The Beloved Church Coffee Hour May Soon Return as COVID-19 Fades

The first time coffee showed up in church, things did not go well. Now it's a staple that many churches have missed during the pandemic.

The first time coffee showed up in church, things did not go well.

First developed in the Muslim world in the mid-800s, coffee was initially greeted by the Vatican, according to traditional stories, as a “hellish” brew meant to tempt Christians.

“For Christians to drink it, was to risk falling into a trap set by Satan for their soul,” wrote William Harrison Ukers in his 1922 book, “All About Coffee.”

Thankfully, said the Rev. Tim Schenck, Pope Clement VII, who ruled in the 16th century, had a better idea.

After trying a cup for himself and finding it delicious, Clement decided to baptize coffee in order to fool Satan and “make it a Christian beverage,” said Schenck, an Episcopal priest and author of “Holy Grounds: The Surprising Connection Between Coffee and Faith.”

Five centuries later, coffee hour is now a staple of congregational life for many houses of worship, where members drink coffee, often brewed in commercial vats, and chitchat before or after services. But with in-person worship services paused during the pandemic, coffee hour disappeared. That time of socializing is one of the things that churchgoers have missed most about meeting in person. Read More

Since moving to Kentucky 14 years ago this coming June, I have attended three different churches. Only one of the churches had what might be described as a “coffee hour.”

The first church, which was a growing new church plant, served coffee, tea, water, juice, and the ingredients for a light breakfast from about an hour before the first service to the end of the second service. We arranged tables, chairs, and sofas in the atrium in ways that facilitated socializing. The beverages and food were free, and attendees could take their beverage and food into the service with them. No fresh coffee was brewed during the second service. We introduced a variety of teas because a number of people preferred tea to coffee. 

People socialized before each service and not after the service. The only people who hung around after the second service were the takedown and cleanup crew. Everyone else headed home, to the university cafeteria, or to their favorite restaurant for lunch. The church outgrew its first venue and now meets in a much larger venue. Like the first venue, it is on the campus of the local state university.

The second church, a church where I preached and led services, had a coffee hour after the church’s one service on Sunday mornings. Coffee was an afterthought. The members of the congregation were more interested in eating cake, cookies, donuts, finger sandwiches, and the other food that they had brought and socializing than they were in drinking coffee. Participating in the familiar weekly ritual of a Prayer Book service and eating together and socializing comprised the primary religious activities of the small congregation. One or two attended a Bible study at another church.

The third church which I began occasionally attending before the COVID-19 pandemic does not serve coffee. If it does, I did not find where it was served. One of the Sunday school classrooms did have a coffee maker. Except on Sundays when the church serves a free community meal, the attendees leave after the second service. They may chat with each other on the sidewalk or they did before the pandemic. The community meals are now drive through or takeout.

Personally I prefer to drink coffee before the service, not after it. I usually do not have time to drink coffee at home or purchase a cup of coffee on the way to church.

Among the factors that may affect the return of the coffee hour is that many people are not getting vaccinated or not getting their second dose while states are relaxing or eliminating their restrictions due to dropping infection rates. Since it is spring, people are spending more time outdoors and less time indoors. Some people have stopped wearing face masks and following other safety precautions. Health experts, on the other hand, are concerned about a resurgence of the virus in the fall due to these trends. They are urging people to get vaccinated and to wear face masks. We may see coffee hours reinstated at churches only to see them discontinued again.