The Natural High Coffee House, located at the corner of 9th and Cincinnati in Lafayette, Indiana. While this was not exactly Haight-Ashbury, it was the worst location we could come up with in this growing Hoosier community. Rented for fifty dollars a month, it was an eyesore inside and out, and in the opinion of some, that never changed. But to many of the youth in Lafayette and nearby Purdue University, this became our home away from home: cozy, crazy, and occasionally charismatic. The idea was the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, through a young Purdue graduate named Joe Bell. Joe was given this project as a summer job through the Assemblies of God. Other churches climbed on board the project when it became obvious that great things were happening there. The coffee house was open on weekends, with evening worship and occasional special band performances. Nearly each event was preceded by street ministry which yielded great results. It was not unusual to see 6-12 people each night accept Christ as their Savior. Results were so great, that several of the churches had difficulty dealing with the new youth influx that didn't conform to their structured programs. While the coffee house existed for less than three years, the influence upon this community is still felt today, with the fruit of this work forming new church fellowships and becoming local pastors and Christian business leaders. Joe Bell went on to seminary and is now a Calvary Chapel pastor in Lafayette. One went one to work with YWAM, one pastors a flock in Florida, and one is a Doctor of Theology. One became a pro-life activist and is now a Calvary Chapel pastor in Delphi Indiana, where in 2003, he opened a Christian Coffee House called "The Well".
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