Operation Others hosted Matthew Works, a speaker on homelessness to Creighton Prep this past week. The theme of Matthew’s talk was offering hospitality and refuge to the homeless. Matthew has been homeless since 1997 and for the past several years has traveled the country being an advocate for the homeless. Matthew showed students from Prep some of his artwork, including a Church he constructed with passages from scripture, including the words of Jesus “Come unto me all ye that labor and I will give you rest.” But on the front of the Church is a lock signifying how we fail to provide refuge and shelter for the homeless in our midst. Matthew makes the point that Jesus experienced homelessness, yet our Churches today are not as hospitable as they could be to welcome the homeless in whom Christ continues to be present.
Students involved in O.O. serve meals at the Francis House, a homeless shelter in Omaha, each year and help out with the Streets of Omaha Project which provides food to the homeless and those living in poverty through the Open Door Mission. Matthew’s presentation was challenging, calling us to move beyond giving food to the hungry and homeless, but seeking ways that we can truly be hospitable and provide refuge.
O.O.delivers food to 1,600 Omaha area families each December, and works to create awareness for the 1 in 8 Americans who sometimes do not have enough food to eat.
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