Good News Group

In Partnership With Habitat for Humanity

2026 Build Schedule

5/29 Construction crew 4-5, lunch crew 2-3, GNG house: half crew sharing day with Manchester UMC

6/27 Construction crew 6-8, lunch crew 2-3, non GNG house

7/10 Construction crew 8-10, lunch crew 2-3, GNG house

7/25 Construction crew 8-10, lunch crew 2-3, GNG house

9/19 Construction crew 8-10, lunch crew 2-3, GNG house

 

2026 Build

This year, GNG will be finishing the refurbishment of 2025’s GNG house located at 1015 Gault Dr, Ypsilanti and then we will move to the 2026 GNG house at 1353 Rolling Court, Ypsilanti.

 

1015 Gault Dr, Ypsilanti, 1,800 sq. ft. 4brm, 2 bath refurbishment

1353 Rolling Court, Ypsilanti, 1,110 sq. ft. 3brm 1 bath new build

Volunteering in 2026

Ways you can be a part of this mission:

  • Be a construction volunteer. Must be at least 18 (or 16 with accompanying adult). Learn more here or register here.
  • Be a member of the lunch crew. Work with other team members to obtain/prepare/deliver food to the work site (11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.). Learn more here or register here.
  • Be a short notice volunteer where you are willing to take last minute (1-2 days prior notice) requests to work at a site. Talk to Mark Wickham about signing up.
  • Be part of the FUMC GNG Team by helping at the volunteer sign up table or with other organizational tasks. Contact Mark Wickham if interested.
  • Pray for workers, homeowner families and Habitat for Humanity.

Donating

Contribute to the church’s 2026 pledge of $10,000 for construction materials and downpayment support. This can be done by: writing a check payable to FUMC-AA (with habitat on the memo line), put in the offering or online here.

 

Mission

Through Good News Group (GNG) in association with Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley (HHHV), First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor carries out a mission to enable home ownership for families who would otherwise not have this opportunity. The need for affordable energy efficient housing in our community is critical, and home ownership provides a lot more than four walls and a roof as protection from the elements. It also contributes to physical health, safety and security, financial stability, increased success in school and an increased ability to reach out for new opportunities. In short, it helps to break the cycle of poverty for families. Of the more than 200 families served in Washtenaw County by HHHV in the last 30 years, 97 percent of the homes are still well-maintained and occupied by the original homeowners. To clarify a frequent misconception, Habitat does not give homes away. For a Habitat home to qualify for a mortgage, it must be sold at fair market value. Habitat makes the home affordable by providing a substantial portion of the down payment.

History

FUMC AA member, Bob Whitacre, founded Good News Group (GNG) in 1997. GNG is now a partnership of 16 congregations. Each congregation provides a member to the GNG steering committee. The steering committee works with Habitat of Huron Valley (HHHV) to determine the house and build schedule. GNG organizes the volunteer construction teams that build the house. Initially, GNG built a single house from scratch each year. In 2009, GNG and HHHV switched to renovating homes instead of building from scratch. Due to the rapidly rising prices of existing homes, in 2024, HHHV switched back to predominantly building new homes with only the occasional home renovation. Since 1997, GHG has provided homes for 40 families.

Links & Members

Good News Group

Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley

Please note that any donations made through the links above will not apply to FUMC’s pledge. You can make an online donation to FUMC here.

Other Good News Group Members:

  • Bethel African Methodist Church
  • Chelsea Church of the Nazarene
  • Chelsea First United Methodist Church
  • Cherry Hill United Methodist Church
  • Dixboro United Methodist Church
  • First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor
  • First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor
  • First United Methodist Church – Brighton/Whitmore Lake
  • First United Methodist Church – Saline
  • Manchester United Methodist Church
  • The Bridge United Methodist Church
  • St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
  • West Side United Methodist Church