The pastor of Oriental UMC (OUMC), Anne Sims, has held community “office hours” in a local coffee shop in her last four church appointments. Since 2019, she has spent most Wednesday mornings at The Bean coffee shop in Oriental, ready for conversation with anyone who’s willing. After COVID, she observed that many people were seeking space to connect with others, talk about what was happening in their lives and in the community and world around them, and make sense of it all spiritually.

Anne realized that while local coffee shops like The Bean can offer conversation space and a sense of community, they could not meet the deeper needs she was hearing people share. After a conversation with the owner of The Bean, The Gathering was born. This Fresh Expression meets twice a month at The Bean, which stays open late on those evenings to accommodate the group. In return, participants are urged to purchase drinks and ice cream, and to tip the baristas well!

Meetings are relaxed and consist of about an hour of free-ranging conversation prompted by the participants. They cover community issues and politics, the intersection of Christianity with Eastern faith traditions, church history and theology, the experience of feeling lonely around the holidays, and how to support one another and the community around us. They end with community sharing (prayer concerns), the sharing of a spiritual thought, quotation, or story, and they close with reflection time. Although the meeting always ends on time to keep faith with our hosts, it often spills out onto the deck and into the parking area as the conversation continues.

Throughout the time The Gathering has been meeting, it has evolved into a curious and appreciative group for conversation and spiritual reflection. Participants come from a variety of Western and Eastern spiritual traditions, as well as some from none at all, which leads to questioning of assumptions and learning about one another. Some have become regular attendees at OUMC, and all have become more connected with each other. If you’re in Oriental on the second Thursday or the fourth Monday of the month, stop in The Bean around 6pm to join The Gathering.

–Anne Sims