Bus passes, blankets and Christmas cards are a few ways Faith UMC shows love to their community
TULSA – The first CarePortal request Faith United Methodist Church responded to December 9, 2016, was for a baby gate. That simple “yes” has grown into a reputation of care throughout Tulsa County.
Faith United Methodist Church in Tulsa has officially served over 2,000 children through CarePortal since becoming a 111Project partner church.
“I am extremely proud of Faith UMC and our CarePortal team and everything they have done for the children and families in Tulsa County,” Faith UMC Point Person Kay Leslie said. “Our members are so generous and proactive. I love and am awed by our congregation!”
Faith UMC has met over 1,010 requests since enrolling on CarePortal and are the only single site location to serve 2,000 children in Oklahoma. In 2023 alone, they have met 257 requests, served 643 children, and made an economic impact of over $209,000 in the community.
“I am so grateful for them,” 111Project Regional Manager Bree Cruz said. “I am so grateful for their ‘yes’ and their consistency. Faith United Methodist is such a great example of how it doesn’t have to be complicated to serve people. It doesn’t have to be hard – it’s just faithful steps, faithful yes and faithful obedience. They’ve been very creative, very innovative and they’ve consistently showed up.”
CarePortal, a growing connection technology managed by the 111Project, allows agency partners – like Oklahoma Human Services Child Welfare – to submit vetted needs to the community and local churches to serve families in crisis.
These vetted needs can range from diapers and wipes to bunk beds and blankets, which will help support a foster family, strengthen a biological family, or help a family get one step closer to reunification.
Kay Leslie has been the Point Person for Faith UMC since the very beginning and jumped on the invitation to head the CarePortal Missions Project.
“‘Christ Centered Service’ is central to Faith UMC identity and my family has been very involved in our missions there for over 25 years,” Leslie said. “In 2016, CarePortal was brought to Faith’s attention by one of our members who was a family court judge. He heard about CarePortal through his work, and he presented it to the Mission committee. The committee liked the concept, and since I had experience with foster care system, they asked me if I would be interested in heading up this mission project.”
Leslie volunteered at the Laura Dester Children’s Shelter for several years, which led her family to become foster parents for infants and newborns.
“We loved the time each baby was a part of our family,” she said. “I have always felt that children in foster care need extra love and attention to help them in time when they are most vulnerable through no fault of their own.”
Leslie said they had to stop fostering due to health issues, but she’s still able to serve the children and families in foster care here in Tulsa County despite any personal limitations.
Case workers across Tulsa County know Leslie as someone who is going to show up, be faithful, pray for them and encourage them, Cruz said.
“Those faithful little yeses, those faithful steps of obedience, that faithful kindness to love and serve has left a great impression in our city and a great reputation of Ms. Kay and also Faith United Methodist,” Cruz said. “I think they’re awesome.”
Leslie said she couldn’t do the work alone.
“It is because of the generous and caring members of our congregation that Faith has done so much,” she said. “Every time I send out the ‘call’ for a request need – it is answered. Our team members and others in the congregation continue to provide for the children without reservation or hesitation.”
Faith UMC not only meets CarePortal requests but took their care further by adding “Blankets for Kids” in connection with those requests, where members of the congregation will quilt, sew, knit and crochet blankets to be provided for the children involved in the request.
They have a bus pass program called “Provide the Ride,” where members of the congregation will either donate or fund the purchase of a 31-day bus pass. Since that first Sunday in January of 2020, Faith UMC has provided 594 bus passes, which is a donation of $26,730 to help the children and families in foster care.
“CarePortal is still the conduit to distribute the passes, but the funds are donated by the entire congregation not just our CarePortal team,” she said.
The love for those involved in the foster care system doesn’t end at the children and families but extends to the case workers. Faith UMC will give handwritten Christmas cards to each DHS staff member at the Tulsa office.
“We want them to know that we appreciate all they do for the children in foster care and keep them in our prayers,” she said.
Tulsa County has 991 children in foster care as of December 1, according to monthly numbers released by the OKDHS.
111Project is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) with the mission to mobilize the local church so every child has family. The organization’s initial goal is to mobilize 1,000 churches across Oklahoma that can serve at least one family a month on CarePortal and recruit and support a foster family every year.
If 1,000 out of the 6,200 churches in Oklahoma commit to recruit and support one foster family a year, and serve one family a month on CarePortal, the state will move closer to having more than enough help for children and families in crisis.
Any churches or individuals interested in learning more or getting involved can visit 111project.org.