Corts, Fuller Deaths are a Loss for All of Us

Last week two very influential men left this earthly life rather suddenly. Both died of apparent heart attacks. I was privileged to have met and had interactions with each of them. The first to die was Millard Fuller. A very limited part of Millard's (and his wife Linda's)story has been told widely and most people recognize them as the founders of Habitat for Humanity, a Christian housing ministry. I would encourage each reader to get The Cotton Patch Evidence, by Dallas Lee, as a background, and then to read each of Millard's books (Love in the Mortar Joints, The Theology of the Hammer, etc.) to begin to get the full impact. The goal of Habitat is to provide lost cost affordable housing to God's people in need. These homes are sold to the homeowner with no interest loans. Costs are kept low through donated volunteer labor and "sweat equity" work by the new homeowner. If you have never visited a Habitat home, or a Habitat neighborhood, that would be a start. But better yet, work on a Habitat home alongside the prospective homeowner. Due to a disagreement with the board of directors, the Fullers left Habitat a few years ago and began the Fuller Center for Housing, Inc.

Back in the mid 1980's I took a group of Alabama students to Americus, Ga. to do a week's work with Habitat. In fact, one of those students, a local newspaper writer, was the first person to notify me of Millard's death. While we were there, we had a chance to sit down to dinner with Millard and Linda at Amigo House for a potluck supper. I also had opportunity to have a personal conversation with Millard and to know something of his heart. Each morning while we were there, we met with Habitat families, children, volunteers, and staff for a daily devotional. Several of the Habitat families continued to meet with the group long beyond any obligation they had.
The highlight of that week came when working on a framed-up house. A little boy rode up on his bicycle and showing me a space in that house said "This is my room."
Later that day as I hung off the rafters of that house, I received the famous one finger salute from some driver and passengers as they honked their horn. It's hard for me to understand why some people don't want others to do well.
When we were living in Troy, Alabama, I was privileged to serve on the steering committee that got Troy/Pike Habitat started, and later served on that board for several years before moving away. Each Habitat chapter is encouraged to tithe their income to Habitat International, that builds housing in countries across the globe.

Millard was a magnificent witness of personal commitment, forsaking his fortune in worldly goods to build homes for people on earth and treasures in heaven. He clearly demonstrated the biblical truth that love requires action. Millard was active. I count it a privilege to have known Millard, to have been a campus ministry colleague with his son Chris, and to have been impacted my his life and ministry.

The second untimely death was that of retired Samford University President, Dr. Thomas Corts. Dr. Corts gave tremendous leadership to Samford across the many years he served. He was a superb spokesman for Christian higher education in Alabama and across the nation. I was privileged to serve on the Board of Ministerial Mentors for Samford while Dr. Corts was President. Our daughter attended Samford and graduated while Dr. Corts was at the helm. She also graduated from Beeson Divinity School, a school founded under Dr. Corts' leadership.
Dr. Corts was an outspoken leader in the effort to update or replace Alabama's repressive and cumbersome state constitution, and I pray all those who have joined that battle will not rest until we see the job completed. He served as the leader of that effort, and after his retirement, served a term as the chancellor for post-secondary education in Alabama. He brought impeccable credential to that task, but his leadership was not fully appreciated by our provincial acting State Board of Education. Dr. Corts got us going in the right direction to clean up the mess of nepotism, cronyism, and mismanagement in many of our community colleges. Most recently Dr. Corts served President Bush and our nation in Washington with an education initiative.

Dr. Corts was a committed Christ follower and a superb leader for Alabama Baptists. His leadership will be sorelly missed.