The 2008 Purpose@Work conference was held on April 2 to 4 at the Holiday Inn Select on Dixon Road. Our host there was Bevan Marsh and he and his wonderful staff were excellent in providing a first class environment for a business conference. We had the privilege of praying for Bevan at the conclusion of this memorable event in Toronto! He is a great example of a “workplace minister” who does his work diligently as unto the Lord.

The Workplace Transformation Group that has organized both the 2007 and now the 2008 conferences is motivated by the simple admonition of the Lord that we are to bring the Kingdom of God to our workplace in order to strengthen the work of the Church in bringing transformation to cities and nations! The Holy Spirit is mobilizing great numbers of workplace leaders who are clearly anointed for business and passionate about their calling as ministers in the marketplace. These conferences have successfully ignited this same passion in hundreds of Canadian leaders, men and women who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ and are determined to serve Him by being His ambassadors every day.

We have measured the “success” of the conference only by the response of the delegates. By this measure the event was an unqualified success. Even the National Post decided to report on this “Faith goes to work” event on Saturday April 5^th and placed it on the front page!

Defining moments…let me identify four…perhaps five.

• Ed Silvoso’s passionate declaration that transformed cites will bring an end to systemic poverty.
• Linda Rios Brook’s testimony of how it is that God can use the creativity of leaders in business in combination with the things of the world (T.V.) to bring about spiritual transformation in an industry and a city.
• David Rae’s confession that though he is not an ‘evangelist’ he once knelt beside a 6’7” friend who insisted on kneeling to commit his life to Christ while traveling with David in Business class on a trip in the U.S.A.
• Lloyd Reeb, who was placed last among the four keynote speakers on Thursday morning, captured the hearts of the delegates with his easy delivery and his challenge for each of them to discover their personal passion and to pursue greater significance in kingdom work…without leaving their current position.
• Finally, although I will not mention their names, our Breakout speakers have received rave revues and many have reported “life-changing” experiences as a result of their presentations.

It is time for all Christians to be sure of their calling and to be equipped for service in the marketplace. God loves the city and Jesus died to redeem it. On Sunday night at The Peoples Church, 39 responded to an altar call to be commissioned as Marketplace Ministers. Our desire is that this could happen in every church in Canada so that the Kingdom of God would reside in workplaces everywhere! There are many resources and books available to those who are ready to enlist.

We would ask that all those interested in this movement of God check out our web site for next steps and for links to other helpful sites on Workplace ministry. Talk to your Pastor about a commissioning service and download the “Declaration Certificates” that can be used for that purpose. Let’s shake the foundation of this great nation by our diligence at work and our love for others and for our City!

Gerry Organ