third place (THURD plays) noun -

A place other than home or work where a person can go to relax and feel part of the community.

The Watershed is best described as a "third place". This term was coined by Ray Oldenburg, an urban sociologist and author of "The Great Good Place". In his book, Oldenburg says third places are "anchors" of community life and "central" to community vitality. Also, Oldenburg is convinced that many problems of contemporary society - alienation in the workplace, soaring divorce rates, etc. - trace to America's declining supply of such third places.

So, out of this great need, the Watershed was developed. We realize that the true need is not for just a gathering place, but a need for a relationship with Christ. We long to keep Him at the center of all we do: selling spiritually sound books, having high quality musicians, and building relationships with customers. We also support other ministries by hosting fund-raisers and benefits. Some of the ministries include: Compassion International, Bethany Christian Services, Young Life, Invisible Children, and Heartworks.