drink.
Kids choose ping pong, foosball, pool, air hockey,
table games or X-Box. The latest attraction is a big screen and Wii
Nintendo.
“Kids come in just to play Guitar Hero,” said Lisa.
Shawn or Lisa are there every day, hanging out with the
kids, learning names, building relationships. They do a little counselling
if kids ask. They do a little damage control if somebody gets out of hand.
Lisa noted many kids spend lots of time on computers at
home; but this is about building real relationships. “It’s much
easier to tell lies on a computer than when you are face to face with
friends,” she added.
Seven volunteers, trained in food safety, ranging in
age from 15 to mid-70s. They man the counter, clean up and interact with
kids.
The church got behind The Hubb big time. When the city
required a ramp for handicapped accessibility, the church raised $12,000 in
one Sunday. Volunteer labour and supplies were contributed.
There’s a private door so kids don’t
traipse through the church, but when Klassens first opened it, hardly
anyone came. That was November, 2004, and it stagnated for four months.
Klassens went through a trying time, wondering if they should have jumped
into this, worrying about wasting money. Then it turned around.
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“The biggest explosion was through word-of-mouth
advertising,” said Shawn.
Kids began riding the city bus from secondary or middle
school to The Hubb, or walking over if they lived in the neighbourhood, to
spend key after-school hours at a fun place with no pressure. They average
six or seven a day, sometimes as many as 25.
About that pressure. Lisa explained it is crucial that
kids feel valued, and there is no hidden agenda. When the time feels right,
they ask a kid if he wants a youth group flyer, which invites him to the
Wednesday youth group program with a Bible study.
“Of course, my heart is that they would come to
know the Lord,” said Lisa, with her winsome smile, but they are
adamant about no pressure. The result is 90 per cent of the kids in youth
group today came through The Hubb.
The Hubb often hosts weekend concerts from travelling
bands. That gets harder to control, admitted Klassens, because it draws an
older crowd. Rules say no drinking, no drugs, use manners at the snack
counter. They’ve had to kick people off the property, but never had
to call police.
“Our message is, we welcome you even if you have
pins in your face and your hair is green,” said Shawn.
Furniture at The Hubb is not old castoffs. It’s
colour-coordinated, bright, high quality stuff. The thinking is that if you
give kids junk, they’ll abuse it; give them good stuff and
they’ll care for it. Vandalism at the church has dropped since The
Hubb started.
Shawn and Lisa aren’t sure if this is part of a
reborn coffee house movement, similar to the 1960 and 70s. “No matter
what generation, kids need to connect,” said Lisa.
August 2008
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