FARMINGTON — A new worship and learning experience begins Sunday, Jan. 1, at Henderson Memorial Baptist Church at 110 Academy St.

The Coffee Church will be open every Sunday in January from 9:30 a.m. to noon and everyone is welcome.

Those who come will not have to sit in pews facing forward, but will gather around tables, much as the earliest Christians did before there were church buildings.

The Coffee Church begins at 9:30 with coffee, juice, hot drinks, muffins and scones in the church’s Fellowship Hall on the lower level, the site of the Warming Center. The hall is handicap accessible.

A worship service will begin at 10 a.m. with music and a message, There will be God Stories and “Salt & Light” interviews with people who are doing mission projects in the community or in other countries.

The service will be informal and encourage interaction.

“The Coffee Church hopes to be a sacred place where people may explore their faith,” Pastor Susan Crane said. “Everybody believes in something, even atheists. Most Americans believe in God, but most Americans also have no church affiliation. Some are not interested in belonging to a church where they have to conform to set doctrines and expectations.

“Others,” she said, “have more questions than answers, but need opportunities to work out what they believe. The Coffee Church seeks to be a place where seekers and believers may explore faith questions and worship God together.”

The third portion of the Coffee Church will be the E 100 Bible Challenge. Using a program outlined by Scripture Union, E 100 invites anyone who would like to learn more about the Bible to read 5 Bible passages a week for 20 weeks. The Essential 100 Bible passages cover both the Old and New Testaments and will provide the reader with an overview of the Bible, without having to read it cover to cover.

At 11 a.m. every Sunday E 100 participants will be able to discuss what they are reading among friends.

“The Bible is always on The New York Times Bestseller List, but more Bibles are bought than read. Even those who try to read it cover-to-cover often get bogged down in all those ‘begats,’” Crane said.

On Sunday, Jan. 1, there will be an introduction to the E 100 Bible challenge, beginning with a discussion of the question: Must the Bible be read literally or does God mean for us to interpret it? Cards listing the 100 Bible passages will be provided.

Groups meeting together around tables will be able to discuss what they’ve been reading in a respectful atmosphere that encourages questions. E 100 is for beginners, for questioners, and for people of faith who are willing to learn more.

For more information about E 100 or The Coffee Church, call Crane at 778-2163. All are welcome for all or part of the morning.