Coffee quest concert series

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When Tim Linick moved to Glasgow in July of 2014 to become the pastor of Glasgow Wesleyan Church, he already had coffee on his mind. He tried to start a small group Bible study in the Fall of that year in a local coffee shop. However, when he called to inquire about the location, it had just been sold and would be converted to a different type of business. He kept pursuing that coffee vision, asking various coffee houses if they would allow him to have a small group gathering there. Each and every time, the door would be closed, and he would forget about it for another year or two.

Over the last seven years, he has shared various types of visions with his congregation. They have launched aggressive outreach programs like the Drive-Thru Prayer Station which featured free coffee and Coke along with free prayers for anyone who would stop by. They also had a Friday Free Family Film night just off the square with a huge drive-in theater projected on the side of a historic building. Back in 2017, they launched a humongous Easter Egg Hunt/Easter Drama on a Wednesday night and set a record attendance for GWC of 383 people present!

Over the summer of 2021, Pastor Tim shared a new vision with the faithful flock of Glasgow Wesleyan. As they were trying to decide whether or not to resume their 5:00 Sunday evening services in August, he told everyone present on Sunday, July 11, “The board may vote to resume our Sunday evening services, and that will be great, but the Lord is leading my wife and I to do something different… and YOU are not invited… UNLESS you bring somebody with you… somebody who is unchurched does not know much about following Jesus. We don’t know how or when, but God will make a way.”

Needless to say, it has been quite an adventure since then, and true to his words, God did make a way, providing the Yancey Square Indoor Stage (what locals call “the old Rec building”) located at 200 S. Race St. for their evening gatherings. The owner of the building Jeff Jobe very graciously offered him the space at a very good price since they were primarily requesting to use it on Sunday evenings. Tim and Karla Linick went to work with adding a splash of pizzazz to make the theater look more like a coffee house hangout venue, and on Sunday, Sept. 12, they launched QUEST — Coffee | Coaching | Conversations.

QUEST is not like any church service you’ve ever attended. In fact, Pastor Tim prefers that attendees refer to him simply as “Coach” and keep it casual. It is set up in 22-minute rotations based on the typical attention span of most adults. Here’s what it looks like…

The doors are open at 4:00 for acoustic guitar music (Nashville style with guitar case opened for donations on the stage), and casual conversations, and coffee is served at 4:22. Coach Tim will be the first to tell you, “This is not just ANY run-of-the-mill coffee or nasty stuff you get for $5 at Starbucks! This is the good stuff! It is South American coffee, fresh roasted, fresh ground, and fresh brewed on-site!” When asked for details, he will always say, “I have a dealer!” In other words, he knows a youth pastor in Albany who is a connoisseur of fine coffees! Austin Shuck gets the raw coffee beans, roasts them for Tim, and delivers them to him every few weeks to make sure QUEST has the very best.

Promptly at 4:44, the Coach interacts with those seated at tables of 5 or 6 with some type of an ice-breaker game for about 5 minutes. Then he proceeds to “coach” for the next 22 minutes from 4:49 to 5:11. When he is finished coaching, he leaves the building immediately and rushes over to the 5:00 evening service at Glasgow Wesleyan, already in progress. Sometimes he arrives just in the nick of time to preach the evening message. Other times he has other lay ministers or even teenagers slated to speak in the service. However, by 5:55, he is back out the door and rushes back to Yancey Square for ReQUEST, a time of Q&A when any attendee can ask him any question whether biblical or just silly life issues.

While Pastor Tim is over at Glasgow Wesleyan, QUEST goes on without him. In fact, Coach Tim has trained about 12 (interesting number for discipleship) Captains/Co-Captains to carry on without him present. At 5:11, each Captain will lead the conversation around his/her table based on what Coach Tim had taught with specific questions and applications to be made. Each Co-Captain observes the interactions, facial expressions, and body language of each participant to make sure that everyone is engaging and connected at their table.

At 5:33, the Captain shifts to a time of “Share-Care-Prayer” asking each one to first SHARE what is going on in their lives and any concerns they may have. The Captain takes time to empathize with them, and truly CARE about their needs. Before this segment is completed, the Co-Captain slips a piece of paper to the Captain so that when they go to PRAYER, he/she will remember each and every prayer request and personal needs which had been shared.

After prayer, at about 5:55 it is time for each table group to be a part of the community by helping clean up in the STACK-A-CHAIR segment. By the time Coach Tim returns, the entire venue has been cleaned up and attendees are ready to PUT ‘ER THERE in a time of fellowship during ReQUEST.

The veteran QUEST attendees know the drill in sort of a rap, “SHARE CARE PRAYER – STACK A CHAIR – PUT ‘ER THERE – YANCEY SQUARE!”

QUEST has ministered to 27 different individuals so far. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Newly-wed Emily (Thompson) Gardner expressed, “QUEST is a really enjoyable experience. The people there are so friendly and welcoming! Knowing that there are people who have the same beliefs and struggles that I do was so comforting. It reminded me that I am not alone, and for that, I am so grateful!”

Her husband Dylan Gardner added, “QUEST was a great way to bond with other like-minded Christians. It was fantastic to chat with others who have experienced things I am going through.”

They bonded quickly with Kylie Dickerson and her fiancé Zechariah Craddock. In fact, they went out to eat after QUEST and make deeper connections and friendship for a grand total of 5 hours spent together. “I have never seen any Christian beg to be in church for five hours,” said Coach Tim. “QUEST fosters an atmosphere of connection, and people really linger, and do not want to leave. That’s what it’s all about!”

In addition to this unusual discipleship/evangelism/group therapy type of model, Coach Tim has a vision for as many as 40 life groups in 2020 and the Yancey Square / QUEST Concert Series during the Christmas Season. He also wants to launch annual Talent Contests for adults and children and other community appreciation breakfasts like he hosted in September for area ministers.

First up in the Yancey Square / QUEST Concert Series is local bluegrass favorites Kentucky Just Us performing on Sunday, Nov. 28. They will be followed by Heartlande (Christmas & Gospel) on Sunday, Dec. 5, local Scottish singer Colin Grant-Adams (Celtic Christmas) on Sunday, Dec. 12, and Southern Gospel and Talented Barkley Family Tradition (Christmas & Gospel) on Sunday, Dec. 19.

All concerts are at 7:00 and are $22, but that includes a FREE round of concessions (popcorn, dessert, drink). Tickets are now available online only by visiting https://www.facebook.com/tim.linick and follow the link for the JotForm ticket purchase. If you enter the word “QUEST” tickets will be discounted $5 off! Groups of 10 or more will also qualify for discounts, but must contact Pastor Tim Linick directly at CoffeeQuest444@gmail.com.

Looking for a gospel or Christmas concert on a Sunday night? Make plans now to attend one, if not, ALL of the Yancey Square / QUEST Concert Series events! Oh… and ANYONE is welcome to QUEST… every Sunday night at 4:00! This is not a church. It is a gathering for anyone of any background, ethnicity, perspective, or religion. Coach Tim would love to see YOU there!