Current Events

Request from Good Shepherd Shelter Project I’m super pleased to report that our shower project is moving forward quickly. We have a bid under review from a contractor and may begin work as soon as February.  As a reminder, our church is converting an under-utilized space attached to our community center into (an ADA accessible) three showers and a bathroom. It will be a facility available for use by all and perhaps especially for those who shelter at our church. A generous donor has designated a matching grant toward the completion of the showers. All donations between now and March […]

International Court of Justice decision released on the opening case by South Africa. It says “stop genocidal acts.” A political crisis has gripped Israel as its Gaza campaign grinds on with no end in sight. Not only are more than 100 Israelis still captives of Hamas, but many feel held hostage by their own failed leadership.

Join Omni folks at Friends of Palestine NWA’s demonstration Saturday Jan 27 at noon, at the Washington County Courthouse. As always, OMNI center stands with all people regardless of Religion and is devoted to the safety of our Jewish community in this time of rising anti-semitism.

Sat Dec 16 – 11:00-1:00 – Court House Dickson and College Omni folks, we are invited to join the protests against this terrible situation in Gaza that’s simply not acceptable. Saturday – tomorrow – please bring a poster that expresses your feelings and stand with those who call for ceasefire and an end to the bitter carnage. This situation does not help Israel. It’s time for peace.

Saturday Dec 9, 2023 – 1:00 pm – Omni Center Long-time Omni people remember John Rule as the poet on the corner of our table on the square, or reading his work at Open Mic. John passed peacefully on Oct 25. His partner of the past decade Ruth Francis, passed just one week before him. His dear wife Margaret passed in 2009. John and Margaret lived for many years in a moss-covered fairy-tale cottage in the deep Arkansas woods. There’s lots to remember about him. John’s granddaughter Sarah K. Moore and his family invite Omni friends to join them for […]

The fragile ceasefire could end at any moment. Most of the world sees that the bombing campaign is not a real solution to peace in the Middle East, but some parts of the Israeli government cling to violence as the only way. The humanity of both sides is lost in the firefight. “… A decade ago, analyst Norman Solomon pointed out … how Time Magazine defined “collateral damage” as “a term meaning dead or wounded civilians who should have picked a safer neighborhood.” That descriptor can easily be applied today to Gaza, a minuscule and densely populated strip of land […]

3% of military budget feeds the world Ending starvation across the globe entails redirecting a miniscule portion of an inordinate budget currently set aside to perpetuate wars worldwide. It is not a question of where the money can be found, but how it’s being used. Militarism is escalating at truly horrifying rates across the world, and millions upon millions of people are being displaced and left without reliable access to food and water. And to think, such a small amount of this spending could be used to turn the world in a course opposite to what we’re currently witnessing. Whether […]

Rev Dr. Liz Theoharis Yes Magazine, Nov 9 2023 …Eight days after 9/11, as the leaders of both parties were already pounding a frenzied drumbeat of war, a diverse group of concerned Americans released a warning about the long-term consequences of a military response. Among them were veteran civil rights activists, faith leaders, and public intellectuals, including Rosa Parks, Harry Belafonte, and Palestinian-American Edward Said. Rare public opponents of the drive to war at the time, they wrote with level-headed clarity:“We foresee that a military response would not end the terror. Rather, it would spark a cycle of escalating violence, the loss […]