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By Suzanne Hinton, Special To The Bulletin
DULUTH—Continuing with a plan to build community through
service projects, St. Benedict Church recently completed its second Habitat for
Humanity home, in conjunction with Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Decatur.
The home, which was started Feb. 19, was dedicated April 1, after
construction days were held on seven successive Saturdays. Each Saturday 50
volunteer workers arrived at the site to be greeted by the house leader, Jason
Owens. After an opening prayer, Owens and other skilled laborers directed
workers to tasks. Along with the volunteers, Wanda Seaborn, the new homeowner,
and her family were present each day to put in their “sweat equity.”
Pictures were taken to document the weekly progress and posted in the St.
Benedict Church lobby. At the dedication ceremony, Seaborn was presented with a
photo album of the seven-week construction of her home.
Each week lunch was prepared and served by parish volunteers from
RENEW faith-sharing groups. The groups served sandwiches or chili and local
grocery stores and restaurants also donated food.
Construction funds were raised through the donations of
parishioners. St. Benedict partnered with Sts. Peter and Paul Parish, which
allowed them to share in a grant program where half of the funds necessary to
build a Habitat home were provided. The building experience with Sts. Peter and
Paul proved especially rewarding and resulted in establishing a warm and
positive sense of community with a sister parish. Over 500 parishioners
volunteered to come out on one of the Saturdays to assist in constructing the
home on Browns Mill Road, SE.
St. Benedict’s involvement with Habitat for Humanity stems
from the vision and mission of the Laurel Springs Wednesday evening RENEW
group. During a 1998 fall meeting, the topic of community service arose. From
that simple discussion, the RENEW group volunteered to serve food at the
Habitat for Humanity home that All Saints Parish in Dunwoody was building. That
project inspired a few dedicated members to begin doing research on what it
would take for St. Benedict to participate in such a worthwhile cause and, on
July 10, 1999, the parish began construction of its first Habitat for Humanity
house. That house was dedicated Aug. 21, 1999. Because of the strong support of
Father Hugh Marren, pastor, and the parish community, construction of a third
Habitat for Humanity home is scheduled to begin Sept. 16.
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing
ministry. Habitat for Humanity seeks to eliminate poverty housing and
homelessness from the world and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience
and action. Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to
build houses together in partnership with families in need.
Habitat has built more than 85,000 houses around the world,
providing more than 425,000 people in more than 2,000 communities with safe,
decent, affordable shelter. Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 by Millard
Fuller along with his wife, Linda.
Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials,
Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the
homeowner families who are partners in the project. Habitat houses are sold to
partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The
homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build more Habitat
houses.
Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment
and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their
own labor, called “sweat equity,” into building their Habitat house
and the houses of others.
Suzanne Hinton is a member of St. Benedict Church, Duluth.
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