The rich young man whom Jesus originally addressed declined the invitation, for he. Millard and Linda Fuller. by Greg Albrecht

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1 Millard and Linda Fuller by Greg Albrecht Jesus response to a rich young man who wanted to know what he needed to do to deserve eternal life (Luke 18:18): Sell everything you own and give it away to the poor. You will have riches in heaven. Then come, follow me (Luke 18:22, The Message). The rich young man whom Jesus originally addressed declined the invitation, for he was holding on tight to a lot of things and not about to let them go (Luke 18:23, The Message). Years ago I heard of a rich young millionaire who actually accepted Jesus invitation and gave everything he had earned away. In one of those unforgettable coincidences of life, I met this man several decades later and became aware of his story, a story of God s grace in action. In 1941 Millard Fuller was six years old, living in rural Alabama. His father gave him a pig, 8 Millard, age six

2 PHOTOS THROUGHOUT COURTESY OF FULLER CENTER FOR HOUSING supplied him feed on credit, and told young Millard that he could repay the bill after the pig was fattened and sold. Millard made the princely sum of $11 on that pig (as measured by the Consumer Price Index, $11 in 1941 would translate to about $160 in 2008). It was the beginning of Millard s education in capitalism and free enterprise. Millard recalls, By the time I was in high school, I wanted to be rich. The teenaged entrepreneur enrolled in Auburn University, graduating in June, Upon graduation from Auburn, Millard entered the University of Alabama Law School where he first met his new friend, Morris Dees. While in law school Millard and Morris started the Fuller & Dees mail order and publishing business, invested profits in real estate and after graduation the freshly minted lawyers hung out their shingle in Montgomery, Alabama. The varied business enterprises of Fuller & Dees, Inc. proved to be so successful that Millard and his wife, Linda, became self-made millionaires within a few years. Millard hadn t yet celebrated his 30th birthday, and he had achieved his goal of becoming rich. Giving It All Away Millard realized his dream, becoming wealthy with material possessions by the age of 29. But he paid a terrible price. Millard believed that his wife and young family would be happy if he provided them everything money can buy a big house, cars, a second home on a lake, speed boats, large farm acreage and horses. Millard was working hour days at Fuller & Dees, Inc. Linda and their two preschool-age children seldom saw Millard. Linda complained, but he didn t cut back on his break-neck schedule. Linda never had quality time with Millard his life was all about his work and her life was all about acquiring a higher education and Clarence Jordan and Millard Fuller at Koinina Farm, 1968 taking care of their young children. Millard had already made the mistake of neglecting his wife, and now Linda made the mistake of getting involved in an affair. She couldn t bring herself to tell Millard the truth. The only solution she could think of was to leave Millard and their children and seek counseling from a pastor in New York City whom she and Millard had met a few years earlier. Still in her twenties, she had no desire to live out her life as a lonely, rich woman. Now alone with the two young children at their home in Alabama, Millard quickly realized how important Linda and his family were Millard realized his dream, becoming wealthy with material possessions by the age of 29. But he paid a terrible price. Millard Fuller and business partner Morris Dees, 1964 to him. He persistently (those who know Millard know that if he is anything he is persistent!) let Linda know that he wanted to come to New York to see her, and she finally relented. The day they reunited, Linda told Millard she wanted to give their marriage another chance. She was still faced with telling Millard the truth about what had caused her to come to New York City. That evening they took a walk, with Linda crying much of the time. As they walked down Fifth Avenue they came to St. Patrick s Cathedral. While resting on the steps of St. Patrick s, Linda knew that this was the time for honesty and full disclosure. She started by telling Millard how alone she had been, and how all their material possessions were not making her happy. She longed to have a close relationship with Millard something his long hours at work prevented. Finally she told him about the affair. She feared that he would stand up and walk away when he heard the truth. Instead, he embraced her and told her he loved her. They started to cry, and then to sob, so much so that passersby stopped to see if they needed help. It started to rain, so they hailed a taxi. Holding Linda in his arms in Finally she told him about the affair. She feared that he would stand up and walk away when he heard the truth. Instead, he embraced her... the back seat of that taxi, Millard decided that God wanted him to make a fresh start. They decided, together, to sell his interest in Fuller & Dees, Inc., along with their house, their farm, furniture everything and give the proceeds to charity. They determined to completely reject the materialism that had almost ruined their lives, and seek God s direction in a new life. It wasn t easy, and it didn t happen overnight, but Millard and Linda tenaciously took all of the steps necessary to liquidate their assets. They determined to keep only the basics some clothing, several toys for the children and a few thousand dollars to tide them over until they discovered what God would lead them to. Millard and Linda were never happier serene and at peace trust- 9

3 ing in God while divesting themselves of their earthly treasures. In the middle of this monumental transition, the Fullers decided to do something Linda had wanted to do for some time take a family vacation. They took their two preschoolers and drove from Alabama to Florida. It turned out to be a road trip that forever changed their lives. Koinonia Farm Little did the Fullers know they would meet a man of God during their vacation a spiritual mentor who helped them come to know Jesus as they never had, thus pointing them toward what God wanted them to do with the rest of their lives. As the Fullers traveled through Georgia, Millard remembered an old friend who had attempted, unsuccessfully, to integrate his church in Birmingham, Alabama (this was during the height of the Civil Rights movement in the South). As a reward for his decision to follow Christ, Millard s friend, Al Henry, had been terminated from his pastorate. Al, his wife and three children had moved to an integrated Christian community near Americus, Georgia, named Koinonia. Koinonia Farm was a peaceful interracial community in the middle They determined to completely reject the materialism that had almost ruined their lives, and seek God s direction in a new life. of the ongoing racial tensions of the deep South. When the Fullers first visited in 1965, Koinonia had successfully weathered a boycott led by the local businesses in Sumter County, and the cooperative Christian farm was thriving once again. Koinina Farm The day that they arrived, Millard and Linda were invited to have lunch with the Koinonia community. It was the tradition then (and remains so today) for everyone to join in a communal noon meal. It was here in the dining hall that the Fullers first met Clarence Jordan. They were instantly captivated by the way this man talked about living out his Christian beliefs. During lunch they were inspired to tell the group about their recent decision to give away their earthly possessions. Clarence Jordan enthusiastically proclaimed that the Fullers were a modern day example of the rich young ruler challenged by Jesus to leave his wealth behind and follow him. That day Millard and Linda decided to stay at Koinonia for a while, to soak up the inspiring, Christcentered teaching of Clarence Jordan (see Clarence Jordan and Real Christianity ). Shortly afterwards, Millard started working as the development director at a small African-American college, using his fund-raising and salesmanship skills to help fund the struggling school. Millard and Linda returned to Americus and Koinonia a couple of years later, and it was then that the Fullers started to develop the idea for building lowincome housing as an expression of God s love. Partnership Housing proved to be the foundation for Habitat for Humanity (incorporated in 1976 with its headquarters in Americus). The goal was simple: everyone should have a simple and decent place to live. Under the Fullers leadership Habitat built houses on a no-profit, no-interest basis, making homes affordable to families with low incomes. Habitat for Humanity Habitat was an incredible success, based on the tireless efforts of Millard and Linda, the volunteer labor and donations it attracted and the publicity it gained, much of it coming from its most famous volunteer. Upon leaving the White House in January, 1981, President Jimmy Carter and his wife returned to their home in Plains, Georgia (only ten miles from Americus). Mutual friends made Millard aware of President Carter s interest in woodworking, so in 1982 Millard Fuller invited former President Jimmy Carter to a Habitat Board meeting. In early 1984 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter committed energy, Millard and Linda Fuller pictured on a roof in Zaire, 1975 talents and financial resources to Habitat for Humanity. Their hands-on approach picking up a hammer and nails, volunteering to help build Habitat homes for the poor caused Habitat to spring into both the national and international spotlight. Habitat for Humanity experienced incredible growth, establishing affiliates around the world, causing Millard to proclaim that the sun never set on Habitat. By the late 1980s, Habitat had become a household name. But there were storm clouds on the horizon. When Christian grass roots efforts succeed, Christ followers are often challenged to maintain the 10 THE PLAIN TRUTH

4 President Carter works on a Habitat house, Chicago, 1986 purity of their original vision and mission. One of the ever present threats to such purity of vision is institutionalism. As Habitat grew, so did the pressure to change it from the family-oriented, friendly and Christ-centered community Bob Hope works with Millard Fuller, 1987 culture established by the Fullers. New board members brought with them methodologies and approaches of secular, for-profit big business. Millard increasingly felt tension at Board meetings. The downhome Koinonia-inspired style of management and leadership was being questioned by men and women accustomed to objectives that conflicted with the simple Kingdom values taught by Jesus. Serious conflict surfaced in March, It took the form of a complaint from four female employees, who accused Millard of unwarranted attention. Millard had, allegedly, hugged a woman and complimented others. As events unfolded, it seemed that the Board was using these accusations as a means to remove Millard so they could transform Habitat for Humanity International into their image. President Carter, with whom Millard and Linda counseled, reflected on this incident some years later, saying, My impression then was that there were ambitious people who wanted to gain control of this organization, even at the expense of the Fullers, Carters, and many others (The House That Love Built, page 166). This issue was resolved when Millard agreed to turn over day-to-day operations. However, he remained free to build Habitat and the decade of the 1990s continued to see phenomenal growth of Habitat, both in the United States and abroad. Habitat Fires Its Founder! Fourteen years after the first complaint, the chairman of Habitat s board called Millard while he and Linda were on a tour of Habitat s work in six Asian countries. It was a new version of the former crisis this time a female staff member of Habitat accused Millard of inappropriate conduct while she was driving him from Habitat headquarters in Americus to the Atlanta airport. Once again the Fullers lives were filled with accusations and allegations, charges he absolutely denies. Once again President Carter attempted to intervene on Millard s behalf was a nightmarish year for the Fullers, with endless meetings, mediations, discussions and attempts at reconciliation. It was all for naught, as it seemed the international board of Habitat was dead set on the complete removal of the Fullers. Finally, on January 31, 2005, Millard and Linda Fuller were fired by the executive committee of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI). What was the motivation? Why would an immensely successful non-profit fire its founder? Why terminate a founder and leader who was widely acclaimed, including, among other things, being the recipient of the highest civilian honor given by the United States, the prestigious Medal of Freedom, awarded by President Bill Clinton in 1996 and named the CEO of the year in 2003 by Non-Profit Times magazine? One of the ever present threats to such purity of vision is institutionalism. As Habitat grew, so did the pressure to change it from the familyoriented, friendly and Christcentered community culture established by the Fullers. Attempting to answer this dilemma, an impartial observer must consider what was at stake. It would seem that this was a case of a non-profit leaving its initial, faith-based beliefs in an attempt to do what corporations do operate in a more business-like fashion. That meant increasing top salaries, shutting down smaller affiliates and moving top staff to a big city. At the time the brand value of the international conglomerate of HFHI was estimated at $1.8 billion. An objective analysis of this crisis must include the fact that Millard had always believed in modest salaries, for himself and all em- Gerald Ford with Millard Fuller, 1991 continued on page 13 11

5 economic commune, with everyone pooling their resources and their produce (Acts 2:42-47). Locals struggled to understand this New Testament-based idea and labeled such practices as communism. 3) Koinonia was founded as an integrated community, giving blacks equal opportunities as whites. Most Christians who lived in the pre-civil Rights Deep South generally agreed that God intended that blacks and whites be separate and unequal. It was a time when African Americans were not welcome at whites-only gatherings, PHOTOS COURTESY OF COTTON PATCH PRODUCTIONS Koinonia Farm was a peaceful interracial community in the middle of the ongoing racial tensions of the deep South. Clarence Jordan ( ) Ph.D. in New Testament Greek. Scholar, author, farmer, minister. Clarence Jordan is remembered for leaving the halls of academia to live out the teachings of Jesus, as he understood them, on a co-operative, integrated farm he founded in south Georgia in That 900-acre farm, named Koinonia Farm, and Clarence Jordan will always be remembered in the same breath. He is also well known for his popular translations of a number of New Testament books into what he called The Cotton Patch Version. Clarence Jordan rejected the herd mentality so common within Christendom. He urged reform, afflicting the comfort zones of religion while comforting those who had been afflicted by religion. He called authentic, grace-based, Christ-centered Christianity the God movement. He was fond of critiquing sacred cows that so often thrive within religious entities, referring to religious institutions that pretend to capture God within four walls as God boxes. Koinonia Farm (the Greek word carries the idea of partnership, fellowship and community) remains a place where Christ followers live out the teachings of Jesus. Clarence Jordan founded his ministry on Jesus teachings, especially in the Sermon on the Mount, and in those practices seen in the early church, most notably in the book of Acts. Koinonia was controversial from the very start, for at least three reasons: 1) Clarence Jordan was a conscientious objector, believing in pacifism. Christians and non-christians alike, in rural WWII Georgia, found such a view hard to stomach, especially when the United States was at war. 2) Koinonia was designed as an including worship services. It was a time when the n-word was widely accepted and used by a whites-only culture, including within worship services. Clarence Jordan died in 1969, of a massive heart attack, while working on a speech in his one-room writing shack. Clarence was buried in an unmarked grave among the pecan groves at his beloved Koinonia, his funeral officiated by his dear friend, Millard Fuller, with few outside of his own immediate family and faith community in attendance. the Editors 12 Koinonia men in 1951 THE PLAIN TRUTH

6 Millard Fuller addresses UN Habbitat Conference Istanbul, 1996 ployees. He held firmly to keeping HFHI headquarters in Americus. Millard s somewhat frugal lifestyle (including such practices as flying economy class when traveling) presented a ceiling for executive compensation. Thus, as staggering as it sounds, the founder of Habitat for Humanity was fired and sent packing. Millard reflects, Just four weeks after celebrating my seventieth birthday, I was fired from my life s work and so was Linda (Building Materials for Life, Volume III, page 79). Many men would have retired at the age of 70, especially with the heartbreaking turn of events, being Millard receives Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1996 terminated from the non-profit he had founded. But Millard and Linda Fuller weren t about to quit. They didn t believe God was finished with them yet. They started over again. Their work would rise, phoenix-like, from the ashes. Fuller Center for Housing In April of 2005 the Fullers announced that they had founded a new organization, Building Habitat, Inc., and that they would continue to pursue their original vision of providing simple, decent housing for those in need. This corporate title proved to be unacceptable to HFHI, as it was deemed to be too similar to its own name. The Fullers relented and decided instead to found the Fuller Center for Housing, with the first board meeting taking place back at Koinonia Farm, where it had all started. I first met Millard Fuller in 2007, in the green room (the room where guests are prepped for interviews) of a television station in South Bend, Indiana. During the few minutes we had before we were scheduled to be on the set, I found myself, as so many have been, instantly taken by the lack of pretense, the sincerity and warmth that flowed out of him. After some correspondence, we agreed that I would come visit him in Americus so that I could tell his story to Plain Truth readers. I arrived at the Fuller Center for Housing a few minutes before 8:00 A.M. Millard had invited me to give the daily devotion for those employees who wished to attend (one of the traditions Millard founded and practiced faithfullly at Habitat). Citing the story of the rich young man who rejected Jesus offer I told the staff that I had come to Americus, drawn to Millard s story, for compelling, Christ-centered reasons. My brief comments that morning included the following: While I would never dream of comparing myself to the tool that God has fashioned out of Millard, I believe that a millionaire in love with his money and a religious legalist in love with his superior standing with God on the basis of his performance are addicted to the same disease. The deceitfulness of riches and the virus of religious legalism thrive in a similar breeding ground. Almost 20 years ago Jesus started to ask me a series of questions about my religion religious treasures I held in high esteem that, by God s grace, I discovered were fool s gold. Easter Morning Community One of the highlights of my day with Millard, the Fuller Center and a visit to Koinonia was a tour of Easter Morning Community, a development of 120 homes built in Americus by Habitat for Humanity, Many men would have retired, at the age of 70, especially with the heartbreaking turn of events, being terminated from the non-profit he had founded. But Millard and Linda Fuller weren t about to quit. from , while under the Fullers leadership. Millard and Linda s own lives have, of course, been transformed, reborn and touched by Jesus. They know what it s like to start all over. NOVEMBER 2008

7 They therefore delight in telling the story of one woman, who, on Easter Sunday morning, woke up in a new house in Easter Morning Community. Many of the houses in this particular development were built in what were called Holy Week Builds. Construction on new homes started on Monday of Holy Week, so that the next Saturday, the day before Easter, was movein day. Thus, new residents of Easter Morning Community started living in new physical homes on the very day that celebrates new life. Millard asked that we use a fictitious name for this woman, so we ll call her Lisa. Lisa grew up in Americus in a dysfunctional family, living in substandard housing. Her father was so abusive that Lisa, during her years at home, often sought safety in the dog house where she spent many nights attempting to escape the ugliness and violence of her own home. Lisa eventually left home and made her way to a metropolitan area. Her story followed a sad, but wellbeaten path. She had turned to chemical addictions as she tried to self-medicate her pain. Her addiction was a brutal taskmaster, forcing her into a life of prostitution so that she could pay for drugs. As God started to invite her to a new life, Lisa was able, with the help of others, to overcome her dependence on drugs. Lisa eventually determined to move back home to rural Americus, and for a short time she worked for Habitat for Humanity when the Fullers still provided its leadership. Lisa continued to yield to God, accepting Christ and then Citing the story of the rich young man who rejected Jesus offer I told the staff that I had come to Americus, drawn to Millard s story, for compelling, Christ-centered reasons. Millard and Linda Fuller with Greg Albrecht, 2008 accepting an offer of marriage from a young man. By God s grace, Lisa s life was transformed, cleansed and purified. Lisa and her new husband were chosen to be one of the new owners of a home in the Easter Morning Community. The Easter they woke up in her new home, Lisa was asked to be one of the speakers during the ceremony marking this new beginning. Lisa spoke of her new life her new job, her new marriage, her new home and above all her new relationship with Jesus Christ. Because of God s grace she was, she said, a brand-new person in every way. She paused to smile, and then said that she was so completely transformed, so brand-new, that in spite of her former life, God had enabled her new husband to marry a virgin! The past was over. God had made all things new! One of the incredible blessings that Christians experience is to personally see and hear of the new life that God breathes into the souls of those who unconditionally accept Him. Spending time with the Fullers is an inspiration. They are warm, engaging, energetic people who are always smiling. As a young couple, over 40 years ago, they gave away all their money and started all over again. A few weeks after Millard s 70th birthday they were rejected by the very organization they founded, a nonprofit dispensing God s love in a practical and needed way once more, they started their lives over. You don t hear complaining from the Fullers. You don t hear bitterness about Habitat. Rather, you hear of their desire to work with Habitat and to help Habitat, as they move forward in their new non-profit enterprise. Millard and Linda Fuller gave all their money away, and they have followed Christ to the ends of this earth, bringing his Kingdom built on love to others. On the eve of 2009, a year that marks the Fuller s 50th wedding anniversary, Plain Truth salutes the Fullers. We recognize and thank them for their acceptance of God s grace, their lives of service and their selfless dedication to improving the lives of the poor. Find out more at 14 THE PLAIN TRUTH