This past week I got to attend the Habitat for Humanity HopeBuilders lunch with a crew of folks from the closed Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. CHUMC chose to close in 2016. We were able to use our endowment and work with the conference trustees to sell the nearly 2 acres of church land at about half of market value to Habitat. This summer construction will begin on 17 homes on that property!
As I sat at the luncheon, surrounded by these faithful people who embraced the death of their church so that new life might flourish I was filed with holy hope. And then the program started, telling us the stories of home owners and others affected by the work of Habitat. I was amazed at the connection between these stories and the story of the Capitol Hill church. Begun in the early 1900’s the congregation’s first building was destroyed by a fire. Forced to move they bought land and built a building only to have that property claimed by the state in the late 1950’s for the construction of the interstate. Moving to the plot on Taylor’s Ferry the congregation built a small chapel with some offices and a few classrooms, hoping to one day expand and fill the 2 acre lot. The congregation never really recovered from all these moves and uncertainty. Faithful, wonderful people made the world better in that place through their ministry, and yet the congregation declined and the building fell into disrepair, leading to closure. The homeowners we heard from at the luncheon had similar stories of displacement, struggle, and even of the government taking land, especially in the Albina neighborhood for the Rose Quarter and hospital construction projects.
This alignment of stories is part of why I think God is so cool. Similar histories of transition and loss of stability coming together to bring healing and hope. Through the gifts and faith of the people of CHUMC stability and healing can happen for people and families who have faced similar displacement and struggles to thrive. God takes our brokenness and brings us together in ways that change the world, change the story, and make something totally new possible.
I can’t wait to be out there this summer with my hammer, working alongside the home owners to make the world look just a little more like God’s dream for us. If you would like to donate towards this work you can do so here and if you would like to join in the build check our website for more information as it becomes available.
-Eilidh
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