Tom Avery was embarrassed the first time he walked into a job workshop at his church.
He was laid off in October after 16 years as an account manager at an automotive industry firm in Livonia. But as a deacon at the Shrine of the Little Flower Catholic Church in Royal Oak, he is accustomed to offering emotional and spiritual support to the unemployed.
“I never thought I’d be in this position,” said Avery, 48, of Troy, his family’s sole bread winner. “The deacon’s position is unpaid, but the agreement with the church is that you must hold a job, and now I don’t have one.” Avery is among countless laid-off workers turning to the church in their search for a job , flocking to church-sponsored career transition workshops across Metro Detroit. Churches are responding by offering members and nonmembers traditional tools like resume writing and interviewing tips, and a supportive atmosphere to grieve the loss of a job. In some cases, job seekers are offered prayer and Scripture.
“We have seen our own members facing these major transitions. At a time when this is really prevalent, we can’t ignore it,” said the Rev. Barry Allen, pastor of Bethesda Christian Church in Sterling Heights. “It’s a hard, hard transition in life, even if you know it’s coming.” Bethesda Christian recently completed a six-week job project that included bringing in speakers from Henry Ford Health System and Michigan Works!.
Not all church sponsored workshops include prayers or cite Scripture because the meetings are not restricted to church members and are open to the public. Church leaders said they don’t want to force their beliefs on others.
“Not everyone that comes in has a spiritual background so we try to be practical and include things, like the difference between a resume you mail and one you fill out online,” Allen said. “But it’s important to realize that God is not a bellhop — you can’t ring a bell and everything will be taken care of.” Mixing prayer, practicality At the workshop at Highland Park Baptist Church late last month , more than 100 people were handed a prayer request sheet with the words, “How can we pray for you?” as they registered.
Even though the event was sponsored by a church, Peter Fulda, 50, of Novi said he was uneasy with religion being interjected with Scripture readings by workshop leader David Rawles , of Dallas, who created the CareerSolutions Workshop, and wrote the book, “Finding a Job God’s Way.” “I’m not totally comfortable with the idea (of religion being part of the presentation), but I came to get ideas and other perspectives,” said Fulda, who lost his job as an automotive engineer on Feb. 12.
Michigan has the highest rate of unemployment in the nation, at 11.6 percent, according to the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth. In Metro Detroit, Wayne County has the highest number of unemployed with 11.7 percent , Macomb County at 10.9 percent, Oakland County at 8.6 percent and Livingston County at 8.5 percent.
Chris Janowicz, a manufacturing representative for an automotive supplier , was laid off in September and attended the Highland Park Baptist session. He said he sends out about 10 resumes daily and his house is for sale.
“You’re in an uncomfortable place, but I know who holds my future and He’s not leaving me to hang out to dry,” said Janowicz, a member of the church who lives in Farmington Hills.
Attendance at the workshops swells in tandem with the growing number of laid-off workers.
At NorthRidge Church in Plymouth, enrollment had to be shut down two weeks before a Feb. 28 workshop because of space constraints and to allow one-on-one coaching time.
“For the past four or five months, we’ve noticed a big increase in the number of people attending our job transition workshops,” said Marijo Swanson, care coordinator at the church. “I’ve been doing this for three years and I’ve never had to close admissions early.” South Lyon First United Methodist Church sponsored “Help for Hard Times,” for laid-off workers in January.
“People are hurting and I was worried about all those who lost jobs or were anxious about their financial situations,” said pastor Sondra Willobee. “God cares about our whole lives and how we handle our money is a key part of our spiritual growth.” Writing letters to aid healing Highland Park Baptist member Ron Harness invited Rawles to present his workshop because of job losses around Metro Detroit.
Rawles guided the group in a cathartic exercise, called “Moving Forward Letters,” in which participants were encouraged to write brief letters — including one to their former boss describing the contributions they could have made had they not been laid off and a letter from the boss to them describing the real reason they were let go. Participants then crumpled the letters into a ball and tossed them into a silver bucket. The bucket was carried outside and set on fire as a sign of letting go and moving on.
“I want to keep the focus that God is in the center and that’s why I’m here instead of just learning how to write a resume,” said Cheryl Bjerk, 54, of Clinton Township during the workshop . Bjerk lost her job as a secretary at her church in Sterling Heights. “I want to do it God’s way.” You can reach Shawn D. Lewis at (248) 647-8825 or slewis(at)detnews.com.
