Free Coffee Brings Blessings

(This article was written by Lisa Campos and was featured in the May 2025 issue of Explore Harlingen Magazine .) While drinking complimentary iced chai tea lattes, Pastor Kevin Ortiz sat down with me in the spacious lobby of Faith Pleases God (FPG) Church to discuss the origins of Missions Coffee House. “Before Covid, God gave me a vision about renovating the church. We didn’t know what it was going to look like. This was an old building that needed a lot of repairs. God showed me a bucket and it was full. And He showed me pouring it out. And then when I poured it out, He filled it back up. God told me, ‘Every time you pour it out, I’m going to fill it back up,’” Pastor Kevin began. This concept of unlimited resources manifested itself in the church’s renovation projects. The old building had so many needs such as air conditioning, a new roof, and much more. There didn’t seem to be enough money to cover everything that needed to be done. But with an initial $10,000 investment, FPG built a fence around the church property. After the fence was built, another $10,000 appeared so they could continue repairs. Just a few years later they spent nearly $1.5 million on renovations, all from donations received. Photo courtesy of Lisa Campos “The water baptism outside the front of the church represents overflow and it represents the bucket that always gets filled,” Pastor Kevin remarked, paying homage to the vision God gave him. Understanding that coffee had become a luxury item that not everyone could afford, Pastor Kevin decided to construct a coffee shop during Covid. He wanted coffee to be accessible to all and so he decided to provide free coffee, free Wi-Fi, and meeting space at Missions Coffee House. “It’s answering a need for the community,” Pastor Kevin explained. Photo courtesy of Lisa Campos Missions Coffee House patrons have the option to leave a donation but are not required to, no matter what size of the order placed. Their menu includes hot or iced coffee and tea, along with multiple flavors and milk options. The coffee shop is open Mondays through Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 am to 5 pm, and Sundays, 7:30 am to 1:30 pm (they are closed on Thursdays and Saturdays). Photo courtesy of Lisa Campos So, what do they do with the donations from Missions Coffee House? Donations enable FPG to do outreach globally as well as locally. Pastor Kevin, along with his wife, Pastor Veronica, performs missions around the world in countries such as South America, Africa, and Europe. Back in Harlingen, FPG helps the local community by distributing food every other Friday, hosting a large back-to-school carnival with free haircuts and backpacks, providing a community garden, and holding other special events and giveaways as needed. Photo courtesy of Lisa Campos Last year, Pastor Kevin took his ministry one step further by launching an international mobile app called Jesus Pod. This ad-free app serves as a hub for all things religion: videos, books, radio stations, podcasts, and more from all around the world. Dubbed by Pastor Kevin as “the Christian Spotify,” users can filter the app by country to unlock access to countless Christian content in their native language. The free Jesus Pod app is available on iOS and Android. It’s another example of how Pastor Kevin reaches people from all walks of life in a creative and meaningful way. Therefore, the next time you leave a donation for an Americano or iced Frappuccino at Missions Coffee House, you can sip your coffee confidently, knowing you are helping FPG with important missions not just in Harlingen, but around the globe. To learn more about FPG ministries and events, go to https://fpgchurch.com/ .