Sunday, October 1, 2000
Sunday, October 1, 2000 |
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Churches join forces to provide a hand up By SALLIE SATTERTHWAITE The logo shows two little stick figures whose bodies and upraised arms form a simple house, symbolizing people building together. But members of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran have expanded the symbol to represent their two congregations joined in a Habitat project called "Building on Faith." The union of the two Peachtree City churches was meant to be, says the Rev. Miriam Beecher of the Lutheran congregation. Leaders of both churches, unbeknownst to each other, had wanted to become involved in the Habitat program for some time, but the required components donated land, $40,000, willing hands and a carefully chosen family in need had not come together. Mary Ann Cox, director of religious education at the Catholic church, was exploring the possibilities with Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity when a sponsor who had pledged to build a house became unable to do so. As part of their Jubilee Year 2000 observation, Catholics are encouraging ecumenism the movement toward unity among all Christians and Cox could think of no better way to advance this objective than by partnering with another congregation. She called Christ Our Shepherd, and the collaboration was born: The congregations would share in both financial and volunteer labor requirements of a Habitat project. A "generous anonymous donor" contributed a wooded lot near Swan Lake in Stockbridge, said Ivonne Reid-Borland, executive director for Habitat's Southern Crescent, which coordinates construction in Fayette, Clayton and Henry counties. And while the two Peachtree City churches were organizing skilled and unskilled workers, Habitat saw to site preparation, ordering of materials, and permits. Meanwhile, Raymond and Tina Scott, at present living with their seven young children in a small trailer in Locust Grove, learned that they were going to have a house a small house of only about 1,350 square feet, but a real house with four bedrooms in a nice neighborhood. While Cox and her colleague Mary Plant were enlisting people like Greg Creighton, a Peachtree City builder, to head up construction, the Rev. Miriam Beecher at the Lutheran church engaged Rod Barkow, a retired building contractor in that congregation. Others brought into the project include Jerry Greenwell and Larry Gray to coordinate volunteers in their respective parishes, as well as Jan Hudson, Al Creighton, Clara Reed and Lynne Sullivan, who organize lunches and beverages and bring them to the work site. Bobbye Hager is directing internal publicity, Denny Baas is registrar and Dianne Baas, Maggie Ramsey or another nurse will be on site each week for safety reasons. The evening before the building project was set to begin, volunteers gathered for a potluck supper at Holy Trinity, where they met the Scotts. The family ranges from hefty 16-year-old Raymond Jr. through 3-month-old Christian, who gazed wide-eyed from his petite blond mother's arms. In between sat Ashleigh, 13, Johnnie, 11, Lindsey, 10, Tuesday, 7, and Terry, a squirmy 3-year-old. Early the next morning, Sept. 9, the work day began with devotions and prayer. The first work crews on the site found the block foundation ready to build on. Volunteers wore serious work clothes, having been warned that the lot was wall-to-wall red clay, with recent rain preventing the pouring of the driveway. Each church had pledged to put 30 volunteers in place, but by about 11 a.m., when a photographer and a reporter arrived, more than 100 persons were swarming over the site. One wall was up, the second was being raised. Husbands and wives manhandled 4x8-foot sheets of plywood. A Coweta County pharmacist demonstrated that she knows how to wield hand tools. A professional framer, donating his expertise, scored measurements on the cleat for the placement of studs. Ginnie Weber, hammer in hand, observed that the sound of sawing and hammering crescendoed like an industrial symphony. And a bevy of teen-age girls nailed decking to the floor joists. Never mind that every nail required at least 45 blows to drive home with a hammer clutched just behind the head, or that a few went crooked and had to be pried out. The securing of each sheet of plywood was saluted with giggles. Also brandishing hammers and saws: Father Kevin Peek, disarming in camouflage fatigues, and pastor John Weber in sawdust and a low-slung carpenter's belt. At noon, Weber had to threaten to withhold sandwiches before eager builders stopped long enough for a blessing before the lunch break. When work ended about 4 p.m., a recognizable house with four walls, windows and doors stood where eight hours earlier had been only a block foundation. Most of the workers would be back next week, and others who could not come on this day will get there when they can. This was only week one, and tasks assigned to weeks two and three in the schedule the raising of walls, wrapping with insulation and setting of windows were finished or underway. Planners have allowed 12 weeks to build the Scotts' house. They, and the Scotts, will welcome an earlier dedication date. The frenzy of activity on Greenwood Drive in Stockbridge is about something more than just building a house. It's about building bridges between churches, building friendship, and building hope.
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