Crossbeats - Late Nite Specials

"Late-Nite Specials" and
Coffee Bar Evangelism

Elaine Jarvis and Karen Murray (both nee Terhoven) from Orillia, ON, Canada, sent me (2002) a cutting from their late father's scrapbook describing the "Late-Nite Specials" that Ken Terhoven had been running in the 1950s and 1960s. It would seem that there were coffee bars, as such, used for evangelism as far back as the early 1950s. However, what this article makes clear is that no music groups were involved. See also the e-mail from Dave Barker below.

The pattern of an evening (apart from the important details of getting people in, welcoming them and speaking etc) seems to have been to oscillate between the two alternatives:

The difference between this and the coffee bar evangelism of the 1960s and 1970s must surely be the existence and use of gospel groups to "perform", so that the pattern of an evening became:

In August 2005, I received this e-mail from Dave Barker, Associate Pastor at
Calvary Baptist Church, Coquitlam, BC (www.calvarybaptist.ca)

17 August 2005

Hi Crossbeats!!

I was intrigued that you had been trying to trace the history of coffee-bar evangelism and, in doing so, referred back to the Southport Project (summer 1964) and Ken Terhoven as one of the earliest examples.

You probably won't remember me but I was working as Ken's close associate in the 1960s in the development of his movement called "Project Evangelistic Crusade" with headquarters in Matlock, Derbyshire. In fact, the earliest coffee-bar evangelism of which I am aware took place in the very first "Project Crusade" in Matlock and Matlock Bath in August 1963. Well, do I remember being "thrown in at the deep-end" by Ken Terhoven as he decided to hold a coffee-bar "Late-Nite-Special" every night for the duration of the project - not only in Matlock but also one in Matlock Bath..... one for which I was suddenly the leader! As far as I can recall, if not the originator, Ken was at the very least the earliest champion of such ministry in the UK.

Exciting times, as we had gospel groups such as yours playing interspersed with testimonies and short messages..... the all-too-familiar format that we all came to love. How amazing to see so many young people (and older ones, too) making real commitments to Jesus which proved years later to have been the real thing as many of these joined us in later years as workers, and a good number of these responded to the call of God on their lives and have since been pastors, evangelists and missionaries.

During the rest of the 60s, such Late-Nite-Specials were held all over UK in cafes, restaurants, school halls, church halls, pubs, shop-fronts, town halls etc. etc.

You will probably have heard that Ken went to be with the Lord just a few years ago on a trip to England from South Africa. Ken always wanted to go home preaching..... and that's exactly what happened at a small church in his beloved Derbyshire. His wife, Win, lives and worships with her married children in Orillia, Ontario, Canada.

Blessings

Dave Barker
Associate Pastor, Calvary Baptist Church, Coquitlam, BC V3J 3B8
(www.calvarybaptist.ca)