Rail//Line Coffee Spotlight by Elle
The special environment at Rail//Line is made possible thanks to a carefully laid foundation of listening, consistency, respect, and teamwork.
Building a strong foundation for a ministry is incredibly important. If you think about it as if you are building a home, the foundation is something that should last forever—it’s responsible for keeping the cold out, providing level ground, and bearing the load of an entire building.
In the same way, the fruit a ministry produces and the kind of experience someone has when they interact with that ministry are hugely reliant on the quality of the cultural foundation found at its heart.
At Rail//Line, we have worked hard to cultivate a place where staff and customers can feel belonging and love—a safe haven in the midst of the chaos in the world.
We work towards this by laying our ministry’s foundation one principle layer at a time.
Active Listening
The first layer of Rail//Line’s foundation is active listening. We value the skill of listening to others closely—not in order to respond or fix, but to, first and foremost, be present with whoever is speaking. We’re not here to solve people’s pain but to hold their hand along the way.
Consistency
Consistency serves as a crucial layer in the foundation of our culture—ensuring stability and trust among our baristas and customers. By showing up with the same values again and again, we show that our actions align with our words. When we do this, we can help others build their personal foundations and foster a supportive community.
Respect
To effectively serve and create a safe environment, respect is essential. From simple gestures like making eye contact to acknowledging someone’s current situation, we strive to treat everyone with dignity. If we are to truly support others, we must be considerate of emotional and mental states. This involves consistently showing up and engaging with respect in our interactions each day.
At Rail//Line, we are team players who help and love one another daily. Our foundation continues to be poured, and we still have a long way to go, but we are proud of the work that’s been accomplished.
