Any structure, regardless how grand and beautiful, is nothing without a solid foundation. The Empire State Building, Notre Dame Cathedral, White House, Westminster Abby, and the Pantheon have all survived the ages because they were built on a solid foundation. The exposed part of the buildings goes through maintenance, upgrades, changes, renovations, but the foundation stands firm. IHS is a universal symbol for the name of Christ. Go into any Christian establishment in the world and you will most likely notice this IHS symbol. The founders of Interfaith Housing Services, Jack Mace, Helen Rosenblad, Steve Showalter, Randy Miller and others knew that Christ had to be the foundation of this new organization. As the story goes, they took the IHS, this symbol that unifies Christians everywhere, and came up with the name Interfaith Housing Services. Having just left 13 years of missionary service in Congo (Zaire) this foundation is what drew me to IHS in 1991 and the thing I appreciated most during my 25 years as President. An organization with the simple mandate to use our talents, resources, and faith to share our love for Christ through simple acts of service to our neighbors by improving living conditions.
Accepting the Director’s position for an organization that was little more than a concept, with no resources, no equipment, tools, or even an office, with the promise of a salary, if I could raise money, was an act of faith in itself. However, it was the best decision I ever made. The fact that IHS survived those early years is a testament to faith in our community and its commitment to support our impactful cause. The list of “miracles” that secured our survival are too numerous to list. Steve and Peggy Showalter donated office space. Roberts Hutch-line donated paper and churches let us use their copy machines to make brochures and print newsletters. Joe Placazo employed me part-time at the City, and the connections and resources that job opened proved to be invaluable. Linda Laird, Assistant City Planner, helped me write my first federal grant. Coming from Africa, I learned how the City operates, and was able to make the contacts and get to know people at both the local and State level.
It’s unlikely we would have survived those early years without the help of volunteers through the Mennonite Voluntary Service Program. They helped with office support, volunteer coordination, new construction, renovations, and so much more. In addition, several local volunteers played critical roles. Among those, two who served faithfully over the first decade of our growth were Walter Reineck, who helped with accounting, and Sylvia Griggs, who helped in the office, recorded donations and wrote countless thank you notes to donors. Money was always a concern. After we purchased the building and started growing, Bob Hodgkinson, our Board Treasure, suggested we establish a line of credit.To say I was little apprehensive of that when we met with Ed Johnson at First National Bank for the first time would be an understatement. Little did I know that meeting would turn into many years of financial support from First National, and with Ed’s leadership, we developed one of the most aggressive and innovative First-time Homeownership Programs in the State. With their faith in us, patience and support, the organization grew continuously as we added staff, projects, and programs. Many times, we would come to the end of the month not knowing how we would pay the bill only to have a donation show up unexpectedly. At one point, we had support from thirty-four local churches who contributed a major part of our budget. In addition, we consistently logged over 10,000 hours of volunteer service annually for many years. As a result, in the first ten years, we launched the Homeowner Repair Program, the First-time Homeownership Program, Youth Build, and our Special Needs Rental Program. Except for Youth Build, these programs became the heart of the organization. There is no doubt that the IHS foundation was key to our viability in those growing years. IHS always had the most amazing, creative and talented staff who were committed to our mission and values. The volunteer support we received from across America, Canada and even Germany and Japan made our work possible. The consistent financial support from the community through private donations, United Way, Community Foundation and many others always kept us alive and growing. All this combined with grants through the City, County, State and Federal Government was nothing short of a miracle, clearly showing that the foundational Hand of IHS was guiding us.