A New Jersey megachurch is opening a cafe staffed by adults with special needs to better reflect the “Kingdom of God in 3D Technicolor,” pastor Tim Lucas has revealed.
This year, Liquid Church in Parsippany, New Jersey, will transform the Clean Water Café at its Broadcast Campus into a full-service coffeehouse operating Monday-Friday that “will serve delicious breakfast, lunch, and specialty coffee creations in a warm, work-friendly environment.”
The coffee shop will provide over 30 jobs for those with Asperger’s, autism and Down syndrome who have aged out of the education system.
“I think special needs ministry is singular in its ability to show the Kingdom of God in 3D Technicolor,” Lucas told The Christian Post. “When Jesus says, ‘The last shall be first,’ He means that the way we love and care for the weakest members of His family will contribute to the strength of the community. It’s lavishing the love of the King on His most vulnerable children.”
According to statistics, about 80% of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are unemployed. Through the Clean Water Café, Liquid hopes to “create a path for our special friends to be accepted, included, and valued in the workplace.”
In addition to supporting the local community, the café will have a global impact: Any profits from the shop will be added to the donations that Liquid is already giving to support the Clean Water Cause in Africa and Central America.
According to Lucas, the 5,000-member church seeks to “saturate our state with the Gospel of Jesus Christ without watering down the Gospel.” And the rate of autism among children in New Jersey, he revealed, is the highest ever documented for a state.
SOURCE: Christian Post, Leah MarieAnn Klett
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