BCWI Announces 2009 Best Christian Workplaces in the US and CanadaMercer Island, WA - February 23  

The survey, administered by the Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI), involved 11,869 employees in 124 organizations across North America to identify great workplaces with a Christian mission and/or values.   

View the complete list of 2009 Best Christian Workplaces in the US.

View the complete list of 2009 Best Christian Workplaces in Canada. 

In order to be certified (US)/recognized (Canada), organizations must complete the Best Christian Workplaces Institute Employee Engagement survey and meet predetermined standards of excellence.  The survey covers such issues as:  job satisfaction, organizational commitment, Christian witness, supervisory effectiveness, work satisfaction, personal growth and development, management effectiveness, customer/supporter satisfaction, teamwork, communications and pay and benefits.  Employees answer more than 50 questions addressing these topics, rating each statement as either 1 (strongly disagree), 2 (disagree), 3 (neutral), 4 (agree) or 5 (strongly agree). The Best Christian Workplaces Institute has surveyed more than 80,000 employees across North America in the past eight years.  BCWI is a research based organizational and human resources consulting firm based on Mercer Island, Washington.  The Canadian workplace survey was sponsored by the Canadian Council of Christian Charities.   “No one can deny that Christian organizations are feeling the effects of the nation’s worry over the economy.  Although we believe that Christian organizations should do all they can to pay competitively, our survey shows that there are other factors even more influential in making your employees feel blessed by their work, including work being a place of community,” says Lopus.  ”The Best Christian Workplaces survey consistently reveals that Christian employees appreciate God-glorifying relationships shaped by the fruit of the Spirit.”   For more information about the survey log on to http://www.bcwinstitute.com or contact Al Lopus, (206) 230-8111 or alopus@bcwinstitute.com. 

Progress is being made (YES, it is progress) on the Learning Center remodel and redesign.  As I mentioned in a previous blog, the CLC is being re- around a “Learning Styles” model of teaching to better engage and inspire our adult learners to get excited about school and learning.  By today the painting should be done, Tuesday the carpet gets put in and then we start with the design factors. Thanks for your patience everyone. Any questions, please post. David

Sue Horgen (CFO) and I went to a luncheon sponsored by Union Bank of California.  TRM has used Union bank for over 20 years.  Why?  Many years ago, when the Mission was short on cash, short on credit, and no assets, Union Bank was the only bank to be willing to loan us a line of credit.  All these years later, we’re still with them.  The luncheon was primarily to hear some economists talk about what their predictions for the end of the recession might be, based upon their data.  Interesting points: 1.  A recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth.  But the length of a recession is determined when a market is at its peak (Dec 07) to the bottom (who knows?).  As it stands now, this recession is one of longest recorded.  (16 months)  2.  The housing market issues triggered the banking problems, these economists suggest that the housing market will be a leading indicator when it starts to climb out.  Based on that, the good news is the unsold houses on the market are shrinking and they hope will be more manageable by summer.  3.  They are predicting it will end in Sept/Oct., but are hedging their bets.  What does this mean to the Mission?  It means that we do the following:  1.  Keep prayerful and trust that God will provide.  2.  Make sure we are doing everything we can to be effective in our work and look for opportunities to help those in need.  3.  Plan to be prudent and efficient in the 2009/2010 budget.  It’s good to be informed, and I really respect the discipline of the financial experts.  Having said that, we’re gonna stay positive, keep prayerful and look for opportunities to make a difference.  Any questions, comments, please post.  David.

If you are following me on Twitter or Facebook you already know that last night Migdalia Bonds (New Life Program Grad) invited a few staff from the Mission to celebrate her progress this year.  It was so great and to see her and her two daughters.  We spent some time sharing around the table how much Migdalia has changed and how God is using her to mend her family back together.  She informed us that she has gotten a promotion at work and we are so proud of her for that.  In addition, she gave me a card and I opened it to find a very generous donation to the Tacoma Rescue Mission.  (I admit, I started to cry) It was so touching to see her come full circle; to go from client off the street to donor and supporter.  Wow!  Thanks for ALL the staff who made this possible.  We all have a part in it.  Congratulations to Migdalia.  We love you and are proud of you.  DC 

Lynette Grubbs is working her way around India and has been sending in updates for us all to see how she is doing.  Right now she is visiting the Tacoma Rescue Mission project in Bangalore, India.  Pastor Swapan has been working his heart out for the poor for many years, Lynette is there to lend a hand and to help him develop a strategic plan for the years to come.  Here is some info from Lynette: Feb 23, 2009

Hi everybody!

I have been in Bangalore since the 14th except for the day I spent in

Bijapur.  Here in Bangalore, Pastor Swapan and his wife Nutan and

their sons have been very nice to me.  Pastor Swapan and his wife

Nutan are very spiritual people, and love and serve the Lord Jesus

with all their hearts.  Many people come to them for prayer: not only

Christian people, but also Muslim and Hindu people.

Pastor Swapan was from Calcutta, and he grew up in a Hindu family of

the Brahmin caste (the highest caste).  His family had money, and he

lived in a three-story house. He became a Christian through the

ministry of Mark and Huldah Buntain, who founded Calcutta Mercy

Hospital for which I volunteered a couple weeks ago.  Joe Ellis

(former TRM director) spent years involved with the Buntain ministry,

also, which is how Swapan first became associated with TRM, from my

understanding.

When Pastor Swapan became a Christian, he was thrown out of his house,

and was disinherited by his father, so the Buntains took him in.  I

talked with Huldah, and she still remembers him.  Swapan can’t say

enough good things about Huldah and Mark and what they have meant in

his life.  He considers them his spiritual parents, and he models his

life on what he observed in Mark.

The Buntains introduced Pastor Swapan to Nutan, who had grown up in a

Hindu family in Bangalore.  Her father was a judge, and her family had

even more money than Swapan’s family. She also left home when she

became a Christian. She has taught school for about 25 years now.  She

has to teach ten more years before she will be old enough to retire

with benefits.  She is on her feet all day teaching a classroom of 47

first graders.  Her English is excellent. She teaches in a private

Christian school in which all lessons are taught in English (called an

English-medium school).

Pastor Swapan and his wife have ministered in Bangalore for about

thirty years, now.  Pastor Swapan has also travelled to many other

countries including the USA, the Philippines, Peru, Kenya, and more.

He has done all this on a very small budget, often lacking even

necessities, but has not requested money from anyone.  He said that it

is the Lord who called him to ministry, so it is up to the Lord to

provide the way.  He has great faith and dependence on the Lord.

Nutan is a bit more “down to earth” and practical, but she, also, has

great faith and women of all religious backgrounds come asking her for

prayer.  After teaching all day on her feet, she tutors children at

night, some for pay and some free, and prays with and counsels the

women who come to her for help.

Blessings and love to all,

Lynette

I ran across this blog from Michael Hyatt about the 10 Benefits of a Recession and thought it tied in perfectly with past “Stay Positive” themes.  Here are a couple of past blogs to get you caught up.  You could read a past blog about a donor being faithful and how this gives us a chance to help more people.  DC

Don’t believe people can change?  Antonio is living proof that people can bounce back from a history of abuse, anger, drugs and incarceration.  Antonio is a transformed man thanks to the love of Jesus and the great folks who manage the “God Pod” at the Pierce County Jail.  It’s exciting to see what great things are happening at the Jail Chaplaincy.  Click here to see the video clip.  Let me know what you think.  DC

If you didn’t know already, the Mission is a finalist in the Business Examiner Best Workplace of the South Sound award.  Today I’m going to a photo shoot and interview at 9am with the Business Examiner.  If you are following me on Twitter or Facebook I’ll send you some ‘inside scoop’ photos and comments.  Also, I’ll post some of the questions on twitter/FB and you all can help me answer some of them.  Have a great day.  David

Tomorrow I’m doing a video interview with a former inmate at the Pierce County Jail who had a spiritual conversion and life-transformation at the “God-Pod” unit of the Jail.  For those of you who don’t know, The Rescue Mission operates a unit in the Pierce County Jail and provides Chaplain services to those inmate so seek help.  It is a great program.  I’ll be sure to post the interview as soon as possible, but click here to see the info on the Jail Ministry.  We are always looking for individuals, groups and churches to serve in the Jail.  It’s a very rewarding way to make a difference.  By the way, we have the best chaplains anyone could ever want: Rich Odegard, Archie Luck, Pamula Norfleet, and Earl Echols.  They do an amazing job.  Click Here and scroll down to Rich Odegard and send a nice “Thanks”. DC

Earlier in the fall The Rescue Mission merged Need-a-Break Services into a division of TRM.  Need-a-Break has done a great job since then of expanding its services and meeting more needs than ever.  Need-a-Break is an outreach to the greater community by providing free services or items to people struggling to make ends meet.  By helping those living paycheck to paycheck we are keeping people from homelessness and deeper poverty.  Everybody should know the great things Need-a-Break is doing.  Check out the website and watch the video clip on NAB.  Also, if you know anybody who needs some practical assistance during these tough times, have them contact Need-a-Break. We are especially looking for projects to celebrate Good Neighbor day on May 16th.  DC