| You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. – Hebrews 10:36 (NIV) |
Since 2004, the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community has held a live, in-person international Christian business event every year in the United States (US) called Nehemiah Week. However, 2019 was the last year we held Nehemiah Week in the United States as a live, in-person event due to COVID-19.
Since then, Nehemiah Week has been held virtually every year. It began as a pivot because of the pandemic, but it became so effective in terms of cost and impact that we adopted the virtual model as a standard.
Biblical Entrepreneurs outside of the United States request US-based live physical event
Each year since COVID-19, we continue to receive requests from our international partners and entrepreneurship community members for us to return Nehemiah Week to a live, in-person event. This is because it was their one opportunity each year to visit the US and learn from the Biblical Entrepreneurs from the US as well as around the world.
After much prayer and discussion, we concluded that though we could not bring Nehemiah Week back as a live event, we could test another model that may be more cost-effective and even more impactful. We created the Annual Kingdom Business Tour and Best Practice Conference, with the first one held in Orlando, Florida, hosted by the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community Center in Orlando.
Kingdom Business Tour – March 27th – 29th
Biblical Entrepreneurs from Kenya and Congo, Africa began to arrive in the US the week before, visiting other US cities on their way to Orlando. If you are going to fly over 13 hours to another country, you might as well tag other essential visits to increase your return on investment. Attendees began to land in Orlando on Saturday, and by Tuesday, March 28th, all had landed, including those from Mexico.
The tour began on Monday (March 27th) with a visit to two businesses; GA Repple and Company, and AndCo.
GA Repple and Company is a Christian broker-dealer and investor adviser licensed in all 50 states that provides investment advice, retirement planning, asset management, biblically responsible investing, insurance peace of mind, generational wealth distribution, tax planning, and charitable planning.
AndCo Consulting is an independent, SEC-registered institutional investment consulting firm that serves as a fiduciary to institutional funds, without exception or caveat, while assisting and guiding them in making important investment and plan design decisions.
On Tuesday (March 28th), we visited A&P International, Good Life TV 45, and Allyz Auto.
A & P International, Inc – a transformational business development and consulting Minority Business Enterprise (MBE), that serves the Supplier Diversity Community. A & P assesses and develops Diverse Suppliers through one-on-one and/or group business coaching and equips them to become pre-qualified providers of products and services for their corporate and government clients. They also operate the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community Center in Orlando.
Good Life TV 45 provides local, national, and international television ministry content to the greater Orlando metro. Their vision is to deliver relevant, inspiring, and life-changing broadcast programming to Central Florida. They are a safe, Christ-affirming channel for families and individuals who want an uplifting entertainment experience. Their mission is to share Christ in compelling ways.
Allyz Auto is a pro-consumer, pro-fairness auto collision state-of-the-art facility located in Orlando, Florida that focuses on repairing vehicles by following strict manufacturers’ repair procedures. Allyz’s vision is to develop a network of pro-consumer, pro-fairness companies to show that there is a better way. Allyz is committed to disrupting the insurance service provider industry to benefit the consumer and their teams through Transformational Leadership Kingdom Principles.
On Wednesday (March 29th), we visited Timothy Plan and The Hope Church.
Timothy Plan is a family of award-winning, faith-based mutual funds that exist to help advisors and investors achieve their financial goals through a pro-life, pro-family approach to investing, not only to benefit the investor but the broader culture. They are firmly committed to running a mutual fund company with the integrity, excellence, and wisdom that brings honor and glory to the Lord Jesus.
Timothy Plan is a family of award-winning, faith-based mutual funds that exist to help advisors and investors achieve their financial goals through a pro-life, pro-family approach to investing, not only to benefit the investor but the broader culture. They are firmly committed to running a mutual fund company with the integrity, excellence, and wisdom that brings honor and glory to the Lord Jesus.
All these organizations were led by Biblical Entrepreneurs. The tour gave the Biblical Entrepreneurs visiting a first-hand look at the best practice tools and principles that these leaders are using to build their companies. They learned about the value of servant leadership, how to transition to the next generation, building a team and Kingdom culture, the importance of developing standard operating procedures, and integrating faith and biblical principles into the day-to-day operation of the business.
All felt that the tours exceeded their expectations. They appreciated the openness and transparency shown by these businesses. It is one thing to learn from courses, coaches and events on how to build a Kingdom company; yet it is another thing altogether to see and hear first hand from Biblical Entrepreneurs and their teams on how they are operating their companies with excellence. This was a practical hands-on class and coaching experience.
Connect Meetings
Connect meetings are opportunities for Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community members to connect with each other through a time of networking and fellowship. We held a connect meeting on the last evening of the Kingdom Business Tour and the day before the Best Practice Conference (March 29th).
This was an opportunity for our international members to connect with the local Biblical Entrepreneurs and for the local Biblical Entrepreneurs to hear about the impact that the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community is having in other countries. About 64 members and guests were at the event.
We got a chance to hear about the impact that Frank Kitonga is having in Kenya through the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community Center in Nairobi and the opportunities for investment in Africa. Bishop Wiggins, our host, shared his vision and the impact that his church is making in the urban community of Orlando through worship, community, entrepreneurship and business development.
Best Practices Business Conference
The week concluded with a one-day business conference with various speakers sharing their entrepreneurial journey through the various business stages on March 30th.
The conference is designed to introduce new entrepreneurs to the Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community as well as equip and engage the members of our community. The speakers included thought leaders and Nehemiah Entrepreneurship Community members whose life and business have been impacted by our training and coaching program. Attendees at different business stages learned how to start and grow a sustainable Kingdom business from discovery through succession.
Why is a trip to the US an important part of the Nehemiah experience for our international partners and members?
- Seeing is believing
- Making connections with other Biblical Entrepreneurs and resources from other countries
- Learning best practices from other mature Kingdom companies
- Taking time to rest and recreate
- Change of environment
- Broaden worldview and perspectives
- Most people learn best through experiences
I believe true transformation can not be taught; it must be experienced. We want to use experiences as a tool to bring a greater understanding of how we can truly build a sustainable Kingdom business, no matter the market environment.
Special thanks to the staff, volunteers, and sponsors that made this event possible; Timothy Plan, Allyz Auto, ILOCX, FinSec Life.
The next Kingdom Business Tour and Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon in April 2024.
Thank you to our sponsors!
Sent in love from your grateful and humble servant,
Patrice Tsague, Chief Servant Office