Not sure if you’ve heard yet, but the church I lead, Harmony Church, will be moving to Tipsy Teapot in 3 weeks (October 18th will be our first service there). If you unaware of what Tipsy Teapot is, it’s a the cultural center for the Uptown Greenville commercial district. Tipsy is a teahouse/coffeehouse/used bookstore all rolled into one. Plus they have over 4000 square feet devoted to culture: arts, literature, music, film. They regularly hold film showings, discussion events (like our own God & Guinness), and concerts (recently absorbing the Greenville underground Spazzatorium shows). And starting October 18th, we will be having church gatherings there on Sunday mornings at 10am, just before they begin serving brunch.
And although moving to Tipsy is an amazing prospect, it sadly means that we have to leave Unk’s, our beloved home for over a year now. And we have an awesome situation at Unk’s: we meet there for free, use their equipment, enjoy the staff, and it’s central to the campus neighborhood. So why are we moving? Here are some reasons:
- Removing a Stumbling Block: Even though we are not concerned with the ‘bar-taurant’ atmosphere of Unk’s, some people are. Some people looking for Jesus are. And that’s an issue. We want to remove any obstacles that could be hindering religious people, families, underage searchers, and anyone else from hearing the Gospel about Jesus. Sadly, this means leaving Unk’s for a more ‘general’ and politically correct meeting place (though Tipsy serves alcoholic beverages as well, the atmosphere is not bar-ish).
- More Space: On one hand, we in essence have more space. We will eventually be using one half of Tipsy (it’s divided by double doors) for our gathering, and the other half for children’s ministry. We’re not sure of the details yet, but we do know that the children will spend a large portion of time with the adults in gathering. The space that Tipsy provides will be beneficial in teaching kids the Gospel on a level that they can understand, in the midst of a community that they both love and are loved by. This is vitally important to the inter-generational vision of Harmony.
- Less Space: The seating capacity for Unk’s is one of the largest for a restaurant in the city (295). On Sunday mornings, one can feel really distant from others, simply because of the cavernous open room of Unk’s. Tipsy is setup narrow and long (think storefront) instead of Unk’s wide and shallow (think full music venue). This does two things: it draws the church closer together at least physically, and fills the room with more energy, which will hopefully bring a constant energetic ‘vibe’ at Harmony.
- Location, Location, Location: Tipsy, as I said earlier, is grand central for Uptown culture. There is no other music venue like it. All the others are bars that happen to host bands. The creatives of Greenville gather regularly at Tipsy. They work there. There are people from different backgrounds/religions/lifestyle calling Tipsy their ‘third place’. So we’re going to incarnate there and hopefully tell them the Gospel. It is the “Union Station” for Uptown Greenville. And we’re calling it home base for the missio dei.
- We Have to Grow Up a Bit: The thing about meeting somewhere for free is this: you can get spoiled very quickly. It’s like living with your parents for the first 17 years of your life. It’s time for Harmony to get an apartment. We’re not buying a house. Or moving to a loft in Manhattan. We’re just getting to know what the real world is like, so to speak. We’re becoming a responsible church. Which is healthy, and will bring us together as a community, with one mission and one focus: using our resources in order to further the Gospel.
These are just a few of the very, very many reasons that we’re moving. Would you commit to pray with us about this endeavor? I’ve challenged the church that whenever the Spirit leads you to pray more, to in that instant pray for the move to Tipsy. Would you do the same? Also, do you want to give your time/resources to the move and ‘relaunch’ of Harmony? E-mail me at derek-at-harmonydc.com or give online at HarmonyGreenville.com
