{"id":767,"date":"2009-05-18T04:01:47","date_gmt":"2009-05-18T04:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/05\/love-in-the-workplace-a-tribute.html"},"modified":"2009-05-18T04:01:47","modified_gmt":"2009-05-18T04:01:47","slug":"love-in-the-workplace-a-tribute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/05\/love-in-the-workplace-a-tribute.html","title":{"rendered":"Love in the Workplace: A Tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"

No, this is not a salacious story about sex on the job. I want to reflect about love<\/em> in the workplace, the caring, giving, selfless kind of love, what Christians call agape (pronounced uh-GAH-pay).
\nIn some jobs, love is virtually or actually part of the position description. For twenty years I was a parish pastor. Though neither of my job descriptions specifically mentioned that I was to love people, it was rightly implied. In fact, when I was ordained as a pastor in the PC(USA), and when I was installed as pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, I promised to: \u00e2??love my neighbors, . . . serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love, and \u00e2??in [my] ministry, try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ\u00e2?\u009d (Book of Order<\/em>, G-14.0405).
\nGiven my work history, you might expect me to associate love and work. Even now, in my position at Laity Lodge, I\u00e2??m expected to love my colleagues and especially our guests at the Lodge. It\u00e2??s part of my job. (Actually, it\u00e2??s at the center of my job.) But I think all Christians are called to love in all contexts of life, including the workplace. This is true whether you\u00e2??re a pastor, a teacher, a lawyer, or a security guard.
\nYes, a security guard can be a loving person at work. That\u00e2??s not only a biblically-based truth, but also an historical fact. I have known a security guard who used his position to love people, even those with whom he had to be tough, and many others besides. Today\u00e2??s post is a tribute to this man, who died last week.
\nRon Cherry was a security guard at the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, where I was an associate pastor until I was called to Irvine in 1991. Ron began work there in 1988, so we overlapped for about three years. During that time I appreciated Ron because, with him around, I felt safe. That\u00e2??s really saying something, because Hollywood Pres is located in a diverse urban setting, with all that that entails. There were many strange and dangerous people in the vicinity of the church, but Ron kept them from doing damage to people and property.
\nYet even when he was dealing with some unsavory character, Ron did so with love. I watched him on a number of occasions confront somebody who was clearly up to no good. Ron was firm and tough, but never demeaning or insulting. He treated all people with respect, even when making sure they treated the church and its people with respect.
\nRon exercised love in the context of his official work assignment. But that only begins to tell the story of his care for people. Ron was not just the security guard, but also the unofficial church greeter. I\u00e2??ll be that, over the years, Ron welcomed hundreds of thousands of people to the church, literally. In the years after I left Hollywood Pres, Ron was usually the first person to greet me when I returned. His warm smile and handshake meant so much, and I will miss them.
\nThough Ron treated adults with friendly love, he was best with children. They loved Ron, especially the students at the Children\u00e2??s Center (the weekday preschool). He visited them daily as a special friend, even as he made sure they were secure. My mother, who is a leader at Hollywood Pres, tells me that Ron\u00e2??s death has been especially hard on the children of the church, and I can see why.
\nRon Cherry did his job with exemplary love. He also used the opportunity afforded by his position as a security guard to love people by the thousands. He didn\u00e2??t have to do this. It wasn\u00e2??t in his job description, I\u00e2??m quite sure. But the love of Christ radiated in Ron, and he just couldn\u00e2??t keep it to himself.
\nHeaven is much better off today because Ron is there. I don\u00e2??t think they need security guards in heaven, but I wouldn\u00e2??t be surprised if Ron is hanging around the pearly gates today, welcoming people home.
\nThank you, Lord, for Ron Cherry. We will miss him! Thank you for his example of love at work. Help me to be as loving as he was, not only when I\u00e2??m doing what my job description requires, but also in all of my interactions with colleagues, guests, and others. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No, this is not a salacious story about sex on the job. I want to reflect about love in the workplace, the caring, giving, selfless kind of love, what Christians call agape (pronounced uh-GAH-pay). In some jobs, love is virtually or actually part of the position description. For twenty years I was a parish pastor.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faith-and-work"],"yoast_head":"\nLove in the Workplace: A Tribute - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}