HOW IT ALL BEGAN

In the 1990s Dave and Cindy Frederick had their eyes opened to a part of Bremerton that many of us do not see — poverty, drug abuse, neglected children, homelessness and violence. While Dave served as a pastor and volunteer police chaplain, and as he and Cindy opened their home to foster children, they came face-to-face with young people whose lives were spiraling downward toward lifelong incarceration, addiction and sometimes death.

With a newfound heart for youth, Dave and Cindy resigned from the pastorate and in 1996 founded Hope in Christ Ministries, a non-profit corporation, with the goal of “bringing the hope of Christ to the pain on the streets.” The following year, the couple purchased The Coffee Oasis, then located on 622 Warren Avenue in Bremerton, to provide a place for serving youth.

Teen Night began at The Coffee Oasis on the first Friday evening of September 1997. That first night four youth came from “smokers’ corner” (a popular hangout located across from Bremerton High School) to “check it out.” Since that first Friday thousands of youth have passed through the doors. They’ve found a place to call their own and people that care for them, regardless of their background or present situation.

In the years that followed, The Coffee Oasis expanded to include more resources for street youth (showers, laundry, clothing and food): youth centers, job training, mentoring, case management, mental health therapy, crisis text line, shelters and more. The Coffee Oasis has grown beyond Bremerton, including locations throughout Kitsap County in Port Orchard, Poulsbo, Kingston, and Pierce County.