No, it's nothing to do with Congress. Show some love to Koinonia Farms and join the "Nut of the Month" club.
Koinonia Farms was founded in 1942 by two couples: Clarence and Florence Jordan and Martin and Mabel England. Clarence Jordan and Martin England were both baptist pastors. Jordan had a doctorate in New Testament Greek. England had been a missionary in Burma.
In the 1960's, Jordan authored The Cotton Patch Series, his translation of the New Testament. Typical of the series is this passage from Ephesians, as translated by Jordan:
"So then, always remember that previously you Negroes, who sometimes are even called "niggers" by thoughtless white church members, were at one time outside the Christian fellowship, denied your rights as fellow believers, and treated as though the gospel didn’t apply to you, hopeless and God-forsaken in the eyes of the world. Now, however, because of Christ’s supreme sacrifice, you who once were so segregated are warmly welcomed into the Christian fellowship." (2:11-13)
Jordan never gave an inch. He translated the word for "crucifixion" as "lynching" because he said only "lynching" could really capture the spirit of what crucifixion meant. When a parishioner at a white church told him that her granddaddy fought in the Civil War and she "would never believe a word you say," Jordan responded, "Ma'am, your choice seems quite clear. You can either follow your granddaddy or Jesus Christ."
He said, "What the poor need is not charity but capital, not caseworkers but co-workers. And what the rich need is a wise, honorable, and just way of divesting themselves of their overabundance." (He once walked into the home of a wealthy person and said, "Nice piece of plunder you're got here.")
Koinonia would be a "demonstration plot for the kingdom of God." The word koinonia is Greek in origin. It means "close fellowship." Christians hear it every week when they hear the words "the communion--the koinonia--of the Holy Spirit be with you."
Koinonia Farms would operate in that Spirit. They would "treat all human beings with dignity and justice," practice love over violence, share all possessions, live simply, and be good stewards of the land.
Forming an inter-racial community in south Georgia in the 1940's was truly an action in the spirit of St. Theresa of Avila, who once encouraged Christians to "live lives of holy daring." Koinonia endured firebombs, bullets, death threats, KKK rallies, and economic boycotts, yet survived.
In the 1960's and 70's, the threats of physical violence declined, but Koinonia was also searching for a new purpose. It was about then that Pastor Jordan received a note from a local lawyer named Millard Fuller who asked Jordan, "What do you have up your sleeve?"
Millard and Linda Fuller had spent a month at Koinonia several years earlier, shortly after the threat of a failed marriage caused the couple to recommit their lives to God and give away their wealth. Millard had been a millionaire businessman, and his enthusiasm seemed to inject a new spirit into the community. After a series of meetings with Millard and other friends of Koinonia, a new direction for Koinonia emerged.
Clarence Jordan and the others held a deep concern for their neighbors and noticed the poor quality of housing available to them. They initiated a project to help build decent, affordable homes. Changing its name from Koinonia Farm to Koinonia Partners, the community launched several innovative partnership programs, chief among them Koinonia Partnership Housing, which built affordable homes for low-income families living in shacks and dilapidated houses. Using volunteer labor and donations, Koinonia built 194 homes from 1969 to 1992, which families bought with 20-year, no-interest mortgages. Mortgage payments were placed in a revolving Fund for Humanity, which was then used to build more houses. With both rich and poor contributing capital to the Fund and building houses together, Clarence saw his vision of Partnership become a reality. Of the homes built, 62 houses sit on Koinonia's land, forming two neighborhoods that surround the central community area; the remaining houses are located in the towns of Americus and Plains.
Thus was born Habitat for Humanity, which has gone on to build 300,000 homes worldwide, providing safe and decent shelter for well over a million people. When Habitat founder, Millard Fuller, died suddenly a few years ago, he was buried at Koinonia Farms.
Koinonia doesn't quite have internet ordering down so you'll have to call them or email: 1-877-738-1741, [email protected]. Ask for Nut of the Month.
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