8 FAITH focus  CAREERS Continued from page 1B


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the door,” says Jay Litton, founder of RUMC Job Networking. On a gloomy autumn day, more than 350 people streamed into the church for a full menu of workshops and advice. Many walked out with an armload of assistance: proper busi- ness attire, a professional photo to post on LinkedIn or other job web- sites, a polished résumé and assur- ance that people would pray for them. Ms. Lampkin said her main reason


for coming on this day was for en- couragement. “I got up today, and I just wasn’t motivated to go look for a job. I’m feeling kinda like the weather.”


You aren’t alone Walking into a large room filled


with round tables, a bustling kitchen, a buffet line, a stage and a large screen projecting instructions and directions about opportunities available for the evening can be a bit overwhelming. Volunteers are standing by, ready to offer a warm welcome. “We wind up feeding the souls and


the tummies of 350 job seekers,” says Bob Kashey, one of the table leaders and an inspirational speaker. Encountering John Harper imme-


diately puts the job seeker at ease. Mr. Harper has been the greeter and a vol- unteer with the ministry since 2001. The volunteers have two goals, Mr.


Harper says. “We try to make people understand that number one, God will hear you and God will help you. And number two, you’re not alone.” Louis Gruver, a job seeker, remem-


bers his first night at the ministry. “I didn’t really want to do this,” he


said. “But I knew that I had to. And, you know, Mr. Harper was at the front door. And he shakes your hand and says, ‘Welcome.’” Mr. Redmon was one of the new-


comers on Oct. 10. “I had to be very humble to come


here because at one time, I had a lot of money. Now I have $800 left,” he said. “I won’t feel bad to tell somebody I got this great suit from Roswell United Methodist Church. I will brag on them on Facebook tomorrow; I will tell all my friends to give ’em a try.”


Mustard seed start The well-oiled machine that today


is RUMC Job Networking wasn’t al- ways so large. Mr. Litton remembers when it was


just him and another man looking for a job. In the beginning, prayer was not a


part of the program. Leaders reasoned that since the meeting was open to the community, the church didn’t want to offend anyone. For a while that was OK with Mr. Litton also because he wasn’t a member of the church and wasn’t a professed Christian. When he turned his life over to


Christ, he realized he could turn the job-networking group into a job-net- working ministry. Prayer became a key ingredient. Ministry doesn’t need a lot of peo-


ple or activities; it just needs commit- ment, he says. For a long time, the ministry ran


with five volunteers ministering to 60 to 80 job seekers, says Katherine Si- mons, program coordinator. In 2010, the United Methodist


North Georgia Conference asked Roswell to hold a conference to teach other churches how to start similar ministries. More than 200 people from 80


churches of all denominations at- tended the February conference. In preparation, the team put together a book, Loving Your Neighbor, with sto- ries from 34 volunteers who were pas- sionate about the program. Since then, part of the Monday


evening sessions includes a workshop led by Ms. Simons on how to start a job-networking ministry.


‘What greater need is there right now than helping the unemployed?’


—Michael DuBois “I constantly remind everyone that


you can have a . . . complete career ministry with just a handful of volun- teers,” she says.


Tough times Job seekers come in the door


beaten down by the constant bom- bardment of bad news. The Department of Labor reports


more than 2 million people have been jobless for at least two years, and 700,000 have been looking for work for at least three years. News like that doesn’t help morale,


says Phil Clark, sitting at the table re- served for the age 21-29 group. Most of the group members are recent col- lege graduates. Mr. Clark thought he was going to


be starting a new job and would have great news to share at the meeting, but the offer was retracted because the corporate office decided it would not be hiring any more people from the Atlanta area. “Jesus never said life would be


easy,” says Trevor Nunnally, another group member. The twice-monthly programs are


from 5:45 to 9 p.m. Bonus workshops are from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Crossroads Career Network—a


NOVEMBER 11, 2011 | UNITED MET HODI S T REPORTER


nonprofit organization designed to help churches minister to people at a career crossroads—is a four-hour, fast-paced, six-step plan for finding a job.


Other early afternoon workshops


range from “Boomers’ Winning Job Strategies” to “Why Should I Hire You?” Dinner starts at 5:45, which in-


cludes an inspirational speaker and a quick Bible study. Table hosts use that time to discuss God and faith’s role in the job hunt. On this night, Rusty Gordon is on


stage with good news from Philippi- ans 4:13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Mark Reynolds, who hosts the 21-


29 table, encourages the group to lis- ten to Mr. Gordon. “Rusty has been through what we have been through.” Many of the volunteers know what


it is like to be jobless or to lose a job or business after 10 to 20 years of loyal employment. Mr. Kashey has an especially com-


pelling story to share. He started hav- ing panic attacks when he was 20 that lasted until he was 40. “I took menial jobs at minimum


wage because I had to be in a job where I could avoid people,” he says. His anxiety got to the point where he couldn’t leave his house. He finally broke down and prayed, and God “heaped an unbelievable level of pas- sion on me.” People share stories of devastation


in their lives made different when they let God take control, Mr. Kashey says. “The ministry is very successful.


We get emails from people that have come here for eight, nine, 10 months and then get a job. And the first thing they do is . . . send an email to Kather- ine and Jay Litton saying, ‘I just got hired and thank you so much for what you guys do.’”


Industry advice Not everyone who volunteers actu-


ally attends the Monday meetings. The industry guide program has 160 volunteers who are employed and willing to take a 15-minute phone call from anyone who wants to learn more about their company or job. “It’s not that we have jobs for you


directly, but we know that there’s a simple fact about getting a quality job which is it’s not gonna happen from sitting back and sending out résumés on a website and clicking links and emailing. It’s gonna happen through direct person-to-person contact,” says Michael DuBois, a director of infor- mation technology and one of the church members who volunteers as an industry guide. Julie Mizer couldn’t sleep at night


for worrying about the people who needed jobs and had no proper busi- ness clothes. Thus Attire for Hire, a


boutique of gently used business suits, is set up in a Sunday school classroom. “At the Attire for Hire Closet, we try


to help people in their career search to wear appropriate professional attire to their job interviews,” says Ms. Mizer. On a typical night, 15 to 20 men


and women come in looking for a par- ticular size and asking about the right thing to wear to an interview. “If we can,” Ms. Mizer adds, “we will dress them head to toe.”


‘An event’ “Every second and fourth Monday


is an event,” Mr. Litton says. Ms. Si- mons agrees. “It takes 70 pairs of feet on the ground in order to keep this running at the level we’re at today.” Over the last 10 years, it has grown to the point where up to 450 people


UMNS PHOTO BY KATHLEEN BARRY


Katherine Simons, coordinator of the career ministry at Roswell (Ga.) UMC, talks with Tyrone Griffin, who just got a job.


have come on a Monday to Roswell, looking for help. Mr. Litton says many people in the church have volunteered in this ministry for five to 11 years. “When you’re at the dinner tables


and you’re a volunteer or you’re host- ing that table of, let’s say seven or eight people, you’re now talking about Christ to seven people you’ve never met before,” Mr. Litton adds. Mr. DuBois says 11 years ago, he


and his wife were drawn to Roswell because of the strong sense of service. “What greater need is there right


now than helping the unemployed?” he asks. That works out great, Mr. Litton


says. “What’s pretty cool about United Methodists is that they want to serve.” At the end of the night, Ms. Lamp-


kin left feeling hopeful and smiling. “Tomorrow will be a better day.”


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