Ethically grown coffee on sale to benefit church planters and OBU

By Alyssa Sperrazza, News Editor

The culture of coffee-drinking is ever present at OBU and growing. Now, an ethically grown brand of coffee, Phoenix Roasters, provides students to drink “great coffee for a great cause.”

Dr. Galen Jones, Assistant Professor of Church Planting and Floyd K. Clark Chair of Christian Leadership, explained the ministry that is supported by the new brew. 

“Phoenix Roasters has used a cup of coffee to support over 100 missionaries on the field around the world,” Jones said. “They have planted around the world, or have been instrumental in planting multiple churches and they have planted seven churches in the Atlanta area.”

Phoenix Roasters helps support families by providing financial stability .

“Phoenix Roasters pays indigenous church planting farmers and pastors five times the prevailing wage,” Jones said.  “So one of the things that has happened is families are now able to support themselves.  Let’s say before, the father would often be an alcoholic because he can’t keep a job that’s paying him enough so he would actually, in some respects, leave the family.” 

“The mother then goes to be the picker. She’s not making enough, her children are sitting by the waste side; they’re not being educated, they’re not being fed well.  So now, through Phoenix Roasters and others, paying five times the prevailing wage, the farmer, who is as well a pastor, is now able to hire the husband and the wife. They’re able to feed their children, they’re able to pay for them to go to school, they’re able to provide a full living for them and they have a church home now where they are getting all their substance from.”

While Phoenix Roasters is making a difference for families, OBU students can start making a difference as well, and it all starts with buying a bag of coffee.

“When someone purchases a subscription, which is approximately $39 a month, what ends up happening is you get three bags of coffee for the price of two,” Jones said.

“[Additionally] OBU gets nine dollars per subscription, which will be going towards these trips abroad.”

Fundraising is always a challenge for students who are working to go overseas, whether for a mission trip or study abroad. By purchasing Phoenix coffee through OBU, students will be helping each other lighten the load that finances often bring.

“When we go over 2,000 bags, then we get our own bag and it will be printed with green and gold,” Jones said. 

“It’ll have a bison logo on it and [OBU’s] story along with Phoenix Roaster’s story on the back of the bags.”

Phoenix Roaster’s logo, great coffee great cause, sums up what purchasing a bag of coffee will do.

“One of the best ways to [get involved] is to go on our website: http://www.greatcoffeegreatcause.com/okbu and just order some coffee,” Jones said.