The logo shows two little stick

figures whose bodies and upraised arms form a simple house, symbolizing

people building together. But members of Holy Trinity Catholic Church

and Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran have expanded the symbol to represent

their two congregations joined in a Habitat project called "Building

on Faith."

The union of the two Peachtree

City churches was meant to be, says the Rev. Miriam Beecher of the Lutheran

congregation. Leaders of both churches, unbeknownst to each other, had

wanted to become involved in the Habitat program for some time, but the

required components donated land, $40,000, willing hands and a carefully

chosen family in need had not come together.

Mary Ann Cox, director of religious

education at the Catholic church, was exploring the possibilities with

Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity when a sponsor who had pledged

to build a house became unable to do so. As part of their Jubilee Year

2000 observation, Catholics are encouraging ecumenism the movement toward

unity among all Christians and Cox could think of no better way to advance

this objective than by partnering with another congregation.

She called Christ Our Shepherd,

and the collaboration was born: The congregations would share in both

financial and volunteer labor requirements of a Habitat project.

A "generous anonymous

donor" contributed a wooded lot near Swan Lake in Stockbridge, said

Ivonne Reid-Borland, executive director for Habitat's Southern Crescent,

which coordinates construction in Fayette, Clayton and Henry counties.

And while the two Peachtree City churches were organizing skilled and

unskilled workers, Habitat saw to site preparation, ordering of materials,

and permits.

Meanwhile, Raymond and Tina

Scott, at present living with their seven young children in a small trailer

in Locust Grove, learned that they were going to have a house a small

house of only about 1,350 square feet, but a real house with four bedrooms

in a nice neighborhood.

While Cox and her colleague

Mary Plant were enlisting people like Greg Creighton, a Peachtree City

builder, to head up construction, the Rev. Miriam Beecher at the Lutheran

church engaged Rod Barkow, a retired building contractor in that congregation.

Others brought into the project include Jerry Greenwell and Larry Gray

to coordinate volunteers in their respective parishes, as well as Jan

Hudson, Al Creighton, Clara Reed and Lynne Sullivan, who organize lunches

and beverages and bring them to the work site.

Bobbye Hager is directing internal

publicity, Denny Baas is registrar and Dianne Baas, Maggie Ramsey or another

nurse will be on site each week for safety reasons.

The evening before the building

project was set to begin, volunteers gathered for a potluck supper at

Holy Trinity, where they met the Scotts. The family ranges from hefty

16-year-old Raymond Jr. through 3-month-old Christian, who gazed wide-eyed

from his petite blond mother's arms. In between sat Ashleigh, 13, Johnnie,

11, Lindsey, 10, Tuesday, 7, and Terry, a squirmy 3-year-old.

Early the next morning, Sept.

9, the work day began with devotions and prayer. The first work crews

on the site found the block foundation ready to build on. Volunteers wore

serious work clothes, having been warned that the lot was wall-to-wall

red clay, with recent rain preventing the pouring of the driveway.

Each church had pledged to

put 30 volunteers in place, but by about 11 a.m., when a photographer

and a reporter arrived, more than 100 persons were swarming over the site.

One wall was up, the second was being raised. Husbands and wives manhandled

4x8-foot sheets of plywood.

A Coweta County pharmacist

demonstrated that she knows how to wield hand tools. A professional framer,

donating his expertise, scored measurements on the cleat for the placement

of studs. Ginnie Weber, hammer in hand, observed that the sound of sawing

and hammering crescendoed like an industrial symphony. And a bevy of teen-age

girls nailed decking to the floor joists.

Never mind that every nail

required at least 45 blows to drive home with a hammer clutched just behind

the head, or that a few went crooked and had to be pried out. The securing

of each sheet of plywood was saluted with giggles. Also brandishing hammers

and saws: Father Kevin Peek, disarming in camouflage fatigues, and pastor

John Weber in sawdust and a low-slung carpenter's belt.

At noon, Weber had to threaten

to withhold sandwiches before eager builders stopped long enough for a

blessing before the lunch break. When work ended about 4 p.m., a recognizable

house with four walls, windows and doors stood where eight hours earlier

had been only a block foundation.

Most of the workers would be

back next week, and others who could not come on this day will get there

when they can. This was only week one, and tasks assigned to weeks two

and three in the schedule the raising of walls, wrapping with insulation

and setting of windows were finished or underway.

Planners have allowed 12 weeks

to build the Scotts' house. They, and the Scotts, will welcome an earlier

dedication date.

The frenzy of activity on Greenwood

Drive in Stockbridge is about something more than just building a house.

It's about building bridges between churches, building friendship, and

building hope.