New NK coffee shop provides funds for local, foreign missions

Under the guidance of Steve Long (left) and Greg Pulling (right), Safari Coffee shop opens up doors for both customers and missions around the world.

Andre' Jones photo

In the Swahili language, the word “safari” means journey. For Journey Christian Fellowship, “Safari” describes a two-year dream that has come to fruition to give back to others.

In early January, Journey Christian Fellowship opened the doors to Safari Coffee, one of the first coffee shops in New Kent. Less than a month into the business, the goals for Steve Long and Pastor Greg Pulling began to open doors to numerous possibilities.

Safari Coffee is a non-profit shop and receives products from Thomas Street Coffee, a business that imports the product from African countries. In turn, Safari Coffee sells the product to customers with one special catch.

“All of the profit goes to our missions,” said Pulling. “Thomas Street Coffee basically allows us to contribute at least double the amount of money we give to our missions.”

Those missions range from assisting locals in New Kent to establishing orphanages in countries such as Kenya. Currently, Journey Christian and Safari Coffee are providing funds to the “Light of Life” orphanage in Kenya, providing necessities for survival while delivering their message of hope.

Long, who worked from 1996-2006 as a New Kent deputy sheriff, said the idea of a coffee shop began to take shape two years ago when property at Kentwood Crossings in Quinton became available for purchase.

“The coffee business was trending upwards and there was a void of that type of business in New Kent,” Long said. “From the church’s view, we wanted to have the opportunity to share the gospel, and from the community view, we wanted to give the chance to give advice to people and just meet friendly faces.”

Those friendly faces have entered through the coffee shop’s doors since its opening, usually greeted by one of 16 volunteers. Only one person is paid at the shop, emphasizing the effort of all involved in making Safari Coffee an early success.

“As we greet people through the door, they tell us how much they love the mission and our intentions,” Pulling said. “Ironically, starting this shop has given us a love for coffee and is another outlet to share the gospel.

“It really is a dream come true,” the pastor continued. “There has been a lot of good work with a lot of good people and we hope we can use this to continue to get our message out to others.”

“We’re here to serve the community,” chimed in Long. “Regardless of a person’s needs, if they are looking for a church home or a decent conversation, we are here for them. Every customer is important to us.”

Feedback on the coffee shop has been positive. With more than 850 “likes” on Facebook and a steady flow of customers, Pulling indicated the main reason behind the achievements Safari Coffee has accomplished.

“It’s amazing the tools God can use to fulfill his great mission,” the pastor said. “We are using coffee to support missions here and around the world.”

While expansion may be too early to talk about, Pulling said there are no plans as of yet but also indicated there are “no limits” in what God can do.

Safari Coffee is open Monday to Friday, 6-11 a.m. and 3-7 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m.-3 p.m., and Sunday 8-10 a.m.