VICTORY Coffee + Kitchen is all about community. Their internship program helps re-establish formerly incarcerated individuals back into society by providing a place to serve while they gain valuable life skills.
“Three things will last forever – faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13
Love. The greatest commandment. But what does that mean, practically speaking? For KCM Canada, it looks like: providing intentional hospitality by loving people through food and service, and by providing internship opportunities for those facing barriers to employment. This is the story of how they bring that word love to life…
VICTORY Coffee + Kitchen
What began as a desire to do more with the space they had, it morphed into something so much bigger. VICTORY Coffee + Kitchen is a cozy café, nestled within KCM Canada’s building, serving up love to the local community of Langley, BC, six days a week.
The space on the ground floor beneath the KCM Canada offices was functioning as a bookstore. The idea was proposed, “Wouldn’t it be great if this space was a coffee shop?”
Said KCM Canada Executive Director Joe Weiss, “I thought a coffee shop would be great… but then I thought, what about a coffee shop for the Kingdom?” What came about is a café doing something that is not only impacting their local community, but changing the lives of men and women who have barriers to employment. In large part, this means men and women who had been incarcerated and have since been released from prison. These individuals are often cast aside by society.
“A lot of people think that once someone has been in prison, they have no value anymore. But that’s not the truth, and that’s what a place like VICTORY Coffee + Kitchen is going to teach them,” said Weiss.
Through this special program, KCM Canada is re-establishing the individual’s identity in Christ. Men and women who come out of prison are being mentored and discipled, receiving training and gaining job skills. The goal is to show them that they have value.
Said Weiss, “When they leave after 18 months in the program, they’re going to be built up, strong in faith…but also have practical, real-life skills to use in the workforce.”
Prison Ministry Coming Full Circle
Prison Ministry holds a special place in Kenneth Copeland’s heart. What began in the early days of KCM continues now as thousands of inmates are reached annually through prison chapel services. Many resources are provided for the inmates such as Bibles, the Believer’s Voice of Victory magazine and faith-building books published by KCM, as well as KCM providing monthly financial support to several prison ministries.
However, KCM Canada realized that there was a gap when people were released from prison. “Recidivism rates are staggering,” said Weiss. “There’s a high 60 percent rate of people getting out of prison and then reoffending and going back. Oftentimes it’s because they have no other place to turn to for community because society, for the most part, puts its hand up, kind of like, Not here. That’s nice, but, not so close to my home.”
Loving Others Through Food and Service
When the idea of a coffee shop for the Kingdom was proposed, Weiss had a vision of it being a little soup, salad and sandwich kind of place. He asked a friend who’s a respected chef to give them advice on how to lay out the kitchen and prep area. He also asked this friend if he knew anybody that could prepare the food for the café.
Weiss was introduced to Robbie Brooks, an experienced chef who loves the Lord. Weiss cast the vision for Brooks of the purpose for the café and the internship. Brooks responded that everything that was in Weiss’s heart to do was in his heart as well; he just hadn’t realized he could take his giftings and talents from the culinary world and use them in ministry until now!
The Best of Both Worlds
Traditionally, the realm of culinary arts is high stress, high intensity and devoid of love. It is a competitive environment with a relentless pursuit of excellence. After meeting with Weiss, Brooks realized that what had been stirring in his heart could become reality: His passion for the culinary arts and his love for the Lord could operate in unison. He could have the best of both worlds.
After all, as the film Sharpened: A Documentary About Love states it, “The act of preparing food is more than just about sustenance; it’s bringing people together. It’s a way of expressing love. The act of service goes beyond the kitchen. It’s about cultivating a spirit of generosity and putting others before ourselves. When we are led by faith to use our gifts and talents to serve others, we reflect the love and compassion of God. Iron sharpening iron.”
To see the full documentary about the journey to opening VICTORY Coffee + Kitchen, click here: SharpenedFilm.Com
According to Brooks, who became the executive chef and coffee director of VICTORY Coffee + Kitchen, the purpose for the café is to love others through service and food. This started well before the café even opened its doors to the community: During construction, Brooks provided the same level of excellence in the form of delectable eats to the construction workers. This was the love of God in action. Said Weiss, “I was hoping, whether they were people of faith or not, that they would have an opportunity to experience God’s love and generosity.”
‘They’ve Been Locked Up Long Enough’
As the design of the new space was coming together, one of the key elements they incorporated, based on a recommendation by Brooks, was to put windows into the kitchen that would showcase and highlight the men and women that were preparing the food. The purpose of this design is so that the kitchen staff interns would feel valued, seen and appreciated. Said Brooks, “I think they’ve been locked up long enough.” For this reason, kitchen windows were installed so that those who are being mentored are not hidden away any longer.
Looking for Hope and Encouragement
Now that VICTORY Coffee + Kitchen is fully operating, Weiss feels the café holds great importance. “I think in our community—and communities across Canada and communities around the world—people are looking for hope and encouragement. They’re looking for a sound place where they can go and receive. Our atmosphere is bright and energetic, but it’s also peaceful. God’s presence is there.”
In the Trenches
The internship is more than a program that simply teaches work skills in the kitchen. “There’s a structure to the process,” said Brooks. KCM Canada helps the interns set goals and have a vision for the future. “We ask them, ‘If you were your best version of yourself, what would that look like in five years?’”The interns are given the opportunity to start believing in themselves and to believe in the process, ultimately pointing them toward their loving heavenly Father as their foundation and their source.
Said Brooks, “We’re going to believe in them and we’re going to encourage them. I’m right there in the trenches with them, working shoulder-to-shoulder, leading by example, and providing support and encouragement whenever it’s needed.”
In this internship process, they’re not just given physical food to work with; they’re given spiritual food as well. KCM has many great resources, and one that is used in the program is the LifeLine Kit.
Get yours today! KCM LifeLine Kits
These resources are full of practical, biblical principles, and the interns are led through modules throughout the duration of the program. Some of the topics covered include:
- Building Relationships That Last
- Financial Breakthrough
- Overcoming Stress, Anxiety and Depression
- Prayer
Confident and Prepared
Not only do interns get the chance to work in the café kitchen alongside Chef Robbie, but there are other work opportunities available at the ministry in which interns gain life skills and work experience that will help them in the future.
“By the time they leave, after 18 months with us, they have a handful of things they can put on their resume,” said Weiss. Not only this, but they receive help with writing their resume and doing mock job interviews, so that when they go for their first interview, they feel confident and prepared.”
Removing the Stigma
Proverbs 29:18 (AMPC) states, Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish.
There have been proven studies that if you don’t give a released inmate purpose, goals or vision, they’re going to reoffend and go back to prison. Oftentimes, it is because they go back to the same friends or influences that got them incarcerated in the first place.
Society is often unwilling to give them a chance if they have a criminal record. There’s a stigma behind who they might be, regardless of if that person has truly made a change in their life or not. It’s a burden placed on their shoulders that these individuals carry around everywhere they go.
KCM Canada’s goal is to break down that stigma, build up their identity in Christ and give them a firm foundation, as well as the skills and practical tools they need to be victorious. “It’s physical, but also spiritual. So, when the challenges come, they’ll know where to turn to. They’re going to turn to the Word, and not to the world,” said Weiss.
Hope for a Future
It’s safe to say, VICTORY Coffee + Kitchen opens their doors wide, extending a hand to those seeking redemption and renewal, and they do this through the simple act of loving others through serving them.
Weiss and his team believe that as men and women come through the program and are developed as leaders, hope will be restored. Because of the time, Word of God and love that’s poured into them, the fruit of this program will be that generational cycles of brokenness will end with them. Families will not only be restored, but they will begin thriving within their communities as well.
You Make This Possible
Partner, thank you. When you give to KCM, you help make all this possible. Together, we believe we will see hope restored, honorable leaders developed and healthy connections made in a thriving community. Together, we will support each other toward a life of victory.
To see the full episode about VICTORY Coffee + Kitchen, tune in to Inside the Vision, with Pastor George Pearsons by clicking here: Don’t Give Up on Your Vision – Inside the Vision
Related:
Welcome to Victory Coffee + Kitchen | Langley, BC
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