Habitat in Honduras and Cambodia

Rick Beech would like you to know that Habitat Wake is holding two meetings in October to share information about building globally in Honduras and Cambodia. If anyone is interesting in participating in this international mission, please attend one of these sessions. 

HONDURAS

White Memorial Presbyterian Church is organizing a trip with other Presbyterian congregations to build with Habitat Honduras March 4-12, 2017. Members of all faith communities are invited to participate. Learn more at an informational meeting on Sunday, October 23 at 2 p.m. at White Memorial Presbyterian Church, 1704 Oberlin Rd, Raleigh. Please take a look at the Honduras trip brochure.

CAMBODIA

The first Habitat Wake mission trip to build in Cambodia will be February 3-12, 2017,  and the trip and activities have been organized in conjunction with Habitat Cambodia. Habitat Wake is hosting an informational meeting on Monday, October 24 at 6 pm

 a Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at 2723 Clark Ave., Raleigh. All are welcome! Read more about the Cambodia trip. 

Schedule for Special Work Days for Baptist Build 2017

Planning is underway to begin construction early next year and we want your church community to get involved.  Please include the following events and special days in your church's 2017 ministry calendar:

• Saturday, January 14: Wall-Building at 7:30 AM at Habitat Wake construction facility, 2615 Westinghouse Blvd., Raleigh 
• Saturday, January 14: Wall-Raising Ceremony at 11:45 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh
• Sunday, January 15 Baptist Build Kick-Off Worship & Mass Choir at 2:30 PM at The Fountain of Raleigh, 9621 Six Forks Road
• Monday, January 16: Youth & College Work Day at 8:15 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh
• Saturday, February 18: Young Adult Work Day at at 8:15 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh
• Thursday, February 23: Clergy/Church Staff Work Morning from 8:15 AM- 12 noon, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh 
• Saturday, February 25:  Women Build Day at 8:15 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh 
• Saturday, March 11: Choir Work Day at 8:15 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh 

Organizational meeting for Baptist Build 2017 - Letter from Rick Beech

Hello Baptist Build Churches,

We had a very good debrief and planning meeting on August 31, 2016. Thank you to everyone who participated. The below is a summary of our meeting. 

We celebrated a successful Baptist Build 2016 project. Highlights were the joy of working with the partner families and growing the community between the churches. We celebrated raising $59,912 and volunteers contributing 2,423 hours of work.  We enjoyed the kick off worship, the youth and clergy/church staff work days. 

We set the goal of fully underwriting the $65,000 cost of the materials on a home and increasing the amount of volunteers to work on the home each Thursday, Friday and Saturday during the build from January 14-March 17. 

The next step is for each church to put Baptist Build 2017 in their 2017 budget. As suggested in the past, larger churches were asked to provide $6,500. Mid sized churches were asked to provide $3,000-$5,000. Smaller churches were asked to to set a goal of providing $100 or $200 per month ($1,200-$2,400 per year) toward the project.  If churches can keep me updated on their plans, I will keep everyone posted on the general status of our fundraising efforts.

We also discussed the importance of each church designating a volunteer coordinator. Coordinators are responsible for notifying Christin Murphy at christin.murphy@habitatwake.org of their desired work dates and then encouraging their church's volunteers to register for those days via http://vhub.at/baptistbuild2017.

Churches were asked to add the following dates to the church's 2017 ministry calendar and promote these dates widely in the church:

• Saturday, January 14: Wall-Building at 7:30 AM at Habitat Wake construction facility, 2615 Westinghouse Blvd., Raleigh 
• Saturday, January 14: Wall-Raising Ceremony at 11:45 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh
• Sunday, January 15 Baptist Build Kick-Off Worship & Mass Choir at 2:30 PM at The Fountain of Raleigh, 9621 Six Forks Road
• Monday, January 16: Youth & College Work Day at 8:15 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh
• Saturday, February 18: Young Adult Work Day at at 8:15 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh
• Thursday, February 23: Clergy/Church Staff Work Morning from 8:15 AM- 12 noon, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh 
• Saturday, February 25:  Women Build Day at 8:15 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh 
• Saturday, March 11: Choir Work Day at 8:15 AM, 5548 Neuse View Drive, Raleigh  

Everyone was encouraged to keep informed about the project through the Baptist Build Blog http://baptistbuild.blogspot.com/.  Attached is the sponsor packet which was reviewed at the meeting.

With enormous gratitude,

Rick Beech

Baptist Build 2017 - Meet our Family

We have wonderful news.  One of our families for a new home is the McKeithans.  Meet Mary and Billy McKeithan.  

Mary and Billy are from North Carolina and have worked hard all their lives. Mary was with Eaton Corp for many years, until the plant relocated, and she went on to work other jobs until she became disabled in 2007. Billy has worked for the Raleigh Flea Market for 20 years, but is experiencing health issues and is not as able to get out as much now. They have two children, and the youngest, Kelsey, just graduated from high school. Their oldest, Kevin, is married and has a 6-year-old son. Their family has been working diligently on their sweat equity hours and are looking forward to making new friends by building with the Baptist congregations.

Dedication Sunday - To God be the Glory

The Baptist Build 2016 houses are complete.   Today, May 15, was the day that the Habitat houses on Neuse View road were dedicated and presented to their new families.  Dr. Marvin Connelly, from the Wake Missionary Baptist Association, opened the service welcoming the churches.  Dr. Roger Nix, from the Raleigh Baptist Association, reminded us of "Why we Build".




The homeowners were each presented a beautiful, original painting depicting the building of the home by Jashua Steward of The Fountain of Raleigh. 

 The interiors are beautiful and ready for the new families to move in.  We celebrated today with our recipient families:
 - Admasu Abe & Yesembet Sewer and their two young sons
 - Cathleen Jefferson and her three children

Thanks to all who came out and participated in this special service of Thanksgiving for what God is doing here in Wake County.  We pray for the well being of these new homeowners and for God's presence with them as they enjoy this blessing.  

To God be the Glory.  

April Builders

As the houses near completion, a large team of volunteers gathers for a new day of effort.  Many of these workers are celebrating an "Operation Inasmuch" day of ministry with their church family, reflecting on the lesson from Matthew 25:40. 

 Siding and roofing work going on on one of these houses. 

The scaffolding helps workers be more efficient than using ladders as waterproof tar paper goes on the roof.  

 Meanwhile the other house has a busy crew painting the indoor walls and ceilings.  Each house has three bedrooms, two baths, and a large living area and kitchen to be painted. 

Wonderful ladies from Trinity Baptist provided a delicious lunch including homemade desserts for the lucky workers that day.

What a blessing to spend the day working with fellow Christians helping families achieve the homes of their dreams.  

Pastor and staff build day

We had great fun this past Thursday with the earnest hardworking clergy who came out in the cold to help their neighbors.  We serve an amazing God who can take a bunch of preachers and church staff and actually get construction work out of them. 

 Those in attendance were:

• Pastor Marvin Connelly: St. Augusta 
• Pastor Mary Heggie: First Philadelphia 
• Pastor Sean Allen, Pastor Allan Smith, Johnny Glover: Greystone 
• Pastor Bankole Akinbinu & entire church staff (Lori Aboulmouna-Metivier, Chalice Overy, Rochelle Woodson): Baptist Grove 
• Pastor Chris Partin:  Plymouth
• Pastor Paul Anderson:  The Fountain
• Pastor William Newkirk: Oak City
• Pastor Barry Young: Oberlin

 

Work began on a third house on this cold morning with laying of the floor joists.  

 

The Baptist Build churches have done a great job sending volunteers.  We struggle to fill Thursday and Friday work days and we have several more weeks to build. If you have retirees or persons with flexible work schedules, please encourage them to sign up via http://vhub.at/baptistbuild2016.  

 If you would like for Rick Beech to come out to your church on a Sunday to thank and encourage your congregation to keep sending volunteers till the end of the project in April, he would enjoy doing so. Please connect with Margaret Albert at margaret.albert@habitatwake.org if your church would like to sign up for additional work days.

Roof construction continues on one of the houses with the laying of the plywood surface above the rafters.  

Thanks for all the help provided!

Siding going up on Saturday (2/20)

Volunteers from Trinity worked hard at framing and putting up siding during their work day Saturday.  With white hats in place, the team assembled for a group photograph and then set to work. 

Thanks to Phillip Price, Habitat Coordinator for Trinity for providing the great pictures for the progress that day.  

Planning for the windows ready to be set in the walls. 

Hard at work and still smiling. 

 Windows being set in place. 

 Roofing going on and being covered with tar paper, ready for shingles. 

 Siding doing up. 

 A chance to have a rest over a good lunch with friends provided by the church. 

 Siding almost finished on one of the houses, with the roofing in place.