Questions about the future

I’ve been neglecting my blog lately and I apologize for that. In my defense my life has gotten a good deal more complicated over the past few weeks. Since my last posting a number of things have happened. Most significant for me is that the board of directors has named me as the new president of The Fuller Center. I’m honored by this, but humbled. Millard was a giant of a man, and the shoes he left are too big to be filled by any single pair of feet. I’m confident, though, that with many pairs we’ll be able to do a credible job.

There are a number of questions out there about the Fuller Center and its future and my role going forward. I’m going to be taking a stab at answering some of them here. I may have to change the title of this from a Travel Blog to a Standing on the Prow Looking into the Fog Blog. But the future is bright and I’m filled with confidence about it.

As you may know I live in Colorado Springs so the first question I usually get is “When are you moving to Americus?” That’s a tough one to answer right now. Sheilla has a business here in the Springs, and we own a home here. Given the economic situation it’s probably not the best of times to try to sell either one. And then of course, there are the grandkids, Ryan and Griffin. They live with their folks in Dillon, Colorado, and one of the reasons we came back to Colorado was to be near family. The other reason is that I woke up one day and found that the department I headed at Habitat had somehow disappeared over night.

So the short answer is that we won’t be moving to Americus anytime soon. We’re going to let this play out for a while and see what the future brings. We do have a home there now—a great little apartment next door to the Presbyterian Church in the heart of the city and I’m spending a good deal of time there. One of the great blessings of these challenging times is the way technology has improved our ability to communicate over long distances, so even when I’m on the western side of the continent I can keep up with things in the east.

The second question I often get is, “Will The Fuller Center continue?” The answer to that is an unequivocal yes. There are now covenant partners in 50 US cities and 14 countries around the world, all reaching out to families who need a decent place to live. We have commitments to these groups and the families they serve. The board of directors and staff have committed to honoring Millard’s memory by aggressively pursuing his dream of eliminating poverty housing. Most encouraging is the tremendous outpouring of support we’ve received from our supporters around the world who want this ministry to grow and prosper.

The third most frequent question is how The Fuller Center differs from Habitat. This is a significant question and one that deserves its own posting. And the night is drawing nigh. I’ll cover this soon. In the meantime, thanks again to all who have been so kind and supportive during this challenging time. God bless us all.