An Emmanuel Story: Integrating Faith With Daily Life

Lisa has been a member at Emmanuel for many years, getting married here to her husband John on March 13, 2010. Three baptisms of grandchildren at Emmanuel soon followed. Even though their permanent residence is in Naples, Lisa and John travel around the country to promote their many business interests.  Emmanuel is a home base for Lisa, a calm sanctuary within a busy life.

Lisa’s faith has always been a central part of her life.  Professionally, her passions have centered around business and economics.  Until she came to Emmanuel, however, all these passions were separated from each other.  Sunday and Monday were divorced, so to speak.  Each was important in its own right, but the links between her faith and her economic interests were weak.

The connections were made for Lisa in powerful ways when a new educational program was initiated at Emmanuel on “faith, vocation and economics.”  When Lisa heard about the new classes, she was all in.  She attended the classes and then participated in the two micro-lending retreats in 2018 and 2019.  These microlending retreats lasted a whole day, emphasized the link between faith and economics through Bible studies, and taught five methods for extending micro loans as a congregation. Then the retreat participants got to practice what they had learned. Emmanuel members, including Lisa, interviewed possible candidates for the loans.  By the end of the retreat, decisions were made, and loans extended.

God transformed Lisa’s life through these experiences.  She can now integrate her faith with her daily life in new and meaningful ways.  And the relationships that have emerged from these retreats (especially with Janice, the Garlic Boss, one of the loan recipients) has moved Lisa deeply. As Lisa confirms, “These kinds of relationships don’t happen often in life.”

Integrating faith with daily life is what discipleship is all about.  For this gift Lisa is grateful to God and to the Emmanuel community.