Picking Up The Pieces: Ministry Founder Stays Positive, Even After Devastating Fire

A fire in Southwest Oklahoma City leaves a ministry without an operational building. News 9 spoke with the director of Grace United Urban Ministries, and some volunteers as they worked to clean up the debris, and salvage what they could from the fire.

“We gotta keep moving because we have people depending on us, and we save lives - that's what we do,” said Donna Heins.

Donna Heins runs Grace United Urban Ministries in south Oklahoma City, which provides services for those facing homelessness. She does what she can to help those living on the streets. “God, we have to figure out how we still feed people- that's just what I thought, even in this devastation,” said Heins.

They serve around 40 people most days, but between their Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, they fed more than 700 people in need. “There's some good people on the street - and we're all just a paycheck away these days and times from being homeless,” said Heins.

But her mission was interrupted last night when her building caught on fire. Oklahoma City firefighters responded around 6 p.m. on Wednesday, after the apartment above the ministry caught fire.

The building that housed Grace United mostly just suffered water and smoke damage, but Heins says there was too much damage to save the building.

But Donna's first thought wasn't fear or panic when she heard about the fire. She was immediately thinking about how she would continue her mission, even with the interruption. “I always know that God makes a way out of no way. I've seen it my whole life and that's how I tell my homeless people, you may be here today, but tomorrow if you make the right decision, you could be in a different place,” said Heins.

Some of the people that Donna has helped through the years were at the building this morning to help clean up the damage and debris. “I've been on the streets for like 20 years and about a year ago she asked me to get off the street, I've been helping her ever since then,” said William Beaver.

Beaver was moved into temporary housing after he decided he no longer wanted to live a life on the streets. “Last year when we did the emergency shelter, he said ‘I don't wanna go back to the street’ and I said, ‘Well come on home with us Beaver!’” said Heins “He's doing amazing, we're reuniting him with his mom and his family so he came to help today.”

Now Beaver is returning the favor, helping Donna, like she helped him. “That's what it's all about, watching people change and do something different with their life,” said Heins.

While there’s not much left for them to salvage, Donna says they will keep moving forward. “All I know is God is always with us, he has a plan,” said Heins. “We made it through the holidays, now we just gotta make it through the new year and it's just gonna be another adventure.”

Oklahoma City firefighters are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but they do say it started in the apartment upstairs, above the building, and they say luckily nobody was hurt.

Heins says they are now looking for a new building to rent, and she is hoping to stay in the Southwest OKC / Capitol Hill area. If you know of any vacant properties or want to help Grace United Urban Ministries, you can reach o