The Crossing Café: A Basement Coffeehouse That Changed Lives
(1996–2000)
Picture this: a small town, a back alley, a striped awning over a basement entrance, and a stone wall glowing under a single ceiling bulb.
To most people, it was just an old basement. To Bill and Donna, it looked like a coffeehouse.
And so, The Crossing Café was born.
A Gathering Place
The Crossing became a vibrant teen hangout filled with energy, music, coffee, a place for biblical answers to life’s challenges. Christian bands played. Students crowded in, sometimes shoulder-to-shoulder, as the space packed out with teens hungry for connection and truth.
It wasn’t polished or fancy. But it was alive.
God Moments in a Basement
Night after night, students made decisions to follow Christ. Friendships formed that would last a lifetime. Some who walked in broken found healing. Others who came for the music encountered the gospel in ways they never expected.
The Crossing Café wasn’t about coffee—it was about creating space for God to move.
Seeds of Future Ministry
The café marked another step in DYM’s journey of saying “yes” to God’s invitations. It wasn’t the last coffee-related ministry, either—years later, Cause Coffee would carry that same DNA into a new generation.
But back then, in that basement café, hundreds of lives were being shaped by simple hospitality and bold faith.
The Crossing Café’ was also the place where Bill and Donna first met Chad and Allison—a God ordained introduction.
God doesn’t need perfect spaces to do His work—just willing hearts and open doors. What started in a basement café set the tone for decades of DYM ministry: authentic, relational, and centered on Jesus.
How You Can Join the Story
Visit Cause Coffee today to experience the legacy of hospitality and generosity.
Pray for students and young adults seeking community and purpose.