Mochas & ministry

After starting in his new position in January as rector of St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Chelsea, Father Eric Mancil wanted to have a way to reach out to the community and let people know that both he and St. Catherine’s were in the area. 

He can be found on Tuesday mornings at Chelsea Coffee House, sitting outside with a sign that reads “How can I pray for you today?” He said he felt doing ministry at the coffee shop was a way to make himself available a few hours each week to serve people and to talk and pray with them.

“It’s going back to the old model in the church of England where the whole community revolved around the church,” Mancil said. “We want them to know that we are here for them to serve them in any way we can. As we see the shift continue in our culture, I think we can continue to use it as a way to be the church modern day.” 

When approached by Mancil, shop owner Jeff Gross said he had no problem with Mancil being there, adding that customers have had a positive response to it. 

“The customers have been fine with it; people even call to see if he’s here,” Gross said. “I think it’s a good thing he’s here. We are a faith-based shop, so anything like this is welcome, and it’s not pushy.”

During his time at the coffee house, Mancil also posts on the Chelsea Neighborhood Facebook page and takes online prayer requests. He said many people have reached out to ask him to pray for them, and he is glad to do that. 

“While I’m sitting here enjoying my coffee, I’m also praying for people needing prayers online,” he said. “I’ve gotten a lot of positive response. People who don’t know anything about the Episcopal Church will come over and introduce themselves and just say, “Hi.” Even if they’re not specifically wanting to talk to me about something or wanting to pray, it’s interacting in a way that’s really positive.”

Mancil said his parishioners have enjoyed seeing his presence both in the community and on social media, and know he is having an impact on people outside of the church. 

Amy Molloy was visiting St. Catherine’s on Mancil’s first Sunday and has been attending there since. She said she enjoys seeing Mancil’s presence at the coffee house and on social media. 

“I think it’s useful to bring people in and be welcoming,” Molloy said. “It’s an open door to what we are doing. When I comment on his posts, I see friends go to different churches comment also. I think it’s great.”

Mancil has also started a new YouTube video series called “The Middle Way” that answers questions about the Episcopal Church. Similar to a newcomers class, Mancil shares a weekly post on social media where viewers can like, comment or respond and also leave questions. 

“It can be intimidating for people to not feel comfortable coming to a church they’ve never been to, and I thought creating a video series would be way for people to have the same experience without having to come to a class.”

St. Catherine’s is the newest parish in Alabama and has been around for eight years. It is in a temporary location on Shelby 39 and has plans to start construction on a permanent location in the next few years. 

Originally from South Alabama, Mancil and his wife are pleased to be back closer to home. After attending seminary at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, they moved to Texas and eventually to Chelsea. 

“We’re just really comfortable here,” Mancil said. “We are close enough to Birmingham, but Chelsea has that small-town feel. Being back in Alabama in general is like coming back home, and we feel good about being here.”

For information, go to stcatherinesal.com.