CupOJoy: Where Music, Mercy, and Community Meet
- Travis J. Vanden Heuvel
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
January 1, 2026 | Green Bay, WI
A nonprofit venue in West Green Bay pours out faith-filled entertainment, community care, and a welcome wide enough for everyone.
Some places don’t just host people; they hold them.
They hold your laughter when the week has been heavy. They hold your tears when a lyric finds the exact bruise you tried to bury. They hold your hope when you are running low and can’t quite explain why.
On the west side of Green Bay, there is a place like that. It is called CupOJoy.
You may come for the music. Many do. CupOJoy is an alcohol-free, family-friendly venue where the performance is front and center and the message matters. The rooms are welcoming, the atmosphere is safe, and the experience is the kind you can bring your kids to without hesitation. But if you stay long enough, you realize that the music is only the beginning.
Because this is not just a venue. This is a ministry of hospitality. A sanctuary with stage lights.
A Building With A Second Life
I have been attending shows at CupOJoy for the last several years. A friend invited my family to see him perform, and we walked into a place that felt like a gift that had been waiting just for us.
I have always loved older buildings and architecture, especially the way a space can be reimagined and made useful again. There is something deeply Biblical about restoration. Not as nostalgia, but as redemption. CupOJoy’s home has that kind of story. A once familiar building in our community has been repurposed into something vibrant and alive again.
Inside, the venue offers different rooms that each carry their own feel. One is intimate, close enough that every note feels personal. Another is larger and more like a theater, where a full crowd can rise together, one chorus, one confession, one joy at a time. It is the kind of place where the building itself seems to cooperate with the mission.
And when you combine three things I love deeply - music, faith, and the beauty of reimagined spaces - you get an experience that feels rare and worth protecting.
A Mission Built On Welcome
CupOJoy is operated by a nonprofit, and you feel that difference right away. Not because it’s flashy about it, but because it’s generous in the way it moves. Their approach is built on accessibility and open-handedness. In many cases, there are opportunities for people to attend concerts and events at no charge. Often, the model is a free will donation, where those who can give, do. And those who can’t, still get to come.
That is not just a business plan. That is a posture.
It says, “You belong here.” It says, “This is for you, too.” It says, “Joy should not be reserved only for those who can afford it.”
And this mission reaches beyond entertainment. CupOJoy also serves as a community resource. Rooms can be used for meetings. Bible studies are hosted there. Recovery groups meet there. It is a place where people gather, not only to sing, but to heal, to learn, to connect, and to keep going.
That matters, because a community is not only strengthened by entertainment. A community is strengthened by places that make room for life.
Humble Beginnings And Holy Persistence
I once heard Jan, one of the founders of CupOJoy, share her story. Her passion is unmistakable. She is not selling an idea ... she is stewarding a calling.
Her story has the familiar shape of so many stories of faith. Humble beginnings. Ordinary people. A mission that feels bigger than the resources available. And then, step by step, the work grows. It is the kind of testimony you can imagine hearing around a table in Scripture, the kind where God takes something small and faithful and multiplies it.
CupOJoy feels like one of those living parables, the kind you can sit inside, listen to, and leave a little more brave than you arrived.
The Sound Of Joy, The Weight Of Grace
Two things have always moved me in my life, music and my faith.
Music has a way of reaching the places conversation can’t. It slips past our defenses. It names what we can’t name. It reminds us that we were made for more than survival.
At CupOJoy, I have felt that more than once; especially through the music of Michael Cochran and Danen Kane. I have seen both musicians there over a half dozen times, and tonight I get to experience it all again ... because Danen is back!
Their music has had an impact on me. On my life. On my faith. There is a sincerity in their writing that does not perform goodness, it practices it. Their songs have a way of strengthening the weary and steadying the unsure. They remind us that grace is not a theory. It is a lifeline.
And in many ways, they represents what CupOJoy consistently brings to Green Bay; quality, caliber, and substance. This venue is able to bring in artists who do more than entertain. They encourage. They uplift. They point people toward hope.
Why This Matters To Green Bay
CupOJoy is uniquely positioned in our community, not only as a place to see a concert, but as a place to experience something better than cynicism. Something kinder than the culture often offers.
It is a rare thing to find a venue that is family-friendly, mission-driven, volunteer-powered, and consistently active. There are very few weekends throughout the year when nothing is happening there. The Cup is alive, and it is alive on purpose.
So here is my invitation to you:
Engage with CupOJoy. Learn what they offer. Learn why they do it. Attend an event, not only for the artist, but to feel what it is like when a place is built on welcome.
And if you want to take a step beyond attendance, consider volunteering. This work is supported by a group of committed volunteers, and they deserve more than a polite nod. They deserve our gratitude. They deserve our respect. They deserve our help. They are the kind of people who keep a community stitched together.
And I want you to hear this clearly: You can be one of them.
A Blessing, And A Responsibility
We are fortunate. We are blessed. CupOJoy is a gift in our backyard.
And just like the wisdom we find in Scripture, when much is given, much is required.
CupOJoy has given our community a great deal. They have offered inspiring entertainment. They have provided space for groups and growth. They have created a safe place for families. They have made joy accessible. They have served, week after week, often behind the scenes, often without applause.
The best way to honor a gift is to steward it.
If CupOJoy has blessed you, give back in the ways you can. Show up. Invite a friend. Give when you are able. Volunteer a few hours. Encourage the people who make it happen. Help keep the lights on and the doors open for the next family, the next struggling soul, the next person who needs one good night to remember that hope is still real.
Because the Cup is crucial to the community, and the community is crucial to the Cup.
Some places hold people.
CupOJoy is one of them.
About the author: Travis Vanden Heuvel is a business executive, community leader, and the President + Editor-in-Chief of Reviews and Trends Magazine. With over 15 years of experience in marketing and storytelling, he writes across all major RTM categories, specializing in current events, arts and culture, books and print media, and influencers and entrepreneurs. His work blends insightful analysis with compelling narratives, making him a trusted voice in trend reporting and cultural commentary.
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