Seth Kujat want to put a roof on at least one Habitat house in all 50 states in a year.
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE A college grad from Ohio made Lambertville the fourth stop on his "Leap of Faith" tour, pausing on a cross-country trek to put a roof on a new Habitat for Humanity house last week.
Seth Kujat, 23, wants to roof at least one Habitat for Humanity house in all 50 states, and he wants to do it in 52 weeks.
Tuesday he was scheduled to put a roof on a house in Providence, R.I., before moving on to Connecticut and Massachusetts.
He has commitments from regional Habitat for Humanity organizations in 15 states so far and is working on securing commitments in the rest of the United States. He’s already worked on houses in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The final leg of the tour will be set in Alaska and Hawaii.
Last Thursday, Mr. Kujat climbed down from the roof of the Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity house on Allen Street, kneepads still in place, a blue bandana wrapped loosely around his forehead.
As a steady drizzle fell from the gray sky, he declined an offer to hurry the interview along or to step somewhere drier. His demeanor calm, almost peaceful, he spoke about why he is devoting a year of his life to help others.
"I call this my spiritual experiment," Mr. Kujat said. "I want to prove to people if you rely on prayer and trust in God, amazing things can happen."
He said there are "numerous reasons" for his unique tour, and "the first is, basically, I’ve been extremely blessed and presented with so many opportunities. It’s time for me to give back."
He didn’t grow up with a lot of luxuries, but Mr. Kujat said his family is "on the high end of things when it comes to family."
His parents worked hard to raise him and his older brother, who is now a commercial cargo pilot in Alabama. His mother was a cake decorator in a grocery store for years before striking out on her own with a cake and floral business. His father spent 30 years as a service manager.
"We were never into family vacations," Mr. Kujat said.
The family owns about 25 acres in Litchfield, Ohio, and the summers of Mr. Kujat’s youth were spent working the land, splitting and selling wood and performing other chores.
Mr. Kujat played football in high school and did some roofing work for gas money. At Kent State University, he started his own business, Kujo Roofing. He did so well, he paid for college and graduated in December with no student loans to weigh him down.
He graduated with a degree in interpersonal communication with a minor in applied conflict management. His resume is packed with lots of things to get an employer’s eye. He authored a chapter in a book on student activism, "Student Freedom Revisited: New Issues and Perspectives." He appeared on the MTV program, "Chat the Planet: Baghdad 2-Way."
At various times he held the posts of president, vice president and treasurer of a fraternity, of which he also was a founder. He was involved in numerous activities while at Kent State. Still, he wanted something different.
"I wanted to see the country," he said. "I wanted to get away from the college atmosphere and away from a lot of the things I couldn’t wait to get away from."
He tried to tackle tsunami relief but didn’t have adequate funds. He considered the Peace Corps but discovered "it took too long." He consulted a pastor in Strongsville, Ohio, and was told to read the New Testament and ask God for guidance.
Mr. Kujat experimented with the calling and his idea for the Leap of Faith tour, taking what he calls "baby steps" and running the idea past his family.
"I experimented with the calling," he said. "Every arrow pointed to yes."
Now the work is going well. He acknowledged the tour is the first time he’s doing something completely for others. The hardest part, he said, is the first night in a new place.
"It gets lonely," he said, but "I don’t wish I were home. There are times I wish it were easier."
Mr. Kujat travels in a minivan that contains all his tools and clothes and necessities. When he came to Lambertville last week, Dick Kline, construction coordinator for Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity, met him upon his arrival.
"I put my faith in the people that work with Habitat for Humanity, and they put their faith in me," Mr. Kujat said.
Mr. Kline put up Mr. Kujat for a night in his Califon Borough home. Mr. Kline said he thinks Mr. Kujat is a "very interesting young man with a real commitment. It’s really neat to be around somebody like that. He’s a role model for people of all ages to set aggressive goals."
Volunteers who work on Habitat for Humanity houses tend to be senior citizens, according to Mr. Kline. Both women and men participate.
"If a person is interested and willing, there’s no discrimination by gender," he said.
Mr. Kujat said, "Some people get it right away, what it means to be called by God to do something. Other people I can talk to for an hour, and they won’t get it."
Although roofing is hard, and not being with family and friends can be lonely, Mr. Kujat is determined to finish what he calls his "people project."
He wants young people to know, "I lived it firsthand. Don’t be ashamed to live life on faith alone."
When the tour is finished, Mr. Kujat hopes to "rest for a while." Later, he wants to do something along the lines of motivational speaking, encouraging Christian high school and college students. He keeps a journal, and someday he might craft his experiences into a book.
The Allen Street house will belong to David and Jennifer Kerr when it’s completed. Mr. Kerr is employed by the city’s Public Works Department. The couple has three children, ages 12, 7 and 5. The family now lives with relatives in Lambertville after coming back from Florida four years ago.
Mrs. Kerr said, "It just never felt like home."
Mrs. Kerr stood in the drizzle last week, a huge grin on her face as she stared up at the bare bones of the two-story house.
"This means the world to me," she said.
When it’s finished, the house will contain three bedrooms, one and a half baths, a living room, dining room and kitchen.
Mr. Kujat said he lives by the initials NCYD, which mean "Never Compromise Your Dreams."
Along that same vein, he offered a quote he found in the book, "Wild at Heart," by John Eldredge.
It’s a quote from philosopher and theologian Howard Thurman: "Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
Mr. Kujat said he has raised approximately half of the $20,000 needed to cover travel expenses and complete his Leap of Faith tour, including gas, food and vehicle and tool maintenance. Donations still are needed and can be sent to Leap of Faith, First Merit Bank, 975 N. Court St., Medina, Ohio, 44256. Checks should be made payable to Leap of Faith by Seth Kujat.

