This is Part 4 of a 7-part series featuring Pikes Peak Habitat Interfaith Build for Unity subcommittee members, who discuss their faith community’s involvement in creating an interfaith unity bench for 3rd IBU homeowner Jessica.
Stephanie Parks from Grace & St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church shares why her congregation participated in the bench project.
Grace & St. Stephen’s decided to participate in the bench project as part of our involvement in the Interfaith Build for Unity. Members of our church have enjoyed working alongside people from other faith traditions to help a neighbor in need of affordable housing. The concept of the bench being a visual representation of our involvement in this project was well-received.
Our board was decorated by members of our Youth Group and of our Outreach Committee. It was a fun way to get the younger people involved, as many of them are too young to volunteer to do construction work. The Outreach Committee is responsible for organizing our church’s community outreach projects, one of which is our work with the Interfaith Build for Unity through Pikes Peak Habitat. Both groups enjoyed being able to contribute to the project, even if not everyone could physically join us at the build site.
We didn’t have an overarching theme this year, although seeing the great results from others’ theme-based approaches, I’d like to consider it for the next bench. Our board was decorated with encouraging words and images.
Jessica, we are so happy for you as you move into your new home and start this new chapter. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know you and be a part of your story!
Read more about the IBU bench from Pikes Peak Habitat’s spring print newsletter! You can also read part 1 of this series, an interview with Jeff Mawhirter of Christ City Church; part 2, an interview with Jeff Ader of Temple Beit Torah; and part 3, an interview with Kymm Hockman from First United Methodist Church Prairie Campus.
