Wintonbury Coffeehouse Purpose and Programming
The Wintonbury Coffeehouse exists to serve as a bridge between the church and the community: people who won't come to a church service will come to a coffeehouse. To be effective as a bridge, this coffeehouse needs to be welcoming to the public as well as glorifying to God. In creating this setting, we look for musicians who share our evangelical Christian faith and whose faith is reflected in their music, yet are able to program for an audience that includes people who are not believers. We are not able to consider booking musicians of other faiths or those who perform entirely secular programs, no matter how appealing or positive their music is. On the other hand, we cannot consider worship bands or other musicians whose programs appeal only to Christian audiences.
In putting together a program for Wintonbury, musicians need to keep in mind the need to make unbelievers in the audience feel welcome. The program should include songs with themes that everyone can relate to, as well as songs that reflect their faith. We specifically ask musicians not to lead the audience in prayer, give an invitation, or read from their Bibles on stage. Performers should avoid using terms that only believers understand, and keep the atmosphere relaxed and friendly. We encourage musicians to let their songs speak for themselves and avoid unnecessary explanations. Because it is difficult for many musicians who play exclusively in Christian venues to understand the kind of program we are looking for, the musicians we book tend to be those who are accustomed to playing in both Christian and secular settings.
We believe it is especially important for all performers to be open and real. The musicians who communicate most effectively are those who are willing to let the audience see them as real people with hopes, fears, struggles and weaknesses. We ask musicians to use their time on stage to give the audience a glimpse of their own spiritual journeys, rather than to teach them or preach to them. The best thing that musicians can offer the Wintonbury audience is the chance to see Christians living honestly and purposefully with their God, with their world and with themselves.
