Parishioner starts saint-based coffee company during pandemic

EDMOND – Caden Bennett, founder of Religious Roast Coffee and Fully Alive Ministries, capitalized on the morning ritual of coffee and faith by combining the two. He said the idea for the bag designs of Religious Roast came from prayer and from the desire to become prayer.  

“I personally began doing a morning offering each morning to have the first thing I do be prayer, and with that came a desire to share that joy with others,” Bennett said.

“I was led to the idea of putting the saints on bags with a prayer since typically the first thing many people do in the morning before they can do anything productive is simply make a cup of coffee. With that in mind, there came the idea to combine the two: while the cup of coffee brews in the morning, we all can take a moment to say the prayer on each bag and become closer with that saint.”

Religious Roast Coffee Company was started in June 2020. He decided to use the time during the COVID pandemic shutdown to spend more time praying. From that time, he was inspired with the idea of Religious Roast. Fully Alive Ministries began shortly after in November.

Bennett, a parishioner of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, explained the idea of Fully Alive Ministries first came to be during one of his classes when the discussion was on how a missionary has to become one with who they evangelize. He said he saw a problem in the culture today where it seems people have great Catholic speakers and video content, but without a relationship with those hearing the message, there can be a disconnect, and most of the time there is little growth from the seed that is planted.

“While I was discussing with a friend how to change culture. We decided to research to see if anyone was solving this problem, and if not, perhaps we could do something to help. Fully Alive really took off after an evening in a chapel on the campus of Benedictine College. I sat there asking God if we should pursue this, and continually I heard ‘yes,’ but I consistently kept asking again and again if we should until, finally, I was led to a verse in the Gospel of Mark that simply said, ‘do you still not understand.’ I chuckled to myself and casted out any fears or doubts and have not looked back.” 

Relying on the model Jesus created for missionaries, Bennett explains the goal is help everyone become a missionary and help them to realize that they are a missionary every day, whether they are at work, home or school. That is why their missionaries are prepared for parish, young adult and youth ministry. They also are trained for mission trips, outreach events, the liturgy and so much more.

“In other ministries, you may find a leadership seminar for how to lead a small group or what five-step plan to follow to encounter those around you. We understand that you cannot encounter on a five-step plan or a leadership seminar, but on relational ministry on a tailoring the Gospel message to whoever is in front of you and truly become one with them.

We also are not limited in what we offer, in other ministries you may find a model of only small groups, bible studies and so on. In our goal to create missionaries, we encourage them to find a way to live out mission that is specific to them and their gifts, not the other way around. On the topic of not being virtual, today too many ministries are doing only virtual ministry. While this has great potential for reaching others, what we all really need is a human connection and we all can agree that any communication we have online is never comparable to that of face-to-face.”

Being the founder of two ministries does not come easy, and Bennett expressed the biggest obstacle in starting these two ministries has been his age. He faced this challenge head-on, with his Faith leading his way.

The two ministries lean on each in a fun and unique way. Religious Roast Coffee and Fully Alive partner in a way that all profit for Religious is donated to Fully Alive to support the missionaries. Not only are customers able to enjoy a great cup of coffee and grow in prayer, but also, they are able to support missionaries who are out there creating Saints.

Bennett’s day is filled with overseeing both ministries, but he stays organized and focused, with help from above.

“I found that when you start in prayer, everything else seems to fit into place and God helps you find time for each moment,” he said.

“It is a gift to serve and to see others encounter God and grow in their love and relationship with him.”

Bennett shared his vision of where he sees both Fully Alive Ministries and Religious Roast in five years, which includes his new project for the missionaries, and a place where people can enjoy the flavors of Religious Roast Coffees.

“Religious Roast is expanding with the goal to open up an in-person coffee shop with rooms available for prayer, Bible studies and small groups, plenty of Catholic books to rent or buy, and loads of material to pray with. The next few years are going to be great and we are excited for all the people that will join us in the process and for all those we will encounter.”

They have missionaries who are recent college graduates and some in their mid40s, and all ages in between, plenty of married missionaries and Fully Alive also has family missionaries where they send out entire families to encounter and change culture together.  Religious Roast Coffee can be ordered online at religiousroastcoffee.com.

Jolene Schonchin is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.