Those of you who follow me on twitter (or facebook) may have noticed that I tend to eat at Panera a lot.  Since our church doesn’t have a building of its own yet, Aaron and I have to get together for our weekly staff meeting somewhere… so why not Panera? 

Here’s what makes Panera a good place for us to meet:

• Good food
• Free refills on soft drinks
• Free wifi (wireless internet)
• Chance meetings with people we know and people we don’t

It’s that last one that seems to set Panera apart from some other places we’ve met.  It seems like half of Valparaiso comes through Panera between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm.  We usually plant ourselves somewhere near the doors, and it seems like every other time we’re there, we end up talking to someone.  And that’s a really good thing for a couple of church leaders trying to make sure that church connects with ordinary folks where they live!

Of course, if you know someplace else we should try that meets those same criteria, I’m open to suggestions!