Leader’s Guide For Small Group Study of Creating a Habitat for Humanity: No Hands But Yours

by Jonathan T. M. Reckford

Talking about poverty housing is not an easy thing to do. When we talk seriously about poverty, homelessness, hunger, or any of the many social problems that trouble our society, the subtext is ourselves, our own ethical, social, political, and economic values, our own view of the world, our biases and presuppositions, our own fears and hopes.

As leader of this small group, it is important for you to recognize that the members of the group may well bring unexamined assumptions about the poor and homeless to the discussion. Unacknowledged feelings of middle class guilt may cause defensive responses to some of the questions. The fear that taking poverty and homelessness seriously may push us way out of our comfort zones may be an unspoken fear but it will be in the room and will affect the discussion.

Poverty and its many consequences pose a serious challenge to the lifestyle of the well-to-do and the implication that we may need to change both the way we live and the way we directly interact with the poor may well be experienced simultaneously as both promise and threat by those in your group. Talking about poverty is not an easy thing to do. But it is important that we talk about it, learn about it, and be moved to action.

Don't let any of this trouble you in your leadership of the group. Bringing all of the above to light, owning it where necessary, and working through it is a desired outcome of the group experience.

Encourage people to be honest about their feelings, thoughts, assumptions, and concerns. In the first session, you might want to share these tips with the group:

  • Acknowledge that talking about poverty housing is not an easy thing to do.
  • Suggest that people need space to feel, what they feel which means no one in the group should criticize, attack, or try to correct feelings they don't agree with. Rather they should ask questions that help them understand why others feel as they do.
  • Affirm that it is OK for members of the group to disagree in how they think about the issues—they are, after all, complex issues with no easy solutions. Members of the group should be encouraged to ask questions until they clearly understand what the other folks in the group think and why they think that way.
  • Give permission for members of the group to challenge what they see as false assumptions. Just remind them to challenge the assumptions and not the folks who hold them—and be sure to note that assumptions should be challenged with facts not different assumptions.

The remainder of this Leader's Guide will offer some tips for facilitating the discussion in your group. It is designed to be read along with the Small Group Study Guide. May the God of justice and love be with you and your group as you think together about what justice and love require.

If you're not sure what to do, look for where God is at work and join him there. — Henry Blackaby

SESSION ONE ON CHAPTERS ONE AND TWO

SESSION ONE covers the two chapters in Part One of Creating a Habitat for Humanity. If your group will be meeting for two hours (recommended) you might want to dedicate 55 minutes to each chapter with a 10 minute break for coffee and light conversation in between.

CHAPTER ONE – CALLED TO CARE

OPEN WITH PRAYER: If folks in the group are comfortable praying publicly, ask someone to open the session with prayer asking that God would give the group wisdom and guide their conversation. If no one wants to pray, you could simply read the following prayer.

God of justice, we are gathered here tonight to think together about poverty and the need all people have for decent, safe, and affordable housing. It is an overwhelming problem for which we have few if any answers. Help us to listen to each other, and learn from each other, and draw from each other the best insights we have to offer. Give us wisdom; open us to your vision of a genuine and just habitat for humanity; let us experience the inspiring presence of your Holy Spirit. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who calls us to be about the business of your kingdom. Amen

SCRIPTURE: Have someone read the text out loud. Take one to two minutes of silence for group members to think/meditate on the text in the context of a discussion on poverty housing. Then spend a few minutes (up to five) giving folks a chance to share what they think the text says to what the group is doing.

SELF-INTRODUCTIONS: This is only necessary if there are members in the group who don't know everyone else in the group.

OPENING QUESTION: Take a few minutes to brainstorm the question using a whiteboard or flip-sheet. You might want to suggest that these three sessions are just the beginning of a larger process. Some possible answers:

  • Study scripture.
  • Pray for understanding, courage, openness, etc.
  • Use resources like books, studies, reports, websites.
  • Talk to local experts/officials/non-profits who work with poverty housing issues.
  • Go on field trips to homeless shelters and/or neighborhoods where the lack of affordable housing is a serious issue.
  • Meet and talk to the poor.

There are some ground rules for discussion that will help you develop "community wisdom" out of each group member's knowledge and experience. You might write them on the whiteboard and get the group to agree to them. Augment them with any ground rule suggestions group members offer.

  • Everyone comes prepared to discuss by reading the chapters for the session and the questions at the end of those chapters beforehand.
  • Everyone participates.
  • When someone is talking they get to finish what they are saying without interruption.
  • If anyone doesn't clearly understand what someone said, they will ask questions for clarification until they are satisfied that they understand. (Understanding doesn't necessarily mean agreeing!)
  • We agree that sometimes we will need to disagree.
  • We will remain focused on practicalities. Not just what do we think, but what needs to be done and what can we actually do.

REVIEW THE QUESTIONS AT THE END OF CHAPTER ONE (pages 20-21): Participants should have worked on these questions before coming to the session. Have them open the book to the questions and ask them to share whatever insights, questions, or concerns the questions evoked for them. There is no need to go over each question in order. Just invite people to respond to whatever question(s) they want to talk about and let the conversation go where it goes. If the room grows silent move on to the questions in the Small Group Study Guide, but even if the conversation doesn't slow down you shouldn't spend more than fifteen minutes on this part of the hour.

MORE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: The rest of the time before the break should be spent on these questions. There is enough here for several hours of discussion. You don't have to address each question exhaustively. Have someone read the questions out loud and spend time with those that generate the most interest. Be alert, however, for any signs of resistance to any question; that would be a question you should certainly spend some time on. Although the study is designed for two chapters a week for three weeks, if your group comes together around these questions and needs more time for discussion, perhaps you could agree together to extend the group to six weeks and deal with only one chapter during each two hour session.

  • QUESTION ONE: Encourage people to tell their personal stories/experiences that shape their understanding of and feeling about poverty and homelessness.
  • QUESTION TWO: Be sure that the group thinks not only about the transformation of poor people and their communities but also about the transformation of the well-to-do and their communities. Mutual transformation occurs when the poor and the not-poor work together with mutual respect to resolve issues of poverty. Listen for signs of paternalism or false assumptions about who really needs to be transformed. Justice, after all, is a right of the poor and a demand of the well-off. You may find some resistance to this idea. If you do, explore it with the group.
  • QUESTION THREE: You might have them re-read the Griswold story (pages 13-15) and talk about their feelings. Griswold's experience has a "heroic" ring to it that most folks can't identify with. Help them see that "ordinary" activities like volunteering at a food bank, soup kitchen, or homeless shelter are equally "heroic." Just don't diminish Griswold's experience, and encourage group members to wonder if participation on a global level is a possibility for them.

CLOSE THE HOUR WITH PRAYER AND TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK: This should be just a short prayer by one person thanking God for the discussion, perhaps highlighting one or two things learned, and affirming the group members participation. You could ask someone beforehand to pray at this point or do it yourself. There will be a prayer in which the whole group participates at the end of the meeting.

CHAPTER TWO – CALLED TO COMMUNITY

RECONVENE THE GROUP AND OPEN WITH A PRAYER FOR COMPASSION: As in the previous hour, ask someone to pray or use the following prayer:

Holy and loving God, Jesus asked us to be merciful as you are merciful but all too often we are so absorbed in ourselves that we fail to see the needs of others that call out for compassion and caring. It is not the way we want to be. Open us to receive your mercy and transform us into truly compassionate and caring people who delight in and share your justice, love, and mercy. Amen.

SCRIPTURE FOR THIS HOUR: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above.

ANY MORE THOUGHTS…. Ask if anyone has anything left unsaid from the first hour that they really need to say. Try not to spend too much time here while still honoring the need to be heard.

REVIEW THE QUESTIONS AT THE END OF CHAPTER TWO (pages 33-34): See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above.

MORE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above. Particular suggestions for this hour are:

  • QUESTION ONE: Keep the discussion focused on your community. Be as concrete as possible and avoid abstract discussion. Try to identify real barriers to "dignity and respect" for the poor in your community. Remind the group that such barriers are not only erected by the poor. The well-to-do also have responsibility for erecting barriers. Try to come up with some realistic steps the group might take to dismantle barriers to dignity and respect for the poor. Focus on the notion of getting out into the community to see for yourselves what is wrong. Expect some resistance to the idea. The part of the community where poverty housing is a problem will be unknown to most and there will likely be fear for personal safety.
  • QUESTION TWO: Again, remain focused on realities within your particular community. What groups of people in your community are separated by fear, prejudice, suspicion, and/or misunderstanding. Brainstorm strategies for reconciliation. For Christians, reconciliation is a powerful word. If you want to explore faith driven motivations for working for reconciliation, you might look at these texts: 2 Corinthians 5:16-20; Ephesians 2:14; Galatians 3:28.
  • QUESTION THREE: With this question you may want to focus on what internal things churches can do to help their members truly "look beyond" all that keeps them from truly seeing the needs of the poor. Again, keep it practical. Talk only about what you can do.

CLOSE THE HOUR WITH PRAYER: Community prayer binds a group together in powerful ways. Many people, however, are uncomfortable praying out loud in a group. In public, sometimes it is easier to talk to each other than to God. Try this method:

Instead of praying to God, talk to each other about what concerns you. When one person has told the others what is on his or her heart or mind, he or she says, "Lord in your mercy…." The whole group responds: "Hear our prayer." Then another person tells the group what is on his or her mind. It would look like this:

"This has been a great night. I'm really grateful to be in this group and I sure hope we learn what we need to learn to make a difference. Lord in your mercy…."

"Hear our prayer."

People should be encouraged to talk about anything that matters to them, e.g., "My wife is sick…. Lord in your mercy…." "Hear our prayer." "Three people got laid off at work today and…. Lord in your mercy…." "Hear our prayer."

When the room grows quiet, you, the Leader, say: "Into your hands O Lord we commend allow for whom we pray trusting in your mercy through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen."

End this way each week and by end of the last session you will know each other and care for each other in new and deeper ways.

SESSION TWO

SESSION TWO covers the two chapters in Part Two of Creating a Habitat for Humanity.

CHAPTER THREE – CALLED TO BRING HOPE

RECONVENE THE GROUP AND OPEN WITH A PRAYER FOR JUSTICE: As in the previous session, ask someone to pray or use the following prayer:

God of justice you call your people to justice and it is our desire to accept your call. Open our eyes to see the world and its suffering as you see it. Open our hearts to make room for those who suffer. Open our spirits that your Spirit might live in and through us. Embolden us, encourage us, enable and empower us to be instruments of your love. Amen.

SCRIPTURE FOR THIS HOUR: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above.

ANY MORE THOUGHTS…. Ask if anyone has anything left unsaid from last week's discussion that they really need to say. Try not to spend too much time here while still honoring the need to be heard.

REVIEW THE QUESTIONS AT THE END OF CHAPTER THREE (page 49): See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above.

MORE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above. Particular suggestions for this hour are:

  • QUESTION ONE: You might want to talk about the differences between "justice" as understood by our criminal and civil justice system and the biblical notion of justice. In our system, what is "legal" is not necessarily "just" from the biblical perspective. Try to identify some examples, e.g., it is legal to keep the minimum wage way below the poverty line, whereas biblically that would be a case of injustice.
  • QUESTION TWO: Again, make sure that the needed transformation of the well-to-do gets equal time with the transformation of the poor. You might point out that charity is like giving an aspirin to a cancer patient. It may temporarily relieve pain—and that's important—but it won't cure the disease which causes the pain. Some more radical intervention is needed—surgery, chemotherapy, radiation—to destroy the tumor that is destroying the person. It's a good metaphor for the difference between charity and justice.
  • QUESTION THREE: This question may give rise to some principled disagreements on public policy issues. You may find liberals and conservatives squaring off against each other. As facilitator, don't take sides. Just make sure the conversation stays respectful, everyone gets to say their piece, and if agreeing to disagree is necessary, facilitate it.

CLOSE THE HOUR WITH PRAYER AND TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK: See the comments on this topic in Chapter One, above.

CHAPTER FOUR – CALLED TO UNDERSTAND

RECONVENE THE GROUP AND OPEN WITH A PRAYER FOR UNDERSTANDING: As in the previous hour, ask someone to pray or use the following prayer:

God of wisdom, we truly seek understanding of these complex issues that trouble our world. It is not easy. There is so much to learn and we are so impatient. Let us not grow weary. Keep our minds open and curious and compassionate. Give us courage to meet the poor in our community, to understand from them what it means to be poor, and to learn from them how we might help. Amen.

SCRIPTURE FOR THIS HOUR: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above.

ANY MORE THOUGHTS…. Ask if anyone has anything left unsaid from the first hour that they really need to say. Try not to spend too much time here while still honoring the need to be heard.

REVIEW THE QUESTIONS AT THE END OF CHAPTER FOUR (pages 71-72): See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above.

MORE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above. Particular suggestions for this hour are:

  • QUESTION ONE: Those who are "successful" in the eyes of the world often think that their voices are more important than the voices of those who are not "successful" in the eyes of the world. That this is not at all always the case is not easy for the "successful" to hear. Look for some resistance. The result of such thinking is that the unique perspectives of the poor are patronized at best and ignored at worst by many who try to "help" the poor. Try to make the point that anyone whose lives are going to be affected by a decision ought to have a voice in the decision making.
  • QUESTION TWO: Be very concrete and specific with this question. What's the reality in your community? Brainstorm specific ways in which your group or organization could understand and collaborate with particular cultural/people groups that need help getting up and out of poverty. Be sensitive to the fact that this might be an "out of the comfort zone" topic for folks in the group.
  • QUESTION THREE: After talking briefly about advocacy, focus on the question regarding Matthew 25:31-40. You've been talking about some heavy stuff during this session, and ending with a discussion of a biblical text will help keep the main thing—the teachings of Jesus—the main thing.

CLOSE THE SESSION WITH PRAYER: See the comments on community prayer at the end of the section on Chapter Two, above.

SESSION THREE

SESSION THREE covers the two chapters in Part Three of Creating a Habitat for Humanity.

CHAPTER FIVE – CALLED TO PARTNERSHIP

RECONVENE THE GROUP AND OPEN WITH A PRAYER FOR HUMILTY: As in the previous session, ask someone to pray or use the following prayer:

Holy and merciful God, humility comes hard to us. More often than not, we would rather do things our way than your way. We would rather set our own agenda than accept the agenda of your rule of love and justice. We would rather tend to the needs of our own egos than tend to the needs of others. We are proud of what have done and are capable of doing. In your gracious mercy, remind us that while the proud may—and do—take the world by violence, it is the meek, the humble who inherit the world through love. Grant us, we pray, holy and true humility. Amen.

SCRIPTURE FOR THIS HOUR: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above.

ANY MORE THOUGHTS…. Ask if anyone has anything left unsaid from last week's discussion that they really need to say. Try not to spend too much time here while still honoring the need to be heard.

REVIEW THE QUESTIONS AT THE END OF CHAPTER FIVE (page 92): See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above.

MORE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above. Particular suggestions for this hour are:

  • QUESTION ONE: You may encounter resistance to discussing paternalism. Most well-intentioned people have difficulty recognizing any paternalistic attitudes or behaviors they have. This is the time to be real—but gentle. As with the questions in Chapter Four, it is important to make the point that the people we want to help usually have privileged insights into their circumstances and the solutions to their problems that we need to learn and respect if we are going to be effective helpers.
  • QUESTION TWO: The Jordan piece from the book is a beautiful sermon that inspires a profound vision of the way things could—and should—be if only we…. Help the conversation stay upbeat and positive at this point so the folks in the group take the vision with them when they leave.
  • QUESTION THREE: Again, stay practical. Focus on the notion of partnering with Habitat for Humanity or with some other hoursing group or agency or initiative. Brainstorm steps that would need to be taken in your organization to make such a partnership a reality. Begin to imagine setting the process in motion. For each obstacle raised—and there will be some—find a positive solution before moving on.

CLOSE THE HOUR WITH PRAYER AND TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK: See the comments on this topic in Chapter One, above.

CHAPTER SIX – WHAT IS YOUR CALL

RECONVENE THE GROUP AND OPEN WITH A PRAYER FOR COMMITMENT: As in the previous hour, ask someone to pray or use the following prayer:

Empowering God, we have talked a lot, learned a lot, planned a lot, and now we are moving toward action. Strengthen our commitment to make a real difference in the lives of those who need help to overcome all the human-made barriers to their full participation in the shalom, the well-being and blessing, that you desire for all your people. Amen.

SCRIPTURE FOR THIS HOUR: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above.

ANY MORE THOUGHTS…. Ask if anyone has anything left unsaid from the first hour that they really need to say. Try not to spend too much time here while still honoring the need to be heard.

MORE QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: See the comments for this topic in Chapter One, above. Particular suggestions for this hour are:

  • QUESTION ONE: Be prepared with pencils and paper. Give people time to answer the three sub-questions on paper, and then encourage them to share what they have discovered about themselves with the others in the group. Encourage everyone to identify one or two concrete activities that they commit to do in the near future.
  • QUESTION TWO: Brainstorm on the whiteboard. Identify at least one significant project that your group or organization can do over the next year to make a meaningful impact in the area of poverty housing. Think locally and/or globally. Spend some time strategizing steps for action, and figure out how to move your concern out of this ad hoc study group into a continuing action group.

CLOSE THE SESSION WITH PRAYER: See the comments on community prayer at the end of the section on Chapter Two, above.