GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Schofield Barracks serviceman Justin McCrae enjoyed a nighttime game of hoops with son Justin Brandon McCrae on May 31 at the Crossroads.

A place for soldiers
and families

The Crossroads Coffeehouse
at Schofield Barracks offers
fellowship, refreshments and
entertainment in a relaxed,
wholesome atmosphere

---

By Mary Adamski
madamski@starbulletin.com

Refreshments flowed freely, and the bartender definitely didn't duck conversation. Players constantly circled, seeking action at several pool tables and a bank of video games.

The music was loud and louder, a mixed blessing thanks to the mixed talent on this karaoke night. The laughter and shouts of children circling through the crowd provided a counterpoint to the murmur of adults' conversation.

Children? What kind of bar is this?!

The most basic description of the Crossroads Coffeehouse is that it is an alternative to the bar scene for the young military families that make Schofield Barracks home.

Cappuccino is the strongest stuff served at the clubhouse, which opened in March, the brainchild of Army Chaplain James Schaefer.

Entertainment is also served up -- sometimes live bands that draw hundreds, giving the nearby Tropics nightclub competition. A homey, safe place to socialize, the Crossroads presents its Christian message in a nonchurchy atmosphere that does not overwhelm the uninitiated.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Maj. James Schaefer, an Army chaplain, topped off a cappuccino with whipped cream May 31 at the coffeehouse.

"How do you like your cappuccino?" Schaefer greeted each arrival at the door May 31. He also poured free soft drinks and, inside, corn was popping and somebody put out homemade brownies.

"Young people are looking for enthusiasm and significant events, relationships and purpose in their lives," said Schaefer. His goal is "to enthuse them about living life God's way, with joy, purpose, direction and value, and to discover significant relationships with God and with each other."

Both Schaefer, who is chaplain to the 3,200 members of the 3rd Brigade, and Keith Jones, the 25th Infantry Division chaplain, have the rank of major. But they cherish their role as pastors, both wearing shorts and T-shirts and mingling with their young congregation in the casual atmosphere.

"For the soldiers who puts life at risk, and for their families who experience that, it is important not only to refresh and reaffirm what is eternally important, but to do it in a fashion that draws us closer to each other," said Schaefer. His wife, Elizabeth, was among the volunteers, and his two children socialized with other youths.

But that's the serious underpinning. The Friday night karaoke festival was about fun, generating lots of laughs, as all age groups took turns on stage.

Six teenagers led by 1st Lt. Don Frisque, Schofield youth program leader, brought down the house with their hip-hop routine memorializing Jedi master Yoda. (Only an old-timer or two recognized it as an adaptation of a 1960s rock song about "Lola," whose lifestyle was not appropriate for this club.)

Quite a few in the crowd knew that Maj. Lee Walter, the 3rd Brigade executive officer, was defending his unit's musical reputation as he belted out his ballad.

Three-year-old Levante Davis commanded "Be quiet" and got it as he sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee."

Levante -- whose grandmother Barbara Alsobrooks confided that he knew some rap lyrics that wouldn't play well at the Crossroads -- was there with an extended group of family and friends who reflected what's good about the place. They arrived after attending the Leilehua High School graduation, and Alsobrooks' son Dante Davis still wore his cap and gown. So did Liz Neishell, whose mother, Gayle Tucker, was able to get leave from her Army Reserve assignment in Virginia. Tucker's husband is an Army helicopter pilot now serving in Bosnia, and her other daughter, Mindy, is in the Army in South Korea. Liz stayed here with family friends to complete school when the rest of the family was deployed.

"This is comfortable," said Alsobrooks, whose husband is also on foreign assignment. "I want to come for the family environment." She and Dante's sisters, Danisha and Teresa, consulted the karaoke songbook, seeking a song the generations could share. They decided to leave the family vocal honors to Levante.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Schofield Barracks Youth Coordinator 1st Lt. Don Frisque was joined onstage by the children of the base to perform a rap song.

"We want to encourage families to grow together," said Schaefer. "We want this to be a Christ-like environment, building people up, not separating them.

"The event is to lift us up, to enthuse us, to refresh us. We want people to know that not only does God love us, but there are some people out there who want to love us in the Lord," he said.

Schaefer said there are no written prohibitions about what music is appropriate, but people are expected to respond to the environment they're in. The video games offered "are not the worst tear 'em, slash 'em kind."

Military policeman Dave Nagelmasters took a cappuccino break from his bicycle patrol. "This is a fantastic place," he said. "A friend took me to a place like this ... and I gave my life over to God."

Young military wife Sherbie Carson said she usually brings her 14-month-old daughter, but she opted for a baby sitter so she could bring neighbor Kim Bishop. "It's mellow. The fellowship here is nice," they agreed, as they minded their own conversation during a pool game.

Both Schaefer and Jones worked the crowd, sometimes drawn into a quiet one-on-one talk with a soldier on the sidelines. Jones recalled meeting a couple of soldiers who stopped by after drinking at the Tropics. "They ended up staying for two hours talking. I asked them, 'Where would you be if you weren't here?' They said they would have gone off in a car and probably gotten into trouble."

Before the sound system got cranked up -- professional singer Jerome Harris brought the equipment and volunteered as emcee -- a brief Bible study class convened in a side room.

Ginger Hansen led the class, using the parable about seed being sown to thrive in fertile soil but withering in rocky ground. "Not everyone who comes here is a Christian. Some young soldiers are searching. I believe God gives you chances to come to him."

A lieutenant's wife, Hansen recalled that earlier in her marriage, "we were looking for something to do, we didn't have much money. ... This place is what we wanted to find."

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Schofield Barracks youths, from left, Terrence Galloway and Jason McCoy enjoyed a game of pool May 31 at the Crossroads Coffeehouse.

Schaefer said Crossroads is modeled on a Christian club he started at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he was chaplain to the 82nd Airborne Division. Formerly a Grace Brethren pastor and missionary in Central America, he has been an Army chaplain for nine years and stationed at Schofield for the past two.

Since he opened the coffeehouse in the "seriously underused" Kaala Recreation Center, the effort has drawn support from post units -- which have donated kitchen equipment, tables, lamps, video equipment, food -- and church groups in the community. About 800 items -- Christian books, videos, CDs, even comic books -- were donated, and volunteers are putting together cabinets for a library room.

The bands --- offering rap, punk rock, R&B -- are usually groups who participate in music ministry in island churches. On the schedule for the rest of this month are Alabaster Jar, Unlearn, Testify, Chariots and Abundance.

Planned for later in the summer are an ice cream sundae-creating extravaganza, a pool tournament and a fashion show.

The buzz last Friday was about a visit earlier in the week from the 25th Infantry Division (Light) commander. Maj. Gen. James Dubik presented his two-star coin to six Crossroads volunteers.

Greg Dahl, a worship and music leader at Calvary Chapel Honolulu who has performed at the new club four times, displayed his silver award. "The general thanked us for caring about the spiritual well-being of soldiers."

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