Encounter Quarterly: Summer 2004
Business Ventures
Unique business outreach formed through
cross-cultural church partnership
As Bill Bloebaum prepared for his
trip overseas, his granddaughter approached him with
a question. “Grandpa, are you a missionary?”
Bill thought for a moment and
responded, “Yes, I guess I kind of am.”
No, Bill is not translating the
Bible into new languages, planting churches, or
conducting a medical mission. He is, however, making
use of his years of business experience to help
believers in other countries impact a strategic
group of people with the gospel.
Shortly after retiring, Bill wanted
to find a way that he could use his business
expertise to help in missions. A series of contacts
led him to a unique program aimed at helping
Christian business leaders in other countries
enhance their personal ministry with their peers.
A member of the Fairhaven Church in
Dayton, Ohio, Bill contacted one of Fairhaven’s
supported missionaries - CMI Minister-at-Large
Ricardo Diaz. Bill asked Ricardo if there was a
church that he knew of that might benefit from such
a program.
Unknown to Bill, members of the
Cumbayá Church (the Diaz’s church in Quito, Ecuador)
were praying and searching for a ministry
opportunity precisely along the same lines.
Representatives from Cumbayá visited
Fairhaven a few weeks later and plans were set in
motion. In April, Bill and three other men from the
Fairhaven Church traveled to Quito to lead the first
of what will eventually be four weeklong business
seminars for corporate executives and business
owners.
During the week, participants meet
each morning for training sessions led by a team of
instructors from the U.S. Afternoons are devoted to
visiting each participant’s place of business for
personal consulting.
In the intervening weeks between
seminars, participants meet in small groups to
discuss the business concepts in greater detail. It
is these groups that provide the opportunity for
ministry. The local groups are led by members of the
Cumbayá Church. Through these times believers have
opportunity to build stronger relationships with
non-Christian friends. In turn, the non-Christians
have opportunity to observe the life, family and
business practices of the Christian men and women
from the church.
Many people at this level of society
may never hear the gospel by other means. The
business seminars provide a service that is valuable
to them and opens the door for relationship.
“This can be a valuable ministry
because reaching these business leaders is
strategic,” says Bloebaum. “As people of influence
they are able to have a great influence on their
peers and the people who work for them.”
But the impact of such a ministry is
not limited to the participants. Instructors also
benefit from the experience.
“For most of the instructors on our
team it was the first time for them to be in a
mission setting,” remarks Bloebaum. “It was a great
opportunity to see God at work in places other than
our own. One of our team members commented that
observing the Cumbayá Church in action was like
seeing a New Testament Church in the 21st Century.
The people are so tightly drawn together. They
worship together, fellowship together, help one
another solve challenges. They have a depth of
relationship with each other that we sometimes miss
in our churches here in the States.”
In many ways the business seminar
ministry itself exemplifies a New Testament model of
the church “sharing with anyone as he had need”
(Acts 4:35). What is true locally can also be true
internationally as distant churches minister to one
another through the unique gifts God has given them.
EQ Summer 2004
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