Café Co-En Ministry
How many meanings can one name have? There are three for the ministry center, Café Co-En. 
In addition to standing for "Connect through English," Co-En also means park in Japanese. Plus, there’s a college in Sapporo called "Co-En," named with the Japanese characters "ko" for light and "en" for salt. What a great meaning for Café Co-En! It certainly exists to be light and salt for the community.
Jesus told His followers, "You are the light of the world," and "You are the salt of the earth." He said, "Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father" (Matthew 5:13, 14, 16).
Staff and believers at the center are light and salt for Sapporo. They serve and teach, listen and learn, party and pray. They are companions and helpers as the Holy Spirit leads them.
- S. (student and café volunteer) is job hunting and stops by the café for smiles and hugs. She is hired and the staff give her a free meal to celebrate.
- Mr. H. (retired businessman) drops by with stories of his childhood, ferry management work and life in China. Co-En folk listen for hours. He gets a taste of Christ’s love, and they learn lessons not found in books.
- M. loves karaoke. She studies English, volunteers at the café, and sings karaoke with Co-En friends and workers. A Friday night karaoke group forms.
- N. (student volunteer) joins the Co-En photo club and his pictures are displayed on café walls. He graduates and gets a bank job in the far north. A. and L. visit and introduce him to bird watching to fill lonely hours.
- S. and K. (believer and not-yet-believer) meet at the café weekly to discuss life, encourage each other and interact with staff.
- Mr. N. (former Bible student) now teaches others at his workshop. He calls to pray with staff often.
- D. moves to Sapporo with Costco. He looks for Christian support and finds friends at Co-En. He prays with staff twice a week and joins fellowship groups when possible.
- The list goes on….
Praise and pray
- Praise God for the many opportunities that are presented to staff at Cafe Co-En.
- Pray that Café Co-En staff and believers continue to be light and salt in the community.
- Pray for the viability of this new initiative—a self-funding coffee house ministry.
