About more than just Sundays

It’s cold outside, but it’s warm and comfortable inside Gordie’s coffeehouse on a Thursday evening in Glenelm.

That’s where a full house of around 50 people is gathered to listen to folk and blues music.

People have been coming to weekly concerts at Gordie’s since 2007, listening to local groups like the Nite Snackers, Agassiz Railroad, the Cat’s Advice and Two Crows for Comfort. There’s also an open mic for anyone who wants to perform a song or two.

But what makes Gordie’s unique isn’t just the music — it’s the location: Gordon-King Memorial United Church. Or, as it’s known in the neighbourhood, the Big Red Church.

Built in 1927, the church was packed with 500 or more worshippers on Sunday mornings over the decades. Today, the average attendance is about 50-60 people. But that doesn’t mean the church isn’t still serving many people, its minister said.

“Each week hundreds of people come through the doors for various programs,” said Patrick Woodbeck, noting in addition to Gordie’s, the Cobourg Avenue church hosts swing jam sessions, pickleball, art classes, yoga, a community choir, silent movie nights, two 12-step programs and a Brownies troop.

“We aren’t only about what happens here on Sunday mornings. It’s about what we do in and for the community… we see this building as a huge resource for the neighbourhood.”

Lexx Jefferson got the idea for the coffeehouse while sitting quietly in the sanctuary one weekday morning 18 years ago. The sermon series that month had been about listening for what God wanted people like her to do to serve others.

Her thoughts turned to the church’s chapel, which at the time was being used as a storage room.

“I started to dream about it being used for a coffeehouse,” she said.

Gordie’s — a play on the church’s name — was born.

Since then, Jefferson and her husband Tom have been voluntarily running the coffeehouse. Lexx serves as the MC each Thursday night while Tom does the sound.

“It’s part of who we are,” said Tom.

“We do it for love,” said Lexx, adding “we’ll keep doing it as long as we can keep moving.”

Admission to the concerts, which are held about 40 times a year, is free, but donations are welcome. Money is collected in the “church lady hat,” and is used to pay for new sound equipment and other upgrades.

Musician Lucas Kurylowich has been playing the blues at Gordie’s for the last five years as part of the Nite Snackers with Mel Reimer.

“I love the space and the people,” Kurylowich said. “There’s good sound, and no pressure playing here. I love it.”

Tom Donohue, who has frequented Gordie’s for 15 years as an audience member and takes part in the open mic, is a big fan of the atmosphere.

“I like it because I get to hear good music,” he said, adding the venue is “a musician’s dream, and a dream for music lovers, too. It’s very relaxed, like playing in someone’s living room.”

On that score, Donohue is right; the audience sits on couches and chairs facing the small stage, surrounded by walls filled with art and photographs for sale by local artists.

At the back, some people are working on a giant jigsaw puzzle. Drinks and dessert are also available for purchase, made and sold by church members.

Rod Kennish, co-chair of the Glenelm Neighbours Association, said Gordon-King is more than a church, it’s a neighbourhood hub.

“It’s a place for people to get together and be a community,” he said, noting the association — which exists to connect neighbours and enhance the quality of life in the area — holds board meetings at the church in addition to board game and video games nights there.

He appreciates how open the church is to new ideas. “They are super receptive to things we propose,” he said, adding the association holds events there about three times every two months.

“We see it is our space. Everything we do in the community comes back to the church in one way or another,” Kennish said.

Comments like that are the reason the church exists today, its minister said.

“Community happens in many forms. It’s not only about who is in the pews on Sunday,” he said. “We want people in the neighbourhood to see it as their space.”

Or, as Lexx put it: “This is a church for everyone.”

Gordie’s will host concerts on Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 before pausing over Christmas. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. There’s also a Christmas children’s market, featuring inexpensive toys, on Dec. 6 from 1-3 p.m. and a Christmas carol singalong on Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.

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