Appendix E-J

As part of celebrating our 5th anniversary, someone who is part of Everyday Joe’s will write something about it each month. Anything from essays to sonnets to interpretive dance. How interpretive dance would translate to this blog, I’m not sure…but it’d be interesting.

Whatever is written, it will come from the life that is in this building. 144 S. Mason seems to be alive and breathing…and it is something you can’t ignore when you walk in. Lucky no. 7 comes from the heart of Diana Sitzman- long-time EJ’s volunteer, coffee goddess, avid reader, world traveler, and a fantastic cook. We love her very much.

There’s some social theory about the importance of third places, I think the main point being that our contemporary society tends to lack somewhere to go other than work and home (first and second place).  We should all have a place where our social needs are met and we can be involved in our community.

Everyday Joe’s is my third place.

I remember on my very first day there, one of the other volunteers said I’d love it because it’s just like “Cheers,” and every day since then I’ve seen how much truth lies in that claim.  I do love it, that’s undeniable.  Why?  Because sometimes, I really do just want to go where everybody knows my name and is genuinely glad I came.

I’m a good example of how God knows us better than we know ourselves and will provide accordingly.  I’ve never been too socially needy and quite content being by myself, but I can’t deny that it’s nice to be known as a distinct person, not just another customer or co-worker.  It’s so encouraging for me to look back at the past 3 ½ years and realize that in one way or another, Everyday Joe’s has served as the answer to almost every prayer I’ve ever prayed, and I’d wager that approximately 90% of all the really great things in my life are as a result of my involvement there.

This building is alive because God is alive and moving in it.  It brings people together and fosters community in a way that no other church or coffee house in town does.  But it’s also an instrument of change within individuals, and has a pretty profound impact on who many people are becoming, not just myself.  It’s, a place to be challenged but also supported; a place of joy, of play, of rest; a place to love and be loved.

Every time I walk into the building (or even just think about it) I know God likes me, because I’m allowed to be a part of this phenomenon.

Further:

• Diana Being Hugged by The Moroccan Tom Cruise

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So, here’s the deal.

The usual Monday post did not make it up yesterday. This was mainly due to the fact that the large refrigerator…the primary purpose of which is to keep the soda pop and milk cool and drinkable…was warm when I came down to open. Warmness is not conducive to dairy products.

Sounds like something that would take place on a  Monday…a major organ in the coffee house body taking a dive (if the espresso machine is the heart, I’d say the refrigerator is at least one of the kidneys). This Monday was the Monday after our 5th birthday party, which was a nice time. A nice time on Saturday and back to the art of maintenance on Monday. A very nice fellow we know recently spoke about maintenance. Listen to that below if you like.

[audio http://www.everydayjoes.org/images/songs for blog/June%2022%209am%20Darren.mp3]

Back to the refrigerator. A good guy came yesterday and battled with the machine for near 8 hours, only to have the machine claim victory with its foot on his chest. He told us what the fix would be and that it would cost $800. We told him we’d let him know.

Now, we’ll leave the story to Daryle Dickens, the executive director of Everyday Joe’s:

Let’s see, how many lessons can we learn from what happened over the past 24 hours with the large cooler?

That is all.

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Over the years, the Everyday Joe’s family and the Enter The Worship Circle family have become quite tangled and intertwined in a sort of friendly slap fight where everyone laughs and falls down and then eats nachos together.

Last week, Enter The Worship Circle: Fourth Circle was released. It is one giant collaboration between Ben, & Robin Pasely, Jacob & Lily, Aaron Strumpel, The Blackthorn Project, and the audio engineering prowess of Dave Wilton (aboyandhiskite). A giant collaboration between those folks is most likely some sort of monumental feat. And by monumental, I do mean it could deserve a giant statue of itself.

Mr. Strumpel – being the dear that he is – has shared a track from the album with the appendix. Please enjoy “Give Me Your Hand.” It features a glockenspiel, people. Glockenspiel!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Further:

• Buy Enter The Worship Circle: Fourth Circle
• Enter The Worship Circle official site
• Blackthorn Project official site
• Aaron Strumpel official site
• Jacob & Lily official site
• Aboyandhiskite Composes Podcast, Vicariously Wins Daytona 500

Popularity: 18% [?]

If you picked up a copy of Thursday’s (5/8/08) edition of the Rocky Mountain Collegian, a couple familiar faces may have been staring back at you…or staring off into the musical distance.

Everyday Joe’s musical son Jon Alonzo and our good friend Dave Maddocks – along with the rest of the Act So Big Forest musical community – were featured in a cover story written by our very own volunteer Maggie Canty. We’ve watched most of the Forest grow up before our very eyes…Winderous Igloos, Airships, Josh Dillard, Candy Claws…the list goes on. They are an endless source of creativity and can often leave you with your head cocked to one side, a bit confused.

They are great and we love them very much. Read the article here. Paean, another member of the forest, will release their new album at Everyday Joe’s on June 6 with special guest Maxwell Hughes

Further:

• Act So Big Forest myspace
• Livin’ Large With Marge - Maggie’s weekly column
• Paean myspace
• Maxwell Hughes Myspace

Popularity: 24% [?]

As part of celebrating our 5th anniversary, someone who is part of Everyday Joe’s will write something about it each month. Anything from essays to sonnets to interpretive dance. How interpretive dance would translate to this blog, I’m not sure…but it’d be interesting.

Whatever is written, it will come from the life that is in this building. 144 S. Mason seems to be alive and breathing…and it is something you can’t ignore when you walk in. The fourth installation of this series comes from Amy McKean, former volunteer, board member, and Everyday Joe’s accountant. She’s a generally happy lady, and we wish she didn’t move to Denver.

Popularity: 18% [?]

In the name of community and in the name of wanting to see your photography handywork, an Everyday Joe’s/Appendix E-J Flickr Pool has been created. The term “Flickr Pool” used to confuse and intimidate me. I’d spin around in nervous circles.

Essentially it can be boiled down to photos submitted by you to our little group on the photo web site Flickr. Then, if a particular photo is relevant to a particular blog post, we will place the photo in the post and give you credit and possibly a treat.

The jist of it is as follows:

1. Click here to get to the group. Log-in using an existing Yahoo! I.D. or create one.
2. Upload your photo.
3. Wait to see what happens. 

See, not too tough. I know you can do it, so stop wasting time.

love.

Everyday Joe’s

p.s- It wouldn’t be a bad place to put some Portrait Project 2.0 pics.

Further:

• The Consumerist (where I got this idea)
• Portrait Project 2.0
• Free Photoshop

Popularity: 15% [?]

As part of celebrating our 5th anniversary, someone who is part of Everyday Joe’s will write something about it each month. Anything from essays to sonnets to interpretive dance. How interpretive dance would translate to this blog, I’m not sure…but it’d be interesting.

Whatever is written, it will come from the life that is in this building. 144 S. Mason seems to be alive and breathing…and it is something you can’t ignore when you walk in. Our first installment comes from Suzanne Vigil, Everyday Joe’s original manager and visionary.

It was just a tiny cloud on a vast horizon. So simple, so vulnerable to any kind of wind.
That was 1998 when a small hand scribbled down on a fragile idea on a regular piece of lined note book paper.

It read: “Coffee House Ministry?”

That vast horizon was the heart where a dream was being conceived and that dream became a prayer of faith that withstood the winds of uncertainty for 5 years. Today, you are part of that dream…Everyday Joe’s Coffee House. Every time you come into 144 S. Mason you make the dream materialize from a thought to a living reality. Thank you.

2008 marks our 5 year anniversary, as with any locally owned business this is a milestone. As one of the co-founders, I thought it might be interesting to take a stroll down memory lane….

2002: a small congregation of faith named Joshua’s Crossing stepped into a permanent residence-144 S. Mason. Major renovations began on this 1920’s warehouse that had always been used as a garage until now. Two pastors worked day and night 6-7 days a week learning the skills of renovation. Skilled professionals began poking their
heads in and offering themselves in the processes of drywalling, electrical work and construction.

Coffee House Ministry was discussed and a hospitality counter area was built in the renovation. Coffee service began on Sunday nights before and after church.
The building’s inner beauty made us want to share it with more people, more often.
So, we started working towards an actual Business/Ministry model.

On June 16th, 2003 our doors opened without fanfare as Everyday Joe’s Coffee House.
I was 27 years old, and left my position as a floral manager to manage Everyday Joe’s. No paycheck. I lived with my parents to avoid rent and God took care of the rest. My financial obligations were paid every month in a different way.

Please don’t ever think you cannot do something because of money alone. I will testify to the incredibility of faith that bypasses personal income. And I believe that faith is very contagious. It is now 2008, and there are over 30 people who volunteer to serve coffee, run the sound for concerts, hang art, do bookkeeping, etc. Believe it or not, it started with two of us. Myself and our unsung hero-Tim Kuhlman.

Tim left his well paying computer job and did everything from making and folding church bulletins to serving coffee at Everyday Joe’s till midnight for 2 years. Thanks Tim. And thank you all who are willing to humble yourselves and work for free.

So here we are, 5 years old. As I look back, a consistent idea keeps appearing….Faith.
The ability to believe in a reality that is unseen. When all our logic and calculations based on what we know don’t seem to stretch as far as our imaginations can dream, we need this vital ingredient….Faith.

I have found it to be true here at Everyday Joe’s. People said we’d never make it downtown without a liquor license or by acknowledging we’re a church based ministry. But look at us now. Now you can see it with your own human eyes.

But what will the next 5 years bring into vein? Where is your faith? And where will it take us? How will God inspire our imaginations to dream towards 2013 and beyond?

“(God) creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, The good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” Ephesians 2 (The message). “Jesus answered, ‘the work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” John 6:29 (NIV).

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