How a Serbian Orthodox congregation in Kansas City offers hospitality beyond the liturgy
At Thelma’s Kitchen, every table is a holy table and every guest a living icon.
In the 1930s, a remarkable woman took the name of the ancient ascetic Mary of Egypt, who had turned from prostitution to the life of a desert hermit. On the rue de Lourmel in Paris, Mother Maria set up a house meant to be a center of service to those in need around her. That house—and others that she helped found—became centers of resistance to the Nazis during World War II, while Mother Maria and her companions smuggled Jewish refugees out of the city. Eventually, Mother Maria was arrested by the Gestapo and died in a gas chamber.
It might come as a surprise that one of the legacies of Mother Maria’s work is found in Kansas City, Missouri. A Serbian Orthodox priest was inspired by her example and set up a parish there, dedicated to practicing hospitality in the style of Mother Maria.
David Altschul was a financial services salesman when he felt called to become an Orthodox priest. He became Father Alexii and with his wife, Thelma, found an empty four-story commercial building on Troost Avenue, the historic dividing line between the city’s Black and White communities. They transformed the building to host a plethora of services: a pay-as-you-can restaurant, social and mental health services, a foster grandparents program, a leadership development program, and many other neighborhood-oriented services.
