Not surprisingly, many people want to know why we call ourselves Manna Café when we’re clearly not the typical café—there’s no espresso machine and no cozy fireplace... So here’s the story behind the name:Years ago, Kenny learned that restoring broken people to wholeness has a lot to do with dignity. The word means “self-regard; self-respect; the state of quality of being worthy of honor; relative importance.” One’s sense of dignity concerns issues such as “Am I worth anything? Do I matter? Am I important to anyone? Do I have value? Does my existence make a difference in the world?”
Many, if not most, homeless people have been stripped of (or have forfeited) their dignity. They’ve come to the conclusion that they have no value. It’s common knowledge that people get much of their sense of identity and worth through their work, but most street folks are jobless. Many have lost ties with those who once knew them best, i.e. their families. They’ve become outsiders. Many are imprisoned by addiction or mental illness. They’re the untouchables; “normal” folks are repulsed and/or afraid of them. And so they get used to being ignored, overlooked, and rejected. Dignity is no longer an option.
We are commanded to treat others—all others—with honor. It’s up to us to let them know that they matter—that they’re valuable and significant. We’ve got to rid ourselves of the mindset that we’re somehow superior to our homeless friends simply because we have shelter and/or employment. We must ask the Lord to give us His eyes and His heart until there is no difference whatsoever between the honor we bestow on the prominent businessman versus the wild-haired, grimy homeless man who sits outside the local McDonald’s.
Honoring others isn’t complicated. It requires seemingly inconsequential and insignificant gestures: Calling a man by name. Asking someone about his or her day. Remembering that a certain woman was having pain in her hip last week. Knowing what someone likes in his or her coffee. Giving a hug. Bantering with those who loved to be teased.
So what does this have to do with the word “café”? Back when Kenny first began dreaming about feeding the poor on a large scale, he realized that it’s one thing for a hungry man to go to the local soup kitchen or mission, but it’s another thing entirely to go to “the café.” Think about it: “Let’s go to the mission” versus “Let’s go to the café.” Too often, people who go to the mission are invisible. They’re nondescript faces in a crowd. But a man who frequents a particular café is singular and distinct. He matters. At the café, he is called by name. He has a favorite place to sit. When he fails to show up for awhile, he is missed.
The goal of Manna Café is to wipe out the “us” and “them” mentality that suggests that someone people merit dignity while others don’t. It’s our objective to honor the poor, hungry, and homeless no less than we would honor Jesus himself if he showed up at a Thursday Café with a craving for goulash.
Many, if not most, homeless people have been stripped of (or have forfeited) their dignity. They’ve come to the conclusion that they have no value. It’s common knowledge that people get much of their sense of identity and worth through their work, but most street folks are jobless. Many have lost ties with those who once knew them best, i.e. their families. They’ve become outsiders. Many are imprisoned by addiction or mental illness. They’re the untouchables; “normal” folks are repulsed and/or afraid of them. And so they get used to being ignored, overlooked, and rejected. Dignity is no longer an option.
We are commanded to treat others—all others—with honor. It’s up to us to let them know that they matter—that they’re valuable and significant. We’ve got to rid ourselves of the mindset that we’re somehow superior to our homeless friends simply because we have shelter and/or employment. We must ask the Lord to give us His eyes and His heart until there is no difference whatsoever between the honor we bestow on the prominent businessman versus the wild-haired, grimy homeless man who sits outside the local McDonald’s.
Honoring others isn’t complicated. It requires seemingly inconsequential and insignificant gestures: Calling a man by name. Asking someone about his or her day. Remembering that a certain woman was having pain in her hip last week. Knowing what someone likes in his or her coffee. Giving a hug. Bantering with those who loved to be teased.
So what does this have to do with the word “café”? Back when Kenny first began dreaming about feeding the poor on a large scale, he realized that it’s one thing for a hungry man to go to the local soup kitchen or mission, but it’s another thing entirely to go to “the café.” Think about it: “Let’s go to the mission” versus “Let’s go to the café.” Too often, people who go to the mission are invisible. They’re nondescript faces in a crowd. But a man who frequents a particular café is singular and distinct. He matters. At the café, he is called by name. He has a favorite place to sit. When he fails to show up for awhile, he is missed.
The goal of Manna Café is to wipe out the “us” and “them” mentality that suggests that someone people merit dignity while others don’t. It’s our objective to honor the poor, hungry, and homeless no less than we would honor Jesus himself if he showed up at a Thursday Café with a craving for goulash.
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