CRISTA Processes Featured by BCWI

From Life on the Rutledge monthly enewsletter, which gives short blurbs about the ministries with which Mason is involved.  Subscribe.  You can do so by clicking here.

Just last week, the Best Christian Workplace Institute (BCWI) released a feature on processes at CRISTA Ministries. The article outlines CRISTA’s implementation of the FLOURISH Model built by BCWI.

The FLOURISH Model identifies where a workplace culture is healthy, strong or poised to improve. It influences how an organization can do even more to measurably improve the health of its workplace culture.

CRISTA had used the BCWI Staff Engagement Survey for eight years. That gave us a running start to continue to improve the health of the culture. “The survey results were affirming, because we’re an organization that works on relationships to fulfill our mission,” said Mike Cole, CRISTA’s Chief People Officer.

Read about CRISTA’s culture and BCWI’s FLOURISH Model by clicking here.

Advertisement

New CEO’s First Day on the Job

This comes from the Life on the Rutledge monthly enewsletter that gives short blurbs about the ministries with which Mason is involved.  Subscribe.  You can do so by clicking here.

January was a monumental month in the long history of CRISTA Ministries. It isn’t often that we transition between CEOs. CRISTA Ministries has only had six CEOs in its 69-year history. History was also made because we now have our first female CEO of CRISTA Ministries. On January 15, Jacinta Tegman took over the helm.

Vice Chair of the CRISTA Board, Jill Going, introduced Jacinta to the CRISTA employees the morning of her first day. It was a tremendous celebration and opportunity for Jacinta to share her vision.  You can watch the entire CEO introduction and Jacinta’s speech by clicking here.

Jacinta outlined “God’s plan for CRISTA.” She talked about her long history on the campus. How as a young teenager she worked in the laundry for just a few spending dollars. She shared the history of the campus, going back to the pre-CRISTA years, when the campus was a tuberculosis sanatorium. She talked about how this property became a place of hope in a difficult time for people being challenged and outcast by society.

Jacinta reminder the employees that while we are an organization that operates with professionalism and excellence, we are more than just an organization. “We are CRISTA Ministries,” she said, “not CRISTA Industries.”

And what does it mean to be CRISTA Ministries in this new era? Jacinta outlined four points to our common calling:

1. Serve and Love God – “Our first ministry is to Him and to be transformed by His love, mercy and grace.”
2. Serve in Mission – “We are called to serve needs. It’s as relevant in 2019 as it was 70-years ago…Ministry means service.”
3. Service to Each Other – “We must trust the potential in each of us.”
4. Service to Community and World – “Let us step into the world’s pain and make a lasting difference in Jesus name.”

It was a powerful first day on the job. In the campus’ long history – before titles, organizations or jobs – it was evident that God has been active in this place. “We don’t do the work of God,” Jacinta said. “We join in the work of God. This is a ministry to serve the needs of people with the love of God.”

“We are in the business of hope and the world is starving for it,” Jacinta concluded. “Let us be brokers of hope.”

CRISTA’s Prayer Week

This article from the Life on the Rutledge monthly enewsletter that gives short blurbs about the ministries with which Mason is involved.  Subscribe.  You can do so by clicking here.

This week is the annual Prayer Week on the CRISTA Campus and in CRISTA’s ministries around the world. Above, you can see the banner on the front of Martin Center. This week is set aside in the CRISTA calendar for designated times of prayer.

New CRISTA CEO Jacinta Tegman wrote, “As we prepare our hearts to come together in our week of prayer, it is my prayer that the Lord will open our eyes to understand His mighty protective heavenly army surrounding us… And, I pray that the Lord will grow our faith to do whatever He asks us to do knowing we are not alone in the battles we face. God is indeed with us.”

The theme for the week of prayer is “Draw Near to God.” Each day this week, the staff will gather for an hour of designated prayer for a specific ministry. This time includes prayer walks around the campus and specific prayer requests from the field. The time is rich and much needed in the challenging world of helping ministries in a hurting world.

Friday afternoon, students go home, offices close and only the most necessary of staff continue in their physical work efforts. The rest of us will gather in the auditorium for a few hours in the spiritual work of guided prayer.

We greatly value prayer in our personal lives, in our vocational work and in our organization. It is a thread through all that we do. This is simply our week to remind us of this central focus.

We want you to join us for any of our corporate times of prayer. The best time to join us would be for the Concert of Prayer on Friday afternoon in Schirmer Auditorium from 1 to 4 p.m. There are also daily prayer times. There are various times to pray for the different ministries. Shoot me an email for more information or to RSVP for any of the prayer times… mrutledge@worldconcern.org.

Please prayer for us as we focus corporately together on prayer. Thank you.