“In the Public Service today, the hardest thing for me is not being able to say bluntly, ‘Christ is the answer.’”

Allen Macartney
Special to Spur Ottawa

“Living out your faith in the workplace can be challenging. You can feel lonely. That’s why many Christians leave their faith at the door. We want to change that,” says Jennifer Parr, one of the organizers of Ottawa’s Workplace Summit.

The free summit, scheduled for January 19, aims to build up workplace Christians so they are comfortable and confident taking their faith to work.

“This is a summit for Christians, working anywhere, who either see their workplace already as a mission field or are curious about learning how to be more effective at work,” explains Johann van der Merwe, another of the summit’s organizers.

van der Merwe adds that Christians do not often know other believers at work and are afraid to ask colleagues about their faith. That is one of the discussion topics at the summit, but the event will also include online networking opportunities.

Organizers want to support groups like the Public Service Christian Fellowship (PSCF), which has been around for almost 40 years. Its groups meet weekly for Bible study and prayer, but van der Merwe says “the different departmental groups seldom meet at a single event. This summit will encourage them, and feed their vision.”

“How we behave, act, and react to challenges opens (or closes) windows of opportunity for the Kingdom.”

Ernestina Francois works at and helps lead a PSCF group at Health Canada. She is also a Summit organizer. “In the Public Service today, the hardest thing for me is not being able to say bluntly, ‘Christ is the answer,’” she says, adding that even admitting you are a Christian can be intimidating. “How we behave, act, and react to challenges opens (or closes) windows of opportunity for the Kingdom.”

Even in hostile offices, there are always ways Christians can live out their faith and transform office spaces.

“I’m excited that the summit targets all working people,” Francois states. “This includes those in the public and private sectors, teachers, carpenters, businesses, and churches. Everyone is welcome.”

While the event was initially going to include an in-person option, with increasing COVID cases, the team decided to restrict the summit to online participation. The event is free, but participants must register. The summit will run from 4:45 to 6 p.m., January 19.

“We’ll start the summit with prayer. Then, four dynamic speakers from the public and private sector will share their unique ways for living out their faith at work. They’ll both inspire and encourage,” Parr says.

The summit also includes a series of breakout discussion groups for people to share ideas and connect with others.

“We want participants to recognize that they are not alone,” says Parr. “We want people to be encouraged in their desire to take their faith to work. We want to equip and inspire them with new ideas so they can transform the culture of their workplaces. And, ultimately, we want to deepen their faith and widen their vision for God’s work.”