Making a Difference Together
Think of the word 'lawyer'. What comes to mind? Think of the words 'City lawyer in Mergers and Acquisitions'. What comes to mind? Call me prejudiced, call me duped by media propaganda but when I think of the words 'City Lawyer in Mergers and Acquisitions', I don't think calm, warm, friendly, forbearing, considerate, generous-hearted.
But that's precisely my impression of James Featherby, a City Lawyer in Mergers and Acquisitions, who, with a group of friends from a variety of jobs, has pioneered a new way of doing workplace groups - Bands. Bands may not be, and are not, for everyone but, over the last five years, the values and emphases that make a good Band rock have also led to all kinds of fruit in the lives of Band-members and their work colleagues (see the brochure with this issue of Workwise, or visit www.bandsatwork.co.uk). The Band concept began because James felt the need for a group of people who could understand the issues he faced at work, help him deal with them, and keep him focused on God's agenda for him there. He, like many of us, already had a context for Bible study and indeed for general fellowship but he felt that if he were to be really fruitful for God, he needed relationships that would spur him on in faithfulness at work. He wanted to do more than survive; he wanted to contribute to changing environments and people. He wanted to find a group of people who not only wanted to seek opportunities to share the Gospel with their colleagues, but who would want to see the values of Christ's kingdom increasingly operational in their workplaces.
Presence, Pressures, Purpose
Over six to nine months, he, Rachel Blanshard, an HR executive for an international bank, and Laurence Singlehurst, then the Director of YWAM UK, worked to develop their thinking, and found that the accountability bands that Wesley formed to help converts grow were a good starting point. A Band operates very simply. People gather - three to six or so; they pray briefly for God's presence and help; they share pressure points; they help each other discern God's purpose for each of them in the workplace; and they then pray and offer wisdom and encouragement. Very simple. No leader required. Just a facilitator who convenes the meeting and keeps it focused on the three Ps - presence, pressure and purpose. This simplicity of format is, however, only effective if the Band members share certain values - particularly, the readiness to be honest with each other about what is really going on. What counts is the quality of the relationships that grow through the Band. As such, the focus of a Band is not on the meeting, but on emerging friendships; friendships that are not merely about liking one another, but are about 'spurring one another on to love and good works', as Hebrews 10:24 puts it.
Stories Abound
And the fruit is there to see. James tells me story after story. There's Sandeep, an Asian in insurance, who'd been the butt of racist jokes and discrimination for years, but whose graciousness and humility in adversity meant that it was to him that people in trouble continually turned. Indeed, several of his colleagues have become Christians, and his Band has helped him not only deal with the racism and avoid acquiring an embittered victim mentality, but has also helped him keep focused on his evangelistic gifting. There's Kate, with responsibilities on an international basis. When the 767s piled into the Twin Towers, her company's New York office was destroyed. One week earlier her Band had been praying that she would be the eyes and hands of Jesus where she worked. With responsibility for New York as well as London, she found herself helping countless people through the trauma. There's John, a salesman, whose job was in jeopardy because he simply wasn't bringing in the work. The Band prayed for wisdom. Suddenly he saw the opportunity that he realised had been there all along. He sought senior management approval and brought it in. There's Len who works on a dealing room floor. On one occasion, the team's most commercially successfu,l but chronically foul-tempered, broker launched a barrage of abusive invective at another member of the team. Len sprang to his colleague's defence. But the question was: what should Len do about the ongoing problem? Should he go to their boss? And if so, in what manner? Actually, Len was highly reluctant to take the matter higher. However, after praying with his Band, he realised that this was what God wanted him to do, though not in a judgmental, critical spirit but rather with a compassionate heart for all concerned. His aim became not simply to stop the abusive behaviour, but to help the abusive person and thereby the whole team and the organisation they represented.
There's June, publicly downgraded from being a partner in property firm, who was helped to deal with the situation with what was indeed amazing grace. There's Graham, fresh from University, who was not in a Band, but was encouraged by knowing that there was one right there. He has started several Alpha groups. There's Iris who was financially distressed, widowed, and estranged from her daughter. She was brought by a friend to the first Band meeting. With the Band's support, her life began to come back together - she regained her confidence, was re-united with her child after 25 years and founded a business, backed by both the government and a financial institution, to deliver financial literacy counselling. She is involved on a national scale in, as James puts it, 'releasing the oppressed'.
There's Ed, who had a colleague who was stealing his clients. He shared in the Band about his anger towards that person, about the tension in the office and so on... What happened? Well, the Band helped him focus on God and His agenda. Today, his colleague doesn't steal his clients - and Ed didn't have to break his legs to achieve that result. Today, they have a very good working relationship. And there are other stories of God at work as his people support one another in their workplaces. What the Band format is clearly doing is helping people to focus on how God wants them to live, apply and share the Gospel in the situations they find themselves in.
As I listen to James, I can hear his joy in what God is doing for and through others, and I can sense his pleasure in being part of that through prayer and purposeful friendship. But I also notice he hasn't talked much about himself. Perhaps that's not so surprising; after all Bands are about helping others. Still, I ask James, "What are you asking your Band to help you with right now?" To do quality work. It's easy to take your job for granted, to go on to automatic pilot, to allow other interests to reduce the desire for excellence in the work itself. At the same time, I don't just want to be an efficient worker, I want to be open to my colleagues, to ensure that they know I see them as human beings, that I would have time for them if they wanted it. And I want to retain a sense of proportion about the job, to put work in its proper place. Lots of people lose that. The other week I was talking to a colleague who was about to retire. He said, "I just don't know what I'm going to do with my time. There's nothing else in my life." He paused and then added, "Of course, that's not the case with you, is it James?" No, indeed it isn't. James and Rachel and Laurence have launched the Band concept, and it's been supported by a whole host of workplace organisations. They aren't trying to start another organisation, sell loads of their own resources, or raise lots of money for staff. On the contrary, they and those who have invested in the development of the brochure and of the website are simply trying to offer Christians in the workplace a way to help one another fulfil their God-given calling.
Bands. Music to my ears. And maybe to yours.
"He wanted to do more than survive, he wanted to see people and environments change."
Mark Greene
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