John Alden Hughes Wright has been cooking at Kairos Kitchen long enough that he can’t recall the year he started. You can find John in the kitchen every fourth Saturday of the month, working to prepare a good home cooked meal. He strives for food that will make you feel as if you are eating at the family table. His most requested meal is pork chops with homemade gravy. Another favorite is his famous crack green beans. I’m pretty sure the main seasonings are bacon and something called “Slap Ya Mama.” Recipes don’t seem to be involved or measuring cups for that matter.
John always has a big smile and hugs for every guest that might need one. He never fails to come out of the kitchen and walk around the tables visiting. He has a big heart and many of these guests are more like old friends. The Kairos experience has taught him to see people as Jesus does. This ministry has a way of changing you. You can drive by the homeless on the street every day and not really see them. Kairos makes people real. It changes your perspective. All people really want is to be loved and accepted. They want to be acknowledged that they exist and they matter. John is on a mission to be the hands and feet of Jesus with every meal he cooks and every smile he shares.
If you want to experience what it might be like to share a meal with Jesus, you should come to Kairos Kitchen one Saturday night. Gather around the table, eat and listen to stories. If there was ever a place that you might catch a glimpse of Jesus, it would be here. Sharing a meal with the least of these might just change your life. I know it has changed John’s.
By Michelle Holland