2011 Building on Faith / Thrivent Builds Partnership Guide

Power Point presentation from 2011 Building on Faith / Thrivent Builds Kickoff Breakfast

Mission

Building on Faith is a campaign to bring together Oakland County’s faith community to assert its belief in God by taking action to affirm the dignity and worth of the humanity that God loves. As an extension of Habitat for Humanity’s ministry, Building on Faith affirms and blesses humanity through the construction of homes and neighborhoods where at-risk families can grow and prosper as God intends.

Habitat for Humanity and the Christian faith

Habitat for Humanity is an ecumenical Christian global alliance of local affiliates that work to make adequate, affordable housing a matter of conscience and action. The foundation of Habitat for Humanity’s mission is the conviction that every human being has dignity and worth and therefore should have access to decent housing.

The Christian character of Habitat for Humanity is not a barrier to collaboration with peoples of other faiths; rather it is the reason we seek people of other faiths as partners in our mission. We believe that to be Christian is to affirm and bless people regardless of the color of their skin, their country, their creed, or their lifestyle.

The people who comprise Habitat for Humanity share the desire to express the love of God through action. They want their hands and feet and muscles to communicate God’s love to greater effect than words alone.

Habitat for Humanity bases its mission and methods on three key concepts: 1) Faith in Action, 2) Economics of Jesus, and 3) Theology of the Hammer.

• Faith in Action.  Jesus Christ taught that the person who truly loves is the person who takes action. Habitat for Humanity offers many opportunities for people of faith to act on the love that comes through that faith.

• Economics of Jesus.  We believe that God multiplies the good that a person can do when he or she gives freely and sacrificially without regard for personal gain. God makes the little that you can do into a lot.

• Theology of the Hammer.  Millard Fuller , founder of Habitat for Humanity, said in regard to the diversity of humanity: “We may disagree on all sorts of other things…but we can agree on the idea of building homes with God’s people in need.” Fuller explained that “the Bible teaches that God is the God of the whole crowd. God’s love leaves nobody out and my love should not either.”    

History

Read the complete history of Habitat for Humanity here .

In the early 1990s, Habitat for Humanity came to Oakland County via a few Christians whose experience with the ministry in other places inspired them to bring it here. Those Christians met in church basements, coffee houses, and living rooms to consider what they could do come alongside neighbors whose substandard housing oppressed their souls and kept them from becoming all that God intended them to be.

As time passed, those Christians convinced the congregations to which they belonged to work together to support the ministry. In 1994, representatives from those congregations formed a board of directors and signed a covenant with Habitat for Humanity to carry out its mission in Oakland County.

Fifteen years later, the faith community continues to be the backbone of Habitat for Humanity in Oakland County. That community has become wonderful in its diversity, however, as Hindus, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and people from every Christian tradition from Catholicism to Orthodoxy to Protestantism participate in the mission. The variety of God’s people reflects that Habitat for Humanity builds more than homes; it builds the bridges necessary to the integrity and prosperity of our community.

Building on Faith in the Future

Habitat for Humanity and its faith partners will continue to mobilize resources to build homes and neighborhoods that open doors of opportunity for Oakland County’s low-income residents. In the future, these neighborhoods will develop according to a plan that considers the holistic growth of the families who live there. Rather than operate on its own, Habitat for Humanity will seek to build partnerships with organizations that share an interest in a community’s prosperity and quality of life. This will multiply the opportunities available to Habitat for Humanity homeowners.

Faith partners will continue to provide valuable resources such as funds and volunteers to support these efforts. However, we envision the emergence of three “themes” for Building on Faith:

• Celebration of faith.  Our Building on Faith events will focus on the expression of faith and hope in God and God’s love for humanity.

• Prayer.  Prayer is the greatest resource congregations and people of faith have to offer Habitat for Humanity, its partner families, and the neighborhoods where they live and work. Prayer is the vehicle by which people discern the heart and mind of God. Prayer is often the act that initiates the flow of greater blessings for the greater good.

• Reconciliation. Metro Detroit is one of America’s great broken cities as its people segregate themselves because of addresses, bank balances, place of worship, and skin color. We believe that reconciliation is more than an economic necessity; it is one of the core tenets of the Christian faith.

How you can Build on Faith

• Pray.  Before you do anything else, pray for your neighbors in need and pray to know what you can do on their behalf. Pray for Habitat for Humanity and its partners as they work on behalf of those in need. Please let us know that you are praying for us.

• Volunteer.  Home construction is only one way to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. You may choose to organize a group fundraising and volunteer effort at your congregation. You may choose to feed our volunteers. You may serve on our board or one of our event committee. You may become a mentor to one of our homeowners. Whatever you find in your heart to do with your hands, we can find a need for you to fill. Volunteer now here .

• Donate. Our ministry requires a lot of material and money to do it right. Faith partners remain perhaps the most important source of funds for our mission. Donate now here .

To organize your congregation for participation in Habitat for Humanity’s mission, please contact Brad Irwin at (248) 338-1843, ext. 222, or [ email ] .