CONNECTOR THE
FALL NEWSLET TER
CHRISTIAN BUSINESS MEN’S CONNECTION
IN THIS ISSUE:
FALL 2022
• CBMC INTERNATIONAL • LEGACY OF MAKING DISCIPLES • MONDAY MANNA
WWW.CBMC.COM
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT Dear Friend of CBMC, It’s been 10 years since I was first invited to a CBMC Trusted Advisor Forums team - a day that would change the trajectory of my life. Little did I know then that the men around that table would become life-long brothers in Christ. We would share personal highs and lows, business ups and downs, and spiritual mountains and valleys through the years. What is your first memory of CBMC? What if every businessman could experience what we did? What if every guy could know the power of connecting with a band of brothers who would point him to Jesus? Right now, I envision a marketplace full of men connected to a CBMC team. Men who are growing in their faith and helping others do the same. Men who are sharing their faith unapologetically.
Will you help us bring CBMC into new cities and, ultimately, New CBMC teams are being launched in key cities right now present every businessman complete in Christ? Do you (read the feature on page 3). Expanding the mission of evan- know someone who in one of our newly launched cities? Someone who would benefit from having a band of brothers gelism and discipleship into the marketplace is critical. The Great Commission is “why” we do it. Let me tell you the “how.” around him who would like to be part of this movement? Ministries like ours need manpower and money to do what For many local areas, it begins with events. The Gospel we do. Finally, would you consider a financial gift to Vision is presented at a prayer breakfast or luncheon, and men 2030 to help us train and equip leaders in new areas? Finally, are invited to accept Jesus as their Lord. Next, these men consider a financial gift to Vision 2030 to help us train who have raised their hands, join a CBMC team. Here, they and equip leaders in new areas. Every dollar given will be are encouraged, equipped, and challenged. These CBMC matched for a 2X impact! teams then become what have been called “fishing ponds” Let us remember when we were first invited to CBMC and for discipleship. Men who want to go deeper in their faith may that spur us on toward more and more men being engage in a life-on-life relationship using our time tested tool called Operation Timothy. It is here where the Holy Spirit invited into this wonderful ministry! truly transforms a man. Events, teams, discipleship. This is Serving with you, the secret sauce that has grown this ministry for 92 years. And at the very center of it all is this – present Jesus and develop businessmen to carry out the Great Commission. “We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ.” Colossians 1:28 David Meyers President, CBMC, Inc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Monday Manna.................................................................. Page 4 CBMC International Ministry......................................... Page 7 Roger Erikson’s legacy of disciplemaking................. Page 9 What is YP?.........................................................................Page 10
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P.S. I am pleased to announce our Vision 2030 matching grant through December 31, 2022. Our goal is $50,000. Every gift is doubled for an even greater impact. This means more training and equipping for staff and volunteers who are launching new cities. It also allows us to continue to develop and expand our programs to meet men where they are in every season of life. Above all, your gift opens the door so that Jesus may be presented as Savior and Lord to businessmen.
LAUNCHING CBMC INTO NEW CITIES
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xcitement is building as CBMC has recently launched teams in Chicago, Columbus, San Antonio, and Colorado. Chicago is especially significant since CBMC was founded there in 1930. CBMC is strategically moving into these metropolitan areas using the Connect3 team approach. Jared Weston, a volunteer area leader for CBMC Columbus, says this,” I came to know the Lord and was discipled through CBMC (in Oklahoma City). When I moved to Columbus, OH and there wasn’t a CBMC team around, I asked myself, ‘Why not Columbus?’ Through the guidance, leadership, and support of CBMC NE Ohio and the National Support Team, we (CBMC Columbus) have been able to connect local businessmen to Christ and to each other through our monthly Young Professionals Group, Trusted Advisors Forum, and Coffee Connection gatherings. These connections have also led to a number of men engaging in CBMC’s Operation
New team in Chicago
Timothy one-on-one discipleship program! We were designed to be “in community”, and in nearly 400 cities nationwide, CBMC provides an engaging network of like-minded men who are passionate about helping others experience the love, grace, and mercy of Christ.” Columbus is just one example of a new area that is now seeing fruit because one man was faithful to God’s calling. Jared and others like him are seeing God move in mighty ways in the marketplace. Today, consider how you could get involved in this growth. Maybe you know someone in one of our newly launched cities who you could invite. If there is not a CBMC presence in your area maybe, like Jared, God could use you to begin something. For questions or inquiries, reach out to Tyler DuBose at tdubose@cbmc.com.
New team in Columbus, Ohio
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MONDAY MANNA:
COMMUNICATING THE BIBLE’S RELEVANCE TO THE CONTEMPORARY MARKETPLACE
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ave you wondered where to find good, relevant content for Bible discussions during your Connect3 or Trusted Advisor Forum meetings? Good news: You need look no further than the Marketplace Ambassador Advancement System (MAAS) on CBMC’s advance.cbmc.com website. MAAS offers many excellent resources to help men and their CBMC teams become more effective in the mission of evangelism and disciplemaking in today’s marketplace. These include Operation Timothy in digital form; the 10 Attributes of a Marketplace Ambassador; Living Proof Adventure, video training in evangelism; and Becoming a Spiritual Reproducer, an interactive series about making disciples. The most recent addition to this “toolbox” is “Monday Manna,” a weekly workplace meditation that was developed by CBMC International in 1997. Over the 25 years since, it has gained a vast global following, being translated into as many as 20 different languages. Initially distributed by fax, it now is sent around the world by email, often forwarded by recipients
to friends and colleagues. It is estimated more than one million people receive it every week. Each edition of Monday Manna addresses a common workplace issue, such as leadership, team building, decision-making, stress, anger, planning, and many others. It introduces the topic and then offers biblical perspectives that apply to it. The weekly devotionals are comprised by a concise commentary, followed by several open-ended questions designed for group discussion and personal reflection, and a listing of other pertinent Bible passages for further consideration. From its inception, the focus of Monday Manna has been to communicate the timeless relevance of the Scriptures to the challenges of living for Jesus Christ in the 21st century workplace. Its distribution on Mondays is timed to remind recipients at the start of each work week that they are ambassadors for Christ in the workplace (2 Corinthians 5:20); they are to do their work “as for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23); and they are missionaries in the marketplace (Acts 1:8).
A number of writers contribute to Monday Manna, offering different perspectives on how the Bible relates to the business and professional world. However, each edition reinforces the truth that God’s Word is as relevant and practical for the workplace as it is for any other area of life. Some CBMC groups often use Monday Manna for the Bible discussion part of their meetings. Phil Gulley, a longtime CBMC leader in Southern California, says his group has been using it for a number of years. “Roy Doty, who’s now with the Lord, got us started in using Monday Manna, and it’s been a very effective tool. Each week we read through it, then move on to the questions and other suggested passages from the Scriptures. It gets everyone involved. “What we like most about it is businesspeople briefly telling their stories in ways that relate to our guys directly, rather than a generic Bible study. For men who are new believers, it’s the first time they’ve ever gotten into the Word to consider topics that apply to their work.”
HAVE A STORY TO SHARE? WE’D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT WHAT GOD IS DOING IN YOUR AREA. EMAIL HMCAFEE@CBMC.COM.
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“Monday Manna helps men to see that the Bible really relates to everyday life in practical ways.” Luis Cervino is a maxillofacial surgeon in Torreon, Mexico. Despite his professional and personal demands, he has faithfully translated Monday Manna into Spanish (it’s called “Mana del Lunes’). He became involved in CBMC soon after giving his life to Christ in 1997, and two years later discovered Monday Manna. “I decided to translate and send it to a small group of friends, and some of them asked me to send it to other people. That was the beginning of a work that currently impacts thousands of Spanish-speaking readers. Beyond Mexico, I send it to CBMC headquarters in Venezuela and Brazil, expanding its outreach to many thousands of other people. I feel very blessed to be a part of it.” Sergio Fortes, a consultant in corporate strategic planning in Sao Paulo, Brazil, became involved with Monday Manna, translating it into Portuguese,
soon after it was started by thenCBMC International President Tim Philpot. “We soon realized here in Brazil that we had a ‘double-edged’ tool, serving as spiritual support for Christian business and professional people and as a resource to sensitize people in the marketplace who still did not have a personal experience with Jesus,” Fortes said.
tial for translating and distributing Monday Manna, and Mercia Padovani, the first of numerous translators who have done the work voluntarily.
“As Monday Manna was gaining credibility and the trust of readers throughout Brazil at all levels, we felt it was time to leverage this valuable tool to reach out to other language communities. Surrounded by Spanish-speaking countries, we began to pray for a Spanish translator. Then the Lord led us to translators for German, Italian, French, and even Japanese editions. It was challenging work.”
MAAS has made Monday Manna available not only in English, but also in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Korean, German and Romanian, with other languages to be added. Editions from November 2019 are available. Simply visit advance.cbmc.com and click the “Monday Manna” tab.
Fortes credited Samy Staschower, a native of Germany who had moved to Brazil, for first identifying the poten-
“I am grateful to God for the blessing of Monday Manna in my life in so many ways,” he said, “and for how He has used it to touch the lives of countless people over the past 25 years.”
On the CBMC International website, www.cbmcint.com, editions dating back to September 2012 have been posted. There is also a link there to subscribe to each weekly edition via email for free.
Present Jesus. Develop Businessmen.
Your gift allows CBMC to present Jesus as Savior and Lord to business and professional men and to develop these men to carry out the Great Commission.
EVERY DOLLAR UP TO $400,000 IS MATCHED THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST 6
CBMC INTERNATIONAL: GOD’S GLOBAL MINISTRY
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ow does CBMC keep track of 2,000 teams in 90 countries? How do we start teams in new countries and nurture and grow them? The answer goes back to the early 1980s when godly and wise leaders in CBMC USA began asking God for a way forward that would support the growth He was bringing to CBMC, while encouraging each country to practice the mission to proclaim the Gospel (evangelize) and disciple business and professionals. Why CBMC International? In 1986 CBMCI was formed for this very purpose: to act as an umbrella organization responsive to all CBMC countries with a unique mission
sible before God and their peers for to establish new countries and nurturing and growing the ministry; strengthen the existing ones. We each has a leadership team (Board work to foster connections and or Committee) to guide the miniscollaboration between leaders and try; each raises its own funding for countries to help CBMC do ministry staff and other expenses and each better together. CBMCI sponsors the is part of the whole CBMC global World Convention, forms and leads family doing the same mission as one the Global Leadership Team, and oversees six regional This is the first time in our ninety-two-year geographic groups history that the entire global family has (Africa, Asia-Pacific, begun to share the same vision and direction Europe, Latin America, for our ministry. Middle East, and North America) which are part of this effort to accomplish the challenging task of bringing faith in Christ to the global marketplace. You may be surprised to learn that essentially each CBMC country is similar to CBMC USA; each is respon-
A Word from Jim Firnstahl, President of CBMCI Since becoming President of CBMCI in 2011, it has been my great privilege to meet Christ’s Ambassadors. My wife Emily and I have been greatly honored to participate in events in the USA and around the world. I can assure you that God is at work in CBMC calling men and women to see their life and work as ministry. Growth and Unity What is God asking the CBMC global family to do now? As you may know, 2030 will be the 100 year anniversary of CBMC and we are planning to have a centennial celebration in the USA, our founding nation. But what specifically are we hearing from our Lord regarding ministry and mission today? After much prayerful
ministry under one Lord! The role of CBMCI is to encourage good ministry in every country and strengthen them through training, conferences, collaboration, and inspiring events sponsored by regional groups.
discussion, our global leaders have come to believe that God wants CBMC to pray for transformational growth: 10 times our current level of teams and members or 10X! It is clear that the timing of this effort is God’s and coincides with the larger role business and the marketplace is taking on in our time. In fact, CBMC is being asked to be bold and lead the way for other marketplace ministries because of our size and geographic reach. This is truly transformational growth and will require God’s power and leading to accomplish. It will also require each of us to trust and obey God so we can make a contribution to His glorious kingdom through CBMC. Another key theme we believe God is impressing on His Ambassadors is unity, as in “unity of the spirit” (Ephesians 4:3). Surprisingly, “10X” is the first time in our ninety-two-year history that the entire global family has begun to share the same vision and direction for our ministry. It means we can expect to see God moving us even closer together, doing ministry better together.
Please be in prayer as Jim will be retiring in December and a new CBMCI President will be announced soon. 7
ROGER ERICKSON LEFT RICH LEGACY OF MAKING DISCIPLES
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oments before ascending to Heaven, Jesus instructed His disciples to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Few have taken that commission more seriously than Roger Erickson. Not long after coming to know Christ through CBMC in Fort Wayne, Ind. in 1973, Erickson started going through an early prototype of Operation Timothy. Through that he gained a strong spiritual foundation, and from that time remained committed to making disciples through OT, typically meeting with two to five men each week. In 1980, he left a successful career as an insurance executive to become Executive Director and Vice President of CBMC-USA in Chattanooga, Tenn. He then became President of CBMC International, serving in that role for 10 years. Erickson “retired” in 1997, but that only meant he had more time for meeting with and discipling men, equipping them to become disciplemakers in keeping with 2 Timothy 2:2. When he went home to be with the Lord at the age of 90 on Aug. 3, joining his wife Mary Ann, who had preceded him in death, Erickson left a rich legacy of investing in the lives of other men, helping them to grow in their faith and learn how to become fruitful followers of Christ in their homes and in the workplace.
Roger Erickson, center, with David Meyers and CBMCI leaders
he may have discipled more men one-on-one than anyone ever.” Rodger Piersant was a ServiceMaster franchise owner in Chattanooga when he first met Erickson. “Roger and Mary Ann led my wife, Suzanne, and me to Christ in 1981, and then he took me through Operation Timothy and Mary Ann took Suzanne. We maintained a long-standing relationship over the next 40 years; we were always in contact with each other.
A list of people who could speak about Erickson’s impact on their lives would include hundreds, if not thousands, but here are three who engaged with him in different ways:
Doug White, who earlier this year became an Area Director for CBMC in Chattanooga, met Erickson in 2011 when he was speaking at a church event. “I was drawn to his obedience and devotion to making disciplemakers. I asked Roger once how many Timothys he had over his lifetime, but he said, ‘I don’t know – I don’t count.’”
Tim Philpot succeeded Erickson as CBMC International president in 1997. He recalled, “1996 was one of the greatest years of my life as I was fortunate to spend that entire year learning from Roger as we traveled together around the world. His passion for saving the lost and discipling men in the workplace was unmatched. Honestly,
Matthew 25 recounts Jesus’ parable of the talents, with the master declaring “well done, good and faithful servant!” to those who had been good stewards of what he had entrusted to them. No doubt Roger Erickson heard those words from the Lord as he stepped to the other side of eternity.
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2022 UPCOMING CBMC EVENTS CHECK CBMC.COM/EVENTS FOR REGISTRATION DETAILS 38th Annual Fredericksburg Area Leadership Prayer Breakfast 10/27/2022 Fredericksburg, Virginia Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 10/27/2022 Saraland, Alabama Central Midwest Leadership Coach Training - Virtual Training 10/28/2022 Overland Park, Kansas
CBMC Columbus – Young Professionals 11/2/2022 Columbus, Ohio CBMC Business Luncheon 11/2/2022 Mason, Michigan Young Professional Kickoff Meeting with Todd Hopkins 11/2/2022 Mason, Michigan
Men of Clay – Sporting
Chattanooga First Thursday Luncheon 11/3/2022 Chattanooga, Tennessee
10/28/2022 Kingfisher, Oklahoma
Mentor Link Up 11/4/2022 Irvine, California
Clays Invitational
CBMC Columbus – Trusted Advisor Forums 11/1/2022 Columbus, Ohio
CBMC Coffee Connections 11/8/2022 Mason, Michigan
Coffee Connections 11/9/2022 Lewis Center, Ohio 2022 Hope in the Marketplace Online Event 11/15/2022 55th Annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast 11/15/2022 Mobile, Alabama
The Confluence 11/17/2022 Plano, Texas
CBMC Atlanta Annual Partnership Luncheon 12/6/2022 Atlanta, Georgia
t-factor Summit – Lincoln: A Livestream Experience 12/8/2022 Lincoln, Nebraska
CBMC Coffee Connections 12/13/2022 Mason, Michigan
Coffee Connections 12/14/2022 Lewis Center, Ohio
CBMC Cigar Fellowship – Kansas City Metro 12/28/2022 Olathe, Kansas,
