We have recently opened our third ministry coffee shop in Israel, Maagan Specialty Coffee, in downtown Haifa! Built on the northern slopes of Mount Carmel and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, Haifa is a unique city where Jews and Arabs live side by side. Since we opened this spring, it’s been amazing to see the growth and progress in ministry here.
Our café manager, Gabriel Pellegrino, says, ‘Our vision for Maagan is to create the most welcoming café in Haifa for students and young professionals, and build a community where everyone experiences the love of Yeshua (Jesus). That’s where the name Maagan (Anchorage) comes from – that it will serve as an anchor for our customers.’
The Lord is already opening doors to draw people to the café. We have received several great reviews from clients and local media, including a feature in the national newspaper Haaretz. We offer exceptional-quality food and drinks, carefully prepared, with attention to every detail. Many customers come because they have heard the coffee is excellent, but they return because they feel at peace.
A young woman named Agam* has visited several times. Agam comes from a secular background and is interested in New Age and similar topics. We have interacted each time she has visited, and during her most recent visit, we had a deeper conversation about faith. She showed a lot of interest, and I invited her to join me at church. She said she would love to come. Please pray that God would give her the courage to take that step and find Yeshua.
That’s just one example of how every day, God brings new opportunities to share the gospel with people, sometimes through deeper conversations, and other times more casually. We also have returning customers – some of whom come intentionally to ask more questions about faith each time they visit.
Being in the northern part of Israel and a significant international port city, Haifa has been especially impacted in the recent conflicts with Lebanon and Iran. Earlier this year, Haifa residents spent night after night in bomb shelters. Our team partnered with a local church and other volunteer organisations to supply over 1,200 mattresses to displaced residents, offering a small measure of comfort during a very difficult season. Even before our official grand opening in May, our café was open throughout the conflict to provide respite from the reality of war. This helped us build inroads into the community, demonstrating that we’re not just a trendy coffee shop, but an anchoring gospel presence.
There’s a middle-aged man named Eyal* who comes in every day. We’ve had many conversations with him about faith and even read different prophecies about the Messiah together. He knows the Bible better than the average secular Israeli, and over time, he and Gabriel have had several deep conversations about faith and Scripture. He is clearly very interested and engaged, yet at the same time, there seems to be a strong resistance in his heart.
For example, when they were discussing Isaiah 53, Gabriel asked Eyal whom he thought the passage was speaking about. Eyal answered, ‘Well, it’s Jesus, but that’s not what it means.’ Eyal clearly has some understanding and interest, but he’s also quite firm in his views and not very open to changing them at this stage. He still has his spiritual walls up. Pray the Lord would break through them!
There are many more stories like these. Most people respond with curiosity and respect; only a few feel uncomfortable, while the vast majority are open and interested. Many people also tell us that there is something different about the atmosphere here – that they feel welcomed, comfortable and at peace when they come. Yet, we know this work takes time and patience.
Please pray that the Lord would continue to open Agam’s and Eyal’s hearts and those of the many other people like them that we meet daily. May these conversations lead them to truly encounter Yeshua personally. Pray also for wisdom, grace and boldness for the staff as we continue to build relationships and share the gospel in Haifa.
*Name has been changed to protect privacy.
Liron Smith, missionary and barista, Haifa,Israel