Mention the word "free" on any campus and there will be a stampede. Free samples, free trials -- if it's free, it's marketable. Since spring break last year, Abba Java House, 256 E. College Ave., has been serving complimentary hot drinks and food to college students.

The site is the downstairs room of the Wesley Student Center, with a smattering of fold-out tables, sofas, chairs and desks. Music plays softly in the background. Computers, chessboards and decks of cards are atop a few tables. The walls are coffee-brown, matching the beverage of choice in this spacious room where the Abba Java House takes place.

"Our purpose is just to bless students with the love of Jesus in a practical way," said Bob Johns, director of the college ministry for St. Paul's United Methodist Church, which houses the student center. "We're not about forcing the Gospel on somebody, though that is behind it."

Abba Java is open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 4 or 5 p.m. Many coffee blends are available, along with cappuccino, hot cocoa and tea. Food varies and can include breads, cookies, brownies and fruit. Johns said, "We like to eat a lot here, and we go through a lot of coffee."

The ministry is staffed entirely by volunteers. Some are adults from the church, but much of the staff consists of Penn State students.

"The workers are extremely friendly," Scott Glowinski (sophomore-finance) said as he sipped his usual cappuccino. "Each one adds a little bit to your day."

According to Lisa Voigt, volunteer manager for Abba Java, there are "more and more people every day. Anywhere from 25 to 50 people stop by in a day."

On weekends, the routine is slightly different. Friday nights usually feature a band, often playing Christian music. Saturday nights are generally open mic opportunities. Food and drinks are also offered at these events, which generally begin at 9:30 and end when interest wavers, usually around 1 or 2 a.m.

On Sunday mornings, the room is used for contemporary worship. Afterward, there is more food -- a cooked lunch.

Although there are many costs involved in the project, the volunteers intend to keep Abba Java House free.

"God's love is free, and for the most part, a lot of people don't believe stuff is free in this world," Johns said. "They ask why we're doing this, because the church usually just wants them to come to church and give money."

Voigt sees the coffeehouse as a necessary place for students during the week and an alternative to drinking on the weekend. "It's a space students can come, hang out, study and talk," she said.

The volunteers hope that the word will get out and that no one is deterred by the religious affiliation.

Johns said, "Everybody's welcome, no matter what they believe."