Café Moriah: A Place of Encounter

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The commissioning of Cafe Moriah on the ground floor of Jurong Christian Church (JCC) on the morning of Christmas Day 2024 added a joyful buzz to the festive occasion.

The cafe is designed to be a space where people can enjoy conversation, fellowship and hospitality experience with members of JCC and eventually that of tenant churches. More importantly, we pray that it will be a space where people will encounter God and enjoy His saving grace.

The name “Moriah” has biblical significance. It was on Mount Moriah that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham obeyed but God stopped him in time from hurting Isaac. Abraham’s faith won God’s favour to make him a father of many nations. Mount Moriah was also the place where King Solomon built the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem, a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant which contained the Ten Commandments.

Cafe Moriah was conceptualised by JCC’s Goshen Committee since September 2023. Careful consideration was given to ensure that the olive green theme and decor blended well with the environment on level 1 outside the pantry area to create a signature space with a welcoming ambience.

From the cafe’s name to the wooden cart to the warm lights hanging from hand-knotted brown ropes, each design element contributed to the symbolic message of the Sacrificial Lamb that God provided to offer forgiveness and salvation for all who would believe in Christ.

Phase 1 of implementation was led by Henry Lim and supported by Bee Teng, Gek Luang and Doris Tan. On Christmas Day, the team dedicated the cafe to God with prayer and baked loaves of olive flat bread (Italian Focaccia) to serve JCC members from the English and Chinese congregations after each worship service. We pray that Cafe Moriah will motivate JCC members to use the space as God intended i.e. to draw people to have an encounter with Him.

Look out for Phase 2 where we plan to pretty up the entire space outside MPH1 and Phase 3 where we plan to add more seating area behind the pantry area.