Monday, March 17, 2014
Students Encouraged to Connect with Business Leaders in Unique Program
By Michael Ireland
Special Reporter, ASSIST News Service
AMELIA ISLAND, FL
(ANS) – A unique business ministry seeks to place one million student interns in the next 20 years with its 10-Week Summer Intern Program.
FCCI Banner
The Fellowship of Companies for Christ International (FCCI), based in Florida, desires to reach emerging generations through a summer intern experience that will engage the CEO of an FCCI membership company.
In a media release, FCCI (www.FCCI.org) says it hopes that through this experience college students will become more aware and spiritually mature about marketplace ministry and their calling.
Founded in 1977, FCCI is a peer-to-peer ministry that encourages and equips business leaders in 83 countries through traditional and online resources, small groups, conferences, and one-on-one relationships.
FCCI is a community of business leaders united by a vision that Christ can change our world through how we do business. FCCI’s members (monthly dues based), find answers to business challenges through prayer and a wide variety of powerful resources including business forums, e-learning tools, global conferences and regional events.
FCCI’s vision is to develop college students to be lifetime laborers who are committed to following Jesus and multiplying disciple-makers in their workplaces and communities through a specialized summer internship program.
FCCI states that “In pursuit of Christ’s eternal objectives, we equip and encourage Christian business leaders to operate their businesses and conduct their personal lives in accordance with biblical principles.”
According to its website, the FCCI program focuses on:
• Interning with the CEO or Executive Leader of an FCCI company
• Training in leadership, integrity, and leading a company for Christ
• Vision for spiritual multiplication through the marketplace and community
• Experiencing ministry in the marketplace, community and nation
• Practical experience in strategic plan development impacting the company and/or community
• Intern will participate in the Business Leadership Group during the summer months
• FCCI International or Regional Conference experience
During the internship, the weekly work schedule of 32-40 hours/week is established by the FCCI company with recommended participation in an FCCI weekly business leadership group, and at least one weekly peer-on-peer discipleship meeting with the CEO or Executive Leader.
The emphasis of the internship is on shadowing the business leader or key managers. The internships are paid, with the employer determining the wage salary, which should meet the required salary by law. Salaries are paid directly to the student through employer’s regular payroll, and the intern can expect to take home earnings at the end of the summer.
Internships are ten weeks in scope, ideally ending August 1st.
With the theme ‘Run to Win’, FCCI will host its 35th annual Global Business Leaders Conference on September 21-25 at the Ritz-Carlton, 4735 Amelia Island Parkway.
The event will feature a mix of keynote addresses, breakout sessions, praise and worship, prayer, networking opportunities, meals, resource center and free time for business leaders and their spouses to enjoy the beautiful Gulf coast. Over 700 business leaders from around the world are expected to participate.
Speakers include: Terence Chatmon, President & CEO of FCCI in Atlanta, GA (www.FCCI.org); Dr. Henry Cloud, leadership expert and author in Beverly Hills, CA (www.DrCloud.com); Colonel Lee Ellis, President of Leadership Freedom and FreedomStar Media in Cumming, GA (www.LeadershipFreedom.com); David Green, CEO of Hobby Lobby in Oklahoma City, OK (www.HobbyLobby.com); Daniel Harkavy, CEO of Building Champions in Lake Oswego, OR (www.BuildingChampions.com); Alec Hill, President of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship USA in Madison, WI (www.InterVarsity.org); Ford Taylor, Founder of Transformational Leadership in Cincinnati, OH (www.TransformLead.com); and Walt Wiley, President of Winning With Encouragement Ministries in Charlotte, NC (www.WWEministries.org).
The 2014 FCCI global conference will provide answers to key questions in the minds of many business leaders concerning leading and operating a company with Christian values and practices; identifying and applying specific Biblical principles for every aspect of running a business; implementing prayer in the workplace; and building strong teams.
How It All Began
In 1896, Charles M. Sheldon’s book, “In His Steps,” was first published. As its story unfolded, readers found themselves witnessing the impact on the lives of the book’s primary characters as they accepted the challenge to ask “What would Jesus do?” before making any decisions or taking any action…in every area of their lives. Their aim was to walk as closely as possible in the steps of Christ regardless of the immediate consequences.
FCCI’s website says that almost eighty years after that challenge was first posed on those pages, Robert L. “Bobby” Mitchell, a young Atlanta businessman, received a copy of In His Steps as a Christmas gift from his mother. Bobby found his own challenge clarified in the struggle of Sheldon’s character Milton Wright, a businessman for whom applying the question “What would Jesus do?” had incredible ramifications. Nevertheless, regardless of the potential ramifications, Bobby, like Milton Wright, determined that following Jesus’ steps through the business world was exactly what God was calling him to do.
Bobby’s commitment to Bible study had previously led him to join a group of business people – many of whom were top Atlanta executives – meeting every Friday morning at 6:30. Their integrity and faithfulness impressed him, and it did not take long to discover that God was calling others to walk with Him in their businesses, even though there seemed to be no clear sense of what that really meant.
As Bobby and his wife, Sue, prayed for God to lead them to a business that Bobby could operate based on a walk with Christ. A friend, B.G. “Bert” Stumberg, approached him about a company – Applied Ceramics, Inc. – that was in need of new direction and fresh leadership. God had provided the platform…now, “What would Jesus do?”
The first thing Jesus did was to renew and deepen the relationship He had begun during World War II with Bert. After attending Bible study with Bobby several times, Bert renewed his commitment to Christ, and the two dedicated themselves to operating their companies based on Biblical principles.
Their search for wisdom and resources led to a 1977 Leadership Dynamics meeting in Point Clear, Alabama, where two things happened: their vision of leading a company for Christ was clarified, and another close friend, Bill Leonard, accepted Jesus as his personal Savior.
As Bill began to walk with Bobby and Bert, God brought another friend, Larry Burkett into the group. Together these men invited 70 of Georgia’s Christian business leaders to meet at the Edwards Baking Company to hear the vision that God was developing, and to encourage them to join in pursuing that vision.
Out of that meeting came a group of seven that struggled together for the next two years learning how to walk step-by-step with Christ in their personal and business lives. In addition to Bobby, Bert, Bill and Larry, Jim Moye, Ben Lively and Tom Harris formed a nucleus that actually functioned much like what has become an FCCI Business Leadership Group or CBO Resource Team. These men, along with Jim Pursell and Smith Lanier, became the original FCCI Board of Directors.
For more details, call 770.685.6000, visit www.FCCI.org or the FCCI presence on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
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By Michael Ireland
Special Reporter, ASSIST News Service–>