DENVER (ELCA)-- Although the afternoon was free from meetings and plenary sessions, more than 50 participants in the 1999 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly spent their time building Habitat for Humanity homes in metro Denver.
The churchwide assembly, the chief legislative authority of the ELCA, is meeting Aug. 16-22 here at the Colorado Convention Center. There are more than 2,500 people participating, including 1,038 ELCA voting members. The theme for the biennial assembly is "Making Christ Known: Hope for a New Century."
In celebration of the assembly in Denver, 10 Habitat for Humanity homes will be built, two on Akron Street in Aurora, Colo., and eight in Mexico, said the Rev. John S. Petty, All Saints Lutheran Church, Denver and area director for church relations, Habitat for Humanity, as a celebration of the Churchwide Assembly in Denver.
"We thought the best way to do that would be to do some kinds of service so people could know that Lutherans are here and active in this community," said Petty.
In 1995, the ELCA declared itself in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. A goal of the house-building this week was to "celebrate that partnership and to show the metro Denver area that our church is about service to others and caring for others and wanting to make an impact on local communities," he said.
Petty added that the church has always been the "basic foundation, the rock" upon which Habitat for Humanity was built.
ELCA workers at the Habitat site poured cement, put trusses on a roof, sided the house, landscaped and built a retaining wall for a driveway, said Len Robinson, construction supervisor for houses built during the assembly.
"There wasn't anything I'd rather do this afternoon than work here," said Debbie Burditt, a voting member from Sandpoint, Idaho.
"The (ELCA) Rocky Mountain Synod people have been fabulous servants to us. It's a way of giving something back to them," said Randy Mullin, Genesco, Ill.
Mullin, a physician, has done Habitat work before. "It's good honest work," he said.
One house that ELCA participants helped build will be dedicated Aug. 22 to Denver resident Denise Williams. With her three sons, Williams lives in a two-bedroom apartment with faulty wiring and heating problems that is located in an unsafe area. Each family that receives a Habitat house is required to put in 500 hours of "sweat equity" or work on the house, Petty said.
Families are chosen on the basis of need, income and willingness work on the house. The house is sold to families at no profit and with no-interest loans families typically pay less each month for a Habitat house than they currently pay for an apartment, Petty said.
With the addition of the two new houses, 11 Habitat houses have been built on Akron Street in the last two years. While most ELCA participants worked on the two new houses, some helped put finishing touches on other houses on the street.
Outside one nearly-finished home, Elida Fierro and her nine-year-old = daughter Yesenia worked to dig a hole in a flower bed and place stones for a walkway. The Fierros will move into the home in three to four weeks, said Yesenia Fierro.
"I'm so happy, so excited," said Elida Fierro, who said a friend told her about Habitat for Humanity. The Fierros were accepted for the program, although "I didn't believe it at first," Elida Fierro said.
"We already wanted to move. There was no safe place to play," Yesenia Fierro said.
Petty said Habitat for Humanity is a service of mission. "Not only do you build a house for a family in need in partnership with God's people, but we're also helping to revitalize the church by calling the church to it's historic mission which is service in the world and care for the poor, building up the community and providing a way for people to live out that mission in their daily life," Petty said.
A grant for the project was provided by Lutheran Brotherhood, a fraternal benefits organization based in Minneapolis.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
