Beloved Community café, a pay-what-you-can café, is coming soon to 1940 Central Avenue from Good Samaritan Church and the Recovery Epicenter Foundation | St. Pete Rising

Healing, hope, and hospitality are on the menu at a new pay-what-you-can café, where no one eats alone and everyone is welcome.

Good Samaritan Church, currently based in Pinellas Park, and Recovery Epicenter Foundation in Clearwater are transforming a retail space in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District into Beloved Community Café, a pay-what-you-can café and worship center.

Recovery Epicenter Foundation will use the space as a membership-based recovery center.

Last month, Good Samaritan purchased the 3,150-square-foot building at 1940 Central Avenue for $1,225,000. The building was previously home to a consignment shop called Retreat.

The purchase was funded by proceeds from the sale of their former location at 6085 Park Boulevard in Pinellas Park, which King of Peace Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) acquired in 2023 for $2.39 million.

Founded in 1911, Good Samaritan Church is a radically inclusive, progressive, Jesus-following community that has served Pinellas Park for over 100 years. It is a union church affiliated with both the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (USA) with a longstanding history of anti-racism efforts, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and hunger relief.

The café will also serve as Good Samaritan’s new church home, hosting its "brunch church" worship services every Sunday morning | Good Samaritan Church of Pinellas Park

Expected to open later this year, the new spot will include a café with kitchen, a lounge area with board games, a flex space, and offices to be shared between the church and the Recovery Epicenter Foundation.

The flex space will primarily be used for recovery circles, yoga, meditation, and more. It may even occasionally host wedding and funerals.

The café will be a welcoming and inclusive hub where food and community is accessible to everyone—regardless of income.

Plans also include a “take-what-you-need” shelf stocked with baked goods and groceries through a partnership with a local store.

“We hope a recent widow, a middle-aged transplant, a queer teenager, or a recovering addict might all find something here that feeds their hunger—both physically and spiritually,” said Rev. Jen Daysa, pastor at Good Samaritan Church, in an interview with St. Pete Rising. “We will always have staff and volunteers ready to join someone at the table. No one will have to eat alone.”

Founded in 1911, Good Samaritan Church is a radically inclusive, progressive, Jesus-following community that has served Pinellas Park for over 100 years | Good Samaritan Church of Pinellas Park

Addressing common misconceptions about pay-what-you-can models, Daysa emphasized that access to food is a human right. She hopes the café will shift public perceptions and inspire other community-centered initiatives.

The café will also serve as Good Samaritan’s new church home, hosting its "brunch church" worship services every Sunday morning. With a current membership of around 40, the church hopes the new space will foster growth through its creative worship style and inclusivity.

“Around nine years ago, the church started experimenting with a brunch service and we really fell in love with that way of doing worship,” said Rev. Daysa.

With limited parking onsite, the church will be leasing a lot from Professional Health Care of Pinellas across Central Avenue to utilize its parking lot for Sunday’s worship services.

Beloved Community Café is expected to open by the end of the year.

For updates on the new space and upcoming services, visit Good Samaritan Church’s website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

For more information on the Recovery Epicenter Foundation, visit their website.