A Sufficient Space to Gather

There is just something about the smell of coffee in the air that facilitates study and good conversation. Maybe that’s why Sufficient Grounds, Bethel’s campus coffee shop, has long been a go-to place around campus for meetings, grabbing a bite to eat or just hanging out. Recently, it transitioned from its old location on McKinley Avenue onto campus combining Sufficient Grounds Café and Campus Store. This brings Bethel one step closer to enhancing “vibrant community” as one of its core values.

Thanks to a generous donor, this $1.1 million addition to the existing campus bookstore, located across from the Everest-Rohrer Chapel/Fine Arts Center, provides space for students, faculty and staff to dine, study and fellowship. It also offers conference and meeting space for the public, as well as a stage for events like open mic nights and live performances by local bands each Friday night. And its location on campus will encourage patrons to visit after music, theatre and sporting events.

Community has always been an important aspect of campus life at Bethel. Throughout its history, different gathering places on campus have helped to facilitate this — from the original Dining Commons/Student Center, to the Acorn, to the Nameless Café, to the Sufficient Grounds of today.