A room in the basement of State Street United Methodist Church has been turned into Lifetree Cafe, where a group gathers weekly to discuss topics related to life and faith.

“It’s kind of set up like a coffeehouse, so they can come and have refreshments and join in the conversation,” said Cindy Bright, children and family minister at the church.

Lifetree Cafe is a national program that members of State Street United Methodist brought to the church in March. Each week, discussions about the same topic take place at Lifetree sites across the country.

“We’ve talked about everything from gun control to prayer to addiction,” Bright said. “Just in the few months we’ve been doing this, we’ve talked about a really wide range of problems.”

Though the Lifetree group at State Street United Methodist meets during the Sunday school hour from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., participants find it more informal than a Sunday school class. Each meeting features a video about the week’s topic and a chance for discussion among both individual tables and the entire group.

Tara Martin of Bowling Green hosted a recent discussion at Lifetree Cafe about making prayer more like a conversation with God by talking to an empty chair as if God was sitting in it.

“I love getting involved in conversation, so to me it’s just a fresh way to look at hot topics with a Christian perspective,” Martin said of Lifetree.

Wayne Nelson of Bowling Green has been attending Lifetree Cafe for more than a month. The session about prayer was the most meaningful for him so far.

“This is something you can do in your own life,” he said. “This lesson is the most important one we’ve had.”

Sarah Bright of Bowling Green enjoys the chance to discuss topics with people of all ages during Lifetree meetings.

“I like that it’s a little less formal than a traditional Sunday school class,” she said. “This makes you think, and it’s more like your opinion on the scripture rather than the typical Sunday school answer.”

The relaxed atmosphere makes it easy for Talitha Richards of Bowling Green to open up, and the discussions really make her think and grow, she said.

“The topics cater to a variety of personalities,” she said. “You can be really introverted and still listen and gain a lot, or you can be extroverted and contribute to the discussion.”

— Laurel Wilson covers faith and general assignments for the Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/FaithinBG or visit www.bgdailynews.com.