Master electrician Jim Ingram left full-time work about eight years ago. In good health at 73, Ingram said using his mechanical gifts to help others is one way he can serve the Lord.
“I want to continue … asking the Lord, ‘What can we do today to build the kingdom of God?’”
For Ingram, a parishioner of Mary, Mother of the Church in Burnsville, the answer includes involvement in Christians in Commerce, a national organization with two chapters in Minnesota that provides fraternity, a faith-filled focus, resources for workers — and value to retirees.
Ingram said the wisdom and knowledge he has accumulated over the years is valuable to helping younger people in a group like Christians in Commerce, no matter if they are working in an office or a blue-collar trade.
Even in retirement, there’s still so much that older people can contribute to the group. “It’s the perspective I bring,” he said.
People tend to compartmentalize their lives and leave faith at the door, said Steve Becker, 74, a member of Christians in Commerce’s executive committee and also a parishioner of Mary, Mother of the Church.
Based in Minneapolis, Christians in Commerce tries to break down that silo by promoting the workplace as yet another place to live out faith, integrity and excellence that glorifies God, he said.
Founded in 1983 with three chapters in Minneapolis, Phoenix and South Bend, Indiana, the organization welcomes people from any Christian denomination, but most of its members are Catholic, Becker said.
Currently, more than 50 people are involved in the Minneapolis and Duluth chapters; nationwide, 800 to 1,000 people participate in more than 30 chapters and small groups. Members attend chapter meetings held weekly or twice a month, small group meetings usually held weekly (all now virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic), weekend retreats and an annual, national conference.
The organization recently launched a national initiative called WorkLight, designed to help unite Christians as the light of Christ in their workplaces.
“We do this … by encouraging and supporting Christians of all occupations, traditions and positions with practical, on-demand resources that are adaptable and free,” said Becker, a retired advertising and marketing executive.
A website, worklight.org, helps fuel the effort with a video library of inspiring stories, testimonies and “first-hand accounts of God at work.” It includes podcasts, a blog, monthly newsletter, a link for emailed reflections and more.
Almost all members of Christians in Commerce stay involved, even in retirement, Becker said, because of fellowship and friendships.
“We’d also like to see them engage in reaching out to the next generation, and that is what WorkLight is designed to do,” he said.
“It’s been exciting to work with younger men and women who are serious about living their faith 24/7,” added. He says the organization’s membership combines youthful, fresh enthusiasm with those with a more “weathered” walk of faith.
At 68, John Daly of St. Bonaventure in Bloomington has been involved with Christians in Commerce for exactly half his life. He is grateful he found it at an early age.
“We talk about how we can be Christ in our workplace,” Daly said. “But … not just the workplace, really 24/7. … It’s had an impact on my formation as a Christian.”
A retired attorney, Daly said many retirees miss the collegiality of being with coworkers, but his retirement has been great because he still has his colleagues at Christians in Commerce.
“One of the guys in my (small) group … retired two or three years before me. So what a wonderful thing to have in a mentor,” Daly said.
They talk about prayer and pray for each other’s needs. “It’s a very consistent way of plugging in to people who … value living the life of Christ (and) challenging each other to continue it,” he said.
God is counting on Christians to be his representatives, said Diane McGinty, 75, who belongs to a chapter in Gilroy, California.
“Seeing your job as more than the tasks you do to earn a paycheck changes everything,” said McGinty, a retired financial planner. “Part of being a Christian is building relationships of love and trust with the people in our lives, and this … changes the atmosphere of the workplace and makes work more satisfying.”
“We’re supposed to bring this hope and new life, … this life of Christ to other people,” she added.
Member Ginny DeSanto, 64, of Annunciation in Minneapolis said when she graduated from college, she didn’t look at a vocation as a gift from God and a way to bring Christ to the workplace. Since joining Christians in Commerce, that has changed.
She and her husband, Will, 74, work together as independent health and life insurance agents. Will said he sees Christians in Commerce benefitting its retired members, too.
“The desire to accept Jesus as your Lord and savior and live in the power of the Holy Spirit in your retirement years can change your life to be more fully alive,” he said.
