Music of A Thousand Hammers:  Inside Habitat for Humanity, by Paul Leonard (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006, 184 pp.)  Reviewed by Norris Frederick.

“We don’t always get a second chance in life.  But God is good, and sometimes we do.  In this case, thank God, I did.”

Many “second chance” stories in Christian lore are the story of the down-and-out, such as addicts, who see the light and become upright citizens and good Christians.  Paul Leonard’s book, however, is the story of a very successful real estate executive who turned down his first opportunity in 1986 to become involved with Habitat for Humanity, and then became involved in 1992 because his boss at Centex Homes said to him, “…Centex will build the twenty [Habitat] houses, including one in the Jimmy Carter Work Project in Washington.  And by the way, Paul, you are in charge of coordinating with Habitat.”  Leonard’s story speaks to all of us who may not be down-and-out, but who have missed opportunities to do some real good in the world because we’re too busy or aren’t aware.

That initial involvement – followed by volunteer housing builds in virtually every part of the world -- led Leonard to a heart-and-soul adoption of the two goals of Habitat:  “to build as many houses as it can using the principles of sweat equity, no interest, no profit, and volunteer construction… in every corner of the world” and “to make housing a matter of conscience everywhere, every day, every moment, for every person we meet.”

Music Of A Thousand Hammers intertwines two compelling stories: one is the story of Habitat, which began in 1976 as an idea of co-founders Millard and Linda Fuller, and which today builds a house somewhere in the world every 24 minutes, yet still is far away from ending homelessness.  The other is the story of Paul and Judy Leonard’s involvement with Habitat.  (Paul Leonard was a commencement speaker at Queens University of Charlotte in 2003, and Judy Leonard is a Queens alumna who serves on Queens’ Board of Trustees).

Leonard, a former ordained minister, has been involved in housing issues in various forms since his graduation from seminary in 1965 and his first post at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC.  He was the first president of the Charlotte Fair Housing Association and left Trinity to become minister of an experimental congregation, Church in the City.  “The new church was to focus, not on building bigger and better facilities for itself, but on community needs, which is why it was considered experimental.  It would still be experimental today.  I trust that God forgives the ironies perpetuated in his name.”

Leonard decided to enter an “informal ministry that built homes for people in need.”  But in the strange way that life is what happens while we are making other plans, the non-profit housing organization that employed Leonard fell victim to federal funding cutbacks, and in 1973 Leonard made the choice to take a position with the John Crosland Company, which had a commitment to affordable homes and where Leonard’s knowledge of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would be most helpful.  Thus began a corporate career that led to Leonard’s becoming president of the company and 1984.

Of that initial “no” to Habitat Leonard writes, “Maybe my years in the private sector, my belief in numbers and dollars, my experience with the sometimes harsh realities of the marketplace…had narrowed my vision.  Maybe all that had dulled my idealism, even to some extent eroded the faith that had led me to the ministry as a young man.”

And yet it was just that experience with the “harsh realities” of site development and housing construction and market realities that combined with Leonard’s faith to help make him so effective as both a worker and leader in local Habitat work in the Davidson area to which he retired, as well as Acting CEO for Habitat for Humanity International during 2005, a time of great crisis.  Leonard had served on the international board since 1996, and helped to stabilize the organization that was rocked by accusations of impropriety against its founder Millard Fuller, who also was at odds with the board over the necessity to change the way Habitat operated.  Fuller “liked the back room approach, and he either left the room or fell asleep when the board began to discuss the strategic plan.” 

At chair of the organization from 2001 to 2003, Leonard had the responsibility of providing a performance review with Fuller.  Fuller refers to Habitat “as a movement, as in the coming of the kingdom of God on earth.”  Leonard responds that Fuller’s role is to create the excitement and keep the movement alive with zeal and energy, but that movements are by nature chaotic and need “an organization capable of carrying on the work” the original spirit had generated.  Fuller had little interest in the organizational aspects of the movement, and ultimately a bitter Fuller was terminated by Habitat.

Leonard stabilized Habitat and his strategic planning abilities strengthened the organization for the long run.  Nevertheless, he is insistent that Habitat has a very long way to go.  He closes the book by arguing that Habitat must end turf wars and broaden its vision and “invite other organizations to play and role and bring their ability to drill wells, make loans and attend to health….Let Habitat become an active partner in the larger network of organizations and agencies focused on the needs of the poor.”

Music Of A Thousand Hammers is both heartwarming and challenging.  The stories of the individual families who have been strengthened by the Habitat volunteers, as well as what those volunteers took away from their work and from the families, is very moving.  One learns much from reading about the families and builds in Charlotte, Lynchburg, Houston, and other U.S. cities, as well as in Ghana, South Africa, India, and other countries.

Leonard’s book challenges us to re-think our own personal involvement in civic life and to re-think the roles of passion and organizations in bringing about positive change.  Passion tends to get the headlines.  But passion needs to be focused and sustained by people working for the long haul in a strong organization.

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