The Standard August 16, 2025
On Brandon Street in Farmville, two houses currently under construction will add to the over 500,000 homes built by Habitat for Humanity. The organization’s “mission is simple: Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.” The Farmville Housing Development Corporation donated four empty lots off of South Pitt Street to Habitat for Humanity of Pitt County, since they share the vision that everyone should have a decent place to live. A total of four Habitat houses are scheduled to be constructed on Brandon Street by 2026.
Many years ago during college, Clarence Jordan began to realize that the roots of poverty were not just economic, but were also spiritual. He went on to get a Masters, then a PhD in the Greek New Testament from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Jordan wrote a paraphrase of the New Testament called The Cotton Patch.
In 1942, he, along with his wife Florence and former Baptist missionaries Mabel and Martin England, started a bold experiment. On 440 acres near Americus, Georgia they created an interracial community farm that would mirror, as much as possible, first-century, Book-of-Acts Christian living. Everyone was welcome, regardless of race or financial status. At Koinonia Farm all people were considered equal under God, and committed themselves to nonviolence, ecological stewardship, and the common ownership of possessions. Unfortunately, they faced horrible backlash from some residents of surrounding areas.
Alabama native Millard Fuller was a self-made millionaire at the age of 29. He and his wife Linda were seeking a focus for ministry. After a visit to Koinonia, they eventually sold their possessions and moved with their children to the farm.
Together, Jordan and Fuller engaged in a lot of intense and creative thinking about how to rectify some injustices in the world, rip apart barriers, and provide economic opportunities. They came up with the idea of “partnership housing,” where folks needing suitable shelter could work alongside volunteers in building affordable houses. The homeowners would receive no-interest loans for the dwellings that were built at no profit. Through fundraising and house payments, “The Fund for Humanity” would allow the continual construction of homes.
In 1976, almost 50 years ago, Habitat for Humanity International was founded. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn brought even more awareness to Habitat, which is now in all 50 states and in more than 70 countries. The visions of the Jordans, the Fullers, and the Englands still inspire the work of Habitat to this day.
In a sermon included in The Substance of Faith, Clarence Jordan said, “Even though people about us choose the path of hate and violence and warfare and greed and prejudice, we who are Christ’s body must throw off these poisons and let love permeate and cleanse every tissue and cell. Nor are we to allow ourselves to become easily discouraged when love is not always obviously successful or pleasant.”
As Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16
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