Recently Child Evangelism Fellowship of Oklahoma (CEF) was notified that they would not be allowed to come back to the public housing projects in Tulsa. CEF has been working with the most needy children in the projects of Tulsa for over twenty years. Over the years many children received Christ and were spared a life of violence, crime and drug addiction.  

CEF was told that the only way they could come back was if they stopped using the name of God and Jesus, thus making their mission of evangelism impossible. So the Tulsa Housing Authority and the Oklahoma chapter of Child Evangelism Fellowship locked horns.

We’re from the Government and we’re here to help!

The confusion came because The Tulsa Housing Authority (THA) works under the oversight of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).You can imagine what happens when you get the federal bureaucracy and all its regulations involved in a simple matter of helping kids.

As with many problems, it is just a matter of following the money. HUD regulations forbid the use of HUD funds for any religious purposes. HUD Regulation 5.109(c) states clearly that “Organizations that receive direct HUD funds under a HUD program or activity may not engage in inherently religious activities, such as worship, religious instruction, or proselytization, as part of the programs or services funded under a HUD program or activity.”

But Child Evangelism Fellowship does not take HUD or Tulsa Housing Authority money, so what’s the problem?

Too many Chiefs

Another ministry that does work for HUD/THA is the group that invited Child Evangelism Fellowship to come in and work with the children. Youth at Heart (YAH) does receive money to run the after-school programs for HUD/THA. All the Tulsa Housing Authority after-school recreational facilities are all under the contract with Youth at Heart.

Larry Koehn of Child Evangelism Fellowship was told by one of the Youth at Heart staff that CEF would not be allowed to come to the projects to minister unless they refrained from using the name of God or Jesus. In order to get their funding, Youth at Heart was going to have to start enforcing HUD regulations.

The Solution

Fortunately, there was another solution. By by-passing Youth at Heart and going through the resident’s association, Child Evangelism Fellowship has been given the opportunity to have their volunteers present in the project’s recreation centers for two hours a day five days a week. This is a wonderful answer to CEF’s prayers.

CEF was afraid that they would only be allowed to come in after Youth at Heart had left the facilities. This would have destroyed CEF’s impact because no responsible parent living in a dangerous, crime-ridden housing project is going to let their children attend an event after dark.

How You Made the Difference!

As soon as CADC found out the situation we sent an alert and began working with Child Evangelism Fellowship. You were asked to contact the Tulsa Housing Authority last week, and many of you responded. Because of your prayers, e-mails and phone calls, Child Evangelism Fellowship was assured today that their vital ministry to hurting children will continue.

Your voice really matters and the folks at the Tulsa Housing Authority heard from you loud and clear that this policy was unacceptable. We are very pleased that the Tulsa Housing Authority worked so hard to make sure CEF could continue.

Praise God that Child Evangelism Fellowship will be able to continue to minister the Gospel to these hurting children!

By God’s grace, we are powerful when we stand together for our religious liberty and freedom of speech.

TAKE ACTION:

Send a quick note of thanks to the Tulsa Housing Authority and thank them for their help in preserving this vital ministry to these precious, at-risk children.

• To send an online message, click here. 
• Phone: (918) 582-0021