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Art Stricklin
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Phone: 972-941-4400
FAX: 972-578-5754
October 31, 2011
Lay Your Burdens Down on Company Time
When Johnnel White got married this month, he didn’t have to look for a minister, even though he doesn’t attend church.
White, a salesman for Herr Foods in Hampton, knew a guy from work who’s “always positive. Even if you’re having a bad day, he has words of wisdom to cheer you up, so you’re not down 24/7.”
That guy was the Rev. Walt Kriner, who isn’t full time at Herr’s but stops by weekly to check on the workers. That was enough for White to establish a bond with him. “During the service, it felt like he knew everybody and everybody knew him,” White, 27, said.
Kriner works for Marketplace Chaplains USA, which sends more than 2,560 chaplains to nearly 485 businesses, including the Herr distribution center in Hampton.
A small but growing number of companies are employing workplace chaplains like Kriner – not, managers say, to bring religion to their workers but to provide comfort during crises “Everybody has problems that can carry over into the workplace,” said Richard White, senior vice president for human resources for Herr’s in Pennsylvania, which deploys 25 chaplains to its work sites. “If we can help them in any way, we believe the program is good for the employees and for business.”
October 2011
God is in the House
Companies that foster faith-based or faith-friendly culture say employees, suppliers, customers – even competitors- benefit.
Hatfield, L&H and Brown Packing all contact their services through Marketplace Chaplains USA which always names poultry processor Pilgrim’s Pride in its promotional material.
For more than 10 years, L&H has provided nine part-time chaplains at three meat packing plants and two composting facilities. Leonard says that while not the only factor, the program has contributed to a decline in employee turnover.
“We meet people where the rubber meets the road. When an employee has something on his mind, it’s best for him to get it off his mind so he can focus on work,” said Brown Packing Chaplain Carroll Hutcheson.
October 10, 2011
Spirituality Goes to Work
Faith friendly companies are common, reshaping the workplace.
Now companies, in some cases, letting workers approach their jobs as a type of faith in action. Marketplace Chaplains USA, a Plano, Texas, company that makes ordained ministers available to employees, that has grown its client base by 13 percent so far this year and now offers chaplains … free of charge to employees at nearly 2,500 work sites nationwide.
Meeting with the Chaplains is optional for workers (Rudolph Food CEO Rich Rudolph) Rudolph says. Rudolph finds the Chaplains’ presence helps build trust in management as lives are charged for the better.
May 22, 2011
Worksite Chaplains Answer a Calling
Caroline Landwehr wished it was a nightmare, but it was real life. Three days before Halloween, she was awakened by the police, calling to tell her that her younger sister had been in a bad car accident and to get to the hospital immediately. Her sister died not long afterward.
“I was in shock, lost and didn’t know what I needed to do,” said Landwehr, who was “forever grateful” when Bruce Ingram showed up at her mom’s house.
Ingram is her pastor – at work. He is employed by Marketplace Chaplains to serve a growing list of companies in Oklahoma City, including the 460 employees of G.E. Oil & Gas Electric Submersible Pump (formerly the Wood Group) where Landwehr leads the import/export group.
“Bruce provided so much support for me and my family,” Landwehr said. He helped with everything from towing her sister’s car, the police investigation and funeral arrangements, she said, to linking her with a grief support group and locating a roadside cross.
Hundreds Using Service
Reports indicate hundreds of workers are using the service every month, said Ron Cordell, vice president of human resources, G.E. Oil and Gas ESP, with the oil pump company who contracted Marketplace Chaplains a year ago.
“We realized people are coming to work with the rest of their lives on their shoulders,” Cordell said. “Whether it’s a death, illness, child with drug addiction or another problem, they’re endless in a group our size.”
Chaplains, Cordell said, give employees the support they need, so they can deal with problems and come to work.
