Look out! Crime is all around you. From students jaywalking across Lydia Avenue to muggings for your all too empty wallet to devastating murders that break the heart of a community, you can never fully escape crime. TV shows love to engage in this fascinating topic. Criminal Minds, Monk, Brooklyn 99 and the endless spinoffs of NCIS display the public’s curiosity about crime.
But the University of Northwestern – St. Paul hasn’t had a club that focuses on crime—until now.
The Crime and Coffee Club is a new campus club that combines true crime, psychology and faith.
Members meet to:
- Drink coffee
- Dig into crime stories
- Learn a psychological perspective
- Laugh a lot
The founding members Katelyn Meyer, Allison Blue, Sofia England and Amanda Purcell invite you to sit at the table and discuss your interest in crime.
To join a meeting, pop into G205 on a meeting day. Pick a seat around the table and grab a cup of delicious coffee. Lean back and learn about different crimes ranging from mysterious cruise ship crimes to infamous abductions.
One meeting each month, the club does a special series: Crime in the Bible. These meetings are exactly what they sound like: reading a story from the Bible that contains crime. Instead of a typical PowerPoint presentation, you just bring your Bible and focus on a passage. Gathered around the table, members share their own insights and thoughts about the story. The club only has seven members that regularly come (and four of them are the club presidents) so you will certainly have a voice in the discussion. And beware: stories in the Bible can get gruesome!
March’s Crime in the Bible meeting discussed 2 Chronicles 28. Purcell read the passage, doing her best to try to pronounce all the names, “He followed the ways of the kings of Israel and also made idols for worshiping the Baals. He burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his children in the fire.” *Record scratch* Wait, what? He sacrificed his own children in a fire? Come to club to dive deeper into that!
Eva Alvarado is a regular attendee of the club. She enjoys getting together with other people who share her interests. Some of her favorite meetings have been Crime in the Bible. Seeing these big (and sometimes scary) topics through a biblical lens can be life-giving.
“I like how it all connects back to scripture.”
Eva Alvarado, Psychology student and Crime and Coffee Club member
Creating a safe environment in which students can look at true crime through a biblically influenced lens, accurately describes both the club’s mission and accomplishment!
Join us! Coffee and Crime Club meetings take place on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in G205. To stay up to date, follow their Instagram account: @crimeandcoffeeclub
