Cafe & G.I.F.T. Shoppe
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Americans go to restaurants over four times per week, but only 42% attend church weekly. And given Barna Group research indicating as many as 70% of Christians are projected to build their faith through non-church venues by 2025, it's reasonable for the Church to pursue food-related marketplace venues to reach into our communities.
After all, the way to a man's heart has always been through the stomach!
GIFT is now working on the development of new Christian Experience restaurants -- Cafe & G.I.F.T. Shoppes -- for Christians and non-Christians to gather together and share the love of Christ amid a busy world that isn't stopping for traditional Church.
Designed to support those who are hesitant to engage in organized religion as well as anyone wanting to deepen his or her faith, these venues will enable "Theology On Tap" type discussions. Ultimately, GIFT will lead people into living encounters with Christ.
Leading-edge technology and quality video programming will be leveraged to convey religious tenets accurately and to share spiritual encouragement and testimonies.
Cafe & G.I.F.T. Shoppes will facilitate fun, friendships, fellowship and fervency to help everyone discover the sheer joy of following Jesus!
The operation's organizational structure would be entirely for-profit to avert jeopardizing GIFT's non-profit status and to "give to Ceasar what is Ceasar's" in terms of taxes.
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This Cafe & G.I.F.T. Shoppe concept would bring healthy food, fair trade merchandise, and spiritual content to people.
Cafe & G.I.F.T. Shoppes would provide "Counter Encounters" with God; support bible studies and small group gatherings; highlight GIFT's posters that render scripture in exciting ways; hold Celebrate Our Creator events; leverage Sheep & Goat characters and books in advocating compassion; and encourage neighborhood outreach ministry programs.
Plus, a share of all purchases would help to fund global compassionate ministry efforts and our innovative lifestyle impact tools -- including KickStart irrigation pumps and LifeStraw water filtration systems. These innovations will help to enrich the lives of those less fortunate around the world.
GIFT has also been working with Lifestyle Management International as well as food service vendors, facility outsourcing operations, multi-media technology vendors and television producers to explore the feasibility of a Cafe & G.I.F.T. Shoppe franchise.
As part of our Cafe & G.I.F.T. Shoppe, GIFT will be working to introduce a new healthy menu option to address the absence of healthy alternatives in today's restaurants. This menu option is the trademarked Mediterannean Harvest For Life, dietary regimen designed to taste great and address an array of health maladies. The Mediterranean style of eating addresses heart problems, cancers, COPD, Alzheimer's disease, metabolic syndrome, stroke, arthritis, asthma and even birth defects. It really is true and what Mediterannean Harvest For Life says about people who follow this type of dietary regimen: Enjoy Life more... Enjoy More Life. And isn't that really what we Christians should offer the world, anyway? God's awesome provisions of life here and eternally? Mediterannean Harvest For Life will be served along side traditional cafe fare.