Habitat for Humanity
WEEKLY UPDATES ON OUR CURRENT HABITAT BUILD
Week #2 - The build is on schedule. We have a great house leader and we are having fun. Our homeowner is working very hard. We need more folks to sign up for October 15, October 22, October 29 and November 5. If you’re interested, please contact Phil Sagebiel by clicking here or sign up in the Information Center at the church.
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Week #1 - On Sunday Sep 18, the walls of our Habitat house were assembled at the parking lot of Coker UMC. Bill Miller and I represented WBC. This was one of the coolest experiences I have had. There was a brief service and then we divided into 5 teams. One by one, the teams assembled one wall at a time. In 3 hours, we had all 37 walls completed. Then, the most amazing thing was to see how all 37 walls were carried to one trailer and stacked thereon. Habitat has an amazing system of placing the walls so they fit like a giant jigsaw puzzle on the trailer. Then, the Habitat construction leader spray painted Coker UMC and Woodland BC on the side of the walls--free advertising for the trip to the job site.
The best thing was the sermon being preached in the parking lot that Sunday morning. Hundreds and hundreds of worshipers walked past and got to see faith in action right there on the church grounds. Our homeowner was there sweating with us. She is on the far right of the picture with 2 of her children.
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BUILD 2011 Meet Denise Flores and her daughters, Daija (10) and Malorie (6). The Flores family has moved from rental to rental. Daija has been in 3 different schools in the last 5 years. Denise is looking forward to a stabile home situation where the children will for the first time be able to have pets and their own bedroom. Denise also has a 15 year old son, Thomas. Denise already has 200 sweat equity hours earned. She is looking forward to working in partnership with Woodland and Coker UMC during this year’s build. Questions? -- please contact Phil Sagebiel Put your faith in action in partnership
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SOME INFORMATION YOU MAY NEED: Construction experience |
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY MINISTRY AT WOODLAND
Woodland has sponsored the construction of a home in partnership with a family in need in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. Starting in 2011, Woodland may partner with one or two other churches to sponsor a home annually.
The financial cost of sponsoring an entire HFHSA house in 2011 is $54,000, which represents the cost of land, construction materials, skilled trades, and supervisory construction staff. Woodland is budgeting $18,000 annually and is hoping to partner with one or two other churches to sponsor a house annually. 100% of the amount Woodland contributes goes to the cost of the house. All administrative costs of HFHSA are covered by proceeds from its home improvement stores.
In addition to the financial cost, a house sponsor tries to supply all of the volunteer workers to build a new home. House construction builds are usually 7 consecutive Saturday work days. Those who are unable to do construction work can help by providing lunch for workers. All construction is closely supervised by a HFHSA-employed house leader.
We grow through the partnering relationship with the family. The family works beside us during the process. There is a house blessing before the family moves in.
Through the Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio ministry, Woodland has given outside of itself, grown through tangible faith in action and camaraderie, practiced Radical Common Sense, and changed the lives of four families, including seven children. The children of these families are more likely to graduate from high school, attend college, and have less adolescent problems due to living in an owned home versus government or rental housing. The families are changed dramatically for generations to come.
During our 2010 Build, an added bonus was that the homeowner from our 2006 Build came and helped us most Saturdays. She got to know our 2010 family. Our 2010 family is being led to Christ by our church’s sponsorship and by the Christian mentorship of our 2006 family.
HABITAT’S MINISTRY
- Ecumenical Christian non-Profit
- Eliminating poverty housing by building simple, decent, and affordable houses in partnership with God’s people in need
- Built with volunteers and sponsors
- Unique because we provide a means of homeownership for low-income families
- The Need San Antonio is Great
- One in six Bexar County families live in poverty
- 210k residents living in poverty, over 50k are children under age 5
- Meet the Need Through the Radical
- Goal is radical, to eliminate poverty housing
- Finance plan is radical, in a world where the poor pay higher interest than wealthy
- “Theology of the Hammer” teaches true religion requires action; “My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.” (1 John 3:18)
- Meet the Need Through Common Sense
- People should have a healthy, stable place to live on terms they can afford to pay
- Children should have decent housing so they can grow up to be all that God intended
- People of faith should work together to express God’s love in a program that is agreed upon
- People should be helped in a way that does not foster dependency
- “Sweat Equity” and New Training House
- Clarence Jordan’s Observations
- The poor don’t need charity, they need capital; so why not follow the bible and charge no interest?
- The poor don’t need caseworkers, they need coworkers; so why not recruit legions of volunteers with hammers to build homes, thus reducing cost?
- The poor don’t need a hand-out, they need a hand-up; so why not require the family to put in substantial sweat equity and pay for the cost of the house?
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