Good News - January 2019

LIFEWORK LEADERSHIP GoodNewsFL.org 17 JANUARY 2019 Readers Saving Coupons crazy accent, Billy Graham. And I’m coming to the first little men’s Bible study I’ve really ever been to…and the group’s leader is the grandson of BillyGraham.And I just have to share this with you because this is bizarre.” After Stephan and I talked a little bit, I discovered he used to be in charge of missions at Calvary Chapel… So, I told him what I’m planning on doing is rebuilding the mission station where I grew up. And he said, I know SIM and asked if I see Franklin at Baynan as he’s a big aviator. Soon after …I sat at lunch with Stephan and Franklin, and Stephan said tell him a little bit about what you’re going to do with Egbe. We had talked aviation andmotorcycles and everything, but we hadn’t talked about that. So I did, and I said I’ve got a five-year plan all set out in a binder in the car. That afternoon he invited me to the board room where he called in some key people. I gave them a presentation and Franklin said, “OK, which one of you five can go to Egbe with Don in three weeks?” And they all put their hands up, Don said with surprise. So like three weeks later here we are all going to Egbe with his top guys.And they called from there to Franklin on the satellite phone and said, “Yea, we see Don’s vision. We really do.” So, Franklin said, “I’m going to help you…” GN – You began this the year you were going through Lifework? DC - Yes, 2008. And I liked Lifework so much that I went again in 2009. It was right around 2010 when all of this was happening…so I love to work and I work many, many hours here at Banyan. I was thinking how in the world can I start something like this inAfrica when I feel so obligated to always be here at Banyan without any outside projects? Now I’mgoing to do something that’s way out of my comfort zone and that would be leav- ing Banyan for like three weeks at a time three times a year. How am I going to do that?As things were coming together, my Banyan CFO called me out to the hanger and there’s about 120 of our employees. They had all taken this collage of pictures and signed the outside and said, “You go rebuild Egbe and we’ll build Banyan,” and they gave us a $10,000 check from the employees. So here’s SIM, here’s Franklin, and here’s the Banyan team. And I said to Sueanne, “What is going on here? God has called us to do this.” GN – So, it’s done. Your five-year plan happened in five years? DC – It did. We’re still working on an eye center right now and really working with the staff in best practices, systems, procedures - working to- ward efficiency, inventory, running the organization, again, with excellence, in a very rural area… GN – Beyond that project, which you said was a call for you and Sueanne, how has Lifework affected your company? DC – At the beginning of Lifework I was being raised to a little higher level that Banyan is my ministry. As opposed to its just a business and you use themoney to help other ministries…Then I learned of Chaplains ofAmerica, and I was probably the easiest sell they’ve ever had. That next day I just called them up and said I would love to care more about the spiritual side of our teammates wherever we can. It was introduced to our team as caring in the workplace. If a wayward teenager doesn’t come home or if one of our technician’s wives comes down with cancer, if one of you are having a baby, our HR director can only help you out a certain amount. But there’s this company called Corporate Chaplains of America where these guys are trained in all the social services. … Then we asked our teammates what charities would Banyan like to officially be associated with?We have a Spirit committee that headed that. So it’s not managers involved, it’s teammates. And it came back 4KIDS and the Egbe Project. In fact, they would even like to payroll deduct if they want to give a donation or if they want to volunteer with these things that Banyan would get behind.And that was, again, another sign that God has two ministries: Banyan and Egbe. And since then we have interwoven Banyan into the Egbe project in incredible ways… GN – Who should participate in Lifework? DC – I send one of our leaders every year to Lifework since I’ve been there. So, I think it’s about five. And it’s because I think Lifework supports our culture. It’s totally in alignment with the speakers who come there and the principles and values of aChrist-centered business. That just enhances it that much more. But who should go to Lifework? Well, for somebody that’s a believer or Christ follower who owns a business – it’s a must… You mingle with people who all have the same kinds of challenges and looking for solutions. But even a bigger significance is they also are believers, so they look at things from a little different perspective. Then you have speakers come in who say don’t be afraid to be looking at it for even a bigger perspective. This is how it worked out in my case. What has Don Campion learned personally? I always read about howGod does incredible things and howhe can use people to accomplish great things. Well, I’ve had the privilege… I got pushed a little bit, walked out in faith, and then God has used us in a way I never dreamt possible, which then, of course, strengthened our faith tremendously… Before it was just more of a job, but now it’s more of a life, and I just feel like I’m getting to live three lives in one. There’s so much excitement in somany areas, and its people I met at Lifework that I keep in touch with. Reprinted from January 2018 Good News