Finally - a Passport that makes an Entrance

When Imagine launched a university cafe and gallery in 2008 we chose the name Passport because we saw this venue as being a gateway. We said that it would serve as an entrance into a student's destiny. I remember very vividly talking over potential names with our Thai team. Pichit, one of our core founders suggested the name "Passport." In his mind, and we all agreed, the place we were to open would be  a passageway through which students would enter their destiny. Much like a passport grants entrance into a new country and for some a new home, Passport Cafe would serve as an entrance into a new way of looking at the world a way framed by the understanding that God had created and purposed each student to live a life unto God.

Passport became much more than that. It was a home where students could study and snooze, as well as talk about important issues. In keeping with our vision, students who came through our doors had their first opportunity to leave Bangkok and serve rural communities. Some had their first encounter with Christians, and by extension, their first encounter with Christ.

We always had a frustration though--Passport was too small. At 300 sq ft. Passport looked pretty crowded if we had 5 customers. Well over the years we have also developed an abiding  personal and working relationship with Henry and Ruut Mononen. From Finland, deeply committed to young people and the university, they had expressed a desire to establish a Ministry Cafe for urban youth at the Campus where we served. We kicked around ideas of partnership for years, but it wasn't until last summer when a large site became available to Henry and Ruut, that we began to seriously think about working together. Well, now talk has become action and today we're announcing that partnership.

The Cafe and music studio will be called Entrance. The site is large--three large floors totalling about 4500 sq ft. The main floor will house a Cafe, which in addition to great coffee, will offer  simple food options, a performance stage, and a library corner. The second floor will have a meeting room and professional recording studio, while the third floor will have offices and housing for visitors or volunteers.

The vision of Entrance is goes beyond the unreached:  it is also focused on being a ministry that gives opportunities to christian youth to train and develop their skills in the line of music/media as well as build them up through a discipleship process. Markus, who was raised in Thailand, and his wife, are incredibly gifted in music and media and will manage the production side of things.

Together we will form a cooperative strategy predicated on the belief that we can be more effective serving the university and urban youth as a team. For us, this reflects our desire to refocus Imagine's work on emerging leaders. Under the guidance of Hannah Wood, our campus outreach has seen considerable growth and attention this past year, and working in a larger space with a committed team will only enhance our effectiveness.

The name Passport will no longer apply to the physical space, but rather to the process we have developed to motivate, train and send students into places of service. We will now work in partnership with Henry, Ruut, Markus and their team at Entrance to serve emerging leaders, urban youth, musicians and university students.

For those of you who have been to Passport, yes the closing of Passport does mean change, but it also means greater opportunity and impact. For those who have financially supported Passport's beginning, know that all equipment and furniture purchases will continue to be used for ministry purposes, only in a different venue.

We're excited about the future and the new opportunity before us.  Whether it's Passport or Entrance, we're committed to the same vision--the journey to a new life that begins with both "stepping out" and "coming in."