by Griff Gatewood
Recently a friend here at CASA said that I was leaving for a higher calling. I was quick to mention that it was not a higher calling but a different calling. There is no higher calling than our work here at CASA. My friend was right to think that God’s work is the highest work, but God’s work is everywhere. And God’s work is here at CASA. It has been a pleasure and an honor for me to be a part of it.
God’s work is here at CASA because we are working for and with God’s children. Jesus said that when we do things to “the least of these” we do it to him. When we provide housing for our fellow citizens, our fellow brothers and sisters, who have a disability or are of low wealth, we are serving God. We are joining in God’s work as we work redemptively in a hurting world. In our work in housing we are trying to make something beautiful in a world that allows the least of these to go without a home.
In my job as housing developer, I have tried to make beautiful buildings that people would enjoy looking at and living in. I have tried to make buildings that are good- that will be durable and stand the test of time. We call this low-maintenance and sustainable. I have tried to make buildings that are true; whose materials are real. I have had the privilege of doing this with new and old buildings. We have done this by building new things “green” and “recycling” older buildings where possible.
I have learned many things in my time here since November 2005. I came to CASA with the desire to learn about real estate development. I had worked as a carpenter and a general contractor. I was interested to learn about the way that whole neighborhoods were put together not just one house. I have learned about things at this larger scale. There were things that I didn’t realize how little I knew about when I came, like accounting or small business operations. I have seen what it looks like to do these things well and how important they are for getting things done in the world.
One of the lasting impressions I will have after my time here at CASA is how a small, mission-driven business can become like an institution or a family. This institutional life gives much to those who work to further its mission. There are the benefits we all know about like insurance and salary, but what I have come to be thankful for is the gift of stability. The team at CASA comes together each work day to get a job done, yet the result is more than the finished job. The result is a shared life which has given stability to me in times of happiness, woe and transition. I have always been impressed that the average CASA employee has been here for more than five years.
Another friend of mine says that the primary task of doing God’s work in the world is about being with people. This task outranks our efforts to “work for”, “work with” or even “be for” other people. There is something primary about hanging out with each other. We have a lot to do at CASA: grants to manage, leases to sign, work orders to fill. But, as we do these things together, often our greatest joy is a “being with” kind of joy. So, in closing, I would like to give thanks for all the people – CASA staff, contractors, funding partners, supportive agencies, and tenants – with whom I have worked.
