Graham Lichti
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Hey there! My name is Graham Lichti.
I am married to Adrienne, one of the sweetest ladies you'll ever meet. God has blessed us with 4 sons - Kenden, Hudson, Dietrich, and Frazier. I am a self-taught musician whose goal is to make Christ's name glorified. There probably isn't a whole lot I enjoy more than worshipping, particularly in a choral setting, the One who gave me life and the promise of Heaven and it humbles and inspires me to be able to lead others to do the same. |
thestory
by Graham Lichti
The challenge of telling a story like this is where to begin. God allows so many circumstances and happenings into the life of His people to take them to the place He wills. Such is this story that re-telling everything almost seems an impossible undertaking.
My wife, Adrienne, and I both have a passion for good food and good coffee. This passion pushed me to pursue a job at a gluten free bakery in Waterloo, Ontario during the time we were dating. We soon got married and moved to Waterloo, Ontario. Waterloo attracts thousands of national and international college and university students each year. It became clear that there was a lack of coffee shops within Waterloo at the time, resulting in long lines and limited seating. It was while waiting in those lines and seeing the many students that the Lord burdened us with this vision.
What if there was a coffee shop cafe with decent seating where students could come and study? A place with good music, a place that was safe both physically and spiritually. A place where the staff actually interacted with you and cared about you as a person. A place where the Church could interact with the world. A place that was a character training ground. And a place that equipped our young people to give an answer of the Hope that lies within us.
What if this coffee shop sourced their coffee from people, organizations, and orphanages that used coffee agriculture as a way to spread the Good News of the Gospel?
What if this coffee shop was God's coffee shop - where He owned it and we simply managed it, using the profits from the company to aid in the ministry of adoption? Specifically to assist those with financial struggles but still feel called to adopt?
So many "what ifs"! At the time, we were struggling financially, and felt called to seek work in British Columbia. We grappled with the fact that we were setting aside our vision, but we were willing to give it up if that is what God wanted of us. We wondered if God had an opportunity like this for us out there. So we moved. We lived out there almost 2 years and thoroughly enjoyed it. God taught us a lot in our time out there; Who He is and who we are.
It was refreshing to leave the my hometown and look at it from the outside. But we soon saw that the coffee ministry would not happen out in British Columbia. Through a series of events and answers to specific prayers, it was very clear God wanted us back in Ontario. I waged a serious battle with the Lord over this move. I loved the West. I loved the increase in finances, we were becoming comfortable, and I wanted to do my life my way.... but we couldn't get the coffee ministry off our hearts. So we moved back to Ontario. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but we knew it was what God wanted. He prepared us out there for what we would face here.
During the move, God provided a place for us to live on the outskirts of Listowel, about 45 min from Waterloo. I went back to work at the bakery where I had formerly worked. But we kept wondering how to go about starting this dream! We knew that God gave us a vision, but how do we go about it without the proper finances? We were just starting to get comfortable again when God allowed my workplace to close in November of 2016. We felt very strongly that I was not to get another job, but rather to focus on finding a way to start this ministry. God led us through the darkest winter of our lives; a time of silence, a time of learning how to trust when it didn't feel like God was trustworthy.
It was through that dark time in our lives that God gave us a glimmer of light, and The Acclamation Chorale was born. We view the chorale as a way to share with others the vision God has laid on our hearts and as a way to raise funds to begin this ministry.
When choosing songs for the first season, I took a closer look at one of my long time favorites, Spirituals. I soon realized how fitting they were to our experiences and what we went through that dark winter. These songs became our songs, our encouragement, and our prayers.
It has been humbling leading this group of singers and watching them become excited and stand behind this project.
Our time together preparing, recording, and giving programs could not have happened if we not had God on our side. We experienced His power and His miracles that week. We can truly say as Isaiah said, "With God on our side we cannot fail!"
What does God have for us in the future? Only He knows! There are exciting things in the works. Our vision has changed and we sense God leading us to start this ministry in Listowel instead. This is due to the sense that God wants us to meet a need within our home community and also to an increase in coffee shops in Waterloo.
Thank you for your interest in this project. If you want to watch what God is doing in this area, follow us on Facebook for updates.
The challenge of telling a story like this is where to begin. God allows so many circumstances and happenings into the life of His people to take them to the place He wills. Such is this story that re-telling everything almost seems an impossible undertaking.
My wife, Adrienne, and I both have a passion for good food and good coffee. This passion pushed me to pursue a job at a gluten free bakery in Waterloo, Ontario during the time we were dating. We soon got married and moved to Waterloo, Ontario. Waterloo attracts thousands of national and international college and university students each year. It became clear that there was a lack of coffee shops within Waterloo at the time, resulting in long lines and limited seating. It was while waiting in those lines and seeing the many students that the Lord burdened us with this vision.
What if there was a coffee shop cafe with decent seating where students could come and study? A place with good music, a place that was safe both physically and spiritually. A place where the staff actually interacted with you and cared about you as a person. A place where the Church could interact with the world. A place that was a character training ground. And a place that equipped our young people to give an answer of the Hope that lies within us.
What if this coffee shop sourced their coffee from people, organizations, and orphanages that used coffee agriculture as a way to spread the Good News of the Gospel?
What if this coffee shop was God's coffee shop - where He owned it and we simply managed it, using the profits from the company to aid in the ministry of adoption? Specifically to assist those with financial struggles but still feel called to adopt?
So many "what ifs"! At the time, we were struggling financially, and felt called to seek work in British Columbia. We grappled with the fact that we were setting aside our vision, but we were willing to give it up if that is what God wanted of us. We wondered if God had an opportunity like this for us out there. So we moved. We lived out there almost 2 years and thoroughly enjoyed it. God taught us a lot in our time out there; Who He is and who we are.
It was refreshing to leave the my hometown and look at it from the outside. But we soon saw that the coffee ministry would not happen out in British Columbia. Through a series of events and answers to specific prayers, it was very clear God wanted us back in Ontario. I waged a serious battle with the Lord over this move. I loved the West. I loved the increase in finances, we were becoming comfortable, and I wanted to do my life my way.... but we couldn't get the coffee ministry off our hearts. So we moved back to Ontario. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but we knew it was what God wanted. He prepared us out there for what we would face here.
During the move, God provided a place for us to live on the outskirts of Listowel, about 45 min from Waterloo. I went back to work at the bakery where I had formerly worked. But we kept wondering how to go about starting this dream! We knew that God gave us a vision, but how do we go about it without the proper finances? We were just starting to get comfortable again when God allowed my workplace to close in November of 2016. We felt very strongly that I was not to get another job, but rather to focus on finding a way to start this ministry. God led us through the darkest winter of our lives; a time of silence, a time of learning how to trust when it didn't feel like God was trustworthy.
It was through that dark time in our lives that God gave us a glimmer of light, and The Acclamation Chorale was born. We view the chorale as a way to share with others the vision God has laid on our hearts and as a way to raise funds to begin this ministry.
When choosing songs for the first season, I took a closer look at one of my long time favorites, Spirituals. I soon realized how fitting they were to our experiences and what we went through that dark winter. These songs became our songs, our encouragement, and our prayers.
It has been humbling leading this group of singers and watching them become excited and stand behind this project.
Our time together preparing, recording, and giving programs could not have happened if we not had God on our side. We experienced His power and His miracles that week. We can truly say as Isaiah said, "With God on our side we cannot fail!"
What does God have for us in the future? Only He knows! There are exciting things in the works. Our vision has changed and we sense God leading us to start this ministry in Listowel instead. This is due to the sense that God wants us to meet a need within our home community and also to an increase in coffee shops in Waterloo.
Thank you for your interest in this project. If you want to watch what God is doing in this area, follow us on Facebook for updates.