No. 21 Vol. 5
My Life Publications • 1-800-691-7549
May 2025
The Sacred Bean Coffeehouse: 25 Years of Music
T
by Elsie Walker he Sacred Bean Coffeehouse has marked a milestone. For just over twenty-five years, it has been providing free musical entertainment to the community and providing musicians who are singer-songwriters with a venue. A ministry of the Flanders United Methodist Church, 4 Park Place in Flanders, it is held one Saturday a month at 7pm in the church’s fellowship hall, October through May with a break for the summer. Musical styles range from country to jazz to a cappella and more with a special Christmas music coffeehouse held every December. Refreshments are sold and go to paying the performers. There is no admission fee, and the coffeehouse’s website is http://www.sacredbeancoffeehouse.org Church member Ray Winch is coordinator of the Sacred Bean and recently talked about its history, its present, and its future. The Sacred Bean came about from Winch’s own musical experiences. “At that time, I was singing and playing at a lot at different venues. But, a lot of the venues weren’t well suited for singer-songwriters. Bars and restaurants are not the best venues for singer-songwriters. Usually, people are not there to hear new songs or original music. They generally want to hear songs they already know, and they are there primarily to socialize or watch sports,” he shared. Winch noted that was fine when he was starting out as it gave him experience in front of an audience, but then he got to a point where he wanted more. He got a chance to
sing at a place called the Time Still Café in Hackettstown in 1998. Though gone now, Winch remembers it “was very much a coffeehouse style listening room.” Winch loved it. There weren’t many venues like that where people came for the music and were interested in new music. “So I thought, if we, my bandmates and I, can’t find a good gig, we’ll make one,” he shared. Winch approached the church council at the Flanders United Methodist Church, where he is a lifelong member, with the idea to hold a coffeehouse in the church basement. That request was approved, and the first show was held in June 1999. Winch drew on his connections to get talent in the early days, and it has grown from there. “When we first started out, the musicians were primarily people I knew who were doing the same thing I was doing. When they would sing at the coffeehouse, they would email their fans, which would include other musicians, and they would attend and say, ‘Can I play here too?’ Musicians love the room, the excellent sound system, and attentive audience,” he said. Musicians are paid and they are welcome to sell their CDs and merchandise at the coffeehouse. Winch has found that there are many singer-songwriters and other performers who are searching for a good listening room to showcase their songs and talents. “Each one is unique and has their own perspective. I love to be able to see things from someone else’s perspective. There are
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a lot of incredibly talented musicians that deserve a good venue, a lot of whom do not fit into any specific genre,” Winch shared. When asked about his role in the Sacred Bean, from his reply it is clear that Winch wears many hats. “I book the continued on page 6