Reaching Out with Music in Nashville

Having connections to the music scene is helping Nashville’s Faith Christian Reformed Church reach out to its neighbors.

Over the past year the church’s fellowship hall has been transformed once a month into a coffeehouse with live performances by well-known and up-and-coming Christian musicians. Church members serve specialty coffees and homemade treats while the artists perform. Music varies by artist and includes Christian contemporary, country, folk, and blues.

Pete Strayer, an elder who is well connected to the Nashville music scene, came up with the idea. “It’s a natural way to reinvent the way some people look at church, making it enjoyable, non-churchy, and real,” he said. “It’s a way to emphasize the relevance of the arts to faith and life.”