MELLISA HARTER | guest writer
photo | MELLISA HARTER
Senior bibical studies major Johanna Chase belts out an important message for the audience to ponder.


Students and local community gather to enjoy music and coffee.

Looking for a place to eat and enjoy the company of others for free? Search no more.

‘Safe Haven Coffee House’, an event sponsored by Faith Lutheran Church in San Dimas, offers free food and coffee while showcasing APU performers on the second Saturday of every month.

Junior business administration major and coordinator of Safe Haven Coffee House Jennifer Elrod said this event originated four years ago as an outreach ministry.

“My hope is that Safe Haven [can be] a place for students to come for an evening away from campus to hang out and listen to music and drink some free coffee and get to know others,” Elrod said. “I want it to be a place for bands to practice, create a fan base, and sell some merchandise.”

Faith Lutheran Church member Pat Scherer has teamed up with Elrod to put this event together.

“It’s a good place for everybody to hear not only music but to have somewhere to go where they feel safe - a safe haven. It’s fun, there’s good music, and they’re not going to run into anything undesirable here. We make sure they stay free from that stuff,” Scherer said.

This past Saturday, a crowd of 50 enjoyed a night sponsored by Faith Lutheran Church including the musical stylings of APU students Johanna Chase, Tony Battaglia, and Kellen Humphries.

“I liked the atmosphere because there weren’t too many people and it was laid back,” international business major Jan Fredrich said.

Providing more than a casual environment, artists such as senior biblical studies major Johanna Chase liked the idea of being able to play in a room of people who are open to God.

“It’s great to play in front of Christians and use biblical stories to bring about conviction for our lives today,” Chase said.

She likes to explore things in her songs that are not necessarily popular and finds most of her lyrics are about things God taught her to care about.

“It’s safe for me because I can say things that are challenging to our Christian ideas, and I can say things that are not welcomed in other places here. I can be casual,” Chase said.

The importance of an opportunity for both musicians and community members to gather in a protected place to share music was something articulated through the way the audience listened to each performer’s set.

“It seemed like people were there to support and hear what you sound like and give you a shot. They were really respectful in that it seemed like they appreciated music,” Battaglia said.

Whether in the audience or on the stage, the feeling of community that ‘Safe Haven Coffee House’ created resonated throughout the entire evening.

“I love just being able to go someplace and feel a community and support something that I love – performing,” senior theater arts major Kathryn Morton said.

Whether in the audience or on the stage, the aspect that resonated through the entire night was the feeling of community the Safe Haven Coffee House created for the evening.
Whether or not coffee and music is the way for everyone is not the question. At the heart of the matter is, “Have you found your safe haven?”