Faith Works 1-27-07
Jeff Gill

Faith Builds, Here And Globally

Licking County Habitat for Humanity is set to do a "Women Build" in March, sponsored by Lowe’s.Habitat is a global organization for faith-based homebuilding made famous by the likes of Jimmy Carter, Newt Gingrich, John Elway, and Jon BonJovi wearing carpenter’s aprons. It’s the involvement of community volunteers building alongside the person who will end up in and owning the house that makes Habitat, well, Habitat.

Why a "build," as HFH calls each project, with primarily women at work on the job site? Take a look at their website, which is easy to find at www.habitat.org:"Question: Why have Women Build? Can’t women learn construction on a regular Habitat site? Answer: Construction is still a male-dominated field. Because they are often more comfortable around tools and at job sites, men gravitate toward taking the lead in construction, and even smart, otherwise skilled women can end up with tasks such as painting, landscaping and cleaning up the site. These women rarely return for a second experience, but on a Women Build site, women are encouraged by other women to tackle all aspects of construction and quickly become skilled and engaged volunteers."

Makes good sense to me.

In keeping with their aim to provide low-cost housing with no-interest loans, backed by the sweat equity (that’s time and work) of the homeowner, Habitat will select a partner soon who needs the support of the local faith community to get into a home they will end up owning.They have a pool of candidates for their next build, but the ongoing dream is to receive support for two, three, and even four houses a year. If you want to help, call the local HFH office at 788-8778.

Just last week, over at the Ohio Ministries Convocation in Columbus, I attended a program where missionary staff returning from eight years overseas spoke of their work, which was largely through . . . yep, Habitat. Their true full name, in fact, is Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI for short), and they encourage each local chapter in this country to "tithe" an amount, ideally ten percent, of what they raise to go overseas where the builds are quite frankly hard to imagine.

What I saw in pictures was a six foot by six shack in Malaysian Borneo, home to a family of five. It sat on the bare earth, and when everyone laid down at night, at least one person had to go outside.

And it must be said: this tiny shack was beautiful. Well tended, each part in its place, but too small and unhygenic. Yet the natural beauty around, and the immaculate order of the house meant that Habitat couldn’t just throw up a frame ranch house with no trim and fling forest dwellers into the family room.

The next shot was of an attractive structure, set on short stilts, with window boxes filled with flowers. The homeowner partner had scavenged one liter bottles from the dump, and started flowers in them while her family sawed and swung hammers. When the dedication day came, they brought the now blossoming flowers to plant in those window boxes, and the new home was both larger, and just as beautiful.

We saw a mud house, one door, no windows, in Bangladesh. Their traditional building practices and available materials left no margin for windows, and so no light.

But the new build cleverly worked a plaster coating, made from local materials, onto a frame structure, so space, air, sunlight, and local custom were all honored.Then there was Indonesia, where two weeks before these missionaries arrived, a ninety foot wall of water had gone before. They worked with a taxi driver (pedal variety) who lost his wife and five children, and had already joined builds for four other families, but was willing to let a house go up for him when everyone else in Banda Aceh had gotten help.

In Banda Aceh, a million dollars built more than an Ohio contractor’s wildest dreams (think a buck a square foot, or less), from Christian bodies with outreach offerings called "Week of Compassion," "One Great Hour of Sharing," and "Church World Service." In conjuction with Habitat, many denominations multiplied their offerings for overflowing blessings.

Wouldn’t it be magnificent if our Licking County Habitat chapter was so well supported that they could build four houses a year and tithe to the global low-cost housing work of HFHI? The first step, though, is that team of women coming together for the next house.

And the homeowner partner will take care of making that house a home.

Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and supply preacher around central Ohio; he’s helped start Habitat chapters in other states, and tried hard to lose a thumbnail more than once. Tell him about an exciting ministry through knapsack77@gmail.com.