Planting churches with coffee beans

The Lord looks favorably on a good cuppa Joe.

One of Bollinger County's newest residents learned to combine a business model that took little investment on the owner's part and combined that with his call to missionary work in Central Asia.

John Vernon, director of missions at the Cape Girardeau Baptist Association, later found a relationship between planting churches and roasting really good quality coffee.

When Vernon and his family were missionaries in Turkey, he developed a taste for the coffee. He noticed that most Turkish towns had a tea shop, where residents gather for tea or coffee and a chance to learn what's going on in the community. Tea shops are easy to run there because basically all the proprietor needs is hot water -- and a source of tea leaves and roasted ground coffee beans. It didn't matter how the water was heated, so it also didn't matter if electricity was available. Hot water, good tea and good roasted beans add up to a way to feed the proprietor's family.

Roasting coffee takes knowledge and skill, Vernon said. Coffee roasters in Turkey find status in being a qualified coffee roaster and purveyor of the smoothest coffee they know how to create.

Vernon focused on sharing his faith through mission work in Turkey for 14 years. One day he received a phone call from someone who had a coffee roasting business and thought Vernon might want to buy it.

"That did not make sense to me," he said. "Ten minutes later I got a call from a different city. The caller heard about a coffee roasting business and thought I should buy it. Fifteen minutes later a third person called. It's not normal to get three calls in less than 30 minutes."

Vernon began to see he was receiving a divine message to go forth and roast coffee. He found a partner to share the business load and, next thing he knew, "I bought a coffee business."

The business did well. Organically grown coffee roasted within the same week the beans were picked reached consumers by the end of the week. It was fresh, had no additives. Vernon said coffee creates jobs for Americans and helps bring people to church.

"God created work; he gave us work," Vernon said. Work brings a sense of pride and accomplishment, he said.

Until recently, Vernon was pastor of the Miner Baptist Church. He was active in the community and soon began to get to know community leaders.

"I shared the story of our lives and shared the story about coffee and how it led people to understand who God is," he said. "I said I hoped to do something like that here."

The idea took off, and soon he had a roasting business called Rival Roast going and a goal forming: to find 10 local businesses that would sell the coffee and help create jobs and boost the economy.

Suzie's Bake Shop in Sikeston, Mo., was the first to sign on.

Rival Roast is a wholesaler. Vernon said the coffee Suzie's sells is not labeled Rival Roast, but Suzie's Roast. Suzie's and other businesses sell the coffee by the cup and have packages for sale on the shelves.

"We're not trying to make a name for ourselves," Vernon said. "We help our partners make a name for themselves."

Lena Harris of Chatters Café in Glenallen, Mo., learned about Rival Roast, although it's called Chatters Roast in her business.

With its smooth flavor and lack of a bitter aftertaste because of the precise way the beans are roasted, the coffee usually is served on special occasions or to people who value fine coffee, she said.

Harris said she serves her morning crowd the Folgers to which they've become accustomed. But in the afternoon, "when the coffee enthusiasts come in, the people who really care about coffee, I will make a pot."

Harris said the coffee sells well and is popular among her customers.

"Our coffee will bring extra customers and will increase the number of regular customers," Vernon said. "We want to be in small towns."

Vernon recently moved to Bollinger County to serve the County Line Baptist Church and to spread the news of good coffee.

He said he and his partner have set up a strong enough network in the Stoddard County area to allow Rival Roast to move to another area to begin all over again -- in Bollinger County.

From Bollinger County, once there are enough sources for the coffee and jobs created from it, he and his partner will move on, planting churches and selling coffee.

The Missouri Baptist Convention gave its approval of the business when it gave away 500 bags of coffee at the annual state convention and served it during the sessions.

"We're treating our business as a mission," Vernon said.

"Our model is to create business as mission, create jobs and a quality product. We tithe our sales; 10 percent goes to causes in the area. We look for those kinds of things, " he added.

Vernon can be reached at john@rivalroast.com, or by calling or texting 573-275-9339.