For many of us, having a cup (or more!) of coffee first thing every morning is what we depend on to kickstart our day, to sharpen our foggy mind, and to muster up the strength to power through a seemingly endless to-do list for the day ahead.
Sounds pretty typical, right?
But what if the coffee you drank did so much more than that? What if coffee was not just a beverage to savor each day, but a ministry tool that points others to Jesus?
That’s exactly what Hope Coffee is all about – drinking coffee and changing lives.
If you've been attending worship services in person at New Covenant in recent weeks, you’ve perhaps noticed the self-serve coffee station on Main Street. That’s where anyone who wants one can find a hot, fresh cup of Hope Coffee. For free. No charge. No strings attached.
“It’s my hope that this gathering space around the coffee station will be a place where people want to linger and will provide an opportunity for new conversations,” Johnse Bushlack says. Johnse is spearheading the Hope Coffee initiative at New Covenant, which includes showing up early on Sunday mornings to brew several pots of Hope Coffee’s best blends.
“Jesus invites us to come and bring our nothing, and to me, the free coffee station is a small picture of God’s grace towards us. I want this coffee area to be inviting and inclusive to all and for people to come curious,” Johnse says. “I want people to enjoy a quality cup of coffee, meet someone new, and leave thinking, ‘wow, that was generous… this place is different.’ I believe that God can use coffee to reach people with the gospel as we share and serve up Hope.”
Why Hope Coffee?
The people at Hope Coffee have a mission to love God, to love others, and to spread the gospel in Central America where the coffee beans are grown by Jesus-following farmers with whom they have a personal relationship. Hope Coffee pays these farmers more than a living wage for their coffee beans via direct trade, and 100% of all profits go back into the local communities in Honduras and Mexico to fund special projects to build up the communities in the name of Jesus -- think new roofs on homes, poured concrete foundations, and water storage tanks for daily access to clean water. Hope Coffee is literally sharing the hope of Jesus through their excellent product. Simply by serving Hope Coffee at New Covenant, we are helping to share the gospel in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico where the coffee is grown. We are funding the mission with each cup of coffee.
“I believe that God can use these conversations over coffee to plant seeds in others,” Johnse adds, “and to help them feel loved and cared for, ultimately pointing them to hope in Christ.”
We’ll drink to that!
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Additional links for Hope Coffee: