Ignite Church says Short Street hub is here to serve Nambour

Pastor Darin Browne says Ignite Church’s Short Street hub is open to businesses, groups and the wider Nambour community.

Ignite Church has opened its Short Street venue to local businesses and community groups, saying its town centre presence is about practical service as much as worship.

Pastor Darin Browne welcomed the Nambour Chamber of Commerce Coffee Catch Up to The Coffee Hub on July 2, saying the church wanted to provide a place where people could gather, meet and connect.

“We love this town. We’re situated in the middle of this town. We absolutely love Nambour,” Pastor Browne said.

“We live here, we work here, we pray here, we support people here.”

He said The Coffee Hub was not only a coffee shop, but a community coffee shop, and businesses were welcome to talk with the church about using the space for meetings and presentations.

“If you want a place where you can get together and meet, get good food, get good coffee, hang out a bit, we’ve got this area in here,” he said.

Pastor Browne also outlined Ignite Church’s wider community work, including Lilly House, which supports young women in difficult circumstances, and Grace Haven Cottages, which provide homes for women escaping domestic violence.

The church is also part of a combined churches effort to support homeless people during winter, including the Winter Shelter program run in conjunction with council.

“We’re having homeless people in and giving them a bed and a warm place to sleep for the night,” he said.

“We are here to serve you. You hear that a lot. This is actually true.”

Pastor Brown said churches had been part of Nambour since its earliest days.

“This town was started in the 1870s, before the train, before the sugar mill, by church people,” he said.

“Church people have been interwoven with our community since day dot.”