Two Rivers Church

Amani Cafe is a new ministry concept that is similar to the NEST Cafe model, but with members of Two Rivers Church and African food. The long-term dream is to open a non-profit restaurant in Rock Island that would employ and provide support to African immigrants in our community. 

     On September 11, the Amani Cafe team will host a fundraiser lunch after worship at 11:00 a.m. All are invited to Epworth Hall to sample a meal of East African food. Donations can be made as a love offering to help get this Amani Cafe started. 

     The seed money raised on September 11 will help fund a future pop-up restaurant.. The team hopes to host a pop-up restaurant every month to raise money and gauge the interest of an African restaurant in Rock Island. Much like what NEST Cafe did, Amani Cafe will serve a take-out meal from the church parking lot and accept donations. A portion of the money raised will go toward local services for African immigrants. Most of the money raised will go toward building the non-profit restaurant. Someday you may see Amani Cafe open as a brick and mortar restaurant in downtown Rock Island!

     It will all start on September 11. All are invited to Epworth Hall on this day to share in a wonderful meal, meet the Amani Café team, and learn more about the Amani Café dream.

     Pianist Andrzej Kozlowski will share a breathtaking performance at Two Rivers United Methodist Church on Wednesday, June 22 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to the event are $20 and can be purchased online by clicking here. This concert is a fundraiser that will be split between the Rock Island Music Scholarship Fund and the Two Rivers Church Youth Fund. 

     Kozlowski is the owner of the Sound Conservatory, a new music academy and shoppe in downtown Rock Island. Located at 2235 Third Avenue in Rock Island, the Conservatory features seven different instructors, including voice, piano, strings, brass, bassoon, and guitar. Recent concerts featuring Kozlowski and other area musicians have raised scholarships for students from both Edison and Washington Junior High. Pastor Robb and his daughter Lucy started taking piano lessons with Andzej in March.

     Andrzej Kozłowski was born in Gdynia, Poland but in 1992 he and his family emigrated to the United States permanently. At the age of 14, he began piano lessons with concert pianist Dwight Pelzter, but due to the teacher’s health complications the lessons ended after only 9 months. After a few months of self-teaching, Andrzej’s piano tuner referred him to a renowned pianist and composer Zaven Khatchadourian, with whom he further continued his studies till his sudden death in 2003. He went on to continue his studies at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University in music education but shortly after moved on to study piano performance at the Juilliard School.

     As a pianist, Andrzej has dedicated his career specializing in the music of Polish composer Fryderyk Chopin. One of the most important national dances of Poland, the polonaise’s majestic and ceremonial character allowed Chopin to express his own patriotism. Pianist Andrzej Kozlowski will share his vision on these iconic works by one of Poland’s greatest composers.