In Wilmington, one church is reimagining what faith can look like when community comes first.
Mosaic United Methodist Church, founded during the COVID-19 pandemic, plans to open a nonprofit coffee shop inside its building in downtown Wilmington. The project, led by Pastor Kelley Finch, will turn an underused space into a social enterprise that funds direct support for the city’s LGBTQ+ community.
“We were gifted the deed to a 1960s cinderblock church building in downtown Wilmington,” Finch said. “It sits empty most of the week. A coffee shop is low startup and high revenue, and every dollar of net revenue can go right back to our community.”
According to the church’s GoFundMe campaign, all proceeds from the café will fund mini grants for low-income LGBTQ+ youth and unhoused queer residents. The fundraiser covers construction costs, accessibility upgrades and plumbing improvements needed to prepare the space for business. Mosaic’s goal is to raise $36,000 to renovate the space and open the coffee shop early next year.
Finch said the idea for the shop emerged from Mosaic’s mission to repair the harm that churches have historically caused to LGBTQ+ people. “For the last three years, we have deconstructed and rebuilt the church with our queer and neurodiverse community,” she said. “Our whole focus is on repairing the harm the church has caused and social justice.”
Before acquiring its current building, Mosaic operated out of a rented house known as the Rainbow House. It quickly became a refuge for queer people in need of rest, support and affirmation. “We had trans siblings who did not feel safe in the homeless community,” Finch said. “They needed a safe place to take a shower, to sit and rest and to hear that everything they had been told about our scriptures was not true, that they are beloved and created in the image of God.”
Those early experiences inspired the church to think creatively about how to sustain that mission long-term. Finch, who once owned a coffee shop, saw the potential for the space to generate ongoing support without relying on tithes or membership dues. “We wanted to find a way to provide real, consistent financial support instead of just asking the people in our pews,” she said. “We looked around at a space we only use on Sunday mornings and thought, this could be something that helps our community every day.”
To manage the project, Mosaic formed a separate nonprofit board to oversee the café’s operations and decide how the revenue will be distributed. Finch said the funds will go directly toward practical needs for queer youth and families, such as a bike for a homeless friend and fees for safe queer camps. The church also plans to distribute monthly coffee cards for unhoused residents and LGBTQ+ teens, allowing them to buy drinks, access Wi-Fi and gather in a safe and affirming environment.
“There are so many queer youth and adults who just need a safe place to exist,” Finch said. “This coffee shop will give them that, while also funding the help they need.”
The project has already gained momentum online, thanks to Finch’s large TikTok following. Early supporters have donated five- and ten-dollar gifts, while others have contributed larger amounts to help reach the fundraising goal. Finch said the outpouring of encouragement has outweighed the backlash that often follows her public advocacy. “Doing something positive always draws anger,” she said. “We take that as a sign we are doing something powerful and good.”
Mosaic’s weekly gatherings attract between 20 and 50 people, many of them queer families with young children. The church also hosts weekly “stitch and bitch” nights and other community events that draw people from across Wilmington who are seeking inclusive, justice-focused spaces. “We’re not a tithing or membership-based church,” Finch said. “We are a justice church.”
For Finch, the coffee shop is more than an innovative fundraiser. It is a model of what the next generation of faith spaces could become. “We’re showing possibilities of what a church can be,” she said. “Through this coffee shop, we can pay reparations to those who have been harmed and create something life-giving in its place.”
To learn more about Mosaic UMC or support the coffee shop project, visit mosaicwilmington.org or gofundme.com/f/help-us-open-a-nonprofit-coffee-shop.