First Church Family,
Several weeks ago, in a conversation with our Pete Kidder, Caldwell Habitat for Humanity executive director, I came to understand that:
* there are houses within a mile of our church where families with children live on dirt floors.
* more than 7,000 houses in our county are heated by portable kerosene heaters and by opening the oven.
* 7,764 families in our county spend almost one-third of their total income on housing.
* and many mobile homes in our county are so poorly insulated that families spend as much on utilities as they do rent.
I shuddered when learning of that need.
For the above reasons, and because of our church’s commitment to serving Christ and the poor, our Church Council recently made the decision that our congregation will build a Habitat for Humanity house in 2022.
In my opinion, that is a win/win proposition. Our congregation loves hands on ministry with the poor.
And there are so many ways we can participate: helping to raise the $25,000 it will cost; actually hammering nails and screwing screws; providing snacks and meals for those who work; and praying with and for the people we will serve.
Recently, we received pictures of children drinking clean water out of the wells we dug in Guatemala. And now we will have the opportunity to provide affordable housing for people in need.
What a privilege it is to partner together and with Almighty God, following His call to do good!
Please begin to pray about that adventure. Pray about how you can be able to participate: through making gifts and offerings to the project certainly, but also organizing work teams and meals, actually working on building the house, and actually feeding those who are working on major work days.
Spring is the optimum time to begin the process. I will let you know with details about the project soon.
Until then, bask in the love of Almighty God, with whom we will be partnering.
It is a high honor, to me personally, to work with and among you.
Blessings and love,
Pastor Dave