Faith Builders Blog

My house is your house. My Kingdom is your Kingdom. (Part 2)

When I arrived at Ivy’s house, our construction supervisor Dave Landis was setting up for the task at hand. We were going to take the top siding boards off the outside walls and blow recycled and treated cellulose (paper) insulation into the wall cavities, then add 9 inches of the same in her attic. This was our first attempt at weatherizing walls of an older house and we were a bit nervous. But Allen Slabaugh and Alyssa Hostetler arrived to drop off the college students from South Georgia Tech's Phi Beta Lambda chapter. Then they went on to Koinonia to work with a second crew on Nashua Chantal’s house, a renovation of one of the original Partnership Housing units located in Forest Village.

As they drove off, another volunteer showed up… Thaddeus Harris! Thad is our homeowner from the recently completed Elizabeth Street duplex which was a “Gold” rated Energy Star house. Thad wasn’t here to earn his required sweat equity hours. Thad had more than met his reqirement of 500 hours and logged more hours than any homeowner I have ever worked with over the past 23 years. Thad was here because he loves volunteering with us. He told me he wants other folks with disabilities to see that they don’t have to give up. By his witness, they can see that they too can have a fulfilling life. And nothing is more fulfilling to Thad than working on Fuller Center projects!

This Thursday, Dave Landis and Allen Slabaugh and I were in our office organizing projects for some local volunteers from South Georgia Tech college. I picked up the phone and called Ivy Nunn, one of the Greater Blessing repair program homeowners who was sponsored by Cornerstone Church in Americus during our Faith in Action Weekend last October. I said, “Ivy, it’s Kirk. I’ve got some energetic students who want to come by and weatherize your house this Saturday. I know it’s been cold and rainy this week, but it looks like it will clear up enough for us to work. Can we come by?” Ivy responded, “My house is your house!”

Since 1988, I've seen references to Clarence Jordan's quote "What the poor need is not charity, but capital, not caseworkers but coworkers." I remember being moved by this concept. Once I went to an amusement park wearing a red t-shirt with the quote in bright yellow lettering and I got compliments from folks while standing in line for a roller coaster. The idea is a great one, but I've recently discovered that there is a second sentence that is partnered with the first that is often omitted:

"And what the rich need is a wise, honorable, and just way of divesting themselves of their overabundance."

Today was the final day of the Millard Fuller Legacy Build week and it was amazing! The houses were dedicated and we had a wonderful closing supper and ceremony. It was time to say goodbye to our friends, but we knew it was only a temporary time away from each other, as plans are already being made for a spring build in Louisville in connection with the annual covenant partner conference. Webster Parish will be the host site for MFLB 2011 the first week of October.

All week, I have been visiting with the volunteers asking them what they thought was the most significant faith statement made by this build. I visited a Greater Blessing project where my friend Tamara Danel was working all week, replacing the deteriorating and leaking exterior of a house with a beautifully painted green cement board siding. Tamara serves on the board of directors of The Fuller Center for Housing and is the driving force behind the Northshore Fuller Center for Housing in Louisiana.

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James Mulholland is a pastor, an author and holds the title "Community Builder" for our partner organization Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND). He has traveled to my neighborhood to visit Koinonia Farm where he visited and offered workshops. Today I had the opportunity and pleasure to meet Jim for the first time. He took time out of his busy schedule to give me a tour around the community and show me the amazing things that SEND has been working on. As one of the early organizers of SEND and a resident of the Fountain Square community, he enjoys his calling to serve his community.

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