Twenty-six years ago, Cyril Rogers moved his family, which included his wife Joan and their five children, to Corner Brook in a school bus.
His son Jon Rogers said they lived in that bus while his dad started the SonRise Ministries.
Today, Jon Rogers is a pastor at the church, serving alongside his dad.
But ministry was not Cyril’s only vision.
Jon said his dad always wanted to open a coffee shop and bookstore.
The father and son did just that two weeks ago with the opening of The Connection at 8 Mount Bernard Ave., in the former Humber Motors Ford building.
Jon said his family had long been customers of the Bible Truth Supply, which recently closed its shop in the Valley Mall.
He said the store was doing well in the community, but the owners decided to move on.
They opened on June 4 and it’s been an exciting and busy time ever since.
The day after the opening Jon’s wife Angie gave birth to their first child, Sophie.
He said it’s been like having two kids at the same time.
And while opening a store in the present economy can be risky, he’s confident it will succeed.
The espresso machine is in place and Jon said they hope to have the coffee shop open in a couple of weeks. The plan is to serve specialty drinks and lattes, soup, sandwiches and some baked goods.
As for the products in the store, he said they are carrying much of the same things as the Bible Truth Supply with bibles, books, cards, wall décor, giftware and some clothing.
There’s also a small reading room in the store for customers to use.
