Coffee Beans

What an exciting week, and it's only Tuesday!!!

Thus far in the Nexus journey we have focused heavily on what it is going to take to open the doors, how we are going to serve Cleveland, the food we are going to offer (it's going to be great!)- but the last couple of days we have begun to really focus in on an area that has not been the center of attention for some time: our coffee beans.

From day 1 we had said that we wanted to not only make a difference in our own community but also be partnered with suppliers that are doing the same in theirs. In terms of coffee we wanted to have beans that were excellent in flavor- but even more excellent in their redemptive qualities in terms of what that business is doing to serve the people of the region.

This week we have decided we are going to take a proactive role in finding those growers- and the results from only a few days has been overwhelming. We are hearing of a church in the middle of Istanbul Turkey that began from the migrant workers that are part of the coffee bean trade. One of my favorites has been Bolaven Farms that uses coffee beans to give hope to people, and reproduces that hope! My prayer is that we can be part of those types of works throughout the world. And where it may not be the case- where injustice still reigns- maybe, just maybe we can learn from our partners and bring justice and redemption there simply through love and growing coffee.

How cool will it be when Nexus is open that we send a team to one of our own partners to help with a work. To work along side of the same people that provided us our morning joe just a week before. How cool will it be when we realize we are all in it together?!?!

So keep us in prayer- this week has opened a whole new world of possibilities- and as with the rest of Nexus has a TON of planning and preparation that is needed to do it with excellence. As with all great works that God calls us to it is humbling, exciting, scary, and overwhelming all at once.

A Front/Back Example of what a Nexus Calendar of event might look like. Anything you do not see on here you would like to see?

Sharing the Journey

So we are about three years into this journey called Nexus and I have decided to begin keeping a blog! Why? Because there a so many people that are on this journey with us in partnerships, prayers, and friendships I thought it would be a good thing to provide some regular updates on the joys and struggles that come with starting anything new like this.

Since some reading this may be new to this whole Nexus concept I am going to go back and share how it all started, why, and where we are now. As time progresses I will share some of the back stories as well as the new things to share.

Feel free to post encouraging words, challenges, and whatever else in response to each post. I love hearing from everyone as we trek ahead on this endeavor.

Backstory:

Where did Nexus come from?

Where this began is a great question. There are a 1000 answers, but since this is my blog I am going to stick with how I specifically was led to this.

So let’s go back even more first:

I had spent most of my adult life as a chef. I am not going to claim to be Michael Symon, but I had done well for myself- and I truly loved what I did. My food was (and is) enjoyed by people, and I enjoy being able to provide it and the hospitality that comes with it. While I loved the business (highlights being chef at Vaccaro’s and opening of Saucy Bistro) I was also heading down a dark road that I created for myself more than anything. In one of those darkest of times I found that the claims of Jesus I had known from PSR class as a kid were not only true- but they were true to me today and Jesus wasn’t just a dude in a book or an idea to be prayed to- He was the Son of a loving God, indeed God himself, and He actually wanted a relationship with me. Life changed- all for the better.

At one point I had to make choice. I had begun living by faith in Jesus- He had radically changed my life- saved me from more things than even this blog could contain. I had a passion to share that with others and to teach as many I could about the beauty and grace that I had found- and quickly found myself doing youth ministry. I was able to do both for a short time but the trouble was that both required nights and weekends- so Jesus won. I devoted myself to sharing Him.

Trouble was I was also denying a part of who I was. I was a chef and a man who loved hospitality. Not only that- I saw a huge percentage of the believers I knew not quite sure how their faith applied in a Monday-Friday role. There was a huge disconnect in me and it simply looked as if I was not alone in that. Over the course of a year I began to see how it could be different- how faith and life could not only intersect during certain points (mainly religious experiences) but be totally interweaved together- and that by doing so we might just be able to change the world.

So the idea of Nexus began for me as a way that I could stop segmenting my life. A way that my passion for hospitality (food actually wasn’t in the first concept), a wholistic spiritual approach, and my passion to lead and mentor people to impact their world could be done all together.

Enter Alex Ennes and Gateway Church. Through a cool series of “coincidences” (a story I will share another day on this blog) Alex and I connected and found that our passions, visions, and purposes were heavily overlapped. So begins Nexus Café and Coffeehouse as we know it today- where it continues on in the initial vision and purpose I had dreamed, yet taken on so many more deep needs of our city that I am overwhelmed by what God is assembling. Something tells me Alex feels the same……..

So what is that Nexus will do besides serve food and coffee?

Again- it is so large it is hard to put this all in one summary- so I will hit the highlights.

• Nexus will be not only active, but a leader in the community when it comes to serving the needs of our city. Followers of Christ are taught that true religion is caring for those less fortunate- at Nexus that is taken very seriously. Through as many entry points as possible Nexus will search to connect Clevelanders of all backgrounds to that service. Ultimately we would love to see people use the passions and talents they already posses to help meet the needs of others. We will mostly do this through our partnerships with organization that have already made an impact in their mode of service.
• Profits from Nexus will go into investing in our city. Money will be distributed to our partners, but also into reproducing ourselves through other works throughout the city from church planting to the funding of other social entrepreneurships. (not just profits- we will be searching for vendors such as coffee growers that will be seeking to make the same impact in their area)
• We will aim to build an authentic community of people- guests and employees alike. I would love for Nexus to be a place where people love to hang out. Where it is not uncommon to meet a new friend. Ultimately I would love that this environment help lead people to community with Jesus as well- but regardless of their decision on this I can guarantee people will know they can find support, friendship and community at Nexus.

So where are we now?

Nexus has raised a significant amount of funding through partnerships and friends. We are not quite all the way there, but are much closer than ever before. It is both awesome and challenging that we are seeking to open this whole endeavors with virtually no level of commercial funding. (some equipment leases may be the only exception to this)

There are three needs Nexus currently needs to launch:

1) A location. Until a final location is found many of our opening estimates are only that, estimates.

2) Depending on #1 as much as $50,000 in additional funding. With the right location this could be significantly less/more. We have looked at much, negotiated a few- but feel strongly we should be able to pull the trigger this year.

3) Funding for my salary. We feel we are close enough now that this part needs to become a priority. While we fully expect that Nexus could support a salary for me there are a few reasons we are seeking to do this:

a. My salary has to begin before we ever open the doors. That is a large expense to a business that does not yet have an income.

b. You never know what can happen. Sure we have a great business plan and the talents and support of some of the best talent Cleveland has to offer, but as in starting any new business there is no guarantee. The more help we can give the financials the first year the better our chances of success.

c. Assuming everything goes as planned that is that much more money Nexus can pour back into the community.

So I think that is about it. I will be posing more in the coming days and weeks and look forward to celebrating the beginning of a new and exciting journey as we open Nexus’ doors together!