The Story of Ro.
Riondel Community Church
Since the early 1900’s, the Christian community in Riondel had been meeting together in public spaces, lead by pastors who served much of the communities around Kootenay Lake. In 1959, the community came together and built this beautiful, church building. They filled the church with items donated from other churches in the area and built furniture with found and donated materials. They worked together to create a place for people to gather and meet with Jesus. So the Riondel Community Church was born.
The Harbour at Riondel
Fast forward a bunch of years to the fall of 2020, when Mark and Jes Hagen (the executive directors of The Harbour and founders of the Wild Goose Collective), moved from Alberta to Riondel, to start Headwaters Discipleship School and retreat centre at the old Dutch Harbour Bible Camp. The Riondel Community Church had not been functioning for a number of years and had to make the tough decision to sell the building. Fortunately, when they heard of Mark and Jes’ vision of creating a space for people to experience restoration and closeness with Jesus, as well as how they wanted to be involved in the community of Riondel and support the people who live here, they chose to gift the church to The Harbour ministries.
Church to Coffee Shop
The ministries of the Harbour at Riondel originally received the church building with a vision to see it restored as a place of worship. In early 2026, the community began gathering for monthly worship & prayer services in the space.
As the team continued to care for the property and build relationships in the community, something else became evident: there was a real lack of gathering spaces—and a genuine desire for a local coffee shop.
Ro Neighbourhood Coffee was born out of that vision.
On February 23, 2022, the café opened its doors. Jakob and Jayme Svahn became the first brave managers of this new venture, bringing their creativity, care, and expertise to shape what Ro is today. Their influence helped lay a beautiful foundation for what has become an important gathering place in the community.
This is a place for the residents of the East Shore of Kootenay Lake to find rest, friendship, and peace. Just like it was back in 1959.
To Make a Donation
The proceeds from everything you purchase in our coffee shop and online, goes towards sustaining the ministries at The Harbour. We are first and foremost a ministry and if what we’re doing here is resonating with you, there’s also the option to donate directly. These donations can go toward development of the coffee shop and the Harbour property, future students of the Discipleship School (Headwaters) and they can also go to contributing to the people behind the ministries directly who all fundraise a portion of their income. If you click on the link bellow, it will take you to Canada Helps, where you can donate to the area of your choice. All donations are tax deductible.
Thank you so much for being apart of this story.