The coffee house is filled with the quiet hum of people talking, the inviting aroma of fresh brewed coffee and a help-yourself counter of pastries and snacks.

A campus ministry of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church & Wesley Foundation, Abba Java Coffee House is located one block from campus on the corner of East College Way and Locust Lane, attached to the back of the church.

An entirely free coffee house, Abba Java, provides a warm, comfortable environment, offering free fair-trade coffee, tea, food, and wifi to anyone who walks through their doors, specifically Penn State students.

Abba Java’s mission statement is “Be Fed, Be Known, Be Loved.” They want the coffee house to be a “home away from home” for Penn State students.

“I hope that it feels like coming home,” said coffee house manager, Sue Justice.

About 60 volunteers, both from the church congregation and students, run the coffee house. Some of the student volunteers get service hours for their fraternity or sorority, others appreciate what the coffee house does for them and they wanted to volunteer.

Justice also said they also have a number of international volunteers, either students or spouses of graduate students. These volunteers enjoy having work to do while they are away from home and it also gives them a chance to practice their English.

If you are ever in Abba Java and a little boy offers you a cookie he is just another one of Abba Java’s volunteers.

Justice said there is a mom whose oldest son is in kindergarten and once a week when she picks him up from school, they come down to the coffee shop and bake cookies. He goes around and serves the fresh baked cookies to everyone. He even wears a little apron and hate.

Abba Java recieves donations from Weis Market Bakery, Irving’s Bagels, Sowers Harvest and the Food Bank.

When they started all they offered was coffee, tea, pretzels, animal crackers, oatmeal and peanut butter but now students can eat almost an entire meal for free at the coffee house.

Abba Java was started in 2003 by the current pastor at the time, Pam Ford, as a project for her doctor of ministry.

The original plan for the coffee house was on Friday or Saturday nights, starting-out Christian bands could come and play, or have an open mic night.

In the 15 years that Abba Java has been open, they have changed not only what the inside looks like but also with how many students come each day.

When they started in 2003, they would be lucky to get 200 students a week. Now they usually average about 700 students a week, but some weeks can reach 1,000 students.

Justice also said recently they have been making about 200 pots of coffee a week.

“I know by the amount of food and coffee we are going through, its going up. We are getting more well known.”

Justice has ideas for an expansion of the coffee house on the future.

“Above the Coffee House is another room the same size that is more or less empty. I would love to see a little renovation of that room, with some painting and new tables.

With more students coming, she said they could really use the room but that brings its own issues too of more cost and more volunteers needed.