Habitat for Humanity is a ministry that attempts to demonstrate the love and teaching of Jesus Christ to all people. They do this through a partnership among people of different backgrounds, races, religions and incomes. The common bond is the recognition of the housing needs of low-income families and an understanding of the role individuals and groups can play in helping them realize the dream of home ownership.
St. Stephen’s has been involved with Habitat for Humanity since 2003. We joined the South Oakland Circle of Faith with 14 other area churches to build a home in Royal Oak Township in 2003. In 2004, we helped build a home in Pontiac and in 2005 we participated with the Jimmy Carter Work Project to complete one of ten homes built in Pontiac.
We are again helping to build a home in Pontiac. We are moving to a new neighborhood as the property values have risen so much in the previous neighborhood Habitat can no longer afford to purchase the property.
This June St. Stephen’s will again help build a house for someone living in substandard housing. We will build the house for Kerry, Kyra and Peter Turnipseed. This is not a gift, the Turnipseeds will help build their house and they will sign a no interest 30 year mortgage to pay off their house; however I will tell you they will be happy and they will be grateful to St. Stephen’s for giving them a hand up in getting a decent, affordable, comfortable, safe house. Help us do it with your labor or your money. You will know you did a good thing. If you can come to the dedication on June 30, you will see tears of utter joy when the keys are passed to the new owner. It happens every time.
In February we accompanied a group of Habitat volunteers to Bay St. Louis, MS. Bay St. Louis is where the eye of hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast 20 months ago. The devastation is still very much visible; they’re only a handful of houses rebuilt on the coast.
We built a house for a family displaced by the hurricane. It was the 20th house built by Habitat in Bay St. Louis. Habitat intends to build 45 more houses there, and by the end of the summer build a total of 1000 houses in the gulf area. Habitat for Humanity Oakland County is committed to build 2 houses a year there for the next 10 years. Katrina happened almost 2 years ago, but only now is the town coming back. It will take a long time before it is healed.
Remember, you can help eliminate substandard housing by contributing to Habitat for Humanity. There are many ways to contribute. You can volunteer to help build the house, you can volunteer to help feed the workers, or you can help by contributing money to sustain the build. You can help the Turnipseeds in June in Pontiac or you can help a Katrina survivor in Bay St. Louis in November. You can help.
You can sign up to work at http://habitatoakland.org/volunteer/?socof . Also, St. Stephen’s is serving lunch on June 22. Or, you can write a check, make the check to St. Stephen’s with Habitat for Humanity in the memo line.
This page last updated: 07/07/2008