Worship, Community, and a Cup of Coffee

Are we a church or are we a cafe? The answer is yes.

Back at the turn of the millennium, our congregation took the brave decision to do something dramatic with our beautiful Victorian era building.

Inspired by the Church of Scotland’s ‘Church without Walls’ report (and being based smack in the centre of Inverurie - the queen of coffee shop towns) - we converted the building into a combined cafe/sanctuary/meeting space.

We didn’t do this to turn a profit. Our motivation was the desire to create a space in which gospel hospitality could be lived out and practised - not just through worship or what the church calls ‘outreach’, but also in the simple act of serving and sharing and building relationships through the week.

The project took 8 years to come to fruition but in 2008 the Acorn Centre opened its doors. The cafe, chapel, library and our Fairtrade shop Ubuntu sit downstairs. The cafe is open five days a week Tuesdays to Saturdays from 9 until 3. Our spaces can also be hired for meetings and events. The gallery section of our cafe lives up to its name as each month we feature local artists’ work for sale.

Upstairs is our beautiful sanctuary, or worship space, which retains many of the church’s original features like the organ pipework, pews, and rose window, along with some more flexible seating, and modern technological aids like a loop system and screens. It’s all accessible by either lift or stairs. It is filled with light, the u-shaped seating wraps around you like a hug, and the acoustics are tremendous!

But don’t be fooled by the fact that that cafe and sanctuary operate on different floors. They share the same DNA. Our staff and volunteers, whether church members or not, are all committed to creating an environment of welcome and care where we hope something of the love of God can be felt.

In recent years, we’ve taken church outside as well, via our flourishing kitchen garden behind the church. The garden is a real labour of love, providing fruit and veg for the cafe and opportunities for volunteering and partnerships with local organisations.

Have a look at our gallery, or better yet, come and visit us!

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For information on the history of our building click here.