Jesus with skin on

The Christian church, and indeed the Christian faith doesn't always get a good rap in the media, and all too often. Christians are their faith's own worst enemy. So we were delighted to see this story on Stuff this morning - check this out:

Christian aid group Habitat for Humanity plans to recruit an army of tradesmen to rebuild the homes of uninsured Christchurch earthquake victims.

The nonprofit group, which uses volunteer labour to build houses for families in need, hopes to assemble a workforce of more than 600 to complete the job, which could take up to 18 months.

Habitat chief executive Pete North said yesterday a national appeal asking tradesmen to volunteer "time and skill" for two to four weeks would begin next week.

That's a fantastic response from Habitat. These guys really are the epitome of Jesus with skin on; Habitat has built well over 350 homes throughout New Zealand over the past 17 years which have allowed families the opportunity to own an affordable home, built with volunteer labour. We know several families who have benefitted from Habitat's work, and to say that it has been life-changing for them doesn't even begin to describe the effect.

And Habitat has found a major supporter in the person on Bob Parker - read on:

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said Habitat's offer was "inspirational".

"One of the big concerns I've had for some time is that around the city there are a number of people who don't have insurance for a variety of reasons," he said.

"[Habitat] offered basically free labour if we were able to find materials, and I thought that was a brilliant idea."

Funding details were still being worked through, Parker said.

We have no idea whether or not Bob Parker is the prayin' kind, but Habitat for Humanity's offer to rebuild homes in Christchurch will be the answer to the prayers of many.