Recovery Café Longmont believes “everyone is in recovery from something.” With the launch of a new pilot program, more people are able to experience that healing message.

This summer, the Longmont nonprofit is partnering with Community United Church of Christ in Boulder to host weekly discussions at the church about recovering from challenging situations. Recovery Café Longmont helps adults work through many kinds of struggles, from substance addiction to isolation.

Boulder’s CUCC is a progressive Christian church at 2650 Table Mesa Drive.

“One of the legacies of this congregation is evolving what it looks like to live out our vision and mission,” said Nicole Lamarche, pastor at CUCC. “So our council right away said ‘yes’ to supporting this pilot project.”

Recovery Café Longmont and CUCC are hosting what they call “pop-up cafés” over the course of a 10-week pilot program. The meetings are open to anyone, regardless of their affiliation with the church or Recovery Café.

On Wednesday evenings, people of all ages and backgrounds gather at the church to share a meal and spend time in a supportive community. Participants can also join “recovery circles,” or small group discussions about the steps individuals are taking to live their best lives.

“What I love about this is that there’s just no barrier,” Lamarche said. “We ask that you’re sober when you’re here, but just come. The invitation is wide.”

At the most recent session, over a dozen people sat together in a recovery circle held on the church’s outdoor patio. Lamarche called the church a “perfect” place for the circles.

“You can be outside — there are trees everywhere,” Lamarche said. “The vibe of this place is very much nature based. There’s healing in nature.”

According to Chris Poma, program director at Recovery Café Longmont, the nonprofit has wanted to establish a presence in Boulder since it opened in 2019. Poma said the Boulder pop-up cafés have allowed the nonprofit to serve a “totally different crowd.”

CUCC parishioners have pitched in to prepare the communal meals and volunteer as ambassadors. Some members of CUCC’s congregation participate in the recovery circles at the church themselves.

“They really have stepped up as an amazing community partner,” Poma said of the church.

Hosting the pop-up cafés in the evening also makes the recovery circles accessible to people who can’t make the Longmont circles. Those are held during the day at 402 Kimbark St.

The pilot program started June 11 and just passed its halfway mark. However, Poma said the recovery circles at the church might continue beyond their testing phase due to how successful they’ve been.

“I could totally see this turning into a permanent thing,” he said. “My expectations have been exceeded by a lot. We haven’t lost any momentum. Folks are coming back. We’ve had new folks show up. The goal, I think, was to see if it was viable, and it feels very viable.”

Kindra Baxter, a Boulder pop-up café participant, said topics including relationships and self-care have already been discussed in the recovery circles. She said that, while Boulder hosts other recovery programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous, the pop-up cafés are unique because they’re open to anyone.

“Everybody needs to belong and have a safe place to go,” Baxter said. “Recovery Café can provide that.”

The Boulder pop-up cafés are held Wednesdays from 5:30 to 8 p.m.