WORK THAT FILLS TIME AND HEART

Featuring Cindi Hammond

Director of Programs at Colorado Habitat for Humanity

November 2023

Cindi Hammond has a heart for service and a heart for her community in Loveland and throughout Colorado. She also has a heart for Habitat for Humanity, the organization she has served with dedication for many years. Cindi has worked with the Loveland Habitat for Humanity as the Executive Director since 2016. In Fall 2023, Cindi Hammond began serving at Colorado Habitat for Humanity as the Director of Programs.

While serving with Loveland Habitat for Humanity, affordable housing opportunities in the Loveland community have increased and the work of Habitat for Humanity grew in its reach. In 2021 Cindi was recognized by BizWest as a notable non-profit leader for her contributions to housing advocacy. In 2021, the Loveland Habitat team received the Loveland Chamber of Commerce’s Non-profit of the Year Award. 

While much of her work was with Loveland Habitat for Humanity, Cindi also created and engaged in partnership opportunities with other non-profits to accomplish good work in the Loveland community. Such partnerships include working with Grace Community Church and the Loveland Housing Authority to partner on developing a 14-acre Grace Gardens at Derby Hill neighborhood in southwest Loveland. Another noteworthy partnership and project is the partnership with Pinkard Construction, Calvary Derby Hill Church, and Galloway Engineering to create 120 low-income housing tax credit rentals for the housing authority and 47 single-family lots for homeownership through Loveland Habitat for Humanity. 

Her passion for helping those with housing insecurity in Loveland and the surrounding Colorado community extends into her volunteer work. She has served on the Affordable Housing Task Force for the City of Loveland. She was also the first board president for Aspire 3D, a non-profit that is affiliated with the Loveland Housing Authority. 

However, the focus of Cindi’s work is for the people who get to live in Habitat homes. She marvels to see how hardworking families in the community overcome obstacles and are provided with the opportunity to own a Habitat home. She believes that affordable housing supports a key aspect of a person’s well-being and strengthens a community. 

Prior to serving with Habitat for Humanity, Cindi worked for 25 years in nonprofit management, program development, clinical counseling with children and families and as served as a guest lecturer at universities as well as the advocacy community.  Her dedication to providing housing opportunities and service to her community is an inspiration.

FAITH, LOVE, AND TRUSTING IN GOD

Featuring Loren Cunningham,

Founder of Youth With a Mission (YWAM)

November 2023

Loren Cunningham is a well-known figure who is credited with many things: the Founder of Youth With a Mission (YWAM), a “deregulator” of missions, author of “the Christian Magna Carta”, Co-Founder of the University of the Nations (UofN), and many other recognitions. He has been credited as the first person in history to travel for the sake of Christ and the Great Commission to every sovereign nation on earth, all dependent countries, and more than 100 territories. Perhaps what he is best known for however, is his heartfelt and steadfast service to God, his commitment to hearing God’s voice and responding, and creating opportunity for thousands of others to accomplish the work God called them to through the Great Commission. 

As noted, Loren Cunningham is often most recognized for the creation of YWAM and the resulting work around the globe. In 1960s he developed Youth with a Mission which created opportunities for Youth to serve short-term, globally, unsalaried around the world. As a result millions were able to go and serve as missionaries around the world and reach countless. Loren was credited with saying that however large YWAM’s ministry was it was  “not large enough because Jesus’ last commandment to reach the whole world with the Gospel has not been completed.”

In addition to reaching the world with the Gospel, YWAM missionaries are often on the front lines of serving individuals who experience injustice and are able to meet both spiritual and physical needs. This work and the importance of this work is stated in the Christian Magna Carte drafted by Loren, “Everyone on earth has the right to …. Have the basic necessities of life: food, water, clothing, shelter, and health care.”  This “right” was alongside the right to hear and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ, have a Bible in their own language, and to lead a productive life of fulfillment spiritually, emotionally, mentally, socially, and physically. Spiritual and physical needs were very much at the heart of the work of Loren Cunningham and the work of YWAM. 

Loren was also passionate about individuals around the world having the Bible in their own language. One of his last projects before his passing was work focused on making an oral translation of the Bible available in each of the 8000+ mother tongue languages on earth. 

Despite all of his accomplishments, Loren Cunningham was a servant-hearted individual who saw the need for unity in the work of missions and reaching the lost. He was known for calls to build bridges of unity within the Church and recognized the work of other missions and churches working around the globe in partnership for a great purpose. 

Loren Cunningham went to be with Jesus on October 6, 2023, at the age of 88. His life modeled what it looks like to live full on for Jesus and to run the race God has set before each one of us. He has impacted the world and countless lives for eternity, the good of the gospel, and for justice.