workplace-ministry.com

I was invited a few days ago to attend a Christian Business Breakfast with Christian Management Australia here in Melbourne. Apparently the number of Christian Business Women booked was very low and the person who invited me was contacting all Christian business women she knew. Thanks Penny!

I really enjoyed it. I didn’t know anyone in the room personally, i.e. some I’d ‘met’ through email, but none face-to-face before, so that was good. One lady at my table seemed very familiar though and I thought I’d met her through the speaking circuit or something – until it hit me where it was! She’s listed on ChristianSpeak.net – another site I own and operate. She was pleased to meet me and everyone else at the table we shared wanted to know what that site was about and who else was listed (make sure you go visit to see for yourself!).

I met with Phil Grey, GM of LightFM – I had previously chatted with him over the phone so it was nice to meet him in person. There were a number of other really interesting people from all over Melbourne – all in various ministry walks and it was good to share on what each other was doing.

This breakfast was the first being held in Melbourne and the next will be on Thursday 1st March 2007. I’ll post details once I have more information. I find it exciting to see different groups rising up, all answering the call of ministry to the workplace. KMT

workplace ministry, ministry in the workplace, ministry walk, Christian Management Australia, Christian business

I’ve been pretty silent over the past month – lots of things happening here, both in the office, and in the family.  Our youngest daughter got married 3 weeks ago and we were pretty focussed on that.  Lots of things happening at our church too, one of which was the launch of the brand new business ministry a team of people have been working on for several months.

The new group is called Bayside Business Connect and I am a member of the team developing this new ministry – I’ve written about it before here.  Yesterday was our inaugural breakfast and it went really well – we filled all 50 seats, the guest speaker was perfect for this event and our own Pastor Rob Buckingham did an excellent job (as always) of explaining what the ministry was about.

One of the key things is that we want to use this as an outreach to businesses in our local region, and although we hadn’t widely promoted this event outside of our church, we still had a small number of non-Christians attending.  One of them actually got up at the end of the meeting to give feedback and said she wanted to keep coming, that there was something ‘wholesome’ about this group and it’s needed in this area to reach out to others. We couldn’t have wished for better feedback.

I’ll report back with more of what we’re planning and doing – but just wanted to share how successful yesterday was and we know that we’ve received God’s stamp of approval for this new ministry.  I’m excited!  KMT

In 2003 I attended a business seminar to listen to Mike Jeffs, the founder of Australian Christian TV. He spoke about how important it is to explore the passions in our lives – you know, the things that really light you up. He said something that really struck a chord with me ‘Whatever your passion is, that’s your vision’. My passion has always been my business and the connections I make through it and I know that I touch many people’s lives through my work from my home office and really believe that’s where I belong.

My own passion is to reach out to other business people and help make a difference in their lives, and especially mothers who want to work at home as I am now. For over 12 years I’ve been operating a fulltime Virtual Assistant business at home so I could be with my children as they went through their teenage years. During that time I’ve come across many other areas in which I could develop further businesses – if I had the time, or the passion.

Going back to Mike’s comments – his own passion had been to see a Christian Television station founded in Australia and with time, money, effort, and sharing his dream, it happened. He encouraged everyone that night to think about what their passion is and to consider that their passion is their intended vision for their lives – the area that God wanted them to work in.

So, I challenge you to think about that. Is the passion in your life the thing you’re working in/with currently? If not, why not? Do you think it’s possible you might have missed your calling? Some people find their calling in their 4th, 5th, 6th and even 7th decade of their lives. Perhaps later. What is your passion? KMT

workplace ministry, vision, passion

I was in my loungeroom last night and saw sitting on the piano, a poster I’d made a couple of years ago. It reminded me of some of my journey towards realising that my work is my ministry. So I’ve added it in the tagline description of this blog. But then I was looking for an article I wrote about how that came about – haven’t yet found it. I did, however, find another article I’d written a couple of years ago that I thought appropriate to share here. You are welcome to republish it, providing acknowledgement is given to the writer – me!

Where there is Vision………..

There is a verse in the Bible that says ‘people without vision will perish’ (Proverbs 29:18 KJV) and I suggest it is the same for business people.

Do you have a vision for your business? Do you know why you are in business? Where you plan to take it? How long you want to be in business for?

Each new year brings with it new promises and New Year Resolutions are a good way to prompt us to consider our paths. To do this you should look at past events (review) and then look to the future (plan).

If what you have been doing previously has not been moving you forward in the direction you desire, then it is time to start thinking about what needs to be changed.

If you are moving forward but progress has been slow, then perhaps you need to consider what will help things to move a little faster.

And, if you are one of those with a business that has been moving forward very quickly, then take the time to consider where it is headed and can you handle what is happening?

The Hebrew word Para is translated in the Bible to the word perish but it also relates to the following words/meanings:

Avoid – how many people actually avoid doing things? They may procrastinate, or put away, banish to the bottom of the tray, or just not do, the various things that need to be carried out, to make the business succeed. Instead of Avoiding, you should Stand Up and Be Counted!

Be naked – in this instance you need to be clothed with a positive spirit – many lack this very thing and spend their days in negativity…….. and then wonder why others do not want to be around them! Clothe yourself in a positive spirit and enjoy your business and your working life!

Refuse (to progress) – there is often a reluctance to progress. ‘We’ve always done it this way!’ is a common complaint in places where change is met reluctantly. Instead, be prepared to work hard with a freshness and vitality, find joy in your work, and passion in your business, and things will start to move in the direction you seek. What is more, others will enjoy being in your company and will want to follow your direction.

Go back – Many tend to look back to the ‘good old days’, instead of working with a progressive vision to a grand future. Use history to remind you what worked and what did not, and learn from lessons of the past, but do not dwell there – instead look forward and move ahead! Develop a progressive vision – once you have achieved a goal, move onto the next one!

Set at naught – do not be lukewarm about your business and about what you are doing with it. Enjoy your labour, be positive, believe the impossible can, and will, happen. Be prepared to make things happen!

Let be –(uninvolved) – Are you involved in what is happening inside your business? Whilst it is important to not be 100% caught up with the workings, so that you can spend some time on developing your business, it is very important that you do remain attached! And not only to your business – but to the outside world too! Particularly if you run a small or home-based business, it is so easy to only be familiar with your world and not be in touch with what is happening beyond. This is where networking is so important. Make yourself go out and meet others. Make yourself keep in touch with the general business world and be prepared to learn, to become involved, to participate.

Perish (declining) – If you do not nurture your business (and your passion for it), it will begin to decline, and eventually perish. Having no goals, no vision, nothing to work towards, is a sure way that this can happen. It is just like being on the road and not having a roadmap to show you the way. Having no vision, no goal means you have no end destination, and without this, it is so very easy to let things slip, become uninvolved and detached, to look only backwards and refuse to progress, to avoid the things that need to be done and to be clothed only in negativity.

If you had a vision, but your eye has been taken off it, for whatever reason, you will experience a lost sense of direction, a feeling of not having any goals, and a lost sense of mission. It is very hard to know where you are going, and how to get there, if you do not have some sort of plan, or roadmap to follow. Strive to revisit your vision, and your passion for that vision, to get yourself back on track again. Dare to dream dreams, see visions, set goals and move ahead and your business will follow. KMT

workplace ministry, vision, passion, perish, Proverbs 29

(Bio – if you wish to republish this article):

Kathie M. Thomas, AFAIOP, ASO, MVA is Principal of “A Clayton’s Secretary”(R) , the first VA network in Australia, and second in the world. VAs or Virtual Assistants provide ad-hoc or ongoing administrative support to businesses virtually. Kathie is an author, and an experienced public speaker as well as a Coach/Educator for the VA industry. All enquiries may be directed to her website at http://www.vadirectory.net.