3/4/07
By Karissa Minn, For the Salisbury Post
Local volunteers began work on two Habitat for Humanity houses Saturday morning so two more Salisbury families will have a place to call home.
Habitat volunteers joined Lutherans, Pfeiffer University students and the future homeowners in the construction effort. Reddish-orange mud was caked on their shoes as they worked in the brisk morning air.
The persistent sound of hammering only ceased for the brief groundbreaking ceremony at a little after 9 a.m. After a few speeches and prayers, the Mustafics and the Plummers each turned a spade of earth on the lot of their future home.
The two houses are sponsored by Thrivent Builds, a partnership between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Habitat for Humanity that began in 2006. Thrivent is a not-for-profit fraternal organization that provides financial services to its members, using the money it receives to give back to Lutherans and others in the community. By teaming up with Habitat, Thrivent helps provide funding to provide decent and affordable housing to those in need.
"We're trying to help other people, and to be able to pull all the churches together to meet that goal is good for everyone concerned," said Lynn Lippard, a representative from the Southwest Rowan County chapter of Thrivent.
Gary Thompson, who has experience as a carpenter, coordinated construction for a group from St. Mark's Lutheran Church in China Grove. The Mustafic house was the second one he had worked on with St. Mark's. He also helped build three Habitat houses in Concord, with the Niblock Corp.
"We used to do these things called blitzes. We would come in with about 150 people, and put up a house in a day," said Thompson. "I've been trying to get them to do something like that here. It was fun. It was really neat."
A small group from St. Stephen's Lutheran Church in Gold Hill was led by Chris Pinto.
"We wanted to get the youth involved with helping people in the community," Pinto said. He and his wife, Joy, had been talking for a while about doing a Habitat house to further that goal, and finally decided to get out and build.
"I think we're scheduled to do this again next weekend," said Joy Pinto. "We should have more people then, after everybody here gets back and talks about it. A lot of people won't come at first because they don't know what to expect."
Nine people from St. Stephen's helped with the Plummer house, alongside the Pfeiffer University women's and men's swim teams.
"Every athletic team (at Pfeiffer) performs multiple community service activities," swim coach Hannah Hawkins said.
Pfeiffer swim team member Joy Prim saw this outing not just as a requirement, but as a privilege.
"We enjoy doing service projects to help the community that supports us," said the sophomore. "It's not too much to ask for us to get up one Saturday and do this."
The future homeowners are grateful for the help. Amir and Samira Mustafic have two children and a third on the way. Christopher and Jennifer Plummer have four children. Habitat for Humanity will provide decent housing for all of them. Amir, Samira and Jennifer -- Christopher was ill --expressed their appreciation for the volunteers' work and then picked up hammers and joined in.
"These houses are not built for anybody," said Coleman Emerson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County. "They are built with the people who get them."
Emerson called this participation of the homeowners "sweat equity," and said that a willingness to build is one of the factors that helps Habitat determine who receives a home from the organization. Other factors include need and the financial capability to make low monthly payments on the zero-interest loan for the house.
Others working at the sites included current and future Habitat homeowners on Celebration Drive. Most of the houses on the road were built through Habitat for Humanity.
"It's an adventure," said Dedra Ellis, president of the neighborhood homeowners' association. "Seeing how a house is built from the ground up and then being able to make repairs on your own house is great."
Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County received one of eight grants that Thrivent provided to North Carolina last year. This grant was applied to a house that would be built this year.
According to Carl Haynes, pastor of Christiana Lutheran church, Thrivent wound up with extra money, which was then given to Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County for a second house due to the strong Lutheran support in the area. Additional funds are being provided by the two local Thrivent chapters and Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County.
Thrivent has committed $105 million over four years to help increase house production, according to a Habitat news release. In the first year of the partnership, Habitat home production nationwide increased by 6 percent.
"This partnership is wonderful," said Charles Hoffmire, a liaison between Thrivent and Lutheran churches. "The hardest part of this is not finding volunteers -- it's raising money. Thrivent is making it possible."
Sandra Teamer, who lives in the neighborhood, spoke at the groundbreaking. She told the Mustafics and the Plummers that they are blessed, and then spoke about the 10 Lutheran churches who helped build her house through Habitat.
"I do love the Lutherans!" she declared with a laugh. "My house was built three years ago. My daughter went to college two years ago. But the churches continue to give, and to pray. They are living the Scriptures."
SOURCE: Salisbury Post
