The Green Bean Cafe @ The U of Windsor

I drove down south to meet with Ben and Michelle Davidson at the University of Windsor.

After exploring the campus, I dropped in to visit with them at their new enterprise, The Green Bean Cafe. check them out at www.greenbeancoffee.info . It  made  for an inspiring day.

 Ben and Michelle had it in their hearts to reach out onto the U of W campus. Ben, who is the young adults/missions pastor at Parkwood Gospel Tabernacle, in Windsor,  had previously explored chaplaincy ministry. The UW chaplaincy, rooted in the oldline traditions inherent in the U of W's past ( it was previously a religious school, Assumption University, run by the Basilean Fathers ), did not seem like the right fit, at that particular time. He also investigated involvement with various campus groups. There are a large number of small, fragmented groups on campus and he did not feel prompted to either start another one or get involved in a presently existing one.  However, both he and Michelle did feel prompted to explore the idea of a café near the campus.

His search brought him to University Community Church, which was an aging Presbyterian congregation that refused to let either decreasing numbers or  increasing age dictate their vision. Ben and the new Presbyterian pastor, Mary Templer,hit it off immediately. They developed what could be described as a symbiotic, or mutually beneficial relationship. Parkwood released a number of families and young adults to attend the church to help create a critical mass so that it could get back on its feet. Several families have remained. UCC, for its part has been very supportive of all that God has placed on Ben and Michelle's  heart to do.


UCC secured a grant for renovation which was more than matched by volunteer labour. Many people worked long and hard renovating the lower floor of the church into a warm, inviting space where students, faculty and whomever can drop by and hang out. It is not just that the space is warm, the place has a soul. Namely, it has a caring couple who make it their business to make people feel at home and connect with them. They have been enthusiastically embraced by the surrounding community. They have been told repeatedly by various people that “ We are so glad that you are here”.


Ben tells a poignant recent story of a student who had gone home and had a horrific weekend. She said that at the time, she just wanted to be back at school, drinking coffee wit her room mate at the Green Bean.


They are next door to the School of Business, and they will soon be across the street from the new School of Engineering. The U will be growing up around them. In fact, a class of business students has made GB their class project. Not only will they prepare a marketing report for the GB, but they will execute it as well.

Before I visited them, I spent a few hours exploring the campus. Before I visited the GB cafe, I wanted to get a sense of the bigger picture. While U of W is not as sterile as some of the campuses I have visited, it became quickly apparent to me that there was nothing that filled the niche that the GB did. Let me show you a picture of "the competition".

 
 

Sandwiches ( including Panini ) and various designer coffees and teas. Tempting desserts. High counter with stone highlights, complete with a stonelike ceramic floor. They have hired staff, including someone they have trained as an assistant manager.








Let me borrow words from their website where they share their vision...

Michelle and Ben Davidson


Michelle is 24 years old and recently graduated with her BScN from University of Windsor. She has six years experience (five pretty lame, one really awesome) in the coffee shop business. When she’s not taking care of the sick (she’s a nurse), cooking or making things awesome her main responsibilities at Green Been will be: restaurant management, scheduling, training, and barista extraordinaire.

 Ben is 28 years old and graduated with his BTh from Masters College and Seminary a few years ago. For the past three years, he has worked as a Pastor in Windsor. As a student, he worked two years in the restaurant business. When he is not Pastoring, running, or cycling his main responsibilities at Green Bean are: marketing, online presence, business planning, financial operations and being a willing-to-learn barista.

 Why start a coffee shop?


Good question. We think the best answer for that question is that we want to make a living doing something that we think will make the community surrounding the University of Windsor a better place. We hope that’s not too lofty of a goal for a couple of kids who love fair trade, organic and local produce to pursue because that’s the kind of café we want to build.


We love the idea of students having a comfortable, affordable place to study, surf the web, hang with friends and occasionally listen to some great live music. We think local artists could use some more places to showcase their art. Simply put, we want Green Bean to be the kind of place that we wish we had when we were in school and the kind of place that anyone can come, grab something to drink and relax.


What I love about this is that they just went out and made it happen. It is not only a great story, but it is an exciting ministry. One that people should know about....