By Emily Drooby
“I am the way, truth and life,” is a famous verse from the Bible.
It’s also the inspiration behind The Way Café. This Bronx business serves up coffee and doesn’t forget to pass on the faith.
“How would Jesus run a business? That’s one thing I think about,” explained co-owner Andy Weaver.
He is a Mennonite, a faith stream within Christianity that he explains is sometimes mistaken for Amish because of their similarities. Andy moved to New York from Pennsylvania after seeing a need for evangelization in the area.
Andy opened The Way Café in the middle of the pandemic. It’s a unique space for New York City because here, faith is front and center.
“It’s just loud out there,” he said. “We want this to be a place where people can come, feel an environment of peace, have a place where they can sit down and study. Where they can feel God’s presence.”
When you take a seat inside, you’ll see Psalms on the wall, books for exploring Christianity and employees ready to talk about the faith, if customers want. Andy says, some even use the cafe for bible study.
“Relationships, caring for people,” Andy said. “If someone comes in and they want to talk, we want to be there to bless others lives as we have the opportunity.”
For other locals, calm music and friendly faces make it a place of solace.
“It’s a really positive vibe, when you walk in, it’s like instant,” explains customer Joseph Garcia.
Andy says as people become more comfortable gathering in groups, they hope to hold faith-based events to strengthen the community they’ve begun to build here.