As we have celebrated 40 years of Habitat Greater Raleigh, I look ahead with hope toward 50. As pastor of The Fountain of Raleigh Fellowship, a longtime Habitat participant, and former board member of the Greater Raleigh affiliate, I have seen Habitat become far more than a housing organization. It is a living expression of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community – a society marked by dignity, justice, compassion, and shared responsibility.
Habitat brings people of different races, denominations, economic circumstances, professions, and generations together to build homes and relationships. On a build site, social distinctions fade. We become coworkers, neighbors, and partners in something larger than ourselves.
This work is deeply personal. As an African American with European and Native American ancestry, I value the beauty of people from different histories discovering what unites us. Habitat has allowed me to witness that unity firsthand.
Scripture calls us to welcome strangers, care for the vulnerable, seek justice, and love our neighbors. Habitat puts those principles into action. It is one thing to say everyone deserves a safe, decent home; it is another to pick up a hammer and help build one.
Habitat does not simply build houses. It builds neighborhoods, and neighborhoods become communities. A house provides shelter; a neighborhood provides connection; a community provides belonging.
As we move from 40 years toward 50, let us celebrate the homes built, families strengthened, volunteers served, and partnerships formed. Then let us continue building—not only homes, but bridges, relationships, dignity, stability, hope, and belonging.
The Beloved Community does not erase our differences; it teaches us to live together, learn from one another, and recognize that the person beside us is our neighbor.
May we keep building, serving, and loving our neighbors. When we build together, we create a community where everyone belongs, and everyone has a place to call home.
- Rev. Paul L. Anderson