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| www.cbn-usa.org | Newsletter
- August 2005 |
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| This Month Christian Business Network USA Central Ohio Region Holds Quarterly Meeting The Grocery Advantage Partnership Business Reform Magazine Partnership Executive Committee Alignment Session
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Blessings to all and a very warm welcome to both members and non-members! As we develop the format for these newsletters, please send any ideas about more effective communications to editor@cbn-usa.org On a monthly basis, we are going to feature a member in this newsletter. The purpose is not to advertise his or her business, but to speak to contributions and hold up role models for all of us to use as members and as business people. Obviously, none of us can know all of the members, so please “nominate” anyone whose efforts and actions have contributed to fulfilling our mission and vision. See the section Featured Member for August 2005 to read an interesting sketch of a very dedicated contributor. |
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| Christian Business Network – USA Celebrates Its 5th Anniversary We celebrated our 5th anniversary in July! The original chapter met in Columbus, Ohio in July 2000. CBN-USA was the vision of Brian Benson who is still the Chairperson of its Executive Committee. Brian describes the first meeting: “Some friends of ours from church owned a small Italian restaurant on the north side of Columbus and agreed to host our meeting. We were hoping for 15-20 people at this inaugural event. We ended up with 66 people attending, and the place only seated 45!” Since that time, CBN-USA has grown to 19 chapters in three states. CBN-USA’s desire is to facilitate the networking of Christian business owners and leaders at the local, regional and national level for purposes of conducting business, offering and finding job opportunities, and most importantly, supporting each other, our businesses, and our churches through prayer and encouragement. Executive Ramblings By Jerry King Different Members / Different Orientations Last month we looked at our Mission Statement as three separate phrases, analyzing each. This month it's appropriate to spend a few minutes thinking about how members approach the organization to live in and live out that charter. I have the good fortune to speak with many members routinely and I've found that members' mindsets about why they have joined, what they can contribute and what they can gain typically follow one of three paths. Each path is different, but each brings unique value to our group. There are some members who are not concerned about how much business they may gain due to their membership. Their focus is on meeting fellow Christians in business and on refreshing each other amidst the stress of the marketplace. These folks are not only encouraging members in their business life but will be praying for fellow members' marriages, families, healing of illnesses and lifting up the many burdens that can distract us from the business responsibilities that we share. Other members are involved to share some specific capability; they are trying to invest and give back some of what the Lord has done for their business and/or career. These are the mentors and the "expert guides." I see them helping less experienced members, new entrepreneurs and those facing some "black hole" in their business or career to come through the rough spots and climb new mountains. The third group of members consists of those who are building their business (and those of fellow members) through all of the networking opportunities CBN-USA provides. To these, I say, "go for it" and continue building the Kingdom as you do. Be focused on stewardship and growth of the Lord's generous gift (your business and/or career) and remember to open doors for your fellow members. God has created each of us uniquely. He has given talents, experiences, careers, and business as tools of His Kingdom. Each of you has a unique contribution to make within CBN-USA and should expect to experience God growing, supporting and blessing you through your participation. |
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| HIGHLIGHTS Central Ohio Region Holds Quarterly Meeting The Central Ohio Region held its third quarter meeting on Friday, August 5, 2005 at the Vineyard Church of Columbus. Very active Trade Show sessions both preceded and followed the main meeting. For this Quarterly we had 12 trade tables and approximately 42 members and 28 guests. Several speakers were featured. Mike Berberick, a member and President of The Grocery Advantage, spoke for about 5 minutes describing the partnership that exists between his organization and CBN-USA. He covered the process we use to enroll members, 90-day free trial for members of our organizations, the multitude of savings opportunities and benefits to participating individuals, and the benefits to CBN-USA from each member or member referral. Details are available on our website (www.cbn-usa.org) by clicking on the banner ad for TGA. Jeff Ledbetter, a leader in Secretary of State Ken Blackwell's campaign
for Governor, gave us an update of the Secretary's progress in fundraising
and positioning for the major portions of the race yet to come. In speaking
for the "future governor of Ohio," Jeff reiterated his thanks
for the encouragement and support received from individual members of
CBN-USA, especially after his message to the Central Ohio Quarterly
session in February. He encouraged us, as Christians, to participate
in various government and electoral processes. The next Central Ohio Quarterly Meeting is coming on November 5. Watch the website and this newsletter for more info! New Dayton Region Chapter - Springboro/Warren County CBN-USA is growing again! The Dayton Region announces another new chapter. The Springboro/Warren County Chapter is meeting at Chantrell's (20 Commercial Way, Springboro, Ohio). Chantreel's is at Exit 38 off I-75, just east of the highway, on the Springboro side. Take a right at Shart's and follow it to Commercial Way. This chapter is meeting for breakfast from 7:30-9:00 the first Wednesday of each month. The first meeting was August 3 with over 40 members and visitors present. There is plenty of networking before, during and after, so arrive early and stay late. The cost is $10.00 for members and first time visitors, and $13.00 for second and third time visitors. For additional information, contact Scot Rife at cbnspringboro@aol.com. Congratulations to the Dayton Region for their first Business After Hours event on June 2, held at Bethel Assembly of God Church in Dayton. There were 60 people attending and 30 trade tables purchased. It was a great first session and the start of many to come. Speaking of sessions to come, plan on attending the next one on September 29 (location is TBD). Members pay $10 and $15 in addition if they purchase a trade table. Non-member guests pay $20 to attend. The Dayton Region's final Business After Hours for the year will be held on December 6th at Living Word Church in Vandalia, using the same format. Watch future newsletters and the website for more information. Also email Bill Gaffney, wmgaffney@prodigy.net, for updates. |
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The much-anticipated production of our membership cards is finally here! You will be receiving yours in the mail this month. As we continue to grow and members continue to offer discounts on products and services through member businesses, your membership card will identify you as a current member worthy of those discounts. Look for yours in the mail soon! Website Banner Ads are Coming! Our CBN-USA website banner advertisements will be available this month! We had hoped to make this available sooner, but things like other Kingdom tasks, jobs, families and other pursuits do not allow CBN-USA plans to progress as quickly as some may like. Now that they will be available soon, we think you will find them very affordable. Look for details about banner ads in a future email announcement. The August 2005 issue of Citizen USA will include an article on CBN-USA. Rick and Pendra Lee Snyder, two of our members, publish Citizen USA on a monthly basis. It is a newspaper format with articles and editorials on subjects of interest to the Christian community. Please consider advertising in Citizen USA. They are on the web at www.christiancitizen.com. The newspaper is available at many locations throughout Central and Southwest Ohio. ~read the article~ New CBN-USA Partner - The Grocery Advantage We have become partners with The Grocery Advantage. This partnership includes a 90-day free trial for CBN-USA members and 30-day free trials for CBN-USA member referrals. Once you have completed your free trial period, the cost is $15 per month, with $5 being returned to CBN-USA to assist with the expenses associated with our growth. In addition, The Grocery Advantage uses a portion of its proceeds to assist worthwhile causes, such as food banks, in the Central and Southwest Ohio areas. The Grocery Advantage is the best system to save time and money on your grocery shopping. It has helped thousands of individuals and families save up to 50-100% on name and store brand grocery items at Giant Eagle, Kroger and Meijer. Most people shopping with The Grocery Advantage system are saving up to $100-200 per month. Some families are saving up to $400 or more per month. The system is simple. Visit the website each week to see the best deals (800-1,000 deals each week). Select the items you want to buy. Create a shopping list. Finally, go to the store, shop and save! It is truly the easiest system available today to shop the best deals! If you are a coupon shopper, or someone who would like to use coupons, but doesn't have the time, The Grocery Advantage's "Wait n' Cut System" makes it very easy. No more cutting and filing coupons. No more searching for coupons. No more expiring coupons. You will never have to cut a coupon again from the Sunday paper until you are ready to use it. Try The Grocery Advantage today and see how easy it is to save and support CBN-USA at the same time! From the CBN-USA website, click on The Grocery Advantage banner at the top of the page. New CBN-USA Partner - Business Reform Magazine We are in the process of implementing a partnership with Business Reform magazine. Business Reform is a magazine for Christians in business headquartered in Ashland, Ohio. Business Reform was a partner, along with Cedarville University, for our National Forum in April 2005. The details of the partnership are still being worked out, but some of the benefits to CBN-USA members that will be included are:
Again, the details are still being finalized, but look for more information regarding this strategic partnership in the days ahead. Networking Tip of the Month - Why Should We Network? Before we get started on discussing "Why?" let's define a few terms so we're all on the same page. According to Funk & Wagnall's Standard Desk Dictionary, a network is any interconnected system. A system is an orderly combination or arrangement of parts, elements, etc. into a whole. Indulge me for but a moment. Picture in your mind a simple fishing net. The net is made of strands of rope that intersect at regular intervals. Now think of each intersection as an individual you know and the strand that connects you to any individual as a relationship. On a fishing net, any given intersection is only connected to four intersections, which is not very many relationships. However, sociologists tell us that on average each person knows about 250 other people. (I obtained a little help from Beth, my math professor wife, for this next part!) So if we just consider the people you know, and the people your friends know, then we are suddenly looking at 250 groups of 250 people each, which is a group of 62,500 people. Now that's not a shabby prospect list! Therefore, one valid definition of networking is the process of utilizing a broad group of contacts for the purpose of gathering or exchanging beneficial information. As we return to the original question, "Why do we network?" it becomes quite clear. It is because the potential is phenomenal! Executive Committee Alignment Session Here's a reason for all of our members to lift up the leadership team in prayer. The national Executive Committee and representatives of all regions will be meeting on August 27 in Jeffersonville, OH for an alignment and strategy session. In that session, which will last about six hours, we will cover our current situation, challenges, successes and momentum. As we progress throughout the day, the focus will increase on plans for ongoing health and growth of the organization. The goal is to build a consistent vision and strategic plans for our future among the leaders so this can be spread throughout the organization. With these in place, we can be more focused on our mission in the dynamic environment in which CBN-USA exists and more effective in growing the organization, both in capability and size, according to our mission. We are fortunate that one of our member firms, Action International of Columbus, has donated the professional services for this effort. Craig and Annette Hohnberger manage this franchise locally and are the Master Licensees for central & southern Ohio and Indiana. They will be leading the group through their Alignment Day program. Please keep this effort and the leaders in prayer. Also, you are welcome to provide any input to your regional leaders that you feel is appropriate for this session so that it may be tabled then.
Please send us a testimonial; we want to use your words and your experiences as vehicles to help others understand CBN-USA and how they can participate and contribute. |
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