Tulsa Church Sells Indian Tacos To Raise Money After Attempted Theft

A north Tulsa church is trying to cook up support after an attempted thief destroyed the air conditioning unit at Tulsa's Indian United Methodist Church. Now members are trying to raise the money to buy a new unit.

The pastor said a man was trying to steal copper from an A/C unit on the roof. A neighbor scared the man off, but by that time, $6,000 worth of damage was done.

With a just a few fans and some open windows keeping them cool, Tulsa Indian United Methodist Church members cooked up a frybread feast.

Reverend Judy Deere said, “We said it's gonna be hot in the kitchen, we don't have any air conditioning. How can we do it?

But the heat didn't stop them because their passion to raise money for their church is hotter than any summer day.

“We decided to go ahead and have the taco sale today,” Deere said.

The church is hosting an Indian Taco Dinner to raise money to help pay for a new air conditioning unit after theirs was destroyed by an attempted copper thief Monday morning.

Deere said, “The damage that was done was about $6,000 to replace the unit; and the amount of copper and scrap metal he would have got, the police said would have amount to about $20.”

She said the church is small - about a 100 members on the books, many of them elderly and on a fixed income.

So for $7 a plate, the community can give back to a church that will continue its work in north Tulsa, with or without crime.

“I think it's really important that we stay here and continue to try to do good things so that change will happen in this area of the community,” Deere said.

As for the attempted thief, Deere said there's no anger, just compassion.

“There has to be a certain amount of desperation, and possibly something missing in their life,” she said.

Something Deere said she and her congregation hope the man will find, possibly through prayer.

She said, “We prayed for the individual that whatever had led this to their point in their life where they felt like they had to do that, that those situations would be resolved for them.”

Deere said the attempted thief is still on the run.

The church is located at 1911 North College Avenue, and the Indian Taco Dinner will continue Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

An online fundraising site has been set up to help the church. You can donate here.