On Friday, Dec. 6, the hottest coffee spot in town will be housed in the First Baptist Church of Moorestown. PRISM of South Jersey, a safe space and open forum for LGBTQ+ youth organized by members of the church, has hosted several similar Coffee House events in the past.
This next Coffee House is a fundraiser for the foundation BlinkNow and will feature a holiday sing-a-long, food, activities and opportunities for people of all stripes to come together and socialize.
Coffee House will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, 19 West Main St. in Moorestown. According to Norma Wright, church member and PRISM coordinator, tickets can be purchased ahead of time on eventbrite.com, or at the event itself. Although there is no set ticket price, there is a suggested donation of $20 for entry.
“It’s a fun evening of positivity and connectedness, of singing together and enjoying good music,” Wright said.
All ticket and door donations will benefit BlinkNow, a foundation which oversees Kopila Valley Home and School in Nepal.
The foundation and home were founded by former Moorestown resident Maggie Doyne, who saw a need after a trip to Nepal where she became aware of the poverty, child trafficking and lack of educational opportunities facing many of the young people there.
Margaret Smith, a member of First Baptist and Doyne’s cousin, will be making a trip to Kopila Valley Home this Christmas with gifts and donations for the children in tow. Proceeds from the Coffee House event will contribute to this trip.
“We’ll be using some of the money to provide Christmas for the kids and any money left over will go to the general fund for the foundation,” Smith said.
She will be attending Friday’s event and will take some time to talk about BlinkNow and the work they are doing to provide opportunities for young people in Nepal.
The evening will feature two local musical guests, Howard Raudenbush and Sue Witty, and there will also be some open-mic time set aside for anyone feeling brave enough to perform.
Raudenbush is the music director at First Baptist and a former choral teacher at Millville High School. At the event he will be leading attendees in some festive holiday sing-a-longs.
Witty is a local singer/songwriter who will be performing some of her own songs for everyone to enjoy.
There will be additional opportunities at the Coffee House event to learn about and donate to the church’s PRISM outreach program. This recently-established venture is a safe space and open forum for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 18. The program is open to all, regardless of religious affiliation, and meets regularly at the church.
“First Baptist is an openly welcoming and affirming congregation,” Wright said.
For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, visit decembercoffeehouse.eventbrite.com. For more information on BlinkNow, visit their website at blinknow.org.
