Praying on the job
By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Religion & Ethics Writer
Margo Powell has an interesting way of spreading the word about God. First, she sells bikinis.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
Come again?
A group of real estate people prefer to gather at a Hawai'i Kai home rather than at work for a noon prayer and Bible study. Left to right: Roberta Lutjen, Gayle Hirai, Loling Johnson, Joanna Myers, Cherie Tsukamoto and Phyllis Young begin with a prayer.
"I can only say, I think the audience was to be young women I could talk to about making righteous choices in their lives," said the member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has a cute little Waikiki shop, Bikinis & Things, on Monsarrat, which stocks surf shorts, Ts, dresses and yes, even thongs, though her church advises women to dress modestly — and preferably in one-piece swimsuits.
Powell keeps a picture on a shelf of the figure who she believes really moves the merchandise: Jesus Christ.
She and many others, in Hawai'i and nationwide, don't check their religion at the door when their workday begins. The effervescent Powell and others like her — many of them enthusiastic Christians — say they don't separate their faith from their jobs, and are compelled to evangelize wherever they can.
On O'ahu, prayer meetings are happening in law firms, real estate agents meet for Bible studies and auto body repairmen hold faith group meetings. Spreading faith at work seems to also be playing out on a national field, too. According to a Gannett News Service story, more companies are finding ways to let their workers blend work and faith, and not just Christianity.
Experts say the movement is being driven by the diversity of today's work force, the increasing hours spent on the job and employees' desire to express their beliefs. Companies are moving away from blanket solutions that might not suit every worker — such as granting specific days off — to more subtle accommodations, like prayer rooms and use of company computer networks for faith groups.
Large companies like Intel Corp. and Coca-Cola Co. provide space for workplace Bible classes, as well as Muslim and Christian groups.
Real estate agents who meet weekly in O'ahu say they're seeing more evangelizing. And the Rev. Al Bloom, a former fundamentalist Christian minister and now a Buddhist and professor emeritus of religion at the University of Hawai'i, agrees.
"Overall, evangelism is up, though mostly in the public arena," said Bloom.
However, he said, that may not be the case in the Buddhist community, where members are generally reticent to reach out and introduce their faith to people they don't know.
"It's a principle of Mahayana Buddhism to share the teaching, but there's a respect for other's beliefs, too," Bloom said. "It's never a question of insisting." He added that some newer Buddhist groups, like the Soka Gakkai, are more "activistic."
'Yahweh sisterhood'
Some companies go out of the way to cater to employees' spiritual needs. An article in St. Anthony Messenger magazine notes there are more than 250 full-time, on-site company chaplains in 37 states, and even Ford Motor Co. and Northrop Grumman Corp. offer on-site opportunities for faith-based activities on the job.
Powell
At East Oahu Realty, up to 13 agents gather Wednesdays for Bible study at lunchtime, led by Cheri Tsukamoto, who picks study materials.
They call themselves the "Yahweh Sisterhood."
Last Wednesday, at Roberta Lutjen's marina-front home, a group of eight women gathered on the back patio by the pool and opened their bibles to discuss donning the armor of God, this week's topic.
While others may be working the phones or setting up open houses, this is their time to get centered, to "fellowship," as they say in Christian circles.
They don't meet at work in a conference room for several reasons, the biggest one being space. But "it would not work" to have a meeting at the office, said Joanna Myers, as others nodded. The intercom might send out someone's name, or they might get interrupted.
But the women — who come from a variety of Christian backgrounds, from evangelical to charismatic to Catholic — incorporate God into their lives, including their work lives. They said they regularly pray among themselves, or silently.
That mirrors Wendell Elento's practice at Xerox, where he's in new business development.
"I'm discreet; I pray with my eyes open" said the sales representative.
Elento came from a pastor's job at Hope Chapel, and struggled his first year at Xerox. That is, until he made God a personal commitment: "I ensure you can accomplish yours." In other words, he put himself in God's service.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
When he arrived early for work, he'd sing worship songs on his guitar, and then grew get bolder. He'd ask people if they wanted his prayers. He even took one curious customer with him to see "Passion of the Christ" last year.
Real estate woman Phyllis Young follows a Bible passage during a noon Bible study group with fellow workers at a Hawai'i Kai home.
It doesn't always sit well, Elento knows. One manager caught wind of him asking a customer if she wanted him to pray for her and called him on the carpet.
Elento said he is always respectful and takes no for an answer, but he sees it as responding to others' interest in his faith: "If I'm asked a question (about my faith), I will answer," said the former naval officer.
In today's separation-of-church-and-state world, the lines blur when it comes to separation-of-church-and-workplace rules, especially in smaller workplaces.
While laws protect workers from religious discrimination and mandate federal holidays like Christmas, there is little guidance on whether cubicle nativity scenes and the like are acceptable, GNS has reported. Generally, labor attorneys advise firms to provide reasonable accommodation for an employee's religious needs unless it creates an undue hardship on the business.
"Amen!" That's what Bill McPeek, the co-director of deacon formation for the Honolulu diocese, said when he heard these common-sense do's and don't's for spreading the word at work. • Don't proselytize a vulnerable co-worker or tout the "superiority" of your faith. Ask yourself: Would you want to be badgered by someone who thinks he or she has "just what you need"? • Don't take a holier-than-thou attitude or fashion a self-serving humility. Feigned modesty is as obnoxious as artful conceit. • Don't get argumentative or confrontational. Save your theological discussions for private conversations in appropriate settings. • Do respect other faith traditions. • Do listen to and be supportive of those who are obviously stressed. The workplace can test your emotional and mental strength. Sometimes active listening provides a spiritual oasis for the weary. • Do speak up against injustice and insults. Unkind and prejudicial comments poison the atmosphere of those who work together. • Do respond to those who ask you to "give the reason for the hope that you have, but with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). A time may come when someone who trusts you wants to know what makes you tick. • Do take time to quietly pray for a co-worker's sick child, troubled marriage or personal loss. s
Large companies that are publicly traded are required to have specific ethical codes and guidelines.
Faith at work
First Hawaiian Bank's standards of conduct and business ethics, for example, state that a workplace should "be free of harassment" and has prohibitions against soliciting contributions and distributing written or printed material not related to work.
But individually-owned businesses will set their own guidelines. Powell, for example, may talk enthusiastically of her beliefs to customers, letting her assessment of her conversation partner's comfort level decide whether she approaches them or not.
Be good example
There are limits to the value of integrating religion and business, some observers say. For example: What happens when people assume that because you're of one faith, you must be a great business partner?
Valerie Koenig of Business Plans Hawaii, a consultant who specializes in writing business plans, has seen more than one case in which church members join forces for a partnership, only to see a messy breakup later.
"Religion is not a good basis for forming a business relationship," she said.
Then comes the problem of assuming everyone shares your religion.
Eric Abdullateef, an economic development specialist at DBEDT, recalls the time he told a red-and-green bedecked coworker in the elevator "Seasons greetings!" She asked the Muslim, who has worked for 15 years in Hawai'i, why he didn't just say "Merry Christmas"?
He tells the story with a sigh, even though he's "cool" with people sharing their diverse cultures in Hawai'i's melting pot.
"Generally, there are clear-cut things that aren't appropriate (in the workplace)," said Abdullateef. He used an example of people setting up the Web server to send e-mail soliciting funds for their church. "But a lot of things happen offline."
Bill McPeek teaches Roman Catholic deacons how to mesh their workaday world with their faith.
An individual knows when it's right to say something, he said: "The spirit just has to move you. ... Proselytizing is definitely a no-no, but you can tell when people are in need. They'll come and ask."
Believers will strive to be good examples where they labor daily, he said.
"There are many ways of evangelizing," McPeek said, "not necessarily going door to door."
It's following the law of attraction rather than promotion.
"By the type of life you live, people are going to know and see the spirit in you, the smile on our face, the attitude you have," McPeek said. "These show people the faith life you live."
Reach Mary Kaye Ritz at mritz@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8035.
