IN THIS ISSUE
BrieAnna Otchere 3 4 8 14
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
A brief message from David Meyers, President of CBMC, USA
MORE THAN JUST BUSINESS
David Iskander Finds Purpose and Mentorship in the Marketplace
CBMC: WHERE GOD IS LEADING US
Sean Robertson THE TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER OF PRAYER
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Friends,
Something is happening.
In cities across this country, men are showing up in small groups, boardrooms, and one-on-one over coffee, and they are being changed. Marriages are being restored. Identities are being rebuilt. Men who once carried their burdens alone are discovering what it means to be known, equipped, and sent.
That’s not a program. That’s the Gospel meeting men where they are, in the workplace.
This issue of The Connector is a front-row seat to what God is doing through CBMC right now. Stories of men transformed, families healed, and faith lived out beyond Sunday morning. Stories that demand a response.
That response is built around three Core Competencies:
• Reach: Men come to Christ and believers are engaged in the mission.
• Empower: Men are equipped with the tools, resources, and relationships to live out their faith.
• Deploy: Every man is positioned and mobilized to multiply his impact for Christ.
These aren’t just words. They are a framework for transformation, and you’ll see them alive in every page of this issue.
The next generation of men is searching. They want mentors, not gurus. Community, not content. Purpose, not just productivity. CBMC exists for this moment.
There is a role for you in this mission. Some will lead. Some will invest. Some will simply reach out to that one guy quietly asking the big questions.
All of us are called to something. Let’s go.
Through Jesus alone,
David Meyers President, Christian Business Men’s Connection
More Than Just Business
David Iskander Finds Purpose and Mentorship in the Marketplace
David Iskander, a sharp-minded entrepreneur in Orange County, CA, who started his company just a few years ago, was hitting his stride in the business world but felt a profound gap in his life. He was winning professionally but yearned for a holistic success that the online “gurus” couldn’t provide. He wasn’t looking for money or connections, he was seeking Christian mentors who could help him win “in all arenas of life.”
“I didn’t want just to win in business and have a bad family life,” Iskander stated, reflecting on his early days. “I wanted someone who I could look to who had great morals, had a great family, and had success in business.”
This search for well-rounded wisdom led Iskander to a seemingly insane proposition: a 6 a.m. meeting every Thursday in Newport Beach. The invitation
came from a gentleman at his co-working space, who mentioned a group called CBMC.
“I said, that’s insane. Six in the morning is so early,” Iskander chuckled. Despite his initial hesitation, he understood the timing, noting, “it was before the normal workday.” He eventually attended and “really never looked back.”
Iskander quickly found what he was looking for: a fellowship of businessmen who could offer counsel rooted in faith. He realized the unique challenges business leaders face often require a different kind of support than what a traditional church service can provide.
“I learned from pastors from a pulpit, but I wanted to learn from businessmen on the streets, in the marketplace,” he explained.
He believes the church’s role is to “equip the saints,” but that business leaders deal with a distinct set of issues, from hiring and firing to being scammed and making money, that necessitate specialized guidance. Finding a community outside of the Sunday morning message, like CBMC, became crucial for Iskander.
The true value of this connection became clear a few years later, around 2020. Iskander went through a difficult personal breakup, which he describes as a moment when he “fell.”
“You don’t realize the power of community and that you need it until you have a hard moment,” he reflected.
During this time, a CBMC member named Todd stepped into his life as his “Paul”, a reference to the biblical discipleship model. Todd supported him
and “spoke sense into me where things felt a little bit hard to understand and navigate maneuver through,” helping him overcome feelings of nervousness, fear, and insecurity. The pair went through a CBMC discipleship tool, Operation Timothy, together, which Iskander credits with helping him “stay in line with my faith, believe God, for more and step into more.”
Beyond individual discipleship, CBMC’s Trusted Advisor Forums have been instrumental in his professional development. These monthly meetings provide a candid space for men to discuss the one thing “getting in the way of your business thriving.”
Iskander described the powerful dynamic of the forums: “When you get to your problem… the guys look at you with the same conviction you realize you looked at them with: ‘I don’t think it’s as big as you’re making it seem.’”
“I wanted someone who I could look to who had great morals, had a great family, and had success in business.”
“It comes down to your success in your relationship with Jesus, first and foremost,”
This shared vulnerability and collective problemsolving are vital for leaders, who often feel the “role is so heavy to carry, and the burden is so big.” He said this environment gives him an “empowerment that allows you to know, like, whoa, I can really do this,” leading him to be more confident and secure in his own professional calling.
Iskander is now paying it forward, mentoring young men at his church and Bible college. His leadership style is directly influenced by the grace and patience he received from his CBMC mentors. For Iskander, success is no longer defined by traditional metrics like revenue or number of employees. Thanks to CBMC, his definition has expanded to encompass his “relationship with Jesus, first and foremost,” his family life, and whether he is adding value to the marketplace.
“It comes down to your success in your relationship with Jesus, first and foremost,” he insists. “Are you the same person you are at home as you are outside?”
This holistic, “life-on-life” approach means he has a network of experts to consult on any major life or business decision. He knows that within the CBMC network, he can find a mentor with expertise in anything from real estate to managing a hundred employees, all while knowing they share a core commitment to faith and family.
“It makes life so much more fulfilling knowing you have people in your corner like this,” Iskander concluded. It is this unique blend of business acumen and spiritual depth that empowers him to put “Jesus in everything,” so that even if people come to him for business advice, they leave learning about Jesus.”
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Kennebrew Director of Relationships, Chick-Fil-A & Lifeshape
L. Chatmon Executive, Coca-Cola Founder, Victorious Family
Andre
Terence
CBMC: Where God Is Leading Us
Sean Robertson
CBMC Director of Ministry
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
For many of us, CBMC is not new. We’ve seen God work through this ministry for decades through relationships, through discipleship, and through men stepping into their calling in the workplace. That foundation matters. It’s strong. It’s proven. “But the question in front of us is not what God has done, it’s what He is calling us to next.”
We believe God is leading us toward something greater, not just incremental growth, but a broader impact. A future where more men are coming to Christ in the workplace, where men are living on mission in their everyday lives, and where this kind of ministry is present in communities across the country. That is the vision in front of us. And it does not require a new mission. It requires a sharper focus on how we live it out now.
pioneer and leader when it comes to what we do best.
To reach means more men in the workplace coming to Christ and stepping into the mission of CBMC. We will be increasing our emphasis of making sure all events are on mission and helping equip all leaders share their faith and leading as disciple-makers.
To empower means men becoming deeply committed and equipped to live out their faith where they work.
To solidify our structure for this we will be enhancing our evangelism and discipleship culture and leadership development pathways. We are also developing and implementing technology to help us connect with and hold our teams accountable to the mission. From all of this we will be capturing more of the incredible transformation stories of men changed by God in the ministry.
Our mission is clear: to reach, empower, and deploy men in the workplace.
What is changing is not the mission, but the clarity in how we pursue it. Our commitment is to be recognized as a
And to deploy means every man living on mission, actively leading and multiplying others. This is the progression: from connection, to commitment, to men living on mission. We are going to be enhancing each
KNOW THE MAN
No one understands or resonates with our target audience like we do.
REACH THE MAN
Every invite or event is on mission, hits our target audience, and concludes with effective follow-up.
discipleship: WHAT WE DO BEST, SIMPLIFIED .
DEPLOY THE MAN
Our pathway to purpose for a man in the workplace and faith at work is unmatched
of our core teams & tools to more clearly embed our mission of reach, empower, and deploy in each as well as strategically planning new areas of ministry growth in the coming five years.
Every man is given a choice to lead; few obey the call. Increased focus on recognizing and celebrating the men that are deployed on mission will also be paramount going forward.
To help us do all of this, we have recently united a team of field leaders from around the ministry to help us create and deploy a 90-day playbook to begin moving forward. Our focus is to get the growth plan into the field and gain incremental wins, stories, and feedback, and then pass it on to the next wave of leaders. Much more to come but the work has begun.
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” Zechariah 4:10
We are living in a time where men are increasingly disconnected, pressured, and searching for purpose. At the same time, the workplace remains one of the few
EMPOWER THE MAN
Evangelism and discipleship transform men through our scalable tools, team, and training.
places where men consistently show up. Most men will go to work this week. Far fewer will walk into a church. That reality is not something to work around, it is the opportunity in front of us.
We are going where the men are, the workplace.
As we move forward, our focus is becoming clearer: simplify, unify, and multiply.
We must simplify our focus and how men engage, making it easier for them to take a first step and understand what comes next. We must unify our efforts, ensuring alignment between national and local ministry so that we are moving together with clarity and purpose. And we trust God to multiply, not just reaching men but raising men who reach other men.
This isn’t a program to attend—it’s a mission to live.
“You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” 2 Timothy 2:2
One of the most important shifts ahead is how we expand.
Growth will not be driven primarily by adding staff. It will be driven by men who step up to lead where they are. Our early focus is on expanding into new communities that grow out of existing CBMC ministry, building from strength, proximity, and relationships already in place. From there, we will move into strategically entering new cities and states where we do not yet have a presence. This is a disciplined approach to growth. It allows us to expand with speed while staying anchored in strong, local leadership. To support this, we have developed a clear “Area Roadmap” that helps guide each geography from startup to sustainability. It provides direction without removing ownership. Because in the end, the strength of every new area will come from local men who take responsibility for the mission.
He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
Matthew 9:37-38
In October, we will gather in Columbus for MERGE.
Men average spending over 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime. What is the eternal impact of your investment? MERGE is about uniting, empowering, and deploying men back into the workplace with a better answer and approach to living and leading on mission.
Become a part of something much bigger than yourself at work. Join us for MERGE and see what God is doing to make an eternal impact in men in the workplace and wants to do through you.
MERGE is more than an event; it is a catalytic moment for our ministry. MERGE is where men, work, and the
mission of God meet. It is where we will challenge, equip, and commission men to live out their faith in the workplace with clarity and conviction. For some, it will be a starting point. For others, it will be a recommitment. For all of us, it is an opportunity to align around what God is calling us to do next. We are not gathering for inspiration alone, we are gathering for mobilization.
As we look ahead to the next three to five years, the urgency is clear.
Men are navigating increasing pressure, confusion around identity, and a lack of purpose. The next generation, in particular, is searching, but often not looking to the church for answers. We do not have the luxury of slow response. At the same time, we are clear on what makes CBMC distinct. We are not trying to be everything.
We are focused on one thing: reaching men in the workplace and equipping them to live out the Gospel where they are. If we stay focused and execute with discipline, we will see more men come to Christ, more men deeply committed and equipped, and more leaders multiplying leaders. We will see new communities, cities, and states reached through strong, locally led ministry. And most importantly, we will see more men living on mission right where God has already placed them.
This is not about building something new.
It is about stepping fully into what God has already called us to be with Spirit-led boldness.
We go to the man at work. We build him through community, clarity, and discipleship. And we send him back into his workplace on mission.
“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13
This next season of CBMC will not be built by a few, it will be carried by many. Every man has a role to play. Some will lead. Some will invest. Some will step out and start something new. All are called to live on mission where they are.
Let’s reach, empower, and deploy more men in the workplace to live out their faith and increase their impact for Christ, than any time in history.
The time to go is now.
You know what CBMC does because you’ve lived it. You’ve seen how men in the workplace are changed when they are challenged, equipped, and encouraged to follow Christ. Right now, more men are waiting for that same opportunity.
CBMC is stepping into new communities and expanding in existing ones. But we cannot do it without you.
Your gift today will help reach a man who has never been invited. It will help empower him to follow Christ in his workplace. It will help deploy him to impact others.
You know the difference this ministry makes. Now it is your turn to extend that impact. Give today. Help Reach. Empower. Deploy.
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“The fact that I can live out my faith and use the gifts God has given me, and I can serve others through our business, serving others through benefits consulting. I also get to fellowship with other great men at this conference!”
Brian Hubbard, Kelley Benefits
2024 CBMC National Men’s Conference Sponsor
The Transformational Power of Prayer
BrieAnna Otchere
Ever since she was a little girl, BrieAnna Otchere sat with her father to pray for her future husband. Together, they asked the Lord that he would “love Christ, lead our home spiritually, be kind, and be a great father to our children.” BrieAnna held onto those prayers with a firm belief that Christ would be faithful to answer them.
However, when BrieAnna and Daniel married, they found themselves on a rocky foundation. While they loved each other and Christ was part of their lives, He was not the center of their marriage. This disconnect led to seasons where BrieAnna felt trapped and eventually angry. “I cried out to the Lord and asked Him, ‘Why did You tell me to marry him?’” she recalled. “I questioned every decision I had made concerning our marriage.”
The tension reached a peak when Daniel announced he wanted to be stationed in Hawaii. BrieAnna was completely against it, longing instead to return to the South. When their orders came through six months after the pandemic began, the physical move felt like a mirror of her emotional state. “I felt more isolated than ever,” she said, “literally alone on an island with someone I felt didn’t even see me or care about me.”
But the Lord always has a plan, and He calls us to surrender and trust Him. In 2021, while attending Wayland Baptist University in Hawaii, BrieAnna met Jeff Tullis with CBMC. Jeff eventually felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask Daniel to commit to meeting and going through Operation Timothy. Despite BrieAnna’s
skepticism, Daniel agreed that very night, sparking a transformation that BrieAnna describes as going “from Saul to Paul.”
Over the last four years, BrieAnna has watched Daniel’s “heart of stone and arrogance” soften into a “heart of flesh.” He grew hungry for the Word of God, and the man her father had prayed for decades ago finally emerged. Today, their marriage is filled with laughter and deep communication. “I truly believe the Lord has used CBMC to heal, restore, and bring forth the man Christ intended and created Daniel to be,” BrieAnna shared. The impact of this change is now being felt by their son, Michael, and the men Daniel now leads in the faith.
BrieAnna’s story is a powerful reminder that no marriage is too far gone and no heart is too hard for God to reach. If you are looking for that same kind of restoration and spiritual growth, we invite you to take that first step. Whether it is joining a team or starting Operation Timothy, God is ready to do a new work and transform your work, your marriage, and your legacy for generations to come.
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