During the Enlightenment, Edinburgh’s Old Town was full of coffee houses where the locals met to debate God, life, and the Universe.
In the 21st century we have set up Street Café, which is a mobile version of this, in which we can meet with people on the streets to serve them free hot drinks and engage in discussion about our Christian faith. It is a warm, friendly, approach, well-suited to this generation.
Street Café is not a new concept, for Christians have been doing this sort of thing for centuries. Even during the First World War the Salvation Army were in the trenches with the soldiers, giving them cups of tea, praying for them, and reading the Scriptures to them. In the 19th century Edinburgh City Mission used to have horse-drawn carriages and wood burners for the purpose of serving and reaching the locals. Today there are over 12 teams in 4 countries, using our 21st century Edinburgh model, and there is an Evangelism Training Course online, which includes a section on how to set up and run a Street Café team.