Helping Others From the Ground Up
St. Paul’s is a member of the Faithful Builders Coalition for Omaha Habitat for Humanity. We are one of thirteen area churches that team together for this coalition. Each year, the Faithful Builders Coalition constructs a new home in the Omaha area starting in August and finishing in late October. Our goal is simple: “to build a simple, decent, house” for a family that makes 30 to 60% of median income. The family makes a down payment in 350 hours of sweat equity plus a $500 down payment at closing. The habitat home is purchased at cost with a low affordable interest mortgage of 20 to 30 years that includes an escrow for taxes and insurance. Donations of land, materials, and labor from community members help to keep the cost of the house affordable. Omaha Habitat gives a percentage of the cost of each house to a Habitat organization in another country. This donation may fund an entire house in that country. Forty two homes were built or renovated by Omaha Habitat in 2016. Our coalition project for 2018 is a new house from the ground up. (13956 Hickory Circle)
CLICK HERE FOR VOLUNTEER SIGNUP INSTRUCTIONS
CLICK HERE FOR 2018 SCHEDULE
How Can You Help?
1. Volunteer to Work: Construction experience is not necessary to be a Habitat volunteer. We have volunteer project leaders that are construction experts. They work side by side with people of all ages and skill levels. Frequently, we have volunteers who work a shift learning a skill and then leave with the confidence to start their own home improvement project of flooring, drywall, painting, roofing, siding, decking, or insulation OR leave with the knowledge that they should call a pro like the person who worked with them. On line registration is expected. To register, please go to https://tinyurl.com/faithfulbuilder2018 Use registration code fb2018 When asked “place of worship?” please type St. Paul’s Millard Please register online during June and July or even August (The minimum age to work on a Habitat project is 16 with parent permission.)
2. Volunteer to provide food on St. Paul’s Food Day (August 4th)
We usually have about 10 to 15 St. Paul’s members that donate the food and drink for lunch and break time. Our St. Paul’s “grill team” has helped for several years.
3. Donate funds through the church envelope system. Designate an amount for Habitat when you write your check to St. Paul’s. Use the “other” space on the envelope. St Paul’s will then keep track of this donation and it will appear on your St. Paul’s offering statement. Another option is to give to the “2nd mile offerings” when they are designated for Habitat. Checks made to St. Paul’s.
4. Pray for our success and safety.
Thank you to all of you that supported Habitat in the past: the construction volunteers, the food committee, those that donated money, and to those who offered up their prayers for our safety and success.
Our Faithful Builders Coalition has received grants in the past from Wells Fargo, Thrivent for Lutherans, and Habitat ReStore. These grants greatly help in the completion of our yearly project. Faithful Builders actively pursues grants to help with the cost of building our house each year. Questions about St. Paul’s involvement should be directed to Jerry Johnson 402-850-0027(please leave a message) jbjohnsonband@hotmail.com If you are interested in getting a group together for a habitat workday that is not part of our yearly build, you should direct your inquiry to the Habitat Office at 457-5657.
Habitat Omaha Homeownership
Partner Families purchase homes through no-interest Habitat Omaha loans, making monthly mortgage payments for 20-30 years. Potential homeowners first contribute up to 350 Sweat Equity hours working on Habitat Omaha construction sites. They also attend a variety of workshops to help prepare them for successful homeownership. At closing these buyers make a modest $500 down payment.