March 28, 2005 - E3: Subject Experts, Peer Training, and Baptized Brains

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E3: Subject Experts, Peer Training, and Baptized Brains
By Kevin Brown
March 28, 2005

E3 was the first business conference of its kind in the United Pentecostal Church (UPC). The purpose of the conference was precisely what its name consisted of—E3: EMPOWER, EQUIP, EXCHANGE.

Those of us who gathered in Indianapolis on March 4-5, 2005, attended with some knowledge of what we thought was “supposed” to happen, but mostly with the expectation of what something like this could potentially hold. From conversing with many others at the close of the conference, I feel safe in making the generalization that the conference very much exceeded all of our expectations.

Spirit-filled Professionals
The conference attendees were various professionals and business owners from across the United States. Attorneys, counselors, social workers, educators, engineers and doctors were just some of the professions represented.

E3’s schedule consisted of an opening dinner banquet on Friday with keynote speaker Mike Williams, pastor in Apopka, Florida. He brought into focus the purpose of the entire conference as he spoke about the age in which we live where the usually-derogatory phrase “professional Pentecostal” was now being outshined by those of us who are “Pentecostal professionals.” Today is a different day and time from our forefathers, where it is now more common for Pentecostals to pursue academic and professional careers while at the same time holding tight to biblical truths. Those of us who find ourselves in this situation have a unique opportunity to spread the gospel to those who have for so long been “uninterested” in what religion has to offer, mainly because there were so few that could reach them on their level. Williams concluded with this thought: “sanctified ambition and baptized brains are the currency that God uses to make His Kingdom work.” A time for meeting/networking was built-in at the end of the banquet.

Saturday’s schedule was packed full of both general and profession-specific sessions. We heard from Bryan Stevenson, Representative, Missouri State Legislature, who attends a UPC church in his hometown of Joplin, MO. We also heard from John Larson, one of the key leaders and business professionals who attends Christian Life Center in Stockton, CA. In the breakout sessions, we heard from speakers who were experts in the following fields: asset protection/retirement planning, intellectual property rights and inventions, grant writing, book writing, business administration, and how to start your own business.

The luncheon that took place on Saturday afternoon was absolutely tremendous. The speaker was Jim Smith, who has attended Bro. Jim Dillon’s church in Mississippi for many years. What makes Smith unique is that he also currently serves as Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court. Needless to say, he was a dynamic speaker who reminded us of “the power of professionals for the Kingdom.”

After lunch, we broke out into various professional groups to brainstorm ways that we could be more effective in networking with other professionals within the UPC. A Pentecostal Medical Association has already been formed, as well as a general association for all business professionals called “The King’s Business Association” (www.kingsbusiness.org). Furthermore, a National Apostolic Business & Professional Directory will be published in spring 2005. The conference concluded with a general session focusing on “professional’s personal evangelism,” where we were challenged to activate God’s Spirit within us so that we would be more effective witnesses in whatever profession or business God had placed us.

Some Obvious Highlights
Several things stood out to me as I attended the conference:

■ First of all, I was thankful that something of this nature was actually planned and executed. E3 was organized by the Stewardship Department of the UPCI, directed by its visionary leader Bro. Stephen Drury. The meeting was conducted professionally, with a strict schedule which also included times for singing/worship, but did not detract from the purpose of the meeting. It was encouraging to see, meet, and interact with other professionals who share the same goals in reaching certain levels of success and then utilize that success to propagate the gospel in whatever way you can.

■ I was impressed by the quality of the speakers and thus the quality of the sessions they taught. These were individuals who had been successfully living what they were teaching. I had no idea that there was a Holy-Ghost filled State Rep in Missouri or that the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi was (by his own confession) an aisle-running, foot-stomping, Apostolic Pentecostal. Having been exposed to a group of this caliber not only encouraged me as an individual, but it also let me know that God desires to use His people to be great influencers in the world today.

In conclusion, I have two regrets from the conference. I wish there would have been more time (an additional day) to get even deeper into the subjects discussed. The other regret is that I wish all of the other Pentecostal professionals across this fellowship could have been there to witness men/women/youth of like precious faith sharing testimonies as well as their desires to see God take them to the next level, both in their ability to serve their profession as well as the Great Commission.

(Editor’s Note: The next E3 will occur on March 3-4, 2006 in Indianapolis, Indiana.)

ninetyandnine.com

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Kevin Brown is a member of New Life Pentecostal Church in Bridgeton, MO. He is a partner and cofounder of four businesses operating in both Missouri and Ohio. He is also father to two beautiful girls. (Credit for the beautiful girls goes to his wife of 7 1/2 years, Joy.)