There is an old story about a man who was marooned alone on a remote
island for many years. When he was finally rescued by the crew of a passing
freighter who saw smoke from his cooking fire, the rescued man took them on a
brief tour of the island before boarding the freighter to go back to civilization.
They came to a clearing with three huts and a curious rescuer asked why there
were three huts. Pointing to the largest hut, the man said “That is my home where
I cook, eat, and sleep.” Gesturing toward a smaller hut, the survivor said, “That is
the church (or similarly synagogue, mosque, etc.) where I worship.” When asked
what the third hut was for, the man replied, “Oh, that’s the church (or similarly
synagogue, mosque, etc.) where I used to be a member.”

We expect the understandings a worshiping community has about its sacred texts to vary from one person to another, from community to community, and over time. We expect and welcome differences of opinion. To engage in Bible study is to join in a continuing conversation between God and the worshipping community that has
remained vital and passionate over millennia. The authors hope this Bible study
series will serve as a framework for building relationships as people accept the
disciplines of study and engage in the continuing conversation which produced the
sacred texts and continues to be a means by which we encounter the holy mystery
at the center of all our lives.​

Three local retired clergy (Mark Pries, Bruce Fischer, John McKinstry) and Habitat’s Community Outreach Director, Gabriel Martin, have joined forces to create a Christian Bible Study course relating to Affordable Housing in Johnson County, Iowa. These Bible study resources will be available on our website beginning February 1, 2019, but you can view a summary of the course below. Use any or all of these sessions for your congregation or group. Join friends and neighbors for fellowship and Bible study which relate faith to local housing barriers/opportunities using a variety of digital resources and local writers.

The written materials and references for seven sessions will be made available to anyone who wants to use them through our website.
Click here to download a PDF containing general information on the series.

Content of the Seven Sessions: 

​Session I - Matthew 25:34-40, Acts 2:42-47, Affordable Housing as a Basic Human Right - God made us all needy for homes for both ourselves and for our neighbors.
Session II - Luke 4, Good News for The Poor - The Fair Housing Act, NAR Video, continuing segregation in our community.
Session III - Home Ownership and Habitat for Humanity theology - Interfaith Build 
Session IV - Luke 19:1-10, Jesus goes to Zacchaeus’ home, Why Facts Don’t Convince People Video, Dispelling Affordable Housing Myths
Session V - Luke 14:12-14, Parable of the Great Banquet - Housing for Persons with Disabilities
Session VI - Luke 10:38-42, Genesis 18:1-15 - Our True Home is God - Christian Hospitality
Session VII - Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 Kings 19:11-13, Housing First/Homelessness - flipping the judgement/grace (housing ready) paradigm to grace/responsibility