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The café mortal was not, as its name might suggest, a grief support group or end-of-life planning session, but a space where people met to explore death and the questions it raised about life: What is death? How do we live without fearing it? Is death the end? Is there something more? Clearly the founders of the cafe identified a need because as reported this week there are now Death Cafés in over 40 cities around the world including the UK. The movement has a few rules: meetings are confidential and not for profit; people must respect other people’s views and avoid proselytising; and tea and cake are mandatory.

It sometimes seems that society divides neatly into those who claim that death is the end and those who hope that it isn’t. But, in my experience, a lot of people simply haven’t had the chance to work out what they think. They’re too busy getting on with life. And it’s only when death comes to someone we know and love that we give it serious thought.

A few years ago, it became obvious to me that many of my friends weren’t interested in coming to church. Despite my best attempts to get them along, there was always a vague sense of trying to manipulate them. A church – even one trying hard to be welcoming – didn’t present them with a comfortable enough space in which to talk about life and its meaning.

And yet, I knew from conversations, that many of these same friends were up for discussing what philosophers call the first order - or ‘why are we here’ - questions. And in an attempt to keep this conversation alive, I started a monthly group in a pub. The rituals were simple: we’d meet at 8. Drink beer for an hour. Get through whatever sporting, cultural or political news needed to be got through, and then someone would read a passage of scripture and we’d discuss it. Faith was not a pre-requisite.

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