THE POWER OF CONNECTIVITY
By Robert J. Tamasy
“Connectivity” has become one of the most powerful words in today’s business and professional world. With the Internet, email, text messaging, online tools like Skype and video conferencing, and other technological resources, we can connect instantly with staff, clients, vendors and consultants regardless of where they happen to be around the globe. Smart phones have become increasingly important in this connectivity revolution, affording the luxury of communicating whenever and in whatever ways we desire. We can even actually talk directly to each other if we want to!
But no matter how it is done, effective communication remains central to the process. Especially when it comes to matters of a common mission, a shared vision, or a collective desire to disseminate an urgent message. Sometimes, even with the wonders of technology, the importance of the message – the who, what, how, when, why and how of presenting it – calls for participants to convene in one location where they can interact face-to-face.
This is why on Sept. 24-28, 2014, CBMC will be engaging in a different form of connectivity. On those dates, CBMC’s global leadership will convene at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. The CBMC World Convention, the first since 2010 when it was held in Singapore, will attract many hundreds of business and professional people from every continent. They will arrive united by the goal of telling others about the good news of Jesus Christ and helping them understand how faith in Christ dramatically transforms the workplace, as well as everyday life.
The theme for the Convention is “One God. One World. One Global Marketplace. One Gospel.” This aligns with the exhortation Jesus gave His followers: “…you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
In the 21st century the marketplace is truly global, transcending boundaries of culture, language, politics, economics and ideology. So the potential and opportunities for spreading the message of Jesus Christ have become greater than ever. At the same time, this mission is not without challenges. For this reason CBMC’s international leaders with gather for teaching, training, inspiration and mutual encouragement.
Speakers for the event will include: Internationally known evangelist Luis Palau; Bob Doll, chief equity strategist and senior portfolio manager at Nuveen Asset Management; Pat Gelsinger, a leading authority on business technology; award-winning sociologist and educator, D. Michael Lindsay, the president of Gordon College; and Mark Miller, best-selling author, communicator, and vice president of organizational effectiveness for Chick-fil-A. Award-winning vocalist Steve Green will be the worship leader.
For more information about the convention, program, daily schedule, World Center Marriott, the city of Orlando, and to register for the event, visit this web link: http://worldcon14.cbmc.com
Hebrews 10:23-25 gives strong motivation for this 2014 World Convention: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. A veteran journalist, he has written Tufting Legacies (iUniverse); Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace (River City Press); and has coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring (NavPress). For more information, see www.leaderslegacy.com or his blogs, www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com and www.bobtamasy.wordpress.com.
CBMC INTERNATIONAL: Jim Firnstahl, President
2850 N. Swan Road, Suite 160
▪ Tucson, Arizona 85712 ▪ U.S.A.
TEL.: 520-334-1114 ▪ E-MAIL: [email protected]
Web site: www.cbmcint.org Please direct any requests or change of address to: [email protected]
Reflection/Discussion Questions
1. How has connectivity changed the workplace during your career to this point?
2. What has been the impact of connectivity specifically for the work that you do? What difference would there be if for whatever reasons global connectivity ceased to exist?
3. The theme for the 2014 CBMC World Convention is “One God. One World. One Global Marketplace. One Gospel.” What does that mean to you?
4. Are you interested in the possibility of participating in this CBMC World Convention? Why or why not?
NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages:
Proverbs 27:17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Matthew 28:19-20; Colossians 3:17,23; 2 Timothy 2:2