DAVID ADAMS reports on a call for Christians to observe a national day of prayer for people in business…
The end of June is looming and, while for many of us that may mean a few hours spent digging out those elusive receipts for the taxman, for those in business it symbolises an important marker – the end of one financial year and the start of another.
SUPPORTING EACH OTHER: Part of the aim of the National Business Day of Prayer is to encourage Christians in business to get together to pray and share their experiences. PICTURE: Brian S (www.sxc.hu)
“Someone needs to be able to get beside these people to be able to support them because the relationship between business people and the local church is not always the greatest,” says Wesley Leake.
This year, Brisbane-based organisation Business Blessings are hoping to mark this year’s transition from one financial year to the next with a national day of prayer for business people.
Founder Wesley Leake says the fact that 1st July falls on a Sunday this year was a significant factor in the decision to call for a day of prayer for business.
“It’s unusual for that to happen – I looked back and it’s been six years since that happened and it will be another 11 years before that happens (again),” he says.
“So it’s kind of like ‘OK God, this year, the first day of the new financial year is on the Lord’s Day – why don’t we dedicate these businesses to God’?”
As well as praying for business people in their local congregations, Leake sees the day as a time to reach out to business people in the surrounding community.
“Some people may not want to hear a presentation of the Gospel but they will accept prayer…” he says. “So it’s actually a thing that we can break down barriers with.”
Leake says that while some churches may just spend five minutes praying for business people, others might like to set aside a specific prayer meeting to do so, hand out copies of the Business Bible – which contains a New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs containing testimonies of Australian Christian business people, or host a movie night featuring the film Flywheel, which tells the story of a fictional American businessman and his struggles.
He’s also encouraging business people to establish prayer and accountability groups where people in business can support each other.
“What I’m finding is that there’s not too many opportunities for business guys to get together and discuss, with people who understand, issues that they have…” he says.
Leake hopes the day of prayer for business people will become an annual event.
“We just thought we’d stick it out this year and see how it goes and then if we could turn this into an annual event that would be great.”
Business Blessings, which is described as a “Christian marketplace ministry”, was founded early last year with the object of supporting small to medium-sized businesses primarily by providing intercessors to pray for businesses and those within them. They also provide a range of consulting services to businesses.
Leake is an accountant by background who has mainly worked for non-profit organisations and established Crown Financial Ministries which aims to teach people how to manage their money from a Biblical perspective.
He founded Business Blessings after feeling God was leading him to support business people in a more direct way.
“Most business people would have more clients than what a local church would,” says Leake.
“Someone needs to be able to get beside these people to be able to support them because the relationship between business people and the local church is not always the greatest,” he says.
Leake says that not only does the “nature of who you have to be as a business person – very focused, very goal orientated” create a divide, the church’s attitude toward money at times – that it’s a “dirty, greedy thing” – can also led to churches viewing business people as no more than “cash cows” to bring in money which can be sanctified.
“Whereas really, how the church should be looking at it is (that) these guys are ministers in their own right,” he says. “Most business people would have more clients than what a local church would. They have more contact with the community along that line.
“(So) OK, let’s turn this around. Let’s equip these guys to be a minister in their marketplace; to treat their business like it’s their pastorate, if you like. Yes, they’re selling goods and services and doing that but it’s a key thing for building relationships with the community.
“Let’s get these business guys trained, let’s get them supported and let’s release the power of God through their business and we can see amazing things happen.”
