The grey, brown and black hairs on my face are growing; more grey now than black and brown (insert frowny face here). I’m allowing my beard to grow in honor and remembrance of my brother and sister-in-law currently in Afghanistan with the Army National Guard. I plan on shaving when they return home alive, but for now, it’s caveman days for me.

Growth is an increase in quantity and is something that can be positive or negative. No matter the outcome though, growth in life is uncomfortable in the beginning because growth:

1. makes life look and feel different from before
2. changes our responsibilities
3. disturbs our routine
4. requires us to adapt
5. increases our need of resources and often warrants the accumulation of new resources to survive
6. demands an increase in our faith in Christ Jesus and love for one another

And these types of life changes are not very much fun for most people.

Growing my beard is uncomfortable because my cheeks and chin itch. My face looks and feels different from before. I would normally shave every morning but now I can’t. Instead, I have to shampoo, dry, and comb it daily. However, when I look in the mirror, I’m reminded of my family in harms way and pray for them. So this new growth in my life is not negative. It’s just different but oh so good.

Cups Cafe is facing growth (no pun intended). This growth will disturb our team’s routine and require us to adapt, change our responsibilities, and increase our need of resources. Things will be uncomfortable at Cups for a short time because the ministry will not look and feel the way it did before. And we will need to trust and obey Jesus. But this growth...is gonna be...oh so good!

A new person joined our Board of Directors and another person is also considering joining (yay!). Two new volunteers are being trained this week. Cups has been serving 40 guests a day for the past two weeks. That is an increase from our average 25-30 guests/day.

Cups Cafe is also facing growth at its current physical location. We will acquire the back half of our building. This space includes two more restrooms, a 12x10 foot office, and a 32x21 foot room that will be a lounge for our guests. This lounge will easily double our seating capacity. Visit the home page at www.cupscafe.org, to view a sample layout of the space.

We’re excited about this growth. The lounge can be opened when we’re busy and also be used for parties, youth groups, the homeless during the day, and so much more!  The sky is truly the limit.

We already have a nice matching couch and love seat and are looking to even acquire an air hockey table. Pray for Cups, and consider supporting us with a monthly donation, or buying coffee from us. The extra monthly expense for the space is reasonable and we know we can make it happen if you have our backs.

Cups will need your help, prayers, and financial support. We can’t make this happen without you. We’ll post an updated needs/helps list when we get ready to take hold of the space. Our target opening date is sometime mid May.

We will need cleaning crews and moving crews etc to get it ready for the public. So keep an eye on your email box for future Cups Cafe e-newsletters. And don’t forget, you can always...

• Become a monthly donor of Cups Cafe or The Van Arsdale family.
• Tell 10 of your friends, co-workers, or family members about Cups.
• Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
• Become a volunteer.
• Begin purchasing your coffee from us. We offer a “Buy 10 Bags, Get 1 FREE” Loyalty Punch Card on bags of coffee.
• Serve on our Board of Directors.
• Bake brownies or cookies, or donate coffee, paper supplies, or anything on our needs list.
• Make Cups Cafe your next lunch destination. We’re seeking 10 people a week willing to make Cups Cafe their lunch stop. Instead of purchasing that Subway sandwich, bring your money to Cups and enjoy a bowl of delicious soup and a sandwich and place a cash donation in our box. You’ll have a chance to see the cafe in action and meet some of our guests. I’m certain you’ll be blessed. We’re not asking you to give up your Subway lunch every week. Just once a month.

Now, allow me to speak of growth in terms of the heart of men and women. Spiritually, there are areas we should grow and areas we should not grow. God’s people must endure hardship and persevere and should not grow weary of doing good (Revelation 2:3, Galatians 6:9). We are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 3:18), and our love for one another and faith in Christ should grow like wild weeds (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

Are you growing?

CURRENT NEEDS

Kool-aid

Chocolate Syrup

Regular & Decaf Coffee

13 Gallon Trash Bags

Fresh Fruit

Monthly support

Cookies, Brownies, Snacks

OUR WHOLE BEAN & GROUND COFFEES

Donut Shop Blend $7.90

DECAF Donut Shop Blend $7.90

Hazelnut $7.80

Italian Roast $7.90

French Roast $7.90

Columbian Supremo $7.80

FAIR TRADE / ORGANIC Columbian Supremo $9.37

We accept cash, check, or credit (Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express). Must present drivers license with check & credit card. All sales are final. No refunds. No returns.

Tim Van Arsdale

Executive Director

CUPS / CAFE

Cell: 330.304.5449 / Cafe: 330.241.5990

tim@cupscafe.org / www.cupscafe.org

Cafe: 126 N. Court St. Unit C  Medina, Ohio 44256

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 83 Medina, Ohio 44258

Hours of Operation

Mon - Fri 10:00am to 4:30pm; Sat 3:00pm to 6:00pm; Sun CLOSED

I’ve got some exciting news!!

Cups Cafe is preparing to increase our hours of operation and launch our very own line of merchandise for sale at Cups. It’s our plan to sell organic & fair trade coffees, flavored coffees, cups and t-shirts. We will offer a greater variety of products, and places to buy them in town, as the demand grows.

The mission of Cups Cafe will not change. We’ll still offer soups, drinks, sandwiches, etc for free as a way to serve Hope one cup at a time to young people and families desperately in need of Hope. However, there will be a display case at the cafe where supporters, guests, and shoppers visiting Medina’s Historic District can buy these products.

Non-profit organizations have been operating in this way for years. For example: Hospice of Medina County has its: Life’s Treasures thrift store. Project Learn runs: The Bookshelf. And Goodwill Industries, well…need I say more? While researching creative methods of funding our organization, it seems fitting that Cups Cafe sell coffee and cups and other merchandise to support its mission.

The purpose of selling our own line of products is to: (1) Generate more consistent revenue to support the mission of Cups Cafe. (Again, all the proceeds will benefit Cups). (2) Generate exposure and raise awareness of our mission within our community. (3) Strengthen and grow our organization in a way that will enable us to do more ministry (i.e. add new locations in other cities, purchase new equipment & supplies, expand our current location, start a shelter ministry, etc) and add future staff.

And who knows? If this grows, maybe someday Cups can open and operate a larger retail store on the square that offers a larger variety of merchandise and supplies that in turn benefit the non-profit cafe!!

To make this successful, we need your prayers and support with a few items:

1. An attractive display case. (I’ve already called a friend who built our donation box asking him to do the work but we may need materials).

2. A working cash register/computer with a point-of-sale software system, or paper sales slips to start.

3. Up-front capital to purchase our first round of inventory.

4. A strong base of consumers willing to shop at Cups for their coffee.

5. Volunteer help.

6. A wireless router and monthly support to add internet service at Cups.

Contact Tim if you wish to help with any of these items!

We’ll be sending more details in the coming days. And while you anticipate hearing from us, please begin to consider buying coffee and supplies at Cups. Thanks for your prayers and support!!