Finding Common Ground

Ronald Fowler, 32

SoCal Gas facilities clerk

Several of us get together twice a week to share experiences and encouragement as we encounter the woes of everyday living. We all have different backgrounds, different job functions, different employers and go to different churches, but the one thing we all have in common is the love we have for God and each other.

On Thursdays we meet for formal Bible study with a teacher who follows an organized lesson plan. On Wednesdays we meet to read a book of the Bible together and discuss it informally amongst ourselves. On both days we have an opening and closing prayer, and we set aside time to pray especially for any member of the group with a physical or spiritual problem. Although it varies from meeting to meeting, our group numbers about 15 and we meet in whichever SoCal Gas conference room is not being used on those days. We’re rarely bumped, and only when the room is needed for business purposes.

Being able to share our spirituality while at work helps us deal with the pressures of job and home much more positively and effectively. We’re especially blessed that we can take our lunch time to meet without being bothered by company officials. Although we’re very careful not to let our sharing interfere with our work or the work of others, we do often pray for the success of our various employers so that the blessings will pass down to us also. It’s the best of both worlds for us to be able to turn to one another without having to wait until Sunday, and for our employers to have their people uplift one another with a positive message. I’m certain that it saves them money on physical and mental health costs that might otherwise be charged to them.