Coffeehouse ministries work together

For the past six years, Barkley has been the public-relations and booking manager for GJ's Coffeehouse, which he describes as a "coffeehouse ministry" hosted by the church.

The second Saturday of every month, GJ's would transform the sanctuary of the church into a coffeehouse setting, complete with couches and game tables, and there it would host "two bands for two bucks," as its website touts.

When the show was over, Barkley and his crew would set all the chairs back up in time for worship services the following day.

When the church burned, Barkley - who had a show scheduled for the following week - put out a call on his Facebook page for someone who could help keep GJ's going in the wake of the fire, which was one of a string of arsons at northwest-side churches in late spring.

Tucker sent him a message as soon as she saw the Facebook post.

"I jumped on that like a chicken on a junebug," she said.

Tucker is in charge of promotions for Alive Church's Rock n' Java venue at 7555 W. Twin Peaks Road.

Rock n' Java just opened in October, and Barkley had shared a lot of information with Tucker and the others in charge of it, to help get it off the ground.

"I just knew when we started Rock n' Java that he was doing it, and doing it well," she said. "I just wanted the chance to work with Dale and help them in any way and not let GJ's stop just because of that. He had helped us."

Because of Tucker's quick action, GJ's hasn't missed a show yet, Barkley said.

He began GJ's so high-school and college-age young people who might feel uncomfortable in a typical church setting could have someplace to go and be ministered to, he said.

"It's a place that's not churchy," he said.

When Alive Church decided to open a coffeehouse - theirs is an actual coffee shop open every day, with community events on the weekends - Barkley was "delighted," he said.

"We've been kind of promoting each other since then, encouraging each other along the way," he said.

As the Northwest Community Friends Church is rebuilt, Barkley said his crew is enjoying a bit of a break - they don't have to convert Rock n' Java into a coffeehouse and then back into a worship space every month.

But he's looking forward to when the church restoration is complete.

The church leadership hopes that will be around the end of October or beginning of November, said the Rev. Dayton Durley, who is retiring soon. A new pastor, Adam Kemper, begins Aug. 28.

"It's kind of at a standstill right now, waiting for permits and stuff," Durley said.

The church's contents have been removed, and the smoke-damaged drywall has been torn out, he said.

Destroyed rafters still need to be taken down, and the permit process to go back in and rebuild the damaged parts is taking time, he said.

The church sustained more than $500,000 in damage, he said.

Barkley said some aspects of the rebuilding are a blessing because the church will get to make improvements it had talked about previously.

"It'll be a nice facility for the church service and for the coffeehouse ministry," he said.

Local musician Loren Dircks, 40, played at GJ's in its temporary Rock n' Java venue for the first time on Saturday, to the delight of his children - ages 7, 10, 12 and 15.

His band normally plays around town two or three nights a week, he said, and before last weekend he'd gotten up during open mic time at GJ's and performed a song when he was there with his kids.

"My family likes to go, so if I'm not playing the second Saturday of the month, we all go," he said.

He wouldn't characterize his music as "Christian" but said, "That's who I am, and that's what I believe, so my views will come out in there, obviously. I don't intentionally tone it down, and I don't intentionally inject it. I just write songs."

He's supportive of the idea of churches offering music venues because it's a chance for bands to play live music to an audience that might not be allowed into places such as nightclubs.

"A place like this, there's nothing precluding anybody, and I like that," Dircks said.

Barkley said despite the hardships his coffeehouse ministry has had with the fire and using a temporary venue, he'd like to see other churches start similar programs.

"It's a place for kids in the community to go," he said. "It's cheap entertainment."

On StarNet: To view more photos of the church restoration, go online to www.azstarnet.com/gallery

If You Go

• What: Monthly concerts at "GJ's Coffeehouse."

• When: 7 p.m. the second Saturday of the month.

• Where: Temporarily at Rock n' Java Coffeehouse, 7555 W. Twin Peaks Road in Continental Ranch.

• Cost: $2.

• For more information: Go to gjscoffeehouse.com

Contact reporter Shelley Shelton at sshelton@azstarnet.com or 807-8464.