HOLY JOE'S CAFE

Sunday, February 27, 2011

A Very Special Thank You

Special Thank You to Holy Joe's Cafe and Green Mountain Coffee from the chaplains' coffeehouse at FOB Marez - Mosul, Iraq.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Thank you to Holy Joe's from CH Jeltema

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Holy Joe's extends extravagant welcome to the troops

Troops enjoy a break at Holy Joe's Café, Sather Air Base, Iraq.

Written by Jeff Woodard

November 10, 2009

It's no exaggeration to say Holy Joe's Café has helped U.S. military personnel overseas a ton in the past 3 1/2 years. In fact, it's a gross understatement.
Founded in June 2006 by Thomas Jastermsky, a deacon at

First Congregational Church of Wallingford, CT , Holy Joe's has now supplied 112 tons of coffee to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. "We have had 405 chaplains assisting us in serving 120 locations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait," says Jastermsky, noting the increase in locations, from 95 last year. Someone is always stepping up to the plate to deliver generous amounts of "joe." In September, one of the heavy hitters was Green Mountain Coffee, giving 1,000 pounds in that month alone. One of the prominent players thus far has been the Tar Heel state, says Jastermsky. "North Carolina has been really, really important to Holy Joe's." Trinity Reformed, UCC Conover, NC is a caffeinated case in point.

"For us, it was about being supportive of our chaplains and other military personnel in Kuwait, Afghanistan or Iraq," says the Rev. Tom Hamilton, a Trinity member and retired Associate Conference Minister from the Central Atlantic Conference. "We could be divided about whether to support the war, but there was no division as to whether to support our troops."

Hamilton said his friend the Rev. John Gundlach, UCC Minister for Government Chaplaincies, notified him when Holy Joe's was in its early stages. "He asked if this was something our congregation would be interested in supporting," says Hamilton, "and we have shared this with several churches since then."

Emphasizing Holy Joe's impact on mission fulfillment at Trinity Reformed UCC is at the heart of everything Hamilton says on the subject. "This is so meaningful to the individuals of our church and meaningful in terms of general rapport with one another. It has given us another piece of good news to talk about – what binds us together, as compared with the opposite."

That shared support is galvanizing the congregation even further. "We're making plans to give additional support at the conclusion of this year or the beginning of next year," says Hamilton. Averaging 150 in weekly worship attendance, Conover has been supporting Holy Joe's to the tune of $2,000 to $3,000 a year.

Holy Joe's Café continues to reach out to all troops overseas – especially the significant number who have had little church background or spiritual development. Jastermsky says the uplifting effect is perhaps most pronounced in combat hospitals in Iraq and on-site "decompression models" where soldiers can speak one-on-one with chaplains.

The café has been extending more widely across ecumenical lines, more deeply into all corners of the country. One example is tiny Hope Congregational Christian Church in Clio, Ala. The 46-member church – averaging a weekly worship attendance of 35 – has been giving $200 a month to Holy Joe's for the past year.

In addition to receiving direct funds from churches, Holy Joe's is aided by donors participating via UCC-sponsored Equal Exchange, which ships the coffee overseas.

No Trinity members are currently engaged in active military duty overseas, says Hamilton. But spiritual ties to all who are serving are strong. "We register lists of names of persons serving in the military; it could be a relative or family member of a church member." Hamilton also notes that the Rev. John Bailey, of Brick UCC in Whitsett, N.C., is a Southern Conference representative serving as a chaplain in Iraq.

Now 76, Hamilton has been a member of Trinity for 12 years, with a UCC affiliation that dates to his boyhood. He's seen a great deal of good work accomplished in his church. Participation in Holy Joe's Café has not been the least of them.

"It's something special to keep a part of our life."

Jeff Woodard is a regular contributor to United Church News.

For further information on Holy Joe's Café or to donate coffee, please call 888-970-7994 or email holyjoescafe@aol.com.
To donate via Equal Exchange, call 774-776-7366. The UCC Coffee Project web site is www.ucc.org/justice/coffee-project

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Cups runneth over at HOLY JOE'S CAFE

UM REPORTER By Mary Jacobs Staff Writer.
October 1, 2009

Thanks to an ecumenical group of donors and volunteers, U.S. soldiers are enjoying fresh cups of coffee, sent from home and served with love by over 125 chaplains deployed in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The initiative, known as “Holy Joe’s Café,” was started by Thomas Jastermsky, a member of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Wallingford, Conn. And it’s earning high praise from United Methodist chaplains “on the ground” in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The chaplaincy is a ministry of presence, and coffee is a way for more real interaction,” said Mr. Jastermsky. In the past three years, Holy Joe’s Café has shipped over 110 tons of coffee to military outposts overseas. Chaplains use the coffee and supplies to set up coffeehouses, offering free refreshments to military personnel, as well as quiet places to converse with chaplains and friends or to write a letter home.

Maj. Karen Meeker, a United Methodist Army chaplain, called the donations of coffee and supplies from Holy Joe’s “a miracle in our midst.” She helped operate a coffeehouse called “The Lighthouse” while serving in 2008 and early 2009 at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan.

“Thank you so much for your incredible generosity,” she said in an e-mail to Mr. Jastermsky. Some 1,500 cups of coffee were served the first night the Lighthouse coffeehouse opened. At the airbase, hundreds of troops passed through day and night on their way to and from dangerous missions. “A warm cup of coffee and a place to sit down for a moment is a tremendous comfort to our troops fighting the enemy in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan,” she wrote. “You are making a difference in the lives of our young men and women in uniform.”

Another United Methodist chaplain, Major Steven Ashbrook in Camp Taji, Iraq, praised Mr. Jastermsky for securing thousands of pounds of coffee as well as tea and other supplies for the “Mudhouse” coffeehouse he helps operate. “When our slushy machine went out, literally in minutes he had a donor lined up, to go out and buy us a new commercial grade machine, which cost $2,000 plus shipping to Iraq,” he said. “He has found numerous donors who have given us countless bottles of coffee syrups, and vendors who have donated thousand of dollars in goods and services to help us to do ministry here with the troops on the ground. “This guy is a ‘Godsend’ to us here in Iraq.”

Churches and individuals get involved by ordering fair-trade coffee through UMCOR’s Equal Exchange program to send to Holy Joe’s Cafés. For ordering instructions or more information:

call (888) 970-7994, e-mail holyjoescafe@aol.com,

or visit http://www.holyjoescafe.blogspot.com/.