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But on closer inspection, this graffiti isn't one of the familiar gang signatures of the area. "Take a step of faith" is written on the front steps and a fish symbol swims across the front window.
It is known as the Red Herring Cathedral and on Friday night after 9 p.m., the subculture surfaces here.
It attracts between 40 and 100 mostly twenty-something people, some with nose rings, radical hair styles and wearing alternative-style clothes. It attracts the curious to a subculture of alternative art and music rarely seen in a traditional church setting.
The house hosts a weekly coffeehouse to local alternative bands whose styles range from grunge to punk to avant-garde (where the musicians make up music as they go along). There has also been, on occasion, acoustic folk, performance art and even a classical guitarist performing here.
Most of the bands that play here are Christian, but some prefer to say they are just Christians who play in a band.
They play on a small stage in what used to be the living room, now a dimly-lit, purple room set up with round tables. Past the chicken-wire where a wall once stood, some people play chess by candlelight while the band blares.
Upstairs, ministry volunteers take turns praying throughout the evening.
Organizers of the Red Herring Cathedral work hard to attract Christians who don't have a voice in the church and even more so, those who aren't in the church at all.
This is not an outreach coffeehouse in the usual sense of providing Christian music with filler testimonies. There are occasionally testimonies, but nothing that is "over the top" evangelistic, says Humphreys. "People don't expect them to preach. This is a community, we will talk with people individually [about Jesus] if they're interested."
It also means getting the word out about Red Herring not through church bulletins, but through homemade posters taped to lampposts in the method of local bands, and advertising in the alternative print media, like Uptown and Stylus newspapers.
After moving to Winnipeg to complete a Fine Arts degree, he began attending The Meeting Place, a seeker-friendly MB church in Winnipeg. The idea of a coffeehouse was born and "we let it lie for a while, but the Holy Spirit kept bringing it up", says Humphreys. After praying with the church's covenant council, and receiving affirmation, "we stopped talking and started doing," he says.
The house they eventually occupied was donated by a local Christian businessman in March, 1995, just one week before it was slated for demolition. After five months of intensive clean-up and renovations, they held their first coffeehouse Aug. 18, 1995.
The Red Herring Cathedral is a ministry of The Meeting Place and Humphries is supported financially by the church. He attends staff meetings and gives the church updates on the ministry.
"We are thrilled that Mark and Alex are doing this ministry, we're very proud of them," says Paul Wartman, pastor of The Meeting Place. Wartman says their church operates somewhat at arm's length with The Red Herring given the nature of the ministry to the fringe of Generation X, but says they are "solidly connected with the The Meeting Place."
He notes that one of the church elders meets weekly with the Red Herring staff to provide spiritual resources and encouragement.
Once a person has indicated a commitment to Christ and has been discipled at the Red Herring for a time, he/she is encouraged to attend The Meeting Place. "They're pretty easy to spot," says Wartman with a chuckle. "It's great to have them".
Humphries says the church has given them lots of latitude to "do what we need to do" to reach the alternative community.
"Mark has a real heart for these kids. He has an incredible gift for this ministry. He understands them, he's been there," says Wartman. "He has a teachable spirit and great leadership skills".
He sees the ministry as filling a gap that the traditional church simply cannot fill right now. "This subculture is where they live, it's who they are. They won't walk into an average church service. A typical church service is one hour on Sunday morning. But we need at least an hour to get comfortable with each other, and maybe get into conversation. We open our doors at 7:30 p.m., and we'll be here until midnight, and then a lot of people will go out for coffee after that," says Humphries.
If, in those conversations with ministry volunteers, someone expresses an interest in talking about spiritual matters, there are rooms and a small library upstairs for quieter conversation. If they are interested further, there is a Wednesday night acoustic worship and study time that attracts about 30 people weekly.
The Red Herring also sponsors a larger worship service featuring heavier alternative music about once a month, lately held at a local cultural centre.
The Red Herring also provides studio space for artists and musicians during the week. In one room, there are tables and easels for painting and a pottery wheel; another room is set aside as practice space for bands. A darkroom will soon be set up with most of the equipment being donated.
The Red Herring also produces a newsletter which they distribute at music stores and other alternative hangouts.
For many in Winnipeg's young subculture, the Red Herring Cathedral is the entrance for them into the church.
" We are learning to go beyond the average expectation of outreach. This is a big learning process for us," says Humphries.
Kevin Heinrichs
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