So, want to be a Barnabas?

"Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "Son of Encouragement"), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet" in Acts 4:36-37.

Barnabas was an ordinary "Joe" (literally), whose name pops up 25 times in Acts, usually alongside Paul, and always taking action. In San Diego, "ordinary Joe" business leaders are forming "The Barnabas Group" to come alongside ministries and encourage them with their time, talent, and treasure.

Patterned after a group by the same name in Orange County, they will hear presentations by 4-5 ministries at their first meeting in May. Each ministry has been asked to articulate a specific need or problem. It might be for marketing, strategic planning help, or advice in solving some other dilemma. Then the large group will split up into smaller groups and these business leaders will help tackle the problem.

Don Schoendorfer, an MIT-educated engineer, came to the Orange County Barnabas Group needing some business minds to help fulfill his vision. ≥I came to the Barnabas Group with this idea of making wheelchairs out of lawn-chairs, and at that time we had only distributed 100 of these wheelchairs.≤ Since then, largely through help from the Barnabas group, they have distributed over 300,000 free wheelchairs.

≥The Barnabas group has had a huge impact on the free wheelchair mission, from funding the first container of wheelchairs, to marketing, strategic positioning, board members, donors, shipping, distribution, — you name it, Barnabas Group has moved Free Wheelchair Mission along,≤ said Brett Trowbridge, CEO of the Free Wheelchair Mission,

In fact, the Orange County Barnabas Group has been an incredible success. Seats to their quarterly meeting are ≥sold out≤ weeks ahead of time. The 200 kingdom-minded, entrepreneurial business people who participate have become involved in hundreds of ministries. Too many to list them all, they include ministries as diverse as Acres of Love (rescues AIDS orphans in Africa) and Global Media Outreach (Internet ministry).

Walt Wilson, chairman and founder of Global Media Outreach, is enthusiastic in describing the support his ministry has received: ≥We reach somebody with the gospel every three secondsä without these executives in the Barnabas Group, we would not be where we are today. They have brought to us financial advice; they have put together events for us. We have seen 1.1 million decisions so far this year.≤

The ministries are not the only beneficiaries of growth and encouragement. These ≥Barnabasπ≤ (Barnabii?) also are ecstatic to be able to leverage their God-given skills, talents, and resources. Bob Shank, CEO of The Masterπs Program, and co-founder of the Barnabas Group, likens it to a biblical chemical reaction: ≥When you can bring people together who understand the big picture and have embraced the biblical concepts of stewardship and leadership and the idea that a hundred times as much is possible, if they can just get exposed to the right opportunities, that becomes a catalytic momentä.the Barnabas Group is an explosive movement of Kingdom leaders. The place you want to be right now is in the middle of that movement.≤

According to Jim West, executive director and another co-founder, personal growth fits into their mission. ≥My goal for each Barnabas Group member is to see them through the Barnabas Group draw closer to God as they use the gifts and talents that God has given them.≤

The first quarterly meeting of the San Diego Barnabas Group will be May 6 at Morgan Run Resort in Rancho Santa Fe, 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information about the Barnabas Group or to attend the May 6 meeting, contact Jim Peevey at (760) 438-7500, ext. 115, or Jim West at (949) 481-6759. Or go to www.BarnabasGroup.org.

o

Bill Smith of Escondido attends Emmanuel Faith Community Church and works in Rancho Bernardo as an investment advisor.