Irenic Thoughts

Irenic. The word means peaceful. This web log (or blog) exists to create an ongoing, and hopefully peaceful, series of comments on the life of King of Peace Episcopal Church. This is not a closed community. You are highly encouraged to comment on any post or to send your own posts.

2/07/2007

Hammer Time—putting faith into action

My wife, Victoria, and I on the last Pastor's Build Day
My wife, Victoria, and I working together
on the last Pastor's Build Day.

Today I will once again join with other Christian leaders from around Camden County for our second Habitat for Humanity Pastor's Build Day. This morning we will raise the walls as we pastors lead the way in beginning the work on this new house in earnest. This coming Saturday, February 10, we'll continue the work and you are invited to come out as well. We will work each Saturday from now through March 17, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing into the early afternoon.

The reason why this Apostle's Build is so important is that the 12 churches joining together for the build show in visible form that our common belief in our Lord, a carpenter named Jesus of Nazareth, is more powerful than any beliefs which divide us.

This build also matters as we all know that telling someone about God’s love without backing up those words with action is a waste of breath. Putting faith into action is the idea behind what Habitat for Humanity Founder Millard Fuller called “The theology of the hammer.”

The hammer is, of course, a convenient symbol for the work Habitat for Humanity does in providing simple, decent, affordable homes to needy families. But there is more to the theology of the hammer than that. Fuller points out that the hammer is a good symbol for Jesus who worked as a carpenter and showed his love for us most clearly as he was nailed to a Roman cross. The hammer is a powerful symbol of putting love of God and neighbor into action. Churches who agree on nothing else can and do agree on the theology of the hammer—on putting our love for Jesus into action.

Today, we pastors and other church leaders will make that faith real by our actions. This Saturday, I hope you will join me at the build site as we do so again.

How to take part
To get to the site, take Douglas Drive in Saint Marys east from its intersection with Spur 40 (just south of Navy Federal Credit Union). Continue until that road dead ends and the build site will be on your right. All the tools you need will be provided as will skilled supervision. What you need to bring is energy and a heart ready to reach out in love to your neighbor. If you have any questions, call
Habitat for Humanity of Camden Couty at 673-1266. And if you would like to make a donation to this house, which is not yet fully paid for, please submit the check through King of Peace as we are working to raise 1/12th of the house cost and have a ways to go.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Ashley, Kalyn and Griffin on a Youth Group trip to work on a Habitat House
King of Peace teens Ashley, Kalyn and Griffin showing their faith through action at a Habitat Build last November.

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