Flint Pastor Starts Neighborhood Coffee Shop – The Good News

His goal is to make a profit that he can reinvest in his hometown.

Pastor Martez S. Warren Sr., who grew up in Flint, is committed to making his hometown a better place. When he was young, he watched the city change and he, himself, changed with it. He turned to a life of crime by joining a gang and dealing drugs. In fact, as early as 11th grade, people were telling him that he'd end up dead or in prison.

So, in 1992, he decided to make a change. He became the pastor at Church Without Walls International, founded Five-Fold Outreach, and even started his own lawn care business.

Still, though, one of his dreams was to open a cafe. So, he opened the Chill Coffee Cafe at 3426 Beecher Road. It offers a large comfortable public space and even a private room for meetings. In the next couple of weeks, they will start serving food like paninis.

He used the Tim Horton's closing on Ballenger as an opportunity to slip in, and it seems to be working. Warren plans on using the money made from the coffee shop on local mentoring programs, basketball courts, playgrounds and more.