The Coffee CAMP is an acronym for Coffee As a Movement Project. People feel comfortable chatting while drinking a cup of hot java-the rich aroma, deep taste, the warmth-coffee can really help you open up.

So, we felt that if we could brew our own coffee, we could help build bridges with non-Christians and liven up our own meetings! We also saw the potential to discuss fair trade and the unfair practices of international trade. So the Coffee CAMP was born!

Last but not least, some of the outgoing students converted their club activity rooms into cafes, so that even wary non-Christian friends can drop by, enjoy a cup of coffee and casually chat. 

  

Impact

Kim, Myung Hee writes: We converted our club room into a café! Before this, we mainly had Christians in IVF. However, turning our room into a café made it so much easier for non-Christians to drop by and talk to us. We also did an event where we sold free trade coffee with handmade cookies, and raised awareness about fair trade. I talk to my friends about fair trade all the time now!

Han, Ji Sun writes: In our Korean society, alcohol is the usual medium for people to open up. However, it felt nice to be able to present a nice, Christian alternative to alcohol-fair trade coffee and tea, which can help people open up just the same! I also learned that many coffee producing countries are also mission target countries. 

Mr. Go, Myung Su writes: The coffee ministry is not a strategy or a tool. It’s about following the Word and serving the world. We, as a community, wondered how we can follow Jesus’ example of devoting ourselves to serve others, and came up with the idea to turn our club room into a café. The world is so fierce and competitive for university students, and we wanted to offer them some comfort. Also, till now we treated our club room as a hideaway from the world, our own personal space apart from the world. And we always tried to bring the non-believers into our space through certain events, which are unnatural. But when we gave up a bit of our comfort to just serve them, they started bringing their friends along to our cafe. And coffee provided the opportunity to start friendly conversations. The Word of God is shown and experienced through these personal relationships, and that’s why we run the cafe. It’s not about the coffee. It’s the spirit that we will follow Jesus’ example of honest and selfless devotion and sacrifice. 

Story

At the camp, students learned to roast and brew coffee, and they used the experience to brew coffee at school and church, which lightened up many meetings.

They also learned about how coffee producers were disadvantaged in the current international trade, and began to use fair-trade products.

Furthermore, students went back to school and discussed international trade and fair trade among their Christian and non-Christian friends, urging them to think about what justice is. They started movements to raise awareness regarding fair trade and environmental protection. 

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