he Mayes family are no strangers to Habitat. Grandmother Peggy has lived in her Habitat house for more than 15 years, and sister Tamiko and other family members have partnered with Habitat, as well. Brothers Willie and Jamarcus knew how the process worked and were excited about building their own new home, but they didn’t expect the extra “new” it would bring them. The Mayes brothers’ house is the focus of an interfaith build event coordinated by Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and the Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta.
“Meeting different religions, learning how they eat, how they talk, how they work with other people — like us — it’s just new. New things to try,” Jamarcus says. “It’s been fun. I didn’t know all these people would come out and show love.”
“All these people” included members of congregations from around Atlanta — among others, the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, a variety of Christian denominations, Temple Sinai and His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the Southeastern United States.
After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the need for understanding in a city as diverse as Atlanta was more important than ever. That was a catalyst for Jan Swanson, a longtime leader in the city’s ecumenical community, to shift her focus from race relations to interfaith ones. She’d worked with Atlanta Habitat before, and conversations with affiliate CEO Larrie Del Martin quickly led to the first Atlanta Interfaith Build.
It required a new approach, given that the project would require building on a Sunday, something Habitat did not typically do. And there was another requirement: Volunteers would partner for the day with someone from a different congregation. “If you just want to build a house, build on Saturday,” Swanson explained at the time. “If you want to build relationships, then join this build because we’re going to work on the relationship-building right along with the building of the house.”
The Mayes build site demonstrates the success of that plan. On a sunny Sunday morning, the crisp fall air is punctuated with sounds of laughter, assorted power tools, hammering and pleasant chatter. The roof is dotted with volunteers in hard hats nailing down shingles, including Jamarcus, who has discovered he really enjoys being up there. Willie, who does not, is somewhere amid the flurry of activity inside, where volunteers can be found working cheerfully in every room.
Even if some volunteers feel initial trepidation at being outside their comfort zones, the common purpose of building a home is enough to get them talking. Shafin Damani notices that his fellow Muslim congregants become more at ease as the day goes on. “They’re like, ‘OK, I learned a lot, I enjoyed working with these people, they’re not that different than me,’” he says, “so it kind of opens their minds a little bit more.”
Beyond learning how to build a house and bonding with those from different backgrounds, Anuj Manocha says it has helped him and his congregation get involved and connected with those outside the Hindu faith. “It’s helped our congregation become more active in the community. We do a lot of work for the Hindu-based charities, but this has given us a chance to do something outside the faith. For me personally, it’s been huge, because I’ve gotten to know other faith leaders, who I had no exposure to otherwise.”
Encouraging relationships and conversations beyond the build site is one of Atlanta Habitat’s goals. Another is a truer connection to the city it serves. “We really try to make our affiliate look like the city of Atlanta,” says faith relations associate Andrew Johnson. “We’re building with all different faiths and all different colors, all different everything. We want the people that are sponsors to reflect that, we want the people that we’re building with to reflect Atlanta, and we want to reflect it religiously, too.”
“Our organization builds upon its Christian heritage, but affordable housing in Atlanta is not only a Christian need — it’s a human need,” adds Atlanta Habitat CEO Martin. “We intentionally provide the opportunity for all religions and traditions to put their faith into action and to do so together — building homes and lasting friendships.”
Thirty congregations across six religions and six — soon to be seven — homes later, the affiliate is doing an excellent job. Those on site have nothing but joy to relay and see the possibility of bigger things. Carolyn Mayes, mom to Jamarcus and Willie, marvels at the diverse crowd of volunteers. “When [all these groups] get together, it can be a big world change for everyone.”
Catholic volunteer Bill Adams agrees: “Sometimes we can be in our own little worlds, with churches especially, so it’s good to be around people from different backgrounds and different cultural backgrounds, too.”
Though most of the groups on site have participated in Habitat builds before, volunteers say they enjoyed this one more and appreciate the camaraderie it has fostered. As for the homeowners, Willie sums it up nicely: “I’m truly thankful and blessed because they’re helping me have something I can pass on to my kids. I’m thankful to every religion that came out and showed support. At the end of the day, it’s about helping one another.”
