An exciting luncheon seminar series directed at helping Christian business leaders seek the will of God in their businesses has been announced. It will be held starting on September 29, 2010, and continue for eight weeks. Titled “God In the Workplace,” the seminar series will be lead by some 20 Christian business leaders in the Charleston Tricounty area.
The idea for this initiative started last February when Dr. Henry Blackaby made a trip to Charleston to speak to a full house at East Cooper Baptist Church. That day, he pondered if Charleston might be just the place for a revival and challenged the assembled group of businessmen and women to use their influence to lead and start it.
Mark Smith, co-owner of McAlister-Smith Funeral Homes, was one of the many in attendance at that meeting. He stated, “Dr. Blackaby’s challenge impelled me to pull together a group of business, church and education leaders to study the possibilities of spreading this challenge into businesses throughout our Tricounty community.” He went on to say, “We believe that sincere Christians throughout this community are seeking to live their lives in a God-honoring manner and have always wanted to know how their relationship with God should affect their careers, workplaces and personal lives. This seminar series will be an ideal starting point in that search.”
Since last fall, Smith and his core group have been meeting to put together the eight week series. The seminar series is intended to help Christian business leaders and their management teams understand how combining a Christ centered passion with disciplined action can transform their businesses and our communities.
One of the organizers, Butch Howard, of ADDIE Solutions, stated, “This seminar series is a practical, hands on study of biblical principals as applied primarily to the modern day workplace. It also addresses our walk in the other areas of life. It is designed to help us become spiritual leaders in the workplace and to learn how to hear clearly from God the plans He has for our businesses and our lives.” Retired business owner Bob Brinson went on to say, “As a result of attending this seminar series, we hope to develop leaders who will use their businesses to go forth as servants of God, using the whole world as their mission field.”
Grange Cuthbert of Carolina One Realty said, “The course will cover key areas of deep concern for all of us: A person’s Personal, Devotional, Family, Church, Community and Business Life as well as the Kingdom Life.” Kendal Buckendahl of Seacoast Church stated that the core group of meeting planners unanimously felt that Ephesians 2:10, NIV was the appropriate overall theme for this seminar series, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Smith stated that the eight week seminar series will take place beginning Wednesday, September 29, 2010, and run through November 17, 2010. Business leaders and their management teams will meet for lunch on Wednesdays at Charleston Southern University in Summerville. Seminars will begin at 11:30 and end promptly at 1:00PM for eight consecutive weeks. During each weekly session there will be a keynote speaker and a business leader from the community who will be interviewed about how his or her professional business life has been impacted by God’s leading. The interviewees will represent all aspects of the business and professional community.
Cost for the entire eight week seminar series is $150 per person and includes a copy of the popular and authoritative book by Dr. Henry Blackaby, “God in the Market Place,” the weekly lunch and supplemental materials. Space is limited to the first 50 registrants. For more information contact Kendal Buckendahl at 843.881.2100 ext. 1170 or register on-line GodintheWorkplace.com
