Students show up for a calm and productive nightly Coffee House event at Kool Beans hosted by OASIS.
Kool Beans and OASIS partnered Monday night to create a peaceful evening for young adults wanting time to connect with friends, study for midterms and relax with a cup of coffee.
Brennen Schmitt, the pastor for OASIS said the purpose of the event was about connecting people and supporting them.
The connection aspect comes from the time spent being across the table from peers. Brennen said, “Jesus did ministry across the table.” And in the same way, OASIS sought to duplicate that bond through Monday’s event.
The second goal of this event was to show care and support to the attendees.
“This week being midterms for a lot of people is tough. So, if we can provide a cup of coffee and give you a chance to take a deep breath, we’re going to try our best to do that,” Brennen said.
This is the first time out of the past six years that the OASIS Coffee House events have been at Kool Beans. It usually is hosted at Gracepoint Wesleyan Church which is the church OASIS runs under.
Brennen says “We have built a relationship [with Kool Beans]. Kurt supports us in what we do, and we get to support him in what he does.” Kurt Osborne is a co-owner of Kool Beans and a supporter of Gracepoint as well as other businesses within the Brookings community.
When asked why Kool Beans partners with Gracepoint, Kurt says “It is a pretty powerful ministry and our relationship with the church is important.”
OASIS volunteers and employees roamed around the cafe, encouraging the guests.
Laura Peterson, a member of the leadership team with OASIS, says this event was a “Nice time for everyone to come together outside a Sunday night to spend time together.”
This is a stressful time of the year as midterms are happening, motivation is running low, and the year is slowly coming to a close. This event was the perfect opportunity for young adults to take the night to loosen up in the calming environment the coffee shop offers. As more people flooded in, relationships were building and rekindling as a new week began.
Laura said Coffee House is a great time to “be in community with people you don’t always get to see within your usual week.”
Kool Beans was filled with conversations, as students took advantage of the free drinks, printed coloring sheets and a handful of board games available.
Addison Sedlacek, a student in attendance says, “The event was inviting to all with an open atmosphere and chatter filling the room. Fueling everyone’s desires the event offered four coffee drinks, and tea for all to enjoy.”
The Coffee House event started six years ago as an open-mic event. Since then, they have changed the purpose to better suit their audience. Brennen said it’s important to adapt the needs of those attending OASIS, and at this time in the semester, what is needed from them is a time to recharge with friends over a special treat. OASIS is set on making their services necessary and practical.
From 7 p.m to 9 p.m. young adults soaked up their time in fellowship and good company at Kool Beans.
More events by OASIS are coming. On April 7, they will serve food at 7 p.m. prior to the 8 p.m. service which kick starts a new series, “In Everything”. And on April 18, a Community Serve night will take place at 6 p.m. This is an opportunity to serve the Brookings community in partnership with local nonprofits.