Workplace Network puts faith to work
“We hope these sessions help us build a strong community of Christians in Ottawa.”
Elizabeth Mabie
Spur Ottawa Writer
What’s for lunch? Once a month, from March to May, the Workplace Network will serve a hearty meal of thought-provoking content from guest speakers, with a side of discussion groups. These interactive luncheon seminars aim to encourage believers to bring Christ into the workplace.
The “Taking Our Faith to Work” series offers different methods to help Christians navigate their workplace and share their beliefs with fellow employees.
“Our heart at the Workplace Network is to have a city full of Christ followers who are comfortable and confident taking their faith to work and using it to make their workplaces better, stronger, and more Kingdom oriented,” says Jennifer Parr, a Workplace Network leader. “If you are a Christian in the workplace, we don’t want you to feel lonely or tentative about your faith.”
The sessions are scheduled for March 16, April 13, and May 11, running from noon to 1:00 p.m. Participants need to register, but the events are free.
“It wasn’t until later in my career that I started to understand and believe that I was a Christian, following Christ 24/7.”
Each session has a different theme with March’s being, “Bringing a Christ-Like Character to Work”. The session starts with a video and explanation of what it means to be Christ-like, which leads into participants contributing their thoughts on the topic. Guest speakers share their experiences conducting themselves in this manner at their jobs. Participants will then break off into small groups for discussion and to connect with each other spiritually.
“We hope these sessions help us build a strong community of Christians in Ottawa from across all denominations, and that the sessions form relationships where people support and encourage each other,” explains Parr.
Parr is passionate about creating a thriving faith-based community and fostering safe space to share the Gospel. She describes herself as once having been a “submarine Christian”: A Christ follower who would resurface after the work week was over.
“I went to church on Sunday and then I’d go underwater from Monday to Friday in my workplace,” she says. “I wasn’t conscious about how I was taking my faith to work or if I had a Christ-like character. It wasn’t until later in my career that I started to understand and believe that I was a Christian, following Christ 24/7.”
Parr believes when people understand that they can rebuild their work environment into a more welcoming place, they will take those first steps and work towards making it a reality. Taking Our Faith to Work’s aims for the conversations with guest speakers and other participants to help push everyone in that direction.
“I hope that the participants will take away a sense that they are not alone, that they’re part of a community, that they encourage each other, and that they’ll learn from one another,” Parr states. “I hope that they’ll be inspired to transform our workplaces, because when we change that environment, we can transform our city.”
Similar Articles
Going “All In” for kids in need
Ontario’s shortage of foster and adoptive parents has the Children’s Aid Society (CAS) turning to the Church for help. They reached out to local foster parent Hildy Sloots and her family who have organized Ottawa’s first All In conference, exploring […]
Life after politics—Retired or Inspired?
Have you ever wondered how former politicians spend their time? The media often portrays retired politicians as simply living the good life on a gold-plated government pension. Some retired politicians, however, put their time and energy into […]
Kemptville churches pull together to resettle refugees
Canadians have been working to bring Syrian refugees into Canada and to help them begin a new life. Efforts in the big cities receive most of the media attention, but small towns are doing their part, as well. The congregation of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, in Kemptville […]
Canadians call for preserved charity status for crisis pregnancy centres
The Liberal government has committed to revoke the charity status of what they call “anti-choice organizations”. In response, Campaign Life Coalition launched two petitions (one paper based and the other online) asking the government to preserve the charity status of pro-life organizations. Standing […]
Is the Church prepared for the mental health crisis?
It’s not a new problem. Mental health issues have been present from the beginning of time. Recently exacerbated by the global pandemic, the problem seems to be growing significantly. Nobody is exempt, not even […]
The table where everyone can be family
While many ministries provide free meals for students and those in need, The Open Table has a somewhat unique goal: they aim for all who come to feel accepted and for those who aren’t Christians to experience what a church community feels like […]
