Gathering for snacks, talk at Lifetree Café

A few months ago, Laurie Baden walked by Lifetree Cafe @ The Well, hoping to pick up job applications for her teen sons. Because of the dim lights, coffee bean aroma and round tables, she thought the building - in a shopping center on Portsmouth Boulevard - resembled a typical neighborhood cafe. But Lifetree wasn't hiring. Instead, its doors swung open for chatter.

Known as a conversation cafe, Lifetree is a national faith-based nonprofit chain of shops based out of Colorado. Organizers say Portsmouth's Lifetree Cafe is the first one on the East Coast. The cafe hosts twice-weekly discussions on diverse topics such as grace, miracles, torture and ghosts. There are free beverages and snacks for each session. The discussion start generically, but toward the end shift to issues of faith. The sessions includes teens and adults and average about 15 to 40 people. The programs last about an hour, but conversations often linger longer.

It's a discreet way of talking about life and Christianity, without a pulpit.

"This is amazing to me how much things I've needed to hear about and talk about have been the topics here," Baden said.

The Rollingwood resident identifies herself as Christian, but doesn't regularly attend a place of worship.

"This is easier than church. I'm not good at memorizing the Bible verses and knowing where stuff comes from," she said.

Baden said the relaxed atmosphere makes her comfortable about asking questions or voicing her opinions.

"I'm definitely usually a jeans-and-tennis-shoe type person. I guess I still think of the church as you should be dressed up, and you have to be on your p's and q's," she said.

Baden is the type of person Tim Todd, one of the owners, wants to attract.

Todd, along with his son-in-law Todd Hutchinson, started the cafe in July. They also are business partners and own three Firehouse Subs franchises.

Todd, a retired city firefighter, learned about the Lifetree chain in Franchise Times magazine. He thought it'd be a way to reach out to the community, build relationships and share the Christian faith in a relaxed atmosphere.

"Church preaches to you, here we don't, we just tell you a loving story that we're all in this together and we love you," Todd said.

Todd is an elder at West Park Church of Christ. The church pays the cafe's monthly rent, Todd said, but he's put in about $11,000 in decor, materials and operating costs.

In addition to the sessions, the cafe's community outreach team collects clothes to donate at Oasis Social Ministry. Todd said he hopes to open three more cafes in Portsmouth and Chesapeake.

"My main area of concern is going into the low-income areas and getting the word out," he said

The topic at a recent session was about torture.The host, Stephanie Gray, followed a script and spearheaded a question-and-answer session. During a video presentation, retired Navy fighter pilot Capt. Charles Plumb recounted his experience as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Toward the end of the session, the conversation moved on to the physical pain Jesus endured as described in Scriptures.

Gray didn't share her opinions, but asked audience members to share theirs. Being neutral as the host helps others feel at liberty to discuss their thoughts without fear of rebuke or judgment, she said.

"It hurts to hear some of the ways people view the church and sometimes the church has earned that reputation," Gray said. "But this is an open forum for people to see 'yes I am a Christian and I do have certain beliefs but I love you anyway because God loves you.' "

Cherise M. Newsome, (757) 446-2794, cherise.newsome@pilotonline.com