Sometimes loving your neighbor begins with creating a place to sit down together.
On May 29, Renew Covenant Church in Carroll, Iowa celebrated the ribbon cutting for The West End, a coffee shop and gathering space born from a simple question: How might every square foot of our building serve our community?
When Renew purchased its building in downtown Carroll, church leaders could have filled an empty storefront with a traditional tenant. Instead, they began praying, listening, and dreaming about how the space might become a gift to their neighbors.
That discernment eventually led them to Edi Corado, founder of Bosque Alto Coffees.
As the conversations unfolded, Pastor Tim Hawkinson and church leaders realized they had discovered more than a business partner. They had found someone whose vision closely matched their own.
“As we learned about his passion for cultivating a sense of community and belonging for all of our neighbors through the art of coffee, we realized our visions were not only compatible but mutually beneficial,” Hawkinson said.
Corado’s story is one of persistence and passion. What began with roasting coffee at home and sharing samples wherever he could has grown into Bosque Alto Coffees, a specialty coffee company sourcing beans through family connections in Guatemala. Named for the “high forests” where the coffee is grown, Bosque Alto now serves customers far beyond Carroll while remaining committed to exceptional quality.
“We focus on the quality, not the quantity,” Corado said.
But for both Corado and Renew Covenant, the goal was never simply great coffee.
The West End was designed to be a place where people could linger. Families gather around board games. Friends meet for conversation. Remote workers settle in for the afternoon. Local vendors share their products. Neighbors who might never cross paths elsewhere find themselves sitting at nearby tables.
“Our highest goal is the community aspect,” Hawkinson said.
That vision is already taking root.
What makes The West End especially inspiring is that it was not built by one person’s dream alone. It emerged through years of prayer, discernment, generosity, and shared effort. Church members helped imagine the space, support the project, and trust God’s leading along the way.
The result is more than a coffee shop. It is a tangible expression of hospitality. A place where relationships can grow. A place where neighbors can belong.
As the Midwest Conference continues pursuing our vision of becoming Communities of Jesus – transformed, connected, and multiplying – The West End offers a beautiful reminder that sometimes mission begins with creating space. Space for conversation. Space for friendship. Space for community.
In Carroll, that space now has an address: 110 W. 6th St.
And every day, over coffee, conversation, and shared life, neighbors are discovering what can happen when a church opens its doors wide enough for a community to walk in.
Our Postcards from the Midwest Conference are short and encouraging looks at what God is doing in churches across the Midwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church – Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, western Missouri, Nebraska and Wyoming. We’re celebrating faithfulness, fresh vision, and the beauty of ministry in all shapes and sizes.
