On a busy street along the coast of Montenegro, an Adventist-owned vegan restaurant prepares for the lunch rush. Operating a restaurant such as this one creates the opportunity to talk with customers about a variety of topics.
On a busy street along the coastl of Montenegro, an Adventist-owned vegan restaurant prepares for the lunch rush.
Montenegro’s coastline attracts visitors from all over the Balkans. This restaurant is a popular spot for both tourists and locals to grab a tasty meal. The food is made with care, and only the best ingredients are used. Operating a restaurant such as this one creates the opportunity to talk with customers about a variety of topics.
“As for our mission, interestingly, when we started, we were immediately asked on Sunday, ‘Why are you closed on Saturday? Why do you close early on Friday?’ And that was a great opportunity to talk to them about the law of God and why the Sabbath day is important for us. And we don't just respect the Sabbath day, but we respect God's laws about health.”
Most guests come for the food, but some leave with even more.
“And there is also other information, in the form of literature that they can find about many topics. We have a book, if for example, a mother comes with children, we talk about education and that we have the opportunity to educate children in the right way. If we’re talking about health, we have books in both Russian and Serbian that talk about health, smoking, and so on. These are the books that give us tips on how to be healthy, how to be mentally capable and develop our personalities.”
Throughout the pandemic, restaurant workers distributed Bibles and Spirit of Prophecy books, sparking many customers’ curiosity to ask questions about the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Once social distancing restrictions relaxed, the restaurant started offering in person experiences to the community.
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“Every two weeks we hold culinary classes where we give people a taste and see how the food is prepared. There is an opportunity for people to participate in the preparation and we explain why that food is good for them.”
By mingling with people and meeting their needs, urban centers of influence such as this one are implementing the first steps of Christ’s method of ministry. They are building bridges that give people the opportunity to learn about Jesus.
God is calling each of us to spread a message of hope to the people around us. How can you connect your business, hobbies, or daily activities to ministry?
