Risen Café, ministry with good food in Albion, receives blessings from community

Public responds after café’s commercial AC/furnace, hot water tank and ice machine all need replacement

Photos by Tom Rivers: Sarah Ferguson, a staff member at Risen Café and pastor of God’s Voice Ministries, adds caramel to a glass of iced coffee today. Ferguson has been with Risen Café since it opened on March 7, 2023 at 469 East State St.

ALBION – The Risen Café has been serving meals and taking prayer requests for more than three years at 469 East State St., the former Crooked Door Tavern.

The café has two paid employees and other volunteers. The site also is used as a  church for God’s Voice Ministries. Risen Café is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The church has services at 11 a.m. on Sunday. (There is also a prayer meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Bible study at 6 p.m. on Thursday and faith-based recovery meeting at 6 p.m. on Sunday.)

Risen Café has been narrowing the gap of covering its costs, and not needing much support from the church, said Sarah Ferguson, pastor of God’s Voice Ministries and also one of the tow employees at the café.

But the café was dealt several blows in the past 30 days when four major pieces of equipment all failed. The air conditioning system, furnace, hot water tank and ice machine all needed replacement at an estimated combined cost of $20,000.

Ferguson shared the news on Facebook four days ago that the Risen Café was in need and detailed the challenges.

By Friday, a donor bought a new ice machine, and another contributor gave $5,000 for a new hot water tank.

Ferguson said about $9,000 is still needed for the combined AC unit/furnace that must be commercial size.

“God is faithful,” she said. “He is using his people. It’s beautiful to witness.”

Risen Café welcomes more assistance for the AC/furnace. People are welcome to stop in and donate. There will be a basket raffle and chicken barbecue from noon until 7 p.m. on July 18 at the café.

John Angelucci holds a chicken salad wrap with French fries. He is the chef at the Risen Café and has been with the café since day 1.

Ferguson said Risen Café has been a successful ministry, welcoming people from all backgrounds and is especially welcoming to people who have been battling addiction.

The café plays contemporary Christian music and no alcohol is served. Many of the local pastors use the site to meet informally with people looking for some spiritual direction.

Ferguson said not everyone feels comfortable going inside a traditional church building. God’s Voice Ministries wants everyone to feel welcome even if they aren’t familiar with hymns, Bible passages and the usual structure of a church service.

Ferguson is a Lyndonville resident. She started attended God’s Voice Ministries church in Lokcport in 2019, and was part of the team establishing the site in Albion at the former Crooked Door Tavern.

“As a ministry this works, and as a business it’s by God’s grace,” Ferguson said about the Risen Café. “This is a place where conversations are more comfortable around grace and recovery.”

The café doesn’t accept tips for the staff. Instead, there is a “Pay it Forward” jar where people can give a tip to go towards meals for others, including unhoused people, and people struggling to make ends meet. Ferguson said about $25,000 has been donated to the Pay It Forward Fund in about three years.

Risen Café also collects donations each month for a different agency or ministry in the community. Customers have given over $20,000 that has been shared with the hands 4 Hope ministry, Care Net, Community Action, Hospice, the Orleans Koinonia Kitchen and other organizations.

One big challenge, she said, is letting the community know about the Risen Café. It is located on a side street by the Brown Street canal bridge that has been closed since July 2012. Ferguson said Risen Café is more than a church and more than a restaurant.

For more information on the café, click here to be directed to its Facebook page.

Instead of accepting tips, the staff at Risen Café direct that money to a “Pay It Forward” jar for meals for unhoused people or others in need.