What began as a dream is now brewing into reality. Wesley Methodist Church’s new barista-style coffee ministry is more than just a Sunday perk—it’s a growing sub-ministry designed to serve, connect and welcome. And we’re inviting you to be part of it.
Why Coffee?
As part of Vision 2035, Wesley Methodist Church is becoming “a church open all year round”—a weekday sanctuary for tourists and locals seeking prayer, reflection and hospitality. The coffee ministry is one way the church is living out that vision, offering warmth and welcome in every cup.
“It’s fresh coffee at the atrium, where people mingle after or before church, enjoying the aroma of coffee, friendship and hospitality.” —Patrick Chua, Pastoral Team Member, Witness & Evangelism.
Modest growth—barista cart and drip bags
The ministry has seen itself transit from machine to pods and capsules, to coming up with a blend specially curated for Wesley, called the Wesley Blend. The brainchild of Terence Tan (see ‘The Brewing Community’ below), the blend is a concoction of coffee beans sourced from Brazil, Columbia and Rwanda.
In the past nine years, the Wesley Blend has been making its rounds in the church, served to congregants of The Saturday Service (TSS), Sunday services. It was served at events as varied as Christmas at the Fort and the church’s 140 Years Anniversary celebration in February 2025, even finding its way in the anniversary souvenir bag given out to congregants.
How it Worked
– Volunteer Training: 40 volunteers, aged 12 to 79 (including members from the Wesley Glowing Years Ministry) completed hands-on training led by Shaun and Wen Ai (see ‘The Brewing Community’ below), who have launched similar ministries elsewhere. Volunteers were taught the basics of coffee making—grinding, preparing and extracting espresso, as well as steaming milk so that they could reproduce the start-up menu of “blacks”, “whites” and hot chocolate.
– Serving Schedule: Each volunteer serves twice a month.
– Sunday Impact: Since being launched, the team has served 150-200 cups each Sunday—creating space for connection and conversation.
Training – Skills and Heart
Besides learning calibration—knowing how much grounds to use, to align the brewing methods to ensure consistency—volunteers were allowed practice time where they could try out the skills and make mistakes in a safe environment. After training, Shaun and Wen Ai were at Wesley for four Sundays to provide guidance and support to the Wesley team as they underwent on-the-job training.
Beyond technical skills, the trainers also impressed upon them the posture of a servant’s heart. They maintain that “service is an act of worship and an act of love as well”; that that being a ministry, not a cafe, “the heart of worship and love must be at its core”.
Some barista volunteers seem to have come on board with exactly this spirit (see ‘The Brewing Community’ below).
The trainers share: “Training the 40-odd baristas whose average experience of coffee was making home-brewed coffee at a machine at home, and half being seniors took us by surprise! All glory to God! Everyone came in with a great attitude and a teachable spirit, and we have seen how all the baristas, have performed admirably every Sunday.”
What’s Next?
This ministry is just beginning. Imagine weekday visitors enjoying a cup before joining a heritage tour through Wesley’s historic grounds and nearby landmarks. The hope? That coffee becomes a catalyst for deeper conversations—about faith, history and belonging.
While Sunday service is the current anchor, the vision extends beyond weekends. Imagine weekday visitors sipping coffee before embarking on a heritage tour through the church’s historic grounds and beyond. The hope is that a simple cup of coffee might spark conversations about faith, history and belonging.
And imagine the dynamics of inter-generational bonding when the ministry partners other ministries such as Youth Ministry, as parents and grandparents, young and old serve together at the coffee cart, to serve that cuppa of welcome.
That coffee becomes a catalyst for deeper conversations—about faith, history and belonging.
Undoubtedly, upcoming events like the TRAC Annual Conference in November 2025 and the church’s heritage tours will offer more opportunities for volunteers to serve and grow.
Want to Volunteer?
If you love welcoming others, enjoy the rhythm of Sunday mornings, or simply want to serve with a smile—this is your moment. No barista experience needed, no age restrictions, just a heart for hospitality.
To sign up or learn more, contact Witness & Evangelism at wefriends@wesleymc.org or wait for the next recruitment of Coffee Ministry volunteers.
THE BREWING COMMUNITY
The coffee that the Welcome and Hospitality Ministry is serving is not just a beverage but a shared experience. Here is a snapshot of some voices in this community.
Brewing with Purpose
Terence Tan is a certified award-winning barista and coffee roastery owner who has been involved in Wesley’s hospitality ministry since 2016-2017. Why a Wesley Blend with three types of coffee beans? “We live very much in a 3-in-1 culture so it makes sense to have a blend that is a composite. Importantly, blends are created for balanced experiences; therefore, we need a coffee for the base, one for structure, and one for the aftertaste.”
For Terence, coffee isn’t just a beverage!
“God has provided me with skillsets to make a livelihood from coffee—the drink can be a medium of outreach, not just in church, but outside it, to create conversations and build relationships.” —Terence Tan
Faith in Every Cup
“It is our God who establishes and brings growth; our role is simply to love Him and be obedient to His leading.”
Says Shaun and Wen Ai who bring seasoned experience to Wesley’s coffee ministry—it’s their third time pioneering such a space in church. Their journey has taught them to anticipate challenges and adapt to the unique rhythms of ministry, from storage and logistics to people.
Their encouragement to fellow servers:
“‘Coffee ministry’ may sound like an exaggeration to some, but we’ve witnessed a fellow barista receive Christ as Lord and Saviour. We’ve learned not to underestimate what the Lord can do with something as simple as a cup of coffee. When we respond in faith—even in the smallest things—the Lord can use our obedience to build His kingdom.”
Brewing Grace: Serving with Heart, Not Just Skill
Theresa Yap is a barista-in-training from Wesley Glowing Years Ministry (GYM). She finds the training challenging but views it in the right spirit:
“Will volunteers ever reach barista level? Unlikely, but we will be baristas in the making with a welcoming heart. In this little effort of service to uplift the spirit of others I trust that this will please the Lord and bring glory to Him as I remind myself to serve and interact with love and patience and be mindful to draw others to Christ when the opportunity arises.”
Coffee with a Calling: Stirring Connection and Community
Cheng Xinhui is a barista-in-training in her thirties. What’s her goal? “With that cuppa, I hope to achieve three things: · (W)elcome: To be a warm, first point of contact that makes everyone feel seen and valued. · (M)oment: To create a pause—a comfortable moment for connection or quiet reflection. · (C)ommunity: To be a simple catalyst that helps brew a stronger, more connected church family. It’s about turning a simple drink into a gesture of love, one cup at a time”.
Partakers’ Moment of Reflection
Lim Eu Ming who has been attending WMC for some 30 years now has this to say: “The coffee’s great—rarely do you get barista-style coffee at a church.”
As for the role of coffee in starting conversations, he shares: “I was talking to an elderly man trying the coffee dispenser at the other end, and I tried convincing him, telling him to try the barista one which tastes better.”
How essential is coffee for building bridges? “Coffee helps—while waiting in the queue, it’s useful to just have a friendly chat with whoever is around”, adding “coffee is part of Singaporean life—everyone likes to sit down, have a kopi, have a chat.”
What does he think of the project? “Keep the coffee going for longer? he quipped.
Sherry Hua, another coffee drinker at the cart, thinks that over a cup of coffee, one may exchange information, get to know the church, etc. She ought to know, being a relative newcomer herself, having been in Wesley for only five months.
An ex-barista, she says of the baristas-in-training: “I think the baristas did great! We didn’t have to wait too long. The white coffee tastes solid good as well. The milk was smooth microfoam.”
Operation-wise, she observes that “The QR code to order is a fantastic idea as people don’t have to be restricted physically in queue but can walk about to interact and wait for their number to call. It reduces the workload or time consumption for the barista who is taking orders (for folks who can’t scan). They are doing very well for amateur baristas—just practise more.”
Vivien and Hannah Lau, a mother-daughter pair who are both regular coffee drinkers, feel the idea of coffee to promote conversation is a welcome one. What of the coffee? Vivien offers: “I would describe the coffee as freshly brewed with dark roasted notes (or some people may describe this as coffee brands with chocolate notes), which is something I enjoy when drinking coffee. In other words, I like to just call this atas (Malay word for “high class”) coffee.”
A non-coffee drinker who wanted to be part of the buzz at the atrium, PK observed that “people tended to stay with their cuppa for some time to savour it, so it will promote chitchat and talk”. What of the coffee? “The flavour stayed on my palette for some time—I know very little about coffee drinking but guess it has, what one might call, a good aftertaste and finish.”
(Photos by Desmond Yiong and Julian Wee)
Read also: Savouring the Unexpected Joy of Missions and Coffee
