Mumbai (AsiaNews) –January 22 and 23 an international meeting of Christian professionals and industrialists will be held at Hotel Trident, Nariman Point, Mumbai. The event is co-organized by the International Christian Chamber of Commerce (Maharashtra Chapter) and Dimensions. The latter is is a Forum of Christian entrepreneurs and professionals with a dream to create wealth for its members and the community by pooling and harnessing resources and nurturing each other growth in a spirit of transparency, commitment, excellence and trust.
This will be the first time in India that Christians business persons, professionals will meet together under one platform, from different Christian’s denominations. Asia news spoke to Freddy Mendonca, the Co-Founder of Dimensions about the event.
What do you want to achieve with this global meeting of Christian entrepreneurs and professionals?
This will be a unique opportunity to know each other, to network and promote business within the Christian community, both in India and abroad. It will help to expand our horizons worldwide to various other countries, select choices from multiple options to do business with other nations and states
What opportunities will this meeting offer?
It will be a great opportunity and a huge potential to generate referrals, meet counterparts, explore and develop markets, new leads and promotion of one another. There will be also great opportunity to interact with the various Consul Generals and showcase offerings to other countries.
But will Christians do business in a different way?
This is our purpose: to learn Biblical principles, to be inspired by the Word of God and enjoy a blessed and united environment.
But in a nation, like India, where caste division is contested, will this not create a kind of caste?
The first principle of the caste is to be closed in itself, but we want to do business with the entire world, we only want to be together to do business in a Christian way: with honesty and compassion.
To be Christian means also to be missionary. How do you combine this with business?
A businessman needs other people to do business. If he is not afraid of qualifying himself as Christian and if he is honest and compassionate in his dealing he will surely witness the message of Jesus and promote his kingdom on earth. Bishop Agnelo Gracias, auxiliary of Bombay has also encouraged us saying: “May the Lord enlightens your mind and strengthens your will so that you can fulfill your mission as a precious service to society”.
Why does the Christian community in India have very little representation in the public and political life?
We have been bought up in a sheltered life by the Church and school institutions from the day we are born. We make good employees because our integrity is high; we work hard and are well educated. But we are not trained in networking or starting business. Our very strength of the past has become our current weakness. We are unprepared for the harsh world full of opportunities. Our initiative Dimensions is working towards solving that. We are at present individually rich and collectively poor. We need to be collectively rich.
How do you correlate business and spirituality?
Yes, it should always go together. Not as religion but as ethics, as good social values, as trustees of the environment and all such positive elements.
