In a message to the congregation on a recent Sunday, Rev. Kevin Bechtold held up the parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32) and challenged us to seek its application in our lives.
We thought of this in a recent meeting of the Fiscal Committee. The Fiscal Committee, chaired by Mark Sandstrom, prepares the Church budget, manages the Church’s finances, and oversees the endowment.
Plymouth’s endowment has two components – the larger share is professionally managed and is invested in securities that pass recognized, socially-responsible principles. A smaller share (about $1 million) constitutes the Community Investment Fund. The Community Investment Fund makes low-interest loans to organizations with a social justice mission.
For many years, one of the groups to which Plymouth has made low-interest loans is Homestead Community Land Trust. Homestead is a housing developer with a unique mission – to promote home ownership for low to moderate income persons by purchasing land at below market cost, building homes, and selling homes at below-market prices to applicants of low to moderate income. Homestead owns the land and leases it for 99 years to the homeowners (which helps keep the purchase price down). Homeowners are able to build equity and are free to sell the home later if they wish, subject to limits on resale prices designed to maintain availability of housing for those of low to moderate-income.
Plymouth’s loan to Homestead was comparatively small, and Homestead was a small operation when Plymouth began supporting them. However, Homestead has grown substantially, and it is now supporting housing developments throughout King County. In fact, one of Homestead’s current projects involves Admiral Congregational Church UCC in West Seattle! Admiral is going to sell its property to Homestead at a below market price so that Homestead can build 21 new housing units (13 of which will be below market). As part of the agreement, the church will have a new home–space in a central multi-use building.
What does this have to do with a mustard seed? Jesus said that when a mustard seed is grown, “it is the greatest of all shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” So, too, we dare to hope that a little mustard seed from Plymouth’s endowment will in time contribute to providing shelter to others during the continuing housing crisis. -Al Bentley, for the Fiscal Committee
Photo: "Parable of the Mustard Seed," Kelly Latimore