On a spring evening in the heart of Glasgow, just a stone’s throw from Queen Street Station, the warm glow of conversation and curiosity spilled out of the Apostolic Church’s café space. It was another gathering of the International Café run by Glasgow Grace church & Friends International” – a weekly outreach event hosted by Daniel and Amber Bell.
Steve Osmond from Solas, had been invited to give a talk titled, “Why Science Needs God.” With about 35 people in attendance, most of them international students—many from China and India.
Steve said, “The room was alive with chatter as attendees tucked into steaming plates of homemade paella, lovingly prepared by the team. Around the tables, conversations flowed freely, bridging languages, backgrounds, and worldviews. For many of the guests, this wasn’t just their first time hearing a talk on the intersection of science and faith—it was their first experience of any Christian event at all.”
Steve chatted to the students before and after his talk, learning that most came from Buddhist or Hindu backgrounds. “For some of them,” he noted, “this was the first time they’d heard anyone suggest that science and God could belong in the same sentence.” His talk, aimed at showing how the scientific enterprise is rooted in assumptions that point beyond itself, sparked lively discussion—particularly among students studying physics and geology.
But the evening wasn’t without its challenges. One table of thoughtful and spirited young women pushed back during the Q&A session, questioning the exclusivity of Christian truth claims. “If Christianity is true,” one of them asked, “what does that say about all the other religions?” It was a moment of tension—but not of hostility. A respectful, even friendly back-and-forth unfolded, as participants explored weighty questions of truth, belief, and worldviews.
Far from derailing the evening, the exchange underscored the point of the café: to create a welcoming space for real dialogue. And as Steve later handed out copies of “Have You Ever Wondered?”—a book exploring big life questions from a Christian perspective—many students lingered, clearly keen to continue the conversation.
With its warm hospitality, bold ideas, and hearty food, this International Café is doing something quietly radical: inviting people from all over the world to explore faith in community. And thanks to events like this, many students are now one step closer to discovering what Christianity is really all about.
