In August 2009 First Church became the home for the Oklahoma City Homeless breakfast sponsoredby City Care, a downtown Oklahoma City nonprofit agency. The City Care breakfast that started 17 years ago at CityChurch is now held from 6:30 to 7:30am weekdays at First Church.

First Church did not hesitate when the idea of hosting the long-standing breakfast was suggested. City Care Executive Director, Larry Bross, said, "They were wonderful about it." It was obvious to Pastor McAdow and other First Church leaders that the free meal fit with our mission to help others. With our large facility being available early every morning, and First Church's new direction in reaching out to the community, it seemed like a natural thing to begin serving the homeless in our fellowship hall.

Every morning, Monday through Friday, about 200 people show up for breakfast, with more families with children coming in recent months. Many of the breakfast visitors are what Larry calls, "couch homeless,” meaning they are usually staying with friends or relatives but have no home or residence of their own. Others who regularly partake of the meal are homeless, living on the streets.

The menu has stayed the same over the years: Biscuits and gravy on Mondays and Wednesdays, eggs on Tuesdays, pancakes and sausage on Thursdays and grilled cheese, cold cereal and hash browns on Fridays. Oatmeal, a filling staple, is offered every day.

Volunteers come from many different churches, and some have been serving for many years. Along with the regular breakfast menu, about 400 cups of coffee and doughnuts are donated by Krispy Kreme every day. Other establishments that donate items include Panera Bread, Starbucks and Buy 4 Less. 

In addition to offering physical food, the breakfast strives to share the love and hope of Jesus Christ every morning, giving displaced people a good start to the day with prayer and encouragement.

View a video about our own John Neher, and how volunteering at the breakfast has impacted his life.