Ministries’ efforts garner awards, grants
The pair of women walked gracefully down the red carpet as cheers and applause from their peers broke out in the audience.
Sandy Orchard and Lori Basey, co-founders of No Borders International, accepted their award with humility and gratitude.
This wasn’t the Academy Awards, although the excitement that filled the air likely rivaled that of the annual Hollywood extravaganza.
The OKC Passion Awards held for the first time on March 1, drew a crowd of 1,200 to the Cox Convention Center to heap praise, prayer, encouragement — and grant funds — on a dozen Oklahoma City faithbased ministries and organizations.
Sponsored by Hobby Lobby, the event was held to honor each of the 12 ministry awardees with a $10,000 grant. In addition to No Boundaries International, award recipients included: Arise Ministries; Community Renewal; Hope is Alive; Hope Pregnancy Centers (a Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma affiliate ministry); Hope House OKC; Little Light Christian School; Ministries of Jesus; OKC Dream Center; Peaceful Family Solutions; Stand in the Gap Ministries and The Dragonfly Home.
No Boundaries International was awarded an additional $15,000 grant in a surprise presentation given to the ministry as top award winner of the night. David and Barbara Green, founders of Hobby Lobby, presented the award to the nonprofit’s leaders, Basey and Orchard.
No Boundaries International is an Edmondbased nonprofit that works with victims of human trafficking and prostitution-related crimes. The all-volunteer run organization has focused its efforts in south Oklahoma City along S Robinson Avenue. It has an outreach center based at a former Oklahoma City fire station in the area. The ministry’s thrift store helps raise money for the nonprofit and also provide clothing and other items for individuals coming out of human trafficking.
Basey said the grant money will allow No Borders to continue meeting the needs of people impacted by human trafficking, and she predicted the ministry now will be able to come to the aid of many more individuals with the additional funds. She said the money will help the group with a major project and the ministry’s ongoing financial needs.
Basey said she liked the awards event for several reasons. “I think they just did everything with excellence,” she said.
“And it was just amazing to watch everybody who is doing something in Oklahoma City come together. I think it was a beautiful example of all of us coming together for a common cause.”
Recognizing ‘gospel proclaimers’
Mart Green, chief strategy officer for Hobby Lobby, said he envisioned the Passion
Awards much like Basey described — a time when community members, nonprofit leaders, local church pastors and congregants and business leaders could come together to see what was being done in the name of the Lord in Oklahoma City and to recognize those groups committed to helping their fellow man day in and day out all over the metro area.
Mart Green and his wife, Diana, said the 12 ministry award recipients were narrowed down from a field of 88. They said the vision of the Passion Awards is unity, generosity and celebration.
“Tonight, we are celebrating 12 gospel proclaimers,” Mart Green said. “We will celebrate ministries bringing healing and hope to second- and lastchance
people.”
The Greens had every individual pick up a single Lego toy block from a bag of Legos on each table. They said the toy blocks could be used to make many different things once they are fitted together.
“If we could come together, we could create a better Oklahoma City. It makes the Legos coming together child’s play,” Mart Green said.
Sharing a similar message about unity, Wes Lane, president and chief executive officer of Salt and Light Leadership Training (SALLT), told the crowd that their unified efforts would propel them to new heights of ministry and transformation in the metro area.
“What is our Father willing to do in our community if
we come together? What evil thing dies because God set you and me in this town in this moment?” Lane said.
Several leaders with National Christian Foundation Heartland, which first launched the Passion Awards in 2001 in Kansas City, Missouri, shared encouraging words with the crowd.
“I have traveled around the country and flying in to different cities, I realize that different cities have different spiritual coverings,” said Bill High, the foundation’s chief executive officer. “When I come to Oklahoma City, there’s great opportunity. There’s a sense of peace and a sense that God is working in this community.”
Meanwhile, after the award presentations, many of the
award recipients shared information about their organizations at booths set up outside the banquet hall.
At their ministry booth, Arise Ministries co-founders Shelley Pulliam and Pam Kanaly said they were excited to be recognized for their work helping single mothers navigate through life successfully. Among other things, Arise Ministries hosts anannual conference for single moms called “Survive ‘N’ Thrive.”
“We are so humbled and honored to be one of the (award-winning) organizations because there is such great work being done in this city,” Pulliam said. “We just love what the Greens have done celebrate what God is doing in our city.”