The Love Gang :: millennialentrepreneurs.com

Jamie Zumwalt grew up as a Pastor’s kid and at a young age discovered her heart for missions. After marrying her husband John they served as missionaries in Taiwan for several years before they founded a training and sending organization for missionaries. Called back to the states and with a heart for the Oklahoma City “red light” district they decided to open up a coffee shop called Joe’s Addiction exactly in that region of the city. This new entrepreneurial venture has sparked hope and the love of Jesus in this lost and dark community.

They have since created a family of support and love with the members of the community at Joe’s Addiction. I was able to experience it this past May as my sisters and I rode-tripped out west and decided to stop there. What we found was incredible. We visited on a Sunday morning walking in unawares to the fact they hold a church service every Sunday in the coffee shop. They had a worship team praising Jesus as the congregation compiled of homeless people, prostitutes, low income families and other random people or visitors milled about chatting and enjoying coffee and baked goods. My sisters and I bought some coffee and sat down on a couple of empty seats in the back and just observed this strange but lovely place we were in. What we experienced was wonderful. A man named Paul introduced himself to us and told us a bit of his story. He labelled himself as “the prayer leader” for this church. He had been in and out of homelessness and became involved with this community at Joe’s, and because of the family he found there he didn’t go through with killing himself as he was planning on doing. His life had been changed by the faithful obedience of Jamie and John. So now he faithfully prays for the members of their community and the people just passing through. As the service started Jamie shared her appreciation for the “Love Gang” – those who had gone to get a tatoo of a heart on their face instead of a teardrop or something of the sort that other gangs get done. The mission of the Love Gang is to share and be proud of the love of Jesus that is changing their lives. That tatoo is supposed to remind them of their identity in Christ and their mission to love others as the result. Jamie opened up the floor for the congregation to share their “prouds” and “sorrys”. This is an opportunity for them to share of the good things they had done or someone else had done for them and then maybe something that they were sorry for and needed to seek forgiveness for. What a beautiful way to share community.

I have truly never been a part of a church like this before. The fact that on the outside I looked different than a lot of them but on the inside I looked the exact same, I felt at home with this bunch of “outcasts” or “least of these”. I had found the family of God in this little coffee shop in the poorest area of OKC. It is because of entrepreneurs like Jamie and John who forsake the “American dream” to save the lost that make a difference in the world. Not only in the lives of the many people who have found this little community and joined the Love Gang, but mine as well.

Find out more about Jamie and John Zumwalt or Joe’s Addiction here. 🙂

Comments

demeom20 says:

October 15, 2018 at 2:12 pm

I have recently dealt with a friend that was dealing with suicidal thoughts so this story really resonated. I love the business and the heart for service and the lord behind it. The woman really seems like she cares and that she has trusted God with her idea. The name is interesting but memorable so i like it. Great story. I really enjoyed reading it!

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