Concert to raise funds for cafe
By Tammy Real-McKeighan/Fremont Tribune
Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010 – 10:45:12 am CST
Four musical groups will be part of a dinner and concert to raise funds for a local coffee house ministry.
Omahans Jonah and Robyn Reuben are seeking funds to open The Real Rock Café, an outreach ministry of Christian Community Fellowship Church in Fremont. The coffee house, to be located at 635 N. Main St., would be designed as a place where artists, musicians and writers could use their gifts to minister to the community and would be open from 6-10 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, Jonah Reuben said.
The fundraiser starts with a community dinner at 5 p.m. Jan. 30 at the church, 1640 W. Military Ave., Fremont. It will be followed by a presentation about the coffee house at 6:30 p.m. Music will start at 7 p.m. Admission for the dinner and concert is $5 per person.
Those who attend can hear the band fROM dUST and guests Accidental Proffit, Zach Short and 37 years.
fROM dUST is a Christian rock band from Omaha. Formed in 1995, it has been playing shows as a semi-regional band for several years.
Jonah Reuben leads Accidental Proffit, which incorporates various music styles with a mix of R&B, blues and folk rock.
Zach Short, who is fairly new to the music scene, combines earthy melodies with lyrical content to reach audiences.
Omaha veterans Tyler Smith and Sandy Cunningham have reunited after 37 years (hence the group’s name), combining folk, pop and gospel influences to create a mix of new and old cover tunes as well as their own original songs.
The Reubens announced last fall that they plan to open the coffee house ministry in downtown Fremont.
They said the facility will be more of a community outreach center than a coffee shop, but that coffee and other beverages and some snacks will be served.
In a press release, the Reubens said they envision The Real Rock Cafe to be a place “where those who have been wounded physically and spiritually can receive healing for their broken souls.”
They’re planning free concerts in a family friendly environment and also movie nights, where they will present different films and encourage group discussion afterward.
“There are some in the community who don’t feel comfortable in a traditional church setting, so we are also planning weekly Bible studies for them,” Jonah Reuben said.
Plans also are to have a small food pantry and clothing closet available to those struggling in the community.
In the meantime, he invites area residents to attend the upcoming fundraiser.
“This will give them an idea of what we’re going to be doing in the community,” he said. “They’ll have a better idea of what it will cost to run and also what it will take to fund this ministry.”
Reuben believes the coffee house will benefit businesses.
“If kids are going to the coffee house, they’re not going to be running around vandalizing businesses and wreaking havoc,” he said. “Ultimately a lot of younger kids, preteen and teenagers will be hanging out (there), because it will be a new place.”
For more information about the coffee house, contact Jonah at
accidentalproffit@rocketmail.com or http://www.myspace.com/accidentalproffit.
The Real Rock Cafe 