Churches Tested by TikTok: Only a Few Offer Help in Viral Baby Formula Plea
How would your church respond?
A Kentucky mom’s undercover TikTok experiment put the compassion of American churches to the test—and sparked a tidal wave of online reaction.
In a series of short TikTok videos, Nikalie Monroe, an Army veteran and drug addiction counselor, dialed dozens and dozens of churches across the country with a plea: Would they provide baby formula to a desperate mother whose 2-month-old hadn’t eaten in more than half a day? Out of more than forty calls, just nine said yes, as reported by news outlets, including by OAS News.
Sometimes, Monroe played the sound of a crying baby during the call for realism. After she got a yes or no, she’d confess her call was part of an informal experiment, explaining her real reason for calling and asking how the church would respond to someone in urgent need.
Has seen struggle firsthand
Monroe told OAS news she’d seen this kind of struggle firsthand from patients she refers to churches: “I already work with patients where I personally refer them to churches all the time because that’s where everybody is told, ‘If somebody needs help, you send them to the church. So I was already getting told by all my patients, ‘We go to churches. We don’t get help.’”
Monroe’s initial hope was that with something as basic as baby formula, more churches would step up.
It didn’t turn out that way. “It was very disheartening to hear all of the noes,” she said.
Monroe ranked the best responses. Number one was Heritage Hope Church of God in Somerset, Kentucky (video below). Our Lady of the Hills Catholic Church in Columbia, South Carolina, was number two.
@nikalie.monroe Sorry people kept calling in and knocking my recording off and it was also a really long call. But this is Heritage Hope Church of God. Such a sweet soul this guy and the fact he was willing to even go get it himself made my heart melt. Loved it. 😍 #fypage #foryou #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #foryoupage #viral #viralvideo #trending #capcut #duet #wethepeople #forthepeople #wakeupamerica #worldtok #worldnews #veteran #church #churches #familiesinneed #experiment #God #religion ♬ original sound – Nikalie 🌈
At Our Lady of the Hills, the woman who answered the phone searched the building for formula—finding none—but insisted Monroe should come by anyway and offered to give her $10 if they couldn’t find any. Alma Mendez, the parish coordinator, later told the news outlet the incident was a “wake up call from God”: “It’s about sharing and helping one another.” Since then, she’s pushed for the parish to start a baby food pantry.
@nikalie.monroe PT 14……Storyside Church Belleville OH would help feed a hungry baby. 🥰#fyp #church #churchtiktok #religion #faith #community #humanity #baby #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #foryou #foryoupage #viral #viralvideo #trending #duet #capcut #testingyourfaith #testingyourheart #nikaliemonroe #testingyourchurch ♬ original sound – Nikalie 🌈
Reaction to the TikTok churches was quick
Reaction online was swift. Monroe’s follower count soared from a few hundred into the thousands. Commenters cheered the churches who offered help—and criticized those who didn’t. The experiment even inspired social media users to donate supplies to food pantries and houses of worship. Heritage Hope, the top-ranked church, received at least $95,000 in donations after being featured.
A very small Kansas City area church, which someone close to it described as “in poverty,” couldn’t help in the moment but did refer her to another local church and Catholic Charities.
A mosque helped when churches would not
In a twist that was even more embarrassing to the Christian community, as an outlier, Monroe included an Islamic mosque. They were the third most helpful.
The experiment echoed the story of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus identifies with people in need and says that those who neglected to help “the least of these my brothers and sisters” were refusing to help him. He goes on to say that those who did give food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, and visited the sick and imprisoned, were actually doing it for him.
That’s in contrast to those who helped or those who regretted not helping her, with those who made excuses. Living Faith Christian Center, a large congregation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (below), attacked her as a “demon” and straight from Satan in their Sunday sermon, which was streamed online, all to “amens” from the congregation.
@nikalie.monroe Living Faith Christian Center Response to my social experiment. #livingfaithchristiancenter #church #babyformula #socialexperiment #nikalie #nikaliemonroe #fyp #fypシ #fypシ゚viral #foryou #foryoupage #viral #viralvideo #trending #capcut #duet #religion ♬ original sound – Nikalie 🌈
That response really shook Monroe but she says she’s not daunted and knows there are good churches out there who will help when called upon, even when it requires nudges from their members. “I don’t want people to test their faith because of this experiment,” she said. “I’d rather they just be more cautious…hold their churches to a higher standard…and also give back.”
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
