LaVerne and Al Stokes on Sandtown Habitat for Humanity

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have started off with just a h<strong>and</strong>ful of people, but the party was actually packed – there were over 200 people there. We bring them all together. We just had a phenomenal time. I often share with people that you are not going to win everybody. Some are going to fall by the wayside. But my thing is we need to make certain that there’s an opportunity there for people to take control. And what I find is that if you provide an opportunity for people, if it’s just <strong>and</strong> if it’s fair, people are going to take that opportunity <strong>and</strong> run with it. You have ten people <strong>and</strong> two don’t want it. <strong>Al</strong>l right, that’s fine, but the other eight are going to go for it. The key thing is just loving people <strong>and</strong> building relationships. That is basically it. AS: Today there are 80 employees <strong>and</strong> 7 different ministries. People’s lives have been changed. That is the power you have - that is the power we all have. If you believe in something, you know that people will help you - folks will come <strong>and</strong> take advantage of the opportunities you give them. It’s not easy work but I think <strong>LaVerne</strong> said it best that its so much more rewarding than you could ever think or imagine. It’s almost like getting parents who go out to Toys-R-Us <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong> in this long line to buy this play station for your child. You think what am I doing. But Christmas day, to see how happy that child is, you know it was worth the wait. And that’s how this is. This is not an easy road. These 10 years have been tough years. But when you stop <strong>and</strong> look…we’ve built 100 <strong>and</strong> some houses. Our church has grown from maybe 25 people to now you can’t get in on Sunday. Our church has outgrown its present sanctuary I think it has a capacity of about 90-100 people. Every Sunday the men give their seats because it’s filling up. You are at the stage where you are saying, “How will this work?” It works by faith. Heather Warren: I have a question. How much hopelessness did you find when you first got involved? Was there a hopelessness on the part of the people in S<strong>and</strong>town or was it one of the things that was going for you? LS: I think there had been hopelessness. I think we as a community had thought, “We have been placed in a forgotten community.” However, what I often share with people is that we always knew for some reason that God has never forgotten us. As I said, it has been very very painful to go through that, but now to see the hope that has risen. People are very very encouraged. People have become empowered - just the little things mean so very much. For 14
example, the 1500 th block of North Stricker Street which had the two story houses that we rehabbed on the newsletter. I actually grew up in one of those houses. And I share with you that when everybody moved in a lot of people didn’t have cars, now everybody owns a car. So we had parking issues. The homeowners contacted the city to get angled parking <strong>and</strong> they did it themselves. What we try to do is support <strong>and</strong> nurture the homeowners association, but we can’t do it all. So the leaders have to come out of anything that you do. But you already have people there. There are leaders, you might just need to tell them, “You take this road instead of that road.” What I often share with them is that we all have to learn it sometime in our lives because we never knew it all, we still don’t know it all! We know what we do to make this work. I personally think it is working because of what community folks say. Before I became a part of the staff, before I was involved with the church, I was simply a community resident, so I can give a personal testimony that it does work, it has changed people’s lives. What I often share with people is that, what New Song means to me it the true gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s flushing out the true gospel. What should churches be doing? What would Jesus do? We love everybody. We don’t say that you have to belong to New Song Community Church, we don’t say that you have to be saved. But what I find is that just loving people that draws them into Christ. And I can remember when I wasn’t always saved. I often share with <strong>Al</strong>lan <strong>and</strong> Mark, I would say to my sister, “Here she comes again with this Jesus thing, I did not want to hear it.” This makes it so much easier just to love people instead of, “Let me tell you about the Lord.” In a little while they will draw me into God, they will realize. Let us show you about the Lord, let us show you what Jesus would do. AS: <strong>LaVerne</strong> told you about the angled parking, but she didn’t tell you why they got the angled parking. It’s because this Sharon Baptist Church would block all of the community residents in. They’d pull up <strong>and</strong> double park right there <strong>and</strong> leave their car there for three hours. They would just block them in. So the community got tired, <strong>and</strong> one of the things that this whole New Song experience has been about is teaching folks how to do for themselves, that the system does work <strong>and</strong> can work for you. So many African Amercians have not thought the system could work for them. And it hadn’t, quite frankly, it hadn’t worked for them. But I think Mark <strong>and</strong> <strong>Al</strong>lan came in <strong>and</strong> said, “Say to me what you just said to him. Now do for him what you would do for me.” 15
Page 1 and 2: LaVerne an
Page 3 and 4: the inner city and
Page 5 and 6: still have those hand</stro
Page 7 and 8: I just want to touch base on the re
Page 9 and 10: - who can begin to believe in what
Page 11 and 12: One of our elders in the church, Da
Page 13: LS: That’s basically the overall
Page 17 and 18: Because the fear of wisdom is the f
Page 19 and 20: And that’s why I say I’m always
Page 21 and 22: ack; you made it on my father’s b
Page 23 and 24: AS: Or people outside of the commun
Page 25: the first year or so they could bui

LaVerne and Al Stokes on Sandtown Habitat for Humanity

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