What attracts you most to your favorite coffee shop? Is it the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans, tasty pastries and treats, or the friendly barista? Maybe it’s just a warm atmosphere, where you feel welcome and can laugh with friends—or curl up with a book in a quiet corner. In November 2024, Horizons Lebanon opened the doors to the MEC Café, creating just such a space for the local community in Dekwaneh, Beirut. Here, people can gather together, relax over coffee, and encourage one another in ministry and missions. 

Gospel Conversations over Coffee

Initially filled with our staff members, there is now a steady increase in people from all walks of life. Many are university students, some are families with young children, others are young professionals—but no matter their background or profession, they are all eager to work or study in a peaceful environment or to connect with friends over board games and coffee.

It is in this inviting atmosphere that the Lord is creating opportunities for gospel conversations, where staff and volunteers are finding natural openings to share Christ with seekers.

A Space for Ministry Connections

The MEC Café also features an impressive conference room in the back, which is a great space for training, networking, and building community. It has already hosted several key events over the past year. During last year’s festive season, Horizons Lebanon organized a “Christmas Village” event that brought together believers from partner churches, giving people the opportunity to support local small businesses, owned by believers, and therefore investing in the Kingdom. Horizons has already held several training events, such as the Cubs to Lions and Engage Muslims with Christ courses at the MEC Café. 

The sounds of worship music, friendly conversations, and children’s laughter are all mixed with the smell of coffee, as homeschool groups, parents with children celebrating birthdays, tech professionals, and youth groups all use the facility during the week. This ties in with the MEC’s vision of supporting the local church. Because many Lebanese churches lack their own facilities, the conference room has become a useful place for youth meetings and discipleship studies—providing churches with an inexpensive option for ministry events.

Ministry Collaboration Brings Training to Beirut

Horizons partnered with Simply the Story (STS), who sent a team from Egypt to train staff members in evangelistic storytelling. STS equips believers to share Bible stories in a way that encourages audience participation through simple storytelling. This method allows the audience to learn about characters in the Bible from a different, more relatable perspective. Twelve staff members learned this new approach in the conference room! 

Following the initial “Train the Trainers” event, the 12 staff members put their newfound storytelling skills into practice at a workshop for 30 people. Those who attended shared how encouraged they were and how they will implement this method during house visits. They’re also more prepared and confident to share the Word of God. Through this program, Horizons staff members will be able to host STS training courses throughout Lebanon and the Middle East.

This training illustrates exactly why the MEC Café and Conference Room is so important—it provides yet another place available to the Church for equipping and hosting ministry events!

Opportunities for New Partnerships

Not just stirring up great cups of coffee, the MEC Café is stirring up amazing evangelistic opportunities and investing in the local church at the same time. Through hosting training courses, opening doors for churches, and gospel conversations over coffee, this space is creating opportunities for exciting new connections and deepening existing ministry partnerships.

We are thankful for yet another avenue to build the Lord’s Kingdom here in Beirut!