A local coffee shop has spent the last few months restructuring after allegations of religious discrimination triggered the loss of many volunteers and staff members.
The controversy began last spring, when Catacombs, 731 State St., outlined its strategic plan for 2005, provoking strong reactions from staff at the time. A reorganization of staff occurred shortly thereafter, doing little to alleviate fears and causing many to choose to depart.
Former volunteer Charlie Hoyt, who is Jewish, pointed to specific places in the document he said were areas of concern among the volunteers.
'It says that all staff are expected to be able to answer a [Frequently Asked Questions] about Christianity,' he said.
While the document stresses that Catacombs is a faith-based coffee house, it never makes the statement Hoyt claims it does. Instead of calling for staff to be able to answer questions about Christianity, the document says volunteers should be able to 'field FAQ's about [Catacombs'] ministry,' something the current staff see no problems with.
Elliot Pollasch, volunteer coordinator of Catacombs, said religious affiliations hold little sway in the hiring process.
'We're unequivocal about the fact that we are a Christian ministry,' he said. 'We've never had a litmus test that said, 'Do you believe this? Do you express that''?
The volunteer form itself makes no mention of religion outside of mentioning the ministry-based nature of Catacombs, according to Pollasch.
'We don't ask people if they're Christians before they come in and work,' Pollasch said.
The management said the controversy was blown out of proportion, but that it has not prevented it from affecting their day-to-day operations.
Though they have resumed serving their traditional vegetarian lunches, there has remained a dearth of volunteers and customers.
'There's not as many people here,' said Bobbette Rose, president of Catacombs' board of directors. 'It's not a radical shift in the people who are here, just a number of people who aren't.'
Rose stressed that Catacombs has not become the fundamentalist organization some reports implied. She discussed recent events at Catacombs, including a benefit concert for the homeless, of which Rose remarked, 'that was with WiSPIRG, not traditionally known for their fundamentalist views.'
'Our hope always has been to kind of have a number of different groups feel okay and welcome here,' she added. 'Not just [to] be Christian or non-Christian, or this or that, but just a variety of things.'
