NEWPORT – Two years ago, Sammi Jo Herr was raising her seven children in a bus parked in the woods of Palmyra. She was working three jobs, sometimes nodding off as she drove from one to the other late at night.

But she had a dream, one that became took shape this summer with the opening of the Inner Mission Cappuccino Bar on Route 2 in Newport.

Herr lives with her two of her children, Shawn, 21, and Mia, 19, on the second floor of the landmark building she scrimped and saved to buy, while operating a coffeehouse, antique shop and flea market on the first floor.

What was once an eyesore, abandoned with boarded up windows, is being transformed into a comfortable place to eat and drink during the day, while hosting area Christian bands and singers on weekend nights.

“The coffee and antiques pay for the real mission,” she said, which is the Herr family ministry to teenagers. Each Friday and Saturday night the doors swing open to let out the live music and sounds of joyful singing at Inner Mission, which is fast becoming the only venue for live Christian music in central Maine.

Herr, 55, said she is an ordained minister, following in the footsteps of four generations of ministers before her. “When I was a little girl, I used to stand on a rock in the yard and preach to the squirrels,” she said, adding that her grandmother would quickly shush her. “There was a real prejudice against women speaking out,” she said.

Her ministry is through Gateway Christian Fellowship, based in West Hartford, Conn. It is an evangelical ministry that stresses such things as a life of humility, compassion for the needy, prophetic revelation and “raising up the emerging generation,” according to its Web site.

Herr certainly has no trouble speaking out about her passion: helping and providing direction for teenagers.

“We wanted to be a blessing and a positive influence on the area’s teenagers,” Herr said. “We wanted to bloom where we were planted.”

While her children manage the coffee bar, Herr works at Stetson Ranch, a locked facility for troubled teenagers. The family members have dedicated themselves to creating a safe venue for teenagers, a place to do homework after school, maybe play a game of chess or have a casual conversation. “We know this is better than hanging out on the curb,” she said.

So far, said Shawn Herr, the Friday and Saturday Christian music nights have done well, even without advertising or promotion. “We travel to New Hampshire all the time to hear this kind of music, so we knew there would be a demand here,” he said.

“A lot of kids are Christians but feel very different than the vast majority of kids around them,” he said. “Here, they see we all have the same heart; we are similar people with similar motivations. Coming here and being with other Christian youth, they don’t feel so isolated. They can leave and feel strong in the world.”

Herr added, “We are showing them there is an alternative. You don’t have to give in to drugs and alcohol to have friends. You can be loved and respected for who you are.”

“The mission is also for kids who are not Christian as well,” said Mia Herr. “This is such an alternative to hanging around outside on the street. All kids can feel comfortable here. There is no religious pressure or recruiting. It is a safe, comfortable place – even for adults.”

The shop offers latte, cappuccino, chai, regular coffees and ice cream, and hopes to soon be offering light lunches of soup, salad and sandwiches. The atmosphere is kind of like grandma’s closet. Sitting on a wicker settee, visitors can sip their coffee while surrounded by an eclectic collection of antiques and flea market finds. The only outward evidence that this is a Christian mission is a mural painted behind the stage on the back wall, the logo of the Gateway Christian Fellowship.

“This is a positive environment,” said Herr. “There is no smoking, no alcohol, no swearing or arguing. The response so far has been so positive.”

Inner Mission is open 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. On Friday and Saturday nights, the music begins at 7.