Ed Schwind, CEO of QED Embedded of Fargo, works on an electrical component for a client. (Paul Braun | New Earth)
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In the steps of St. Joseph the Worker… witnessing our faith in the workplace Evangelization doesn’t stop at the doors of the church By Paul Braun
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e spend a great deal of our lives, eight hours a day or more, at our workplace, whether in an office setting, a jobsite, on the farm, or behind the wheel. That’s a lot of time spent interacting with others. What if we as Catholics made a conscious effort in that time to try to be a witness for others to our faith? At the Convocation of Parish Leaders held in Fargo Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 2018, the message was clear that evangelization doesn’t end at the door of the church. We must be missionary disciples in our homes and in our daily lives, living our faith to all we come across. Does that also include at work? “Absolutely,” said Father Patrick Parks, Parochial Vicar at St. James Basilica in Jamestown. Before entering seminary, Father Parks worked in the corporate world. He says there are many opportunities to be a witness to your faith in the workplace regardless of your postion. “If your company allows, consider putting a crucifix or a picture of Jesus on your desk,” said Father Parks. “Maybe that will invite others to speak with you about God. If not, pray on your way into work, ‘Lord use me as an instrument of your grace,’ or say a prayer while at your desk or workplace. You can carry yourself in a positive way by doing your job the best 12
NEW EARTH FEBRUARY 2019
you can, smiling at people and treating everybody with love.” Ed Schwind is Catholic and a business owner in Fargo. His company, QED Embedded, is an electronics design and consulting firm with several major clients. Although he doesn’t go out of his way to evangelize on the job, Schwind says being a good person on the job can be witness enough. “I don’t speak to my employees specifically about my faith,” said Schwind. “I think all of my employees know that I’m a man of faith. I talk about my kids in Catholic school and what I heard in church on Sunday, but it’s really never preaching. If I do any preaching I try to do it more in my actions than anything else. I’m not afraid to talk about my faith, but I don’t put it in peoples’ faces. Like at home I try to witness my faith to my children by putting a good example out there for what a man of faith looks like and how I treat my wife. It’s the same thing at work with my employees. I try to treat them the way they should be treated as a human being.” Father Parks agrees. “This is especially true for supervisors,” he said. “Letting your people know you care about them and what’s happening in their lives as a servant-leader really makes a big difference. As a servant-leader, God is with you. God is working with you to allow people to see him in you in the way
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