WHY A NON PROFIT CAFE?

Slavery still exists.

There are currently more victims of slavery than has ever been during any other time in history.
 

At a Catalyst Conference in 2011, God delivered that message straight to the heart of Barbara Mizell during a message from Christine Caine. Barbara came back home with a passion to do something to broaden awareness and to help end human trafficking. Fighting this fight has been a challenge to the hearts of leaders at Open Door Church in Edenton, NC ever since. As a result, we began connecting with and supporting organizations who were already on the frontline of the fight. However, that didn’t seem to be enough. We wanted to do more and began to explore ways to help raise even more funds to support the fight against human trafficking.

Stephen and Rachel Gunther, from Gunther Law in Hertford, shared with us that a church-run café had once played a significant role in their lives, and they wanted to see our church provide that same type of environment. So as if by design, the two seemingly independent projects provided the framework for what is now Brew 2 Rescue Cafe. The Gunthers own the building where the cafe operates and offered to allow the church to use the building rent free if we would give the profits to organizations who were fighting human trafficking.

The genesis of the idea developed in December 2012 and so the process was started. Much of the labor and upfitting of the building was donated by people who believe in the cause. When the café opened, it provided employment for five unemployed people; so from the start it has been a benefit to our community.

To support the mission of Brew 2 Rescue Cafe, RESTORE HOPE was started as a ministry of Open Door Church, led by Barbara Mizell with the help of Sonia Rivenbark, to raise awareness, raise funds and rescue and restore those imprisoned by human trafficking in hopes of one day abolishing modern day slavery. In addition to faithfully serving at the cafe, Barbara enjoys sharing her passion for this fight by speaking to groups and civic organizations concerning the truths and shocking facts of this horrible epidemic.
 

HOW DOES HUMAN TRAFFICKING HAPPEN?
 

Many Americans are aware of how much the scourge of human trafficking has spread around the globe, but not how prevalent it is in our own country and state. Traffickers use various techniques to keep victims enslaved. Some traffickers keep their victims under lock and key. However, the more frequent practice is to use less obvious techniques including:

• Debt bondage — financial obligations, honor-bound to satisfy debt

• Isolation from the public — limiting contact with outsiders and making sure that any contact is monitored or superficial in nature

• Isolation from family members and members of their ethnic and religious community

• Confiscation of passports, visas and/or identification documents

• Use or threat of violence towards victims and/or families of victims

• The threat of shaming victims by exposing circumstances to family

• Telling victims they will be imprisoned or deported for immigration violations if they contact authorities

• Control of the victims’ money, e.g., holding their money for “safe-keeping”

The result of such techniques is to instill fear in victims. The victim’s isolation is further exacerbated because many do not speak English and are from countries where law enforcement is corrupt and feared.

OUR PARTNER

NEW HOPE EURASIA | MOLDOVA

We currently donate funds raised by the cafe (in profits as well as donations) to New Hope Eurasia. This ministry has its roots in 40 years of work in Eastern European countries. This organization started due to efforts of the former team of the Eastern European Bible Mission responsible for smuggling Bibles into the former USSR and supporting persecuted churches. With the fall of the USSR, the economy of the region was totally destroyed which is when some people realized that selling other people can profit them directly. The global evil of human trafficking found a fertile soil in Eurasia among sex traffickers and exploiters of kids bodies who harvest their vital organs. New Hope Eurasia is intentionally working to increase awareness and to promote prevention and restoration of victims.