In 1942, Clarence Jordan, a southern Baptist preacher, began Koinonia Farm.

Koinonia is a Greek term for community.

It was an interracial rural gathering in Americus, GA, making a living by growing peanuts and pecans and creating home-spun clothing. It's rumored that Ma Carter (mother to President Jimmy Carter), living a few miles away in Plains, thought it was a bad idea.

In 1976, Jordan mentored an unfulfilled attorney named Millard Fuller and his wife Linda Fuller and they founded Habitat for Humanity.

The ecumenical Christian organization is designed to help industrious and reliable poor citizens self-help their way into affordable decent housing.

Jonathan Reckford serves as CEO of Habitat for Humanity. After graduating from Stanford Business School, he rose quickly in the echelons of Best Buy, then entered the Christian ministry. A few years ago he accepted the call to lead this now-international ministry.

Some think Jimmy Carter founded HFH. Not true. But certainly he and Rosalyn Carter's dedication to the endeavor vastly raised its visibility.  He, in his mid-80s, continues to participate in blitz builds (many houses in a few days) in one part of the world or another.

Some wonder what it takes to be a HFH family. Briefly, one has to be willing to be known as a HFH family, put in hundreds of hours of sweat equity (in lieu of down payment), live in sub-standard housing, earn a wage below the area standard, up to date with a favorable financial credit rating, willing to undergo extensive interviews and accept the fact that one may not be chosen from among the scores of applicants. Applicants are selected regardless of their racial or religious background.

The latest incarnation in our area of Habitat for Humanity is a six-house project on Cory Avenue in Morgan Hill. Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley, headquartered in Milpitas, dedicated the homes Saturday, Aug. 6.

The dwellings were constructed thanks to many volunteers hours that will now bless the lives of six families.

Three Los Gatos churches have been represented by volunteer work crews on occasion in the course of construction: Holy Cross Lutheran, Los Gatos United Methodist and Faith Lutheran Church.

Soon Habitat for Humanity Silicon Valley will begin a four-house project, (one to be constructed by volunteers from several religious denominations) in Cupertino. Eight Los Gatos faith communities are cooperating with some 50 other communities in the West Valley to bring this project to fruition.