It's All Business

I decided to start a group among business owners and entrepreneurs in our church. I started it for two reasons: 1. As I begin the process of taking the cafe from concept to reality, I needed encouragement and support, 2. I began to see the potential for businesses to make a positive impact in their communities. "Integration" has been my word for the last couple months. So the natural question was how can we integrate faith with everything else we do, including business?

As all first meetings go, one is never sure what to expect. I started with the meeting with a basic overview of why I needed them and how we could encourage and care for one another. With those broad ideas I came in with the same mindset as our Saturday community: expect the group to participate so that ideas and goals naturally emerge. After all, if I impose my own agenda then it becomes harder for the group to own the concept. It was great! Maricar, owner of a flight agency and talent agency, suggested we reach out to the community, the poor in particular. Though we have challenges of our own, she reminded us that we had been blessed and that it's time to bless others who are less fortunate. We all agreed. Piel, her husband, mentioned that he wanted to invite his other entrepreneur friends to join but may be turned off by something preachy. He said, "Let's focus on developing relationships first." Awesome! I was all for that. Francis of Assisi said it best: "Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary use words." Preaching and teaching are important, but caring for one another and loving each other penetrate deeper than words ever can. It's the gospel in action.