Connection Cafe’s third wave coffee elevates Imperial Valley

Connection Cafe is located on 450 South Waterman Avenue and is hidden around the corner connected to the First Christian Church. Connection Cafe is an extension of First Christian Church and first opened five years ago when the church’s former youth pastor, Osvaldo Ortiz, wanted to combine his passion for coffee with his love for the church.

Jordan Cochran has been at Connection for four years when he first started out as a volunteer and then became the assistant manager. 
He said it was the pastor’s idea to start the Connection Cafe ministry when he realized it could be used as an outlet to invite new people to the Church.

“It’s a good way to bring people in and have a conversation. So as our pastor likes to put it — we bring people in here to have conversations over coffee that would never come through the doors of the church,” said Cochran.

Cochran said the staff at Connection are church members and is entirely volunteer based. Their cafe is donations-based and uses the proceeds to enhance the coffee shop. Some of the revenue is used to support other ministries with the church, including sending youth students to summer camp.