NEWS
ReflectION Another brick in the wall Paul Unsworth looks back at his success in creating a new café-church, Kahaila. It builds life and spirit into cosmopolitan creative haven Brick Lane, in East London “I felt all tingly during one of them songs,” said John, after wandering into the opening celebration at Kahaila. John had never really had much to do with church, and wouldn’t have called himself a Christian. But he seemed open to my suggestion that the feeling he’d experienced during worship was the power of the Holy Spirit at work in him. Four months later, I am meeting weekly with John to do a Bible study with him, and he is hungry to know Jesus better. “I want what you have,” he says to me. The name ‘Kahaila’ comes from an amalgamation of two Hebrew words and means ‘life in community’. Kahaila is a business. It’s a community café. And it is also a church. It is one building, one space and we have one mission: to bring life in all its fullness, through Jesus Christ, to our local community.
We launched in June 2012 after years of dreaming, praying and preparing. Many years ago I wondered what church should look like for those who have little experience of it and little interest in finding out more. How could we reach spiritually aware people who are suspicious of institutionalised religion? How could
attending church previously have started coming to our services. We have lots of ideas for ways to get to know local people better and are starting to try out some of these. At the moment, we run regular drop-in origami workshops and clothes making workshops. Please pray for us as we continue to discern what God is calling us to do. we let them explore their questions about God and faith in a space that is unthreatening? A café seemed like a good idea. And four years ago, when I visited Brick Lane one Sunday morning, that initial idea became a very clear call from God.
‘
Brick Lane is a place of exhilarating and overwhelming diversity. It is a place where the extremes of wealth and poverty can be seen side-by-side. Where you will find Bengali-run curry restaurants, artisan cupcakes, tarot card readers, art galleries and prostitutes. Brick Lane is a place of extraordinary creativity and has become home to many people in their 20s and 30s working in the arts: actors, artists, web designers. On the edge of the City, it is also a playground for young professionals. And every Sunday, the now-famous markets on Brick Lane attract over 20,000 people to the area.
‘ We chat with people over food, just like Jesus was so fond of doing. It’s not a place for preaching, but more a place to listen and get to know people’
It is still very early days for Kahaila. But in just one month I have had more conversations with people about God than I did in a whole year when I was working for a church. I am constantly amazed at how spiritually open people are. Many are intrigued by the idea of church in a café – and already, some people who were not
Perhaps one of the simplest yet most effective things we have tried is a community bring-and-share supper club. We chat with people over food, just like Jesus was so fond of doing. It’s not a place for preaching, but more a place to listen and get to know people. John likes it: “It’s peaceful here,” he says. “I feel at home.”
Paul Unsworth Paul Unsworth is founder of Kahaila which opened in June 2012 with the purpose of reaching the ‘missing generation’ of 20s and 30s with the gospel.
13