Meet John Wiseman

Have you met John Wiseman, Business Manager for the Ministry and Urbean Cafe?

An ordained minister since 1994, John Wiseman joined Broken Chains Ministry in 2007 after serving as a Chaplain in the Summit County Jail for 25 years. He was named Business Manager for the organization and Urbean Cafe in 2012.

Urbean Cafe

John was eager to help returning citizens establish stable Christ-centered work. Urbean Cafe helps fulfill the mission of the ministry by building deep trust-centered relationships and helping people develop skills that help them succeed in the workforce.

Launched in 2011 and located in Akron’s Robert K. Pfaff Metro Transit Center, Urbean Café has contributed more than $7 million in economic impact and helped more than 140 formerly incarcerated citizens achieve independence. The Café has a two percent or lower recidivism rate compared to the national average of about 66 percent, which has saved Ohio taxpayers more than $3.5 million in direct costs.

How Urbean Café Employees Contribute

Give back to the community through stable employment.
Maintain housing, utilities, transportation, and insurance.
Pay restitution, including fines, court costs, and child support.
Establish and maintain bank accounts and credit.
Contribute to federal, state, and local income taxes.
Maintain identification and driver’s licenses.

How Urbean Café Employees Build Skills

Urbean Cafe provides employees with customer service, time management, business management, budgeting, accounting, team building, conflict resolution, organizational, and soft skills needed to succeed in the workforce.

John loves sowing the seeds of Christ’s love into people's lives and witnessing them accomplish life goals like paying restitution and buying their first home. He says he has walked by faith and God's grace has been sufficient through it all.

At this year’s 20th Anniversary Making the Difference Benefit, John received a special award of recognition witnessed by more than 400 members of the community. Thank you, John, for your decades of outstanding service, and congratulations on your well-earned retirement in 2024.