A new house is a big deal for any family.

It’s likely a three-bedroom home under construction at 1833 Atherton Court is even more meaningful to Brian and Peggy Wiley and their two children.

The Wileys will be moving from their residence at Gaslight Village, 1900 W. 31st St., to Lawrence’s east side a few weeks before Christmas.

“When we get to our new house, our own house, it’s going to be so quiet, and the neighbors are really great,” Peggy Wiley said. “We’re all excited. The kids can’t wait to get in there and have bigger rooms. Where we are right now, the rooms are small.”

The Wileys were the 52nd family to obtain a home by partnering with Lawrence Habitat for Humanity, 412 E. Ninth St. The family will invest about 200 hours of “sweat equity” into the construction of their home and helped work on the houses of other families partnering with Lawrence Habitat.

But the Wileys will also benefit from the volunteer efforts and financial support of Lawrence’s faith community.

Twelve participating congregations from the Lawrence Habitat for Humanity Covenant Churches are raising $50,000 needed to construct the house for the Wileys, and they’re helping to build it, too. So far, the churches have raised $30,000. A nail-driving celebration held Sept. 13 at the site of the house featured a blessing of the project and the introduction of the Wileys. The ceremonial first nails were driven in by Brian and Peggy and their children, Josh, 15, a sophomore at Lawrence High School, and daughter Shelby, 4.

PEGGY WILEY HAMMERS THE FIRST NAIL into her new home at 1833 Atherton Court as her husband, Brian, right, looks on. Twelve congregations from the Lawrence Habitat for Humanity Covenant Churches are raising 0,000.

The start of work on their home was timed to coincide with Habitat for Humanity’s international Building on Faith Week, in which communities of faith worldwide celebrated their involvement in the effort to eliminate poverty housing.

The drive to build a home for the Wiley family continues a tradition for Lawrence Covenant churches, who came together in 1998 to fully sponsor and build a home with Habitat’s 29th family as a Building on Faith project.

In 2001, the city’s Lutheran churches joined to fully sponsor and build a home with Habitat’s 40th partner family. Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vt., co-sponsored a home with the 42nd Habitat family in 2001 and 2002. First Presbyterian Church, 2415 Clinton Parkway, fully sponsored and built a home with the 43rd Habitat family in spring 2002.

The home the Wileys will move into is Habitat’s Building on Faith 2003 House. There are already 25 other Habitat homes in that neighborhood.

“This is our 52nd family to partner with Habitat. It’s kind of a testament to what Habitat really is all about. It goes far beyond building houses; it’s building communities,” said Jean Lilley, executive director of Lawrence Habitat for Humanity.

“We put people together who normally wouldn’t even know each other. It’s building relationships between the Habitat families, the volunteers and the donors.”