Beyond The Plate – A Podcast by Food For The Poor
Food isn't just delicious... it can also change your life! Tune into Beyond the Plate, a new podcast presented by International Charity: Food For The Poor. Get inspired with conversations that nourish the soul. Hear amazing stories of transformation from faith influencers, leaders in the nonprofit sector, and the individuals receiving aid in the 15 countries of Latin America that Food For The Poor serves.
Beyond The Plate – A Podcast by Food For The Poor
Ep.13 - Building Bridges Through Community, Compassion and Coffee
What if the warmth of a coffee cup could unite a community and inspire compassion? Join us for an engaging conversation with Pastor Steven Snook, who shares his extraordinary journey of building connections through his innovative "pay-what-you-want" coffeehouse concept. Discover how this approach not only fosters inclusivity but also transforms the Metro Cafe into a vibrant community hub, transcending cultural and economic barriers. Pastor Steven's story is a testament to the profound impact of community engagement through coffee bridges divides and nurtures the soul.
Travel back to the mid-80s with us as we explore the vision of coffeehouses as welcoming spaces for diverse communities, long before Starbucks became a household name. Learn about the very beginning of the vision with Metro Rags and Java in 1995, a pioneering endeavor supported by Metro Church to bring people together in Los Angeles. We delve into how this coffeehouse, coupled with high-end vintage fashion, became a symbol of hope and unity in a city marked by disparity. The narrative unfolds with tales of collaboration and partnership, highlighting how inclusivity can transform a simple cafe into a beacon of faith-driven service.
From the heart of civil unrest to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Pastor Steven and his community of believers & baristas exemplify resilience and selflessness. Their unwavering commitment to service is brought to life through stories of distributing essentials amidst chaos and extending a welcoming hand to those in need. As we look toward the future, we reflect on the power of humility and faith in driving meaningful change, leaving us inspired by the miracles of community impact and the promise of a brighter tomorrow through unity and collaboration.
Beyond The Plate is a podcast by international charity, Food For The Poor
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In the midst of a riot, in the middle of that community during COVID, and you were able to take 5,000 bottles of water and something really significant happened. I want you to share that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you start giving bottles of water one at a time, or, for us, tens of thousands of cups of coffee, we realize that's going into the hands of real people. So on the day that we had a riot in Santa Monica and there was a lot that was going on nationally but it was pretty crazy and there was some looting going on and handing it to people as they were going by, and he's like what are you guys doing? And we told him a little about what we do and who we are. And so he pulls out his phone and he takes a picture of Metropolis that was right there and he says, hey, this is a church. They've just been feeding the community, don't touch them.
Speaker 1:We're all inspired by our human connection that arises when we share food with others. So what's on your heart becomes a hub for truly heartfelt conversation.
Speaker 3:Tertulia, as they say in Spanish, fostering genuine bonds between individuals, creating that sense of community and connection.
Speaker 1:I'm Paul Jacobs, your podcast co-host, ready to inspire you by conversations that nourish the soul as we go Beyond the Plate.
Speaker 3:I'm Daniel Patino, welcoming you to join us for some truly inspiring tertulia. Get ready to satisfy that craving for connection and inspiration as we dive into topics that aren't only broaden your perspective but also deepen your understanding of lives of families in Latin America, the Caribbean or even in your own backyard. So, wherever our conversations take us, come along for the ride and let's go beyond the plate together. All right, I got three coffee cups sitting on a table right here, Paul, All right?
Speaker 1:Well, not literally right here, but I can see it.
Speaker 3:Let's go to imaginary land and imaginary land.
Speaker 2:I got to tell my daughter.
Speaker 3:imaginary land. Imaginary land there is a coffee table. There is a coffee tables with three coffee cups. I see it All right. The first coffee cup has Cafe Cubano. Ooh, now we're at Coconut Creek. Excuse me, our Coconut Creek Florida studios. Our studios are in Coconut Creek Florida, right. So Coffee Cub Excuse me, our Coconut Creek Florida studios, our studios are in Coconut Creek Florida, right. So coffee Cuano is a major thing around here.
Speaker 1:It's a stone's throw from Miami.
Speaker 3:There's one down right here by the block, and I passed three of them on the way home and another one right before I turned into the house, uh-huh.
Speaker 2:All right, so that's one coffee cup.
Speaker 1:The other coffee cup has espresso oh of course, we all know the espresso right, true, yeah.
Speaker 3:And the third coffee cup. There has Kopi Luek coffee Wait freeze.
Speaker 1:Slow down.
Speaker 3:No, because I need you to say that in.
Speaker 1:English please. I didn't understand. What language are you talking?
Speaker 3:It's foreign Kopi Luek coffee. Okay, all right, all right. This is an expensive bean now. Expensive bean now. It's sold on your favorite online store for more, almost at $200. If it's on sale, it's for $400.
Speaker 1:What? Yes, no, I asked for a coffee, not a bar of gold.
Speaker 3:Well, this coffee is specially made, evidently Because it comes from the digestive tract of an animal, what? And then they cure it, and then they sell it what? And then?
Speaker 1:they cure it and then they sell it. What are you freaking?
Speaker 3:us. So if Pastor Stevensook were to go for one of these three coffees, which one would it be?
Speaker 2:Well, I haven't tried the third, so I would like to. And if you guys are buying, everything is good.
Speaker 3:All right then Coffee Cubano it is there, it is there, it is.
Speaker 1:Well, first of all, words can't describe enough our guest. You could probably use the words innovative or trendsetting, which are all true, but the one that keeps coming to my mind, as we got to know, our guest is committed Pastor of Metro Church, chaplain in the Santa Monica, california area. A father, a husband, a pastor, as I said, but whether it's serving coffee to busy celebrities in SoCal or executives in what I learned, a new term I learned we're going to talk about this later Silicon Beach. You've heard of Silicon Valley, but this is Silicon Beach.
Speaker 1:I'll get there in a second or leading prayer to unify a very diverse community. Pastor Stephen Snook, we are grateful that you are here and added to your resume podcast guest Welcome. I'm very, very grateful to be with you guys yeah, we're great, great to have you here on beyond the plate. This is interesting because we have um. First of all, I gotta kind of like take us back to go to the future, right like that back to the future reference.
Speaker 3:See what you did there.
Speaker 1:He likes back to the future. Um, this all actually started in a very interesting way. So we here at food for the poor have what we call the Church Alliances Department, the Great Commission, it's churches and pastors and our ministry working alongside industry to really connect businesses and connect churches to the mission of Food for the Poor in the gospel. And so they have these, our speakers who go through a convocation. A number of those speakers came through for a big tour in the office after they came back from convocation and what I thought was really cool was all of them were talking to us, you know, asking about Beyond the Plate and asking about the podcast. They said unanimously, they all said you've got to meet this pastor that had this coffee house where, if you, whatever you wanted to pay for your coffee, that's what you paid. I was like what? This is Whatever you wanted to pay, whatever you wanted to pay.
Speaker 3:Whatever you wanted to pay.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay Right, but they all, unanimously, were like clamoring about how cool this concept was. They were just blown away, of course. They said you've got to talk to this pastor. So, of course, immediately I go, I say goodbye to the guests and I start emailing. Okay, who is this pastor? And I get to meet our guest, pastor Steve Snook. What I love about your story and I'm going to ask you to tell it because you can only tell it best is that it really began as, I guess, a vision that God gave you back in the mid-80s, to evangelize, but using the instrument of coffee. Want to tell us about the dream of community that came through coffee?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I was a young guy that was going into finance. I thought I was going to be a financial planner and I had this encounter with God. I could just say that. But in that was this calling that I realized it was on my life that I did not want to accept that would send me to Los Angeles. But if you go back to mid 80s, I'm in Los Angeles, beginning to understand a little bit of what it would look like to do a new thing for God, and I'm like downtown Los Angeles, I'm looking west, which means you're looking at Santa Monica, you're looking at Pacific Palisades, malibu, you're looking at Venice Beach and Marina del Rey, and then there's a lot of other cities between downtown LA and that and that would be the west side of Los Angeles.
Speaker 2:So in that and I wasn't a dream or vision guy really, but I had these dreams and I had these visions and what was interesting is there were like the little fires that were in different places throughout that part of the city, but one thing that stood out to me was coffee houses and I thought coffee houses, but it was a place of community where everyone could come together. It wasn't like it was the church as we know as a church buildings, it was coffee houses. Now again, remember, there's no Starbucks then. So the idea of coffee houses in different areas and it was almost like they were strategic, based on different kinds of communities, and I could see actually into them and some of what the music sounded like or the conversations, and so with that there was much more to this because it was a picture of what I think maybe the church is supposed to be. But I was a little of what I think maybe the church is supposed to be.
Speaker 2:But I was a little bit caught up in thinking that this is my vision that God is giving me and we're going to go in and reach this area. But beginning to understand over the years, this is a much bigger picture. But coffee houses really were core to that and sometimes you get a vision, you have a dream, but if you don't walk it out it's just, it's just a dream. But for us to walk it out. So our first coffee house was 1995 and went into a neighborhood. Again, this isn't like in a church building, it's in a neighborhood where people are, it's close to multiple schools, a college, a middle school, even elementary school in neighborhoods. But over the years, we've learned a lot about our community and we've learned a lot about how to reach them, with the catalyst being coffee.
Speaker 3:Did you try anything else? Is there another concept that came to mind before the coffee house? Like whoa, let's try to open an ice cream parlor.
Speaker 1:Or let's go for a barbershop, or let's go for a restauranthop, or let's go for a restaurant.
Speaker 3:Good question Do you think it would have had the same impact as a coffee house?
Speaker 2:No, because what happens with restaurants? You're going for a specific group of people many times that like that kind of food or can afford that kind of food. So Santa Monica, we've one of the wealthiest communities in this country. You got a real high end restaurants. But it's interesting because in a coffee shop, if you're serving really good coffee, everybody is going to come, because we live in a very diverse area.
Speaker 2:They say LA is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in history, maybe the most. So that's true with the West side. So you've got people and you probably are familiar. The LA is kind of like the homeless capital of the country now, and Santa Monica is like the and Venice beach are homeless beaches. In the middle of all this great wealth You've got, you've got people that are struggling. We found out there were seniors who are in need, all these people, and so a coffee shop, the average person can usually pull off a coffee even if they can't buy anything else, and they get to be around other people and we realized that was the greatest place of diversity that we saw in the city, to be honest with you, and we started seeing what it was like in different locations.
Speaker 1:So first of all, 1995, first coffee house. I understand Metro Rags and Java. Yeah, what a cool name. I want to get to the other stuff, but I got to know where did this name come from? Like Starbucks, but Metro Rags and Java, where did that come from?
Speaker 2:So our church is called Metro Church and a lot of what we have has Metro in it because we see that we understand what goes on in a creative community in an urban setting and that's kind of our thing. So the idea of Java obviously we're talking about coffee, but Rags in that first coffee shop my wife started up my wife is in the fashion industry and it was like a high end vintage area we had in the coffee shop. We were way ahead of the game with with denim that was going over. People were coming to get denim from japan and and so there was innovation has been a part of what we've done because we were willing to try by working with the gifts that people were that were passionate about and say let's do it. So those were the rags and this is java, but also it kind of reminds people that we're just it's not about us.
Speaker 1:So Metro Rags in Java, metro Church expanded into Metro Cafe and then Metro Collab and Metro Cares. We'll talk a little bit about that, but I wanted to start by just quoting something that I read in one of the articles about your endeavors. It said Snook a pastor and the cafe is a pastor and the cafe is a part of his church. And this is your quote. We want to run a good business, but we don't just make it about the bottom line, it's about community and collaboration. Amen. And so we have our cruise principles here at Food for the Poor, our guiding principles, and the first C is collaboration. You've got community and collaboration. What was that all about? Because it sounds a lot more than just serving coffee in the very wealthy vintage area of Santa Monica and the beach at the idea of collaboration, and I'm just going to make it kind of spiritual here.
Speaker 2:Since I've been very young, I would read about the body of Christ, where Christ is the head and we are all different parts of it, and if we're working together, he's glorified and we're getting his work done. We're walking out the mission. So what it means that we've got to collaborate. It means that we've got to be committed to investing in one another and allowing other people to use their gifts. So when you bring people in a place of community and you meet them where they are and you treat them the same, without partiality, and you acknowledge their gifts and their identity and them as a person, and that we need you but we need to work together.
Speaker 2:I honestly believe that Christianity is probably well, I would say is the most divided of all religions in the world. There's 33,000 different denominations or something. So the idea of working together. And so for us going into a community and saying, if we're, if together, we're putting Jesus on display, what do they see now? What do they see in me? I want to be a good representative, but what do they see in the body when it's be a good representative, but what do they see in the body when it's working together?
Speaker 2:And I'm not talking about just one congregation, I'm talking about the body of christ working together and representing christ well, but that would mean we'd have to have some core principles that we are going to live by all these years. So we've been committed to collaboration since the beginning. We've been committed to collaboration since the beginning. We've been committed to building community from the beginning. We just have learned, we got to do it in different ways and we've got to be unafraid of being a catalyst for that unity. So community, common unity. I mean it's pretty simple, but that's been really hard to walk out, but it's something for the last, well, 35 years we've been committed to right here.
Speaker 3:And that's a business model that I wish everybody had, because I've been to places where it's money or nothing. You know we're looking for cash. You know we're not going to give you any discounts or we're sorry, we don't accept coupons like that or anything like this is the total opposite, where you don't have to worry about stuff like that and you can still feel included. Yeah, it's the community part of it and, funny enough, coffee in a Latin culture is a thing of that sort. Where I've been in places where I am a, I feel as I am outside the circle, I'm not part of the friendship, but as soon as they bring coffee into the room, I get a coffee cup and then I'm included. It happens a lot.
Speaker 3:The cafe Cubano, the cafe Cubano they serve it in this little shot cup looking. You know cups and you know if little shot cup looking cups and if you're a mutant, you can eat the whole thing. You can eat this whole thing and I mean you'd be awake for three days, but usually those are meant to share and when that little coffee cup comes around and you get one, I think it's more than just a here have a shot of coffee cup? No, no, it's. I accept you as a friend. I know what you need.
Speaker 2:Here you go and I can tell you guys. Let me just tell you real quick how it came about, honestly. So we opened the coffee shop and we got prices okay, and they're a little less than the other artistic artisan coffee shops, craft coffee but are neighbors. We have a 13 story senior building next door and they said we love the coffee shop, we love being in the outdoor area under the shade in the trees and just being there, we love being around, but we just can't afford three bucks for a cup of coffee, and that's 2016. Okay, so we're like oh, could? I said one day. I said could you afford a buck? And they said yeah.
Speaker 2:So then we started thinking OK, what are we going to do for the seniors? But then we had homeless people coming in. We had other, we have students coming in because we were surrounded with colleges all around us and the different universities, and so we're like what if? And so it became a point of prayer and we said, well, let's just try it. But it was a step of faith because we realized if we're really committed and it's not about the bottom line, then we're going to make it about people, and if we're going to make it about people, then we're going to make it accessible to everyone, and we trusted the people that had more would give more, and that's exactly what happened.
Speaker 3:But, pastor, you need to keep the lights on right, you need to keep the air conditioning flowing. We need to pay the help. Where does that line stop? I mean, let me get the large cup of coffee with sugar, all that and all that more, and I'm going to give you a dollar. There's got to be a line. Was there a certain menu for that? Or everything was on the menu for whatever you wanted to pay?
Speaker 2:Whatever you want to pay. But there is a point that there's some things that we had to say listen, could you at least help us cover the cost when we could just have an honest talk. So when people would come in, they would walk up and they would they'd say the barista would say have you been here before? And they said no, and then they would give them a little spiel. And so when they would do that, they're like are you kidding me? And so when they said, but what's the story?
Speaker 2:So that became the point, we realized that we got to tell the story of what we were doing with what they gave, Because we are doing these programs for the community, we're doing these things for seniors, we're doing these community lunches, we're doing all these other things. So those people that might come in, many times we didn't know who they were until all of a sudden, you know, the $100 for that cup of coffee comes out. And that's what got a lot of attention. That got us a lot of media attention because people started hearing about it and it was not just national, it went international. And so you're just like, we're just doing what we believe God told us to do and he blessed it and yes, there were times that was difficult, but you get through it.
Speaker 1:Okay. So before I kick it to Dannyy, because I wanted to ask you about that person who can afford to give that hundred dollars and I alluded to it earlier, you're located on silicon beach. We're all familiar with silicon valley, we know this is where all the, all the innovation and business and all the the big names and we order boxes that come to our doorstep. You know, and we get all that. But this is silicon beach, silicon Beach, and you are, just like you said, just a stone's throw away from Hollywood and a stone's throw away from the most cosmopolitan city in America, almost so who were these individuals coming in and why is this Silicon Beach so important? Who were those people that could just plunk down $100? Because all I've heard about was students, homeless, elderly. There's somebody missing there.
Speaker 2:So Santa Monica has a neighborhood that is the third richest zip code in America. So these are entertainment people. These are actors, these are directors, these are the producers. Their are actors, these are directors. These are the producers. Their offices are right across the street. The guys who are next door to us do some of the best editing there is in the world. It was guys that. It was weed distribution company that comes and these guys started working there all the time. I mean, and they, they believed a little different, but you, we started having meetings with the, with different people coming in saying, listen, could we rent this? Could we rent your courtyard? So we started finding out more and more.
Speaker 2:So Santa Monica is a small city relative. I mean, like 98,000 people and maybe 150,000 come into work. But Netflix is here, hulu is here I'm just perspective. Universal records is here All the record companies. This is where they make the decisions. Google was across the street. It now is in Venice where they're creatives. Ziprecruiter is across the street. So, yes, it would be CEOs coming to have meetings. Because they said they, we liked the vibe.
Speaker 2:We had people that were coming to have their meetings to talk about the next movie they're making. We had upstairs one day. They were doing reading for a script for an upcoming movie and everyone was so into what they started asking me all these questions. The people are up there, which we kind of got them up through the back way. They were just in the parking lot but they said we just want to go down and have coffee and all of a sudden, you know you've got 100 people that are downstairs, that are inside and outside, like what is going on here, when all of a sudden, a dozen of these well-recognized people I'll just say are getting coffee and asking more questions. I mean we've had a lot of them. I mean, and there's one of the top quarterbacks there is in this country. He's there with his fiance at that point, who's an actress that everybody knows.
Speaker 2:But they said how could we get involved in volunteering here? That's great, they want to know more. And so when they drop and there's a lot of gifts that have come, but see, we had to look as a business. At the end of the month you've got to say, okay, how much is coming in and how much is going out and how much reserves, and you really had to work through that. Now that meant for me personally, I'm going to have to sacrifice. I'm going to have to live off of savings during some time, because if you're going to take the lead, but see, the same thing is true for someone who's a startup in Silicon Beach, santa Monica. Before they start getting those second, third rounds of funding in, there's sacrifice, there's a lot of hours, and I'm not the young guy that I was. I'm the older guy, but I'm still willing to lay it down for the things I'm passionate about and the things I think that God is passionate about.
Speaker 3:How many times I'm sorry. Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. Finish.
Speaker 2:You better stop me. No, sorry, go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 3:Go ahead, finish. No, I'm saying, is you better stop me? No, it's great, and I'm trying to put myself in your mind where. How many times did you think of shutting it down before you said you know, let's just keep it going and I know God is going to help me on this next month or this next week or tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we weren't thinking about shutting it down at any time. I mean, even through COVID. We're like we're going to get through this because you mean, see, west Los Angeles, everything is going to be at a higher level when it comes to wearing mask and and and some of the rules and regulations of the city. So I mean we're going to be shut down, just like everything else is. Any public gathering is being shut down. So there was no, they're not pointing out again, they're not going against churches or other religions or whatever it is, they're just like there's no public gatherings. And we realized, okay, so that's going to affect us. But we did not have to stop serving the community. We were one of the few non-profits that never stopped doing food pantry, community lunches and we had like 225 different volunteers and their community members not just people that like a part of our congregation or something, 225 different ones over during COVID and no one ever got COVID and Because if we had, we have to shut it down for two weeks at least. No one ever got sick and we kept serving. But the stories, I mean we were given 5,000 bottles of water and we're like what are we going to do with that? But we realized that was pre-COVID and all of a sudden, here we go and it was you know, 10,000 pairs of socks. And we realized okay, and we just kept. People just kept giving. So we were partnering with different organizations, so what we're doing was having a cool coffee house.
Speaker 2:But, like I mentioned to you guys, we had talked about one of the guys that is a writer, uh, and he had just it was finishing a book and he told me he says it ends at Well, I got to go to his book signing last week, but his experience was like as someone raised as an Orthodox Jew who is anti-religion in any form and Shalom is a good friend of mine, so I can say it but he said I think I'm agnostic now, so I'm grateful for him and I'm he's, shalom is a good friend of mine, so I can say it. But he said I think I'm agnostic now, so I'm grateful for that. But he writes a lot at the end of the book about his experience and our relationship. But his experience was what you guys were just asking the questions about. So there are all kinds of people.
Speaker 2:The guy that wrote the article that got all the attention, media attention was a writer for the Guardian, an English newspaper, but he was not just a regular. He actually was part of our co-lab, our co-working space, and then he ended up writing this. And then it went crazy with people who wanted to find out more about what we're doing.
Speaker 3:Pastor, even though many of your volunteers, as you just mentioned, weren't Christian, you saw people come to faith through your work. How did that blend of service and prayer shape the experience for everyone?
Speaker 2:That's one of the most exciting things. My kids during this time I've got three kids and during this time they said I think the kind of outright reach we've experienced now has been like nothing else in our lives, because it's so much like what Jesus did. It wasn't like here's the building, everybody come here and then we're going to try to win you over with some of our music and a message or whatever. We're going to go to where the people are, which has been what Metro Church has since like 2010. We made some radical changes and that this is part of it is we've got to be in the neighborhood, but we started experiencing something that the people were coming to serve with us began to find out what's behind it. They began to see the love.
Speaker 2:And if you ever read, if you read what Yelp or the Google reviews which is what CNN when they picked up on it that's what they wanted to talk about in these interviews is that these Yelp reviews can't be true. They talk about this vibe. They talk about us carrying peace, and it wasn't because we were all that special, they were just talking about the Holy Spirit. But when people see God at work, where James says don't just talk to me about faith. I want to see some deeds that come in with that.
Speaker 2:Paul in Colossians, he's laying some things out and he said listen, whatever you do, whatever you say, let it represent Christ.
Speaker 2:And so for us to be in a place to say, if we could do it as individuals in the workplace, we can do it in our sphere of influence, in our friend groups, we could do it in our family, we can do it in our neighborhood, but when we do it together in a community setting, with this diversity of every nation and every tongue and every social economic level, and we're all together and somehow we were able to hold it together and from this people came to faith.
Speaker 2:People started coming early to serve, to come to the services that we were doing right at the coffee shop, and they struggled with they're like that's too much music. And so we began to even shift some things to make it fit who they were. And people just kept coming earlier. And then they started asking for questions and people started asking for prayer. Our coffee house had people asking me for prayer all the time, and they're new agers, they're all over the place, but when they are experiencing God, they and that wasn't me, it was all of us, it was. I just saw myself surrounded with this amazing people that just served the community well and represented Christ well.
Speaker 1:So I hear all these miracles. I hear all these miracles in what you're talking about. You mentioned something earlier and I don't want to before we're getting close to wrapping up our time here and I don't want to miss this opportunity for you to tell this story. So one of the most famous scriptures in the Bible miracles, I should say in the Bible is Jesus fed the 5,000. You mentioned you got 5 000 bottles of water in the midst of a riot, in the middle of that community during covid, and you were able to take 5 000 bottles of water and something really significant happened I want you to share hispanic group.
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Speaker 2:When you start giving bottles of water, one at a time, or, for us, tens of thousands of cups of coffee, we realize that's going into the hands of real people and so how are we going to deliver it to them? So on the day that we had a riot in Santa Monica and there was a lot that was going on nationally but it was pretty crazy and there was some looting going on. It was two blocks away and we just finished a community lunch but we closed the doors because windows are being broken all over. But we realized that we're different and so we need to do something. And we had all this water back there and a lot of it was on ice for the day. So we just started bringing it out and handing it to people as they were going by. And again they're walking back with all the things they've just taken from stores and stuff.
Speaker 2:But it's pretty crazy. The cars are coming by and we're going hey, you want some water, you want some water. Well, at one point this guy comes by and I can just say he's a veteran and is kind of gangster. I guess I would just say Veteran gangster.
Speaker 2:OG.
Speaker 3:Thank you for your service.
Speaker 2:So he's one of the older guys and he comes by and he's like what are you guys doing? And we told him a little about what we do and who we are. And so he pulls out his phone and he takes a picture of Metropolis that was right there, which is what the name is on the outside of Metropolis, and he says, hey, this is a church, they just been feeding the community, don't touch them. And then he puts this this gang sign. And it was. It was very interesting, but we weren't touched and we kept handing out water and that's just. That's just one of the stories.
Speaker 2:There's a lot of stories, but the truth is is that when you're making a difference, there's going to be opposition. But you just keep pressing in and you keep doing what you know you got to do. But there were some times we faced some opposition that would shut us down for a period of time. And I mean they're tearing down that building and they're putting a hotel there and we're in a season saying what does Metropolis 2.0 look like? What is Metro Church 3.0? And is it brick and mortar? Is it the next coffee house? And I'm running into people in the community Every day. I'm out in Santa Monica, I'm running into people and they're saying so, what's next? And these are people that we just described earlier, and so I'm very grateful to be in this place to experience God and say what's next.
Speaker 3:Pastor Steven. So, despite that shutdown, despite COVID and obviously we already know what happened after COVID, where everything just became everybody locked themselves at home, and we'll figure it out as we go Despite that shutdown you mentioned, you never ran out of food or supplies. You fed thousands with donations from places like Whole Foods and Google. How did these partnerships come together? What's it like to see this miracle of endless support?
Speaker 2:Well, the kind of support when people see that you're doing something and then they're saying is where is the funding? And we tell them you where, where is the funding? And we tell them, you know, it's just donations. And even being honest with them, a lot of people wanted to give to us. Even some of the entertainment companies wanted to give to us. But because we have a religious affiliation, they said you're doing great things, but we can't because of the public persona, we can't because of some things that are set in place. So we just realized we're going to say God, we just need enough for next week, and so we started praying in things different times.
Speaker 2:One of the things that's really cool is that there had been for many, many years of Thanksgiving outreach in the community and they said we aren't going to be able to do it during COVID.
Speaker 2:And we said, well, we will. And so we people started coming together, people bringing you know, literally bringing turkeys. The morning that we're going to do it, the big Catholic church in town said, hey, we have some stuff we want to bring it over to you. Someone else brought over and then the guy that I was talking about that wrote the book. He was there with his family that's where this book ends is he's serving Thanksgiving dinner with his family and saying what is this? And so for us to be able to say, watching those things come together, it's word of mouth, because if you're living it and you're not taking advantage of people and hopefully you're in a place of humility and you're not making it about yourself, and I can say you know, you come, look at, you know, you know who I am, and so for us I mean it was. There's a lot of pressure that comes with that, but I'm very grateful that we were putting, I think, christ on display better than we were trying to make ourselves look better.
Speaker 1:I'm just fascinated, as we get ready to wrap up, the scripture that really kind of touches my heart and I wanted to just illustrate because it's so perfect. It's Philippians 4, 7. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. None of this makes sense to businessmen, none of this makes sense to baristas. I mean honestly, truly, this was a vision for God, from God, for community, and he used an instrument that was committed, which is you in your hands. He used coffee, but since COVID, of course, the cafe has shut down. The vision for the community and for Christ has not stopped. I, just, as we kind of wrap up now, I want you to kind of tell us, I mean, listen, you know, we, we, we've been clamoring over the last 16, two weeks, 16 days, two weeks, whatever, however long it is about the Olympics. Every day is a new story about the Olympics. And now here you are. In just about four years, the Olympics are going to literally be 50 yards away from where you're sitting talking to us right now, outside his window, right there.
Speaker 3:He's going to open up the window.
Speaker 1:And he'll listen to Snoop Dogg on the street.
Speaker 3:A little Billie Eilish practicing her microphone, or right, some of the squash events going on.
Speaker 1:What's next? What are you gonna do? I mean, this is the world is coming to your backyard. Community is coming to your backyard in four years.
Speaker 2:Well, I think that this all is coming together for such a time as this. Wow. So there's been a plan in the city. There's been a plan in the city, has been a plan in. Santa Monica is literally in the beach, across from where I'm at, 12,000 seat temporary stadium for sand volleyball is going to be here. I mean, it's, it's and there's so much. La is ready for it.
Speaker 2:But see, los Angeles for decades has been a place where God has done some great things over the years, but it kind of just goes off somewhere else Azusa Street, the crew which is on the campuses, there's been all these amazing things that have happened, and so this is a time where we're saying is God, would you do something in your church as we unite around your mission? And I think what's next is that we are uniting in prayer, we are uniting people in serving the community and serving one another, and that means we just lay down some of those things that we got to let go of for the sake of something bigger. And I think that 2028 in LA is something for us to really look forward to, and I think there's going to be more of what we've experienced, and I believe that's why all these years, we've been a part of helping lay a foundation for something God could do that could have an effect on the whole world.
Speaker 3:You're roasting the beans for 2028. Right, you're roasting the beans for another Metro cafe. Wow.
Speaker 1:Wow Well, you're roasting the beans for another Metro Cafe. Wow Well, Pastor Steven Stuck, it's been an excellent opportunity to really just kind of dive in and talk deep about what was really a story about coffee. But it really wasn't a story about coffee. It was a much deeper conversation about community and Christ sending you. And he still got you there 35 plus years later and for the next 35 years, as long as God will have you still ministering right. I have to tell you how exciting it's been for us to have you on and sharing this story. We look forward to the next story. Danny and I are going to be there with bottles of water and coffee in four years for LA, we're going to be right there. Just save two seats for us on the beach. Okay, Okay, Okay, but we want. We want to just let you know that every episode of Beyond the Plate, we always end on a positive note.
Speaker 3:That was good. See, I'm going to stick low now that was really good.
Speaker 2:See oh Pastor.
Speaker 3:Steven liked it. Awesome. All right, we're almost going to take that show on the road.
Speaker 1:Almost Our positive note for our episode today comes from a quote from Anne Frank. How wonderful is it that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world? Yeah Amen, pastor Steven Snook, you didn't wait not one moment, and you're still continuing to improve the world. Yeah Amen, pastor Stephen Snook, you didn't wait Not one moment, and you're still continuing to improve the world, and we are grateful to have you as our guest here to tell this story and to tell so many more that are part of our community here at Beyond the Plate about what God has been doing for almost four decades out in SoCal.
Speaker 3:Thank you, pastor, gracias, hey, everyone, thanks for listening to Beyond the Plate. We love having you here. Keep up with us on Instagram and TikTok at beyondtheplatepodcast, and if you enjoy the show, don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and give our videos a like. Just search Food for the Poor Beyond the Plate.
Speaker 1:Your support means the world to us All.
Speaker 3:right, folks, we'll see you on the next Beyond the Plate episode. I'm waving.
