Many, many thanks to Sean the Blogonaut for the alert – here’s the scoop. Earlier on in this blog, I wrote of the Mercy Ministries and Gloria Jeans case, an entry called ‘A Coffee Shop in my Town‘.
The article is due to questions about the former editor of young women’s magazines (Marina Go, from Elle and Dolly), who is a franchisee in Bondi Junction. Story in The Daily Telegraph:
The frothy chain once supported pro-life group Mercy Ministries, which has direct links to Hillsong. Last year, Mercy Ministries was accused of abusing young women wanting help with mental illness and eating disorders.
The charity denied all claims.
…A spokesman for Gloria Jean’s said that the company has since severed all ties with Mercy Ministries.
“There is now the Gloria Jean’s International Foundation which is primarily focused on humanitarian and community programs,” she said. “The Foundation does not support Mercy Ministries.
The last major fundraising promotion with Mercy was in October, 2007.”
But don’t get TOO excited. In the UK, they are associated with CafeChurches… as The National Secular Society reports, “the programme for Café Church is quite similar to Alpha – low-key worship, the chance to build relationships and have discussion.”
Kristian Thorpe, CEO of Gloria Jean’s Coffees UK, describes the partnership with Cafechurch Network as “fitting with their ethos; ‘We love innovation and we value people. This whole project is thinking outside the box and believing in people. For that reason we have asked the Cafechurch Network to provide our stores with cafechurches.”
Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said: “As commercial operators, Costa and Gloria Jean’s can do whatever they want with their own premises. But as a consumer, I have a choice, too. Unlike with my tax contributions, I can decide whether my coffee budget will be used to finance religion. From now on I will be patronising Starbucks, and I will write to Costa to let them know of my decision.”
![[Valid RSS]](http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/9879/validrsscf0.png "Validate my RSS feed")
{ 6 comments }
The “Gloria Jean’s International Foundation” is just a front to give money to Compassion (http://www.compassion.com/) which is one of those Christian ‘help” the fuzzy wuzzy children charities.
Wasn’t there something in Richard Wiseman’s book about drinking caffeine and suggestibility
Oh and bugger you beat me to the punch on the story:)
Had a look at Compassion – evangelical, anti-contraception, pro-adoption missionary work.
So can we drink at Gloria Jeans again or not?
Honestly, Jason, considering how many other coffee stores there are out there (and the popularity of them in my town for a start – Starbucks never got a hold here, because the competition of cappuchino-strips was too much!) … I’d give them a miss on the basis of their rather average-coffee – and as Sean points out, their rather odd way of running their company?
Gloria Jeans were apparently still supporting Mercy in Perth a month ago
Comments on this entry are closed.