St. Matthew Habitat for Humanity Ministry

Prologue:

This is the thirteenth in a series of short articles that will appear in the Sunday bulletin over the next several weeks. These articles are designed to help our parishioners understand what Habitat for Humanity is all about, provide up to date facts, and guide our parishioners in supporting the ministry.

Chapter Thirteen: WANTED – Volunteers!!!!

Volunteers are the heart and soul of any Habitat build. Under the constant guidance of a Habitat construction expert, volunteers build a Habitat house on Fridays and Saturdays in just 7 weeks. Construction will start on Friday, January 29 with landscaping scheduled for April 17. If we can secure the $51,000 needed to sponsor a full house build by December 1 then about 25 - 30 construction volunteers will be needed for each of the build days. A typical day out on the construction site begins around 7:30 AM and wraps up at 3:30 PM. Most construction jobs require volunteers to be at least eighteen (18) and in reasonably good physical condition. Youth 14 – 17 are welcome to volunteer as long as they are with a supervising adult in a ratio of one adult per every four youth.

You may feel that working at a Habitat site is beyond your capabilities. Nothing can be further from the truth. No experience is necessary and even if you have never used a hammer or paintbrush, your services will be greatly needed and appreciated. You will not be asked to perform a task with which you are uncomfortable and you need only sign up for one day to help build the house. The foundation, plumbing, electrical, and drywall work are contracted out to licensed professionals. The volunteers will carry out essentially all the other construction tasks.

Working on a Habitat build site is very exciting. Eight other Habitat houses will be going up at the same time and hundreds of volunteers from all over the city will be donating their time and talent to help provide homes for families in need. Volunteers have a lot of fun and cherish the fellowship created with the other volunteers. You will have the opportunity to volunteer for various aspects of the St. Matthew Spring Build (prayer partner, construction volunteer, donor of food/drink, phone committee) during our Volunteer Sign-Up Drive on December 12 - 13. A phone-a-thon will be held January 3 - 4 to assign build dates to the construction volunteers.

Prayer is the cornerstone of our Habitat ministry. Please pray for the success of our build and the safety of our volunteers. For more information, contact Susan McClure at 341-9623. Thank you for your constant support and God bless.