The hours of The Family Tree Cafe are expanding and so is our outreach to young families. Up until now we have limited our outreach to Mondays and Thursdays from 9-12. Starting September 1st, we will expand the days the cafe is open to Mon. through Thurs. We have recently seen a rise in visits by the young families in our surrounding neighborhoods, and they are inviting their friends. We continue to get people of all backgrounds from social media, including parents who are grateful for the free coffee because they are" tight right now," international families who are here for an indefinite amount of time for their spouse's job, and grandparents who are charged with the grandkids while their parents work.
What does this mean for our UBC Family? Will we still have Young at Heart, will the Fellowship Hall be available for other programs? The answer is a resounding yes. Young at Heart is still currently scheduled to use FH on the (?) Tuesday of each month and we will still continue to use the Fellowship Hall for a variety of programs. On days of conflict we will take advantage of our amazing Campus and welcome families to programs in the Library and Courtyard. It also means we welcome you to come and take part in the joy of the cafe. Do you have an hour or two once a week or month etc. that you could share with these young families, to help a new family through the sign-in process, to help hold a baby while an older sibling gets helped to the bathroom, or to just be the presence of UBC.
We invite you to participate, to invite a friend, to share a cup of coffee. It is all too easy to support the work of ministries like Family Tree Café through words of encouragement. However, you have a unique and profound opportunity to be the presence of Christ through sharing your time by volunteering at the Café. If only for one hour per week, you presence can go a long way in helping families feel welcome at UBC.
Deb