Dara and I were sitting in our living room in Orlando, FL over three years ago when God first put the idea into our heart to open a coffeehouse and multiple use venue instead of a traditional church building. Soon after seeing this dream so clearly in our hearts, we met a pastor named Mark Batterson. He had opened Ebenezers Coffeehouse in Washington DC. The very thing God had placed in our heart was already open for business. Ministry was happening at the intersection of faith and community. We flew to DC and saw it for ourselves, and it was absolutely beautiful.

Over the past three years, we have built a friendship with Mark. And that friendship has been nothing short of God’s miraculous ability to connect people from very different places to accomplish things much bigger than ourselves. We started kicking around the idea of an affiliation between Ebenezers DC and the coffeehouse we were planning on opening in Charlotte, NC. After walking very slowly through this process and praying for God’s direction, we have decided to move forward with this affiliation and open Ebenezers Coffeehouse in Uptown Charlotte.

Mark has a saying that is so true here: “everything is an experiment.” We’re going to see if this affiliation provides an opportunity for us to stay connected in purpose, heart and spirit. We are excited to launch into the unknown and try something new.

Along with this partnership has been an amazing opportunity to take this vision to a completely new level. We are looking at a property in Uptown Charlotte that would allow us to renovate an existing performing arts theater along with the construction of the coffeehouse and multiple-use venue. The coffeehouse and the theater would be non-profit entities that would generate revenue that is then invested back into local and overseas missions projects

God is opening some incredible doors for us to see this dream become a reality. We are taking measured steps forward as we continue to place our trust in Him. These are exciting times. More to come!