In mid-July, a team of eight people representing all three sites of the Church served with Habitat for Humanity of Dane County in a neighborhood on Madison’s west side.  We also partnered with Thrivent Financial, who provided us with t-shirts and refreshments.  Working with a Thrivent employee and the on-site construction supervisors, we were able to clean four homes, making them move-in ready, and help with wall construction on a fifth home.  When we spent most of our time that day cleaning instead of building, we tried to remember that following Christ’s example means serving where there is need, not serving only where or how we prefer to serve.  Christ also set the example for us of learning what assets and resources already exist within a community that we can make use of in order to best serve that community.  Serving with community partners like Habitat and Thrivent — who have already built relationships with the neighborhoods and families they serve and who serve with them — makes it easy to say “yes” when we’re invited to work with them.  And we will have many more opportunities to say “yes” to these lifeServe opportunities in the future.

Habitat for Humanity of Dane County’s mission — seeking to put God’s love into action, bringing people together to build homes, communities, and hope — is making affordable housing increasingly accessible for families in the greater Madison area.  In 2017, the Church has committed to partnering with Habitat for Humanity’s Faith Build in Fitchburg’s Renaissance on the Park neighborhood.  A Faith Build involves several churches coming together to provide an Apostle’s share (or 1/12) of what it takes to build a Habitat house, and committing to a minimum of five workdays staffed by teams of church volunteers.

I invite you to pray with me for current and future Habitat families and all the volunteers who work to build affordable homes, and for our church as we continue our partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Dane County for the 2017 Faith Build in Fitchburg.  Prior to the beginning of the Faith Build, I invite you to attend one of their informative, inspirational “Unlock the Dream Tours.”  During the tour, you’ll learn how Habitat’s homeownership process works, and hear a homeowner’s personal story about how owning their Habitat home has made a lasting impact on their family. Upcoming tours will be held on Thursday, August 18 (5pm), September 7 (8am), September 15 (5pm), and October 5 (8am), and last one hour.  Contact me if you’d like to attend one of the tours, and consider inviting a friend along with you!