The name, the neon, the fact that the minister wears jeans and sits on the floor, all announce that something unconventional is happening here. Something of church, but not "churchy."

It's worship, but it's not in the sanctuary.

It's a service, but it doesn't follow a formula.

Its only constant is coffee and the slogan, "Where life is served up freshly brewed."

Open to anyone, the Soul Cafe particularly welcomes those who have been burned by church, bored at church or come without church background.

To announce Soul Cafe last fall, they blanketed Grand Island with a mass mailing of over-size yellow postcards.

"The main emphasis is to reach out to religious non-churched people, but that's a hard nut to crack," said the Rev. Frank Newsome, Trinity's associate pastor and the creator of Soul Cafe, which has been operating at 7:30 p.m. Saturdays since October.

"They've either had a bad experience or sworn off church for some reason.

"We are bona fide church people, but we're on the edge. One of my friends says that I'm always on the verge of getting kicked out of church. That's my strength, and my weakness."

Newsome, along with Thomas Caffarella, Caitlin Meaney, Mark and Jacob Lange, have designed a service that reaches beyond the members of the Whitehaven Road church. "We always advertise as coffeehouse/worship service. We don't want to be deceptive because that's one of the things that gives church a bad name," said Newsome, who moved here four years ago from a church in Raleigh, N.C., without giving up his southern drawl.

The idea to start the Soul Cafe came about because there is a large population that the church isn't reaching.

"They say they are religious and they have a longing for God, but they don't make it beyond the walls," said Newsome. "How can I be a minister and ignore that. If I ignore that voice, I feel like I'm ignoring God's voice."

Alternative worship such as the Soul Cafe is part of a wider movement, said Cynthia A. Woolever, co-author of "U.S. Congregational Life Survey" (2002), which surveyed 300,000 worshippers in 2,000 churches, representing the largest survey of its type.

Woolever said the survey identified four types of people who join congregations: first timers (about 7 percent); returnees (those taken as children and now coming back); transferees (life-time members who are going to another congregation) and switchers (someone converting from one religion to another).

Woolever, who is based at Presbyterian Church U.S.A. research services in Louisville, Ky., said the first-timers and returnees are those most likely to seek alternative types of worship.

Her research, she said, shows that worshippers, generally, are looking for a common experience.

"When we've done studies, we've found that what people want is to feel the presence of God," she said. "If a service misses that, then I don't think people will continue to be a part of it. They also want a sense of belonging, a place where people care about them. And they want what they hear and experience to be relevant to their lives and help them make sense of how they live their lives."

Sometimes, Newsome said, visitors aren't sure what to expect when they walk into the Soul Cafe, a name inspired by Leonard I. Sweet's "A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Cafe."

For starters, Newsome might direct them to the coffee pot (he's such a fan of the drink that his office couch is upholstered in a coffee cup print). Then, he'll invite them to a discussion, (which has included topics such as "God's promises") at a round table in the Family Room.

Other evenings they've listened to a band playing sacred music, and they've heard artist Jonathan Rogers of Niagara Falls talk about the inspiration behind his artwork "Visions From Faith."

For the past three weeks, participants have explored ancient spiritual practices. Last week about 30 people gathered in a basement room, dimly lit by candles, around a small altar that held bread and wine.

"These are practices that are painfully simplistic," said Newsome. "We tend to read religious writings the way we read other readings - let's see how fast we can do it. Or, we analyze the heck out of it."

For these gatherings, he has slowed the tempo down.

While people settled in, Newsome invited them to be still, as Mark Lange played "Surely God Is in This Place" on his guitar. After members of the team read a scriptural passage, participants were asked to respond.

"In Lectio Divina (divine reading) we let the word speak for itself," Newsome said. "We don't use as much silence as they would in a monastery, maybe only 1/100 of what they'd do, but the whole idea is to slow down so you might hear. Silence still scares the heck out of people."

Newsome next went to a table in the center of the room and prayed over bread and wine. He invited participants to come up, as they wished, to sit or kneel for a time in quiet prayer.

After the hour-long service, Janelle Sturtz, a University at Buffalo student, said she'd never participated in this kind of worship.

"Technically I belong to St. Stephen's, but I usually go to Knox Presbyterian," said the 19-year-old. "This isn't like anything I've ever done before, but it's what the church did in history. It's like a time travel."

For Adam Kaiser, 19, a Canisius College student, the service was personal and a place where he could focus more easily than in a traditional Sunday service.

"I think it's more the way God intended," he said. "And it's a lot easier than getting up at 9:30 on a Sunday morning."

For Aly Rogers of Niagara Falls, Soul Cafe is a chance to learn about God.

"I grew up as a Satanist," said Rogers, who is 38, "but in this church, it doesn't matter where you came from. You can explore things here and be safe. It's the first church I've come to where God isn't a joke."

Typically, the service draws 35 to 40 people, but they've had as many as 150 to 175, Newsome said.

"Some nights we've gone home all warm and fuzzy," he said. "And other times we've had to hold on to the verse about "where two or more are gathered.'

"Change in church never comes real easy. There's not a model, so we're constantly running into a wall in the dark."

Asked whether Soul Cafe is meant as a way to boost church membership, Newsome said that's not the purpose. "Would we be excited if they found a home here? Of course, who wouldn't be? It's a nice thing if it happens, but that's not on the agenda."

Mostly, he said, he wants to offer a way to respond to a longing that is not of the surface, but of the soul.

"We've gotten too complicated as church," he said. "We've got committees. We've got structures. We do worship the way politicians do politics - we take a poll. We need to get back to the heart of worship."

Tonight Soul Cafe presents a concert by Juno Award-winning singer Steve Bell of Winnipeg, Canada, who has been called a "modern day psalmist." Tickets are $10 at the door.

On March 1, author Brennan Manning, whose books include "The Ragamuffin Gospel: Embracing the Unconditional Love of God," will speak on "Healing Our Image of God." (There is an admission fee). For information, call 773-3322 or e-mail fnewsome@choiceonemail.com