Faith Partners

A Faith Build in Partnership with Thermal Belt Habitat for Humanity

What is a “Faith Build” and how does it work?

A Faith Build is when members of a church come together to help build or repair a house for a deserving local family. It offers your church the chance to fulfill its mission of being Christ’s hands and feet beyond our walls and express your faith in a tangible way in the community.

Habitat for Humanity is a Christian nonprofit housing organization with the mission “to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to help build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter”. A Faith Build, whether it be an entirely new house, or needed repairs on an existing home, represents a wonderful opportunity for Habitat and Polk County and Landrum churches to help each other be God’s servants.

Because Habitat for Humanity is a Christian organization, people give of themselves and volunteer on its behalf. When Habitat builds or repairs a house, the volunteer workers help reduce the construction cost. For a Faith Build, church members not only serve as volunteers, but also contribute to the purchase of building materials and other expenses necessary to build or repair a home.

Build Community Through Service

A Faith Build will help build community within your church and empower your members to serve in the community. In addition to praying for the project’s success, specific ways your members can contribute to the Faith Build include:

Volunteering to help on a “build day”. Building or repairing a  house requires all sorts of talents and expertise, but anyone with a heart to help is encouraged to volunteer!

• Members who aren’t inclined to swing a hammer can still help with any number of tasks, like making lunch for the onsite workers or babysitting while parents are working on the house.
• Work with Habitat staff to help plan build days and recruit volunteers.
• Form a prayer group for the Faith Build, including leading prayers at the construction site for the partner family to have blessings in their home, and praying for the ministry of Habitat for Humanity in the Thermal Belt area.
• Create a welcome basket or other special gifts for the partner family, as well as being there for them before and after construction is completed.
• Help plan and coordinate the ground-breaking and the dedication day, a time when everyone can commemorate their participation in a special way.

The Faith Build Generosity Challenge

As much as volunteers and prayer can accomplish in the building or repairing of a home, there is also a significant financial cost. That’s why we recommend asking your members to contribute to the fund needed to turn the build into a finished home, or the repair project into a safe, well-maintained home. That’s the Faith Build Generosity Challenge.

What Habitat for Humanity will do to make this project a success

• Collaborate with Polk County and Landrum churches to succeed in the Faith Build Generosity Challenge.
• Select a qualified partner family and arrange for them to visit your church.
• Provide experienced site and construction staff to oversee the building or repairing of the house, including sourcing all building materials from Habitat suppliers.
• Work with all the churches to plan build days and help recruit and manage volunteers.
• Provide liability insurance for the project.
• Sell a newly-built home to the partner family at no interest, or create a no interest second mortgage to cover the cost of repairing an existing home.

What your church needs to do to make the project a success

• Appoint at least two “Congregational Champions” to serve as Habitat’s main points of contact to plan build days and recruit volunteers.
• Put forth its best effort to provide as many volunteers as possible to help with construction, repairs, and other tasks.
• Put forth its best effort to make the Faith Build Generosity Challenge a success.
• And, above all, pray for this project’s success!