CHURCHES BEGIN HABITAT BUILDING BLITZ THIS WEEKEND

When Dennis Gibson built his home nearly 20 years ago, there weren't many houses in his neighborhood.

But things have changed along Green Acres Drive, particularly with the construction of two new houses on nearby lots.

Hammers will be pounding and saws buzzing today and into next week during the Habitat for Humanity "blitz build" at both houses. It is the second "blitz build" for the local affiliate.

Gibson lives next door to a house under construction by First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau. The project at 50 Green Acres Dr., is coordinated in conjunction with the local Habitat office.

Habitat for Humanity is a volunteer program designed to eliminate substandard housing worldwide. It was founded in 1976.

Another home at 54 Green Acres is being constructed with volunteer help from La Croix United Methodist Church.

Members of First Baptist Church have been at work on their construction site nearly every day since the foundation was poured last month.

The church is the first in Cape Girardeau to commit to building and providing funding for a Habitat house.

When the church began looking into the possibility of doing a local mission project, Habitat appealed to them, said Dr. John Owen, pastor.

"We get to roll up our sleeves and do missions," he said.

Members of the church helped with laying the foundation, framing the three-bedroom house and hope to finish the roof today.

"We'd love to get it done during the blitz," Owen said.

And they have a good chance of completing the project, said Bill Cheeseman, president of the local Habitat group.

While First Baptist is completing its inside walls with drywall and paint, wiring electric outlets and adding plumbing, La Croix volunteers will be framing their house.

The La Croix house also has been designated as part of the Oprah Angel Network. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey challenged her viewers to help Habitat build a home in every community where her show can be seen.

Habitat has built several homes in Cape Girardeau since it was founded in 1986, but has never had three under construction at one time. The third house is at 44 Green Acres Dr.

Families in the early days had to wait years before a house was completed, Cheeseman said. But recently the application process has dwindled.

"The first house I was involved with six years ago took three years to build," he said. The Habitat board selected the family for First Baptist's home in April.

Habitat homeowners are accepted by referral and must make a small down payment in addition to providing 350 hours of "sweat equity" for the home.

The average cost of construction on a three-bedroom Habitat house is $38,000. Homeowners are not charged interest on their mortgage.