Tag: Justin Mathews

‘We are each other’s bootstraps’: Pay-It-Forward cafe says pressure to serve neighbors is back

By Tommy Felts / August 2, 2024

The reopening of Thelma’s Kitchen — a pay-it-forward restaurant on Troost Avenue — not only flips the menu on the “soup kitchen” concept, but serves as an anchor of compassionate, community-focused care in the face of neighborhood gentrification, said Father Justin Mathews. “We view what we’re doing here as kind of like urban acupressure,” said…

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This orthodox priest-turned-indie rock artist has more than a few singles up his sleeve

By Tommy Felts / October 31, 2023

Writing the lyrics to the next song in his life, Kansas City social entrepreneur Father Justin Mathews is pushing the boundaries of indie rock through a new album and breakthrough single. The debut track “Even the Sea,” released by Mathews’ social venture platform, Not Made By Hands, is out now. A full album — “The…

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Troost capital project hits $15M goal; 2023 completion expected to address ‘blight at the heart’ of trauma in KC

By Tommy Felts / October 25, 2022

Reconciliation Services recently crossed the finish line of a $14.9 million capital campaign to breathe new life into its aging homebase at one of Kansas City’s most bustling intersections, said Father Justin Mathews. “We were able to complete the $15 million raise in approximately 18 months, which is a tribute to the generosity of Kansas…

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New Reconciliation Services rendering; image courtesy of Reveal Strength campaign

Final capital push expected to bring $13M rebuild to Troost, replacing building held together by ‘duct tape, plaster, and prayer’ 

By Tommy Felts / February 15, 2022

Decades of dreaming are coming to an end, said Father Justin Mathews, announcing the final phase of a $13 million capital campaign that’s expected to realize a long-held plan to magnify the impact of Reconciliation Services.  “We’ve been in the building since 1987 — and its been held together with duct tape, plaster, and prayer,” Mathews,…

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Father Justin Mathews, Thelma's Kitchen, Reconciliation Services

LaunchKC’s latest: a Social Venture Studio to tackle social, racial, environmental issues

By Tommy Felts / November 16, 2021

A new Kansas City-based social venture studio is expected to help social entrepreneurs avoid grant starvation — and depending too heavily on financial gifts — in lieu of models that focus on innovative steps toward sustainability, said Father Justin Mathews. “I got very excited about social venturing — this idea of being able to harness…

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