Small company, big mission

Interview/Pan Xiaomei

uninvited guest

It was cold and rainy in spring, and an uninvited guest appeared at the door of the company. This man was about fifty years old, tall and tall. He used a big black garbage bag to protect himself from the rain, and another big black garbage bag to wrap his belongings. He was covered in rain stains and looked very embarrassed. In Southern California, where everyone drives, he had come all the way from a bus stop. If he hadn't been wearing simple clothes that were relatively neat, people would have suspected him of being a homeless man.

Matteo (pseudonym) explained his intention. He had relevant industry experience and was here to apply for a job. He honestly explained that he had just been released from prison on parole, was still living in a halfway house, and had spent several months looking for a job. He has been reborn in prison and repented. Now he has nothing and only wants the minimum wage. Please give the boss a chance. He will definitely perform well and let the boss never regret it.

What would you do if you were the boss?

Since you are on parole, why don't you refuse first? Or should we not refuse for now and give it some thought?

Shepherd's Heart

Elder Chen Xinyan acquired this plastic parts company about ten years ago. It is a small and medium-sized manufacturing company with more than 20 employees. Production line employees generally have low academic qualifications and struggle to survive at the bottom of society. Problems such as drug addiction, broken families, and financial difficulties are very common. When running a business, Chen Xinyan often thinks of what is said in Mark Chapter 6:

"When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd... Jesus said (to his disciples), Give them something to eat."

After praying with his wife, Wenju, he decided to try Mateo. On the one hand, rents in Southern California are rising steadily, and grassroots employees are gradually moving out of state, often resulting in a shortage of manpower, which really requires the productivity of more hands; on the other hand, since Matteo claims to have been reborn and saved, Chen Xinyan and his wife feel that they should Give him a chance.

In this way, Chen Xinyan not only hired Matteo, but also asked him to advance his salary before starting work so that he could buy a bicycle so that he could ride to and from the bus station. He also granted him leave so that he could meet with the parole officer regularly and participate in mid-way meetings. Various training courses at home.

▲Matteo, who is on parole, comes to apply for a job. How should boss Chen Xinyan decide? By common sense or by faith?

Pray for employees

After Matteo started working, the company learned that he had a criminal record of sexually assaulting a minor. In Southern California, where law enforcement is strict, Matteo wears electronic shackles so that parole officers can track his whereabouts; his name and photo are also on the sexual assault list.

Although Matteo works hard and performs well, most of the workers on the production line are female. After they learned about Matteo's "past", their faces turned pale, and they all expressed that they were very scared and did not want to work with him.

What would you do if you were the boss?

Protect most employees and fire for feared sexual assault? Or should we try our best to communicate and strengthen management so that he can stay on?

Accompanied by Chen Xinyan, Matteo explained his crime to other employees sincerely and clearly, and also made the parole officer's contact information public so that everyone could call for details. It turned out that he and his stepdaughter took drugs together when they were young and vigorous, and the two of them made a big mistake under the influence of the drugs. Although the stepdaughter volunteered at the time, Mateo was still sentenced to serve a heavy sentence because she was underage.

After getting the employees' understanding, Chen Xinyan assigned Matteo to the morning shift, a period when there were the fewest female workers, and he was supervised by a male supervisor. In addition, he also paid special attention to the interaction between Matteo and other workers. Matteo is cheerful by nature and loves to chat and joke with his colleagues. Chen Xinyan discovered that his relationship with a single mother was getting better and better, so he personally talked to Matteo alone, and also asked his wife to talk to female employees alone, hoping that they could keep their distance. Because this single mother has minor children, and Matteo's parole conditions include no contact with minors.

The general manager of the company where Chen Xinyan worked in Chicago in his early years was a devout Christian. During the eight years they worked together, the two spent half an hour praying for the company every morning before going to work. He could never forget that the general manager prayed every day for the safety of workers and that they would not be injured. In eight years, the business expanded four to five times. Following the example of the general manager, Chen Xinyan, the company's patriarch, often prays for Matteo and other workers, asking God to personally watch over and protect each of them.

god's pineapple garden

Matteo finally finished his training and graduated from the halfway house!

This was supposed to be a happy event, but it was actually very difficult. According to the rules, Matteo cannot live or stay near schools, parks and other places where minors gather. Within the commuting range of the company, there are only a few areas with higher rents. Based on his salary, he simply cannot afford it, so he begged salary increase.

Another day, Matteo heard from his colleagues that a certain restaurant was delicious, so he went around to try something new. Unexpectedly, he accidentally entered a restricted area and violated his parole.

What would you do if you were the boss?

After three long sighs, he felt that he was worthy of God, so let him ask for his own blessings! Or, walk one more mile with him?

The company is a profit-making enterprise, not a charity. Chen Xinyan has always followed good business practices when making personnel decisions. Although he cares about his employees and provides convenience to others, he also strives to make rewards and punishments clear and does not act like a bad person. Because if employees are not managed well, it will affect the company's profits and cause all employees to suffer losses. After weighing Matteo's work performance and attitude, Chen Xinyan decided to give him a salary increase so that he could afford the rent. He also discussed with a lawyer to help him tide over the difficulties again.

Chen Xinyan attended a lecture on truth, goodness and beauty at the Pei Kei Institute of Education in the past and heard the testimony of Pineapple Garden. A missionary cultivated a pineapple orchard in the jungle, and it was very hard to plant and take care of it. Three years later, the pineapples finally matured, but were stolen one by one by local residents. The missionaries tried every means they could, including reasoning with neighbors and villagers, intimidating them to stop providing supplies and medicines, and even raising a big wolf dog to guard the garden, but nothing worked.

Finally, the missionary thought better of it and decided to dedicate the pineapple garden entirely to God. The residents felt strange and asked him why he was not angry anymore. He said, "I have given the pineapple garden to God!" They were shocked and begged him to take the pineapple garden back to God. It turns out that after they recently stole pineapples, they couldn't catch prey, couldn't catch fish, their children got sick, and everything they did didn't go well. Since then, more and more people in the area have believed in the Lord, and the ministry has made rapid progress.

Chen Xinyan made up his mind in the lecture to dedicate his career completely to God. While pursuing profits and following good business management principles, he dare not forget that his company is actually God's "pineapple garden."

▲Chen Xinyan dedicated his business to become God’s “pineapple garden.”

The workplace is the workplace

Matteo is very good at the production line and learns quickly and well. What's even more rare is that he doesn't hide his secrets at all. He generously teaches other workers all the techniques he knows, mainly because he is worried about inadvertently violating strict parole. Regulations, he was thrown back into prison at any time and his craft was lost. In order to repay his boss Chen Xinyan's kindness, Matteo set a goal to train all workers so that the production line can operate as usual even if he is not around.

Affected by the new coronavirus, a very experienced technician in the company was afraid to work for several months. If Matteo had not taken over, no one could take his place, and orders would not be shipped on time, which would greatly affect the business. Now, not only is no one afraid of Matteo, he is also the most popular employee in the company. He always smiles and is diligent and serious. The clothes he wears most often are printed with a big red cross, which says: "I am no longer the one alive now."

For more than two years, Matteo has worked hard for the company and solved many problems. Chen Xinyan believes from the bottom of his heart that he is really an angel sent by God.

Chen Xinyan has participated in many outreach ministries in the past, missionary work in China and East Asia, and taught courses on entrepreneurship and workplace missions. In recent years, I have felt deeply that the burden given by God is the people around me, so I have examined myself within the scope of my work, whether I am perfect before God? Do you serve and take good care of the workers God has entrusted to you?

Chen Xinyan got to know the workers deeply and established relationships with them. He found that simply helping them solve one problem after another was like giving them fish to eat. In the end, he had to teach them how to fish. Unless Jesus is in their lives, similar problems will just keep repeating themselves. So he donated his travel expenses and hired a familiar pastor to go to the company every week to read the Bible and pray with the employees. The pastors and team members are of the same ethnicity as the employees and can converse in their native languages. The meeting time is set at the handover of the morning and evening shifts. If employees are willing to leave later or arrive earlier, they can participate in the meeting.

Since Matteo was released from prison, five of the churches he has visited have advised him to leave after learning about his background. This small fellowship is his only church. Another beneficiary of the employee fellowship went to a drug rehabilitation center under the illumination of the truth. He not only admitted his drug addiction, but was also willing to quit.

Small company, big mission

Elder Chen Xinyan did not deliberately plan to use the Great Commission as the company’s goal at first. He simply saw God’s love and was willing to use his own resources and status to love these workers. With love as the goal, the company happens to achieve the great mission; and when employees feel the boss's sincere care, they are more cohesive and loyal. Of course, this kind of service does not necessarily mean a happy ending. There are also employees who take drugs, engage in favoritism, have extramarital affairs with subordinates, and eventually leave their jobs or are fired. The Chinese are smart and hard-working and run small and medium-sized enterprises in every corner of the world. Different enterprises serve different objects, are at different stages, are moved by different people, and have different callings and burdens. However, no matter how big or small a company is, they are all instruments that can demonstrate the power and love of God. While they are faithful in small things, they also accomplish great things for God.

For owners who still don’t know where to start, Chen Xinyan encourages them to fully dedicate their business to God’s “pineapple garden” and pray for their employees often. Because running a business requires so many favorable circumstances and people, only God can control it. For property owners who are already on this road, Elder Chen shared that according to the Book of Kings, God “left for Himself seven thousand among the Israelites, who had not bowed their knee to Baal.” Christian entrepreneurs are not alone on this path and would like to encourage each other.

Further reading and related resources

Marketplace Chaplains (https://mchapusa.com/), just like military chaplains in the military and hospital chaplains, Marketplace Chaplains’ workplace chaplains care for employees and their families, provide services in multiple languages at reasonable prices, and can be a reference for small and medium-sized enterprise owners in the United States.

International True Love Family Association ( http://www.familykeeperss.org/) True Love’s family and workplace ministry equips church believers to live a beautiful testimony amidst today’s challenges at home and in the workplace.

<God is the biggest boss〉，《神國》雜誌37期人才單元。

<忠心良善，僕人心態〉，《真愛》雜誌71 期。

Dr. Chen XinyanBorn in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, he received a doctorate in industrial technology from Iowa, USA. He now lives in Southern California and runs companies in the import and export and plastics industries. He serves enthusiastically and has served as a church elder. He has been responsible for Sunday school education ministries for many years. He is the person in charge of workplace and family ministries of the American True Love Family Association.

Pan Xiaomei, an accountant from Taiwan, currently works in the legal and regulatory department of the Southern California electric power industry, and also serves as a member of the school district’s legal policy committee.