Spirit at Work presents   Thursday, June 19th, 2008           12:00 - 1:30pm Creating Authentic Sacred Space at Work with Rev. Ric Matthews Minister of the Mission & Community Life, First United Church/Mission, Vancouver How are these connected: Inner-city churches and industrial workplaces in South Africa. Corporate Boardrooms in the U.S. & Canada. And the First United Mission in the Downtown Eastside? Ric Matthews has worked in them all. Appointed to First United in the fall of 2007, Ric comes with a rich and diverse background of experience – and a fire in his soul for change. Come hear this passionate & skilled speaker as he shares experiences from his many different workplaces:    - challenges of the South African workplace, as he moved from Lead Minister serving inner city congregations to working in industry for reconciliation and trust building, then to Deloitte Consulting specializing in Organizational Change.    - the spiritual challenge of social-political injustice, personal pain, organizational dysfunctionality, and natural human/group dynamics.    - North American workplaces and society, including the interplay between poverty/wealth and materialism/homelessness.    - and First United in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside: Insights from Apartheid, building community across social strata, and implications for local businesses & workplaces. Ric will also explore what we can learn for our OWN workplace, including: Seeing the gift in the present moment. Balancing "transcendence" with "immanence." Integrating internal and external perspectives. And calling and defining the moment. A speaker not to be missed…                                   click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604.685-6560 DATE:           Thursday, June 19, 2008  –  12:00 - 1:30 pm LOCATION:   Main Floor, Conference Rooms, Terasen Building,                      1111 W. Georgia St. (at Thurlow), Vancouver Cost:             Without lunch: $10                      With lunch:  non-members - $20;  members - $15 Lunch:          Catered sandwiches, salad, tea and coffee                               __________________________ About our Speaker: Rev. Ric Matthews has 25 years' experience in leading Organizational Development and Change Management projects in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada, the USA and Thailand. He was appointed to the lead position at First United Church & Mission in the Downtown Eastside in August 2007. Ric is an ordained minister in the Methodist Church of South Africa. In Johannesburg, he served in a variety of ministries including four inner-city churches, where he faced the harsh realities of extreme poverty, injustice, violence and apartheid. Ric also served on the Church's Committee for Justice and Reconciliation. During the first democratic election in South Africa, he chaired the local Peace Committee, and the Reconstruction and Development Committee for the Johannesburg East region. After inventing a board game called Know Me – now used around the world to enable conflict resolution, relationship-building and understanding across racial, religious and sectarian lines – he became involved in resolving workplace conflicts. This led Ric to be seconded to industry for redressing issues of injustice in the workplace, and then to Deloitte Consulting where he was Associate Director of Change Leadership. Ric was transferred to the Vancouver Deloitte Consulting office in August 1997. Since then (and before joining First United), he was President of Radical Momentum Consulting, where he most recently completed an assignment supporting World Vision International in implementing organizational change across their offices in 105 countries around the world. Ric’s passion is to work with individuals and organizations in assisting them to achieve their full potential. He is married to Nina, has two adult children (Brett and Kirsty) who both live in Vancouver, and is the doting grandfather of Kyla, a beautiful 3-year-old girl.                click here to RSVP  or  phone: 604.685-6560 back to top