Jesus was a carpenter. And so are the members of this Iowa congregation.

The words “sweat equity” hold a very personal meaning for the members of Seeds of Faith Lutheran Church in Lisbon, Iowa. After seven years without a permanent church home, this new-start congregation raised enough money to purchase the land for its first church building. The construction budget was extremely tight, but thanks to the pastor’s past experience as a building contractor as well as a Mission Investment Fund loan, the congregation forged ahead, doing much of the labor itself to save money. Seeds of Faith also decided to install an environmentally friendly geothermal heating and cooling system, which costs less to operate than a traditional HVAC system, saving it money long-term. And it received donated materials from a number of building suppliers too.

In all, the members of Seeds of Faith spent over 6,000 hours building their new church, moving massive amounts of dirt, setting concrete forms, framing walls, hanging insulation, installing windows and doors, laying ceramic tile, and planting trees, among other tasks. And when they needed hardwood trim for the altar, members even scoured the neighborhood, offering to cut down trees in need of felling in exchange for the wood, which they took to a local mill.

Having a building of its own has freed up Seeds of Faith to pursue its larger mission. The congregation now works with another mission congregation that is still in need of a permanent home. And it’s partnering with Crossroads Mission in nearby Cedar Rapids to help provide food, counseling services, clothing and other supplies to domestic violence victims and the homeless.

“We cut corners, not quality,” says the Rev. John Rosenberg, pastor of Seeds of Faith, of the building project. “And we’re proud of what we did to build this building, not for ourselves, but for the service of God.”