LaFortune calls churches an untapped resource

by Bill Sherman, Tulsa World Religion Writer, 2002.10.26

Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune said Thursday night that city government and the Tulsa religious community should work together to meet the needs of the community.

Speaking at the annual fund-raising dinner of the Cornerstone Assistance Network, LaFortune said the city's religious community is one of its greatest assets.

"I don't know of any other city with the number of places of worship, or the depth of worship," he said.

"Faith in God has always been the foundation on which this city has rested.

"We have such abundant resources in the churches of this city, and we've never taken advantage of it; the churches are ready and willing, and all we have to do is reach out to them."

LaFortune said that President Bush's faith-based initiative set the tone nationally for a partnership between government and religious communities in meeting the needs of the poor.

Citing statistics on teen birth and poverty, he said the needs in Tulsa are real.

"I intend to study just how faith-based organizations can partner with the city to meet those needs," he said.

He said he plans to meet with a "spiritual advisory council," a group of religious leaders from churches, synagogues and mosques.

"We've had too much of an adversarial relationship between government and the church."

LaFortune said that when he was running for mayor, he met with Richard Roberts, president of Oral Roberts University, and that meeting focused on the city's lack of relationship with ORU.

"We've ignored them for so many years," he said.

"Without ORU, there's no way south Tulsa would be what it is today.

"I knew right then the right thing to do was to begin a new relationship between the city and ORU to make Tulsa an even greater city."

LaFortune, a Catholic, said that years ago ORU had a part in his decision to dedicate his life to Jesus Christ.

The Cornerstone Assistance Network moved its annual fundraiser this year from the Tulsa Convention Center to their own property at 1120 N. Peoria Ave.

What was planned as a "Street Party Benefit" was moved into Cornerstone's 32,000-square-foot Community Missions Resource Center because of rain.

Master and mistress of ceremonies were Channel 8 newswoman Yvonne Harris and KFAQ radio personality Michael DelGiorno.

Cornerstone Executive Director Chris Beach and President Anna Falling addressed the meeting, and music was provided by the Redeeming Faith Choir and soloist Sandra Hopkins. Jason Ofori performed an interpretive dance, and Lillie Zaheer read a poem.

Beach said attendance was down several hundred from the more than 1,000 who attended last year, presumably because of the rain, but the response of those who attended was "great."

Admission was a bag of groceries, and thousands of pounds of food were collected, he said.

Cornerstone is a ministry that trains churches to help people get out of poverty.

Bill Sherman, World religion writer, can be reached at 581-8398 or via e-mail at bill.sherman@tulsaworld.com.