| | | In Business to Witness The world was in the midst of a recession when Daniel Reed decided to start his flooring business in 2009. He saw little choice. More than a year earlier, the company Reed worked for cut his salary in half. Faced with foreclosure on his home and credit card debt, Reed needed a new opportunity. He had years of experience in flooring sales. As a nursing student, he worked in the warehouse of a flooring company. When a salesperson left the company, he was promoted to work in the showroom. “[I] ended up being more successful at flooring than at nursing,” Reed says. So, with $4,000, he left his job in November 2009 and started Nova HomeWorks. Reed found his first client by networking in the local franchise of Business Networking International. In the first two weeks of December, he earned his original monthly salary. Then, for the first time in 10 years, he was able to take two weeks off to enjoy Christmas and New Year's with his family. Today, Nova HomeWorks has 13 employees and a 4,000-square-foot facility in Sterling, Va. Reed's work has taken him throughout the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., area and as far away as Honolulu. For Reed, business is an opportunity to care for others. The best part of the job is the “feeling that you get from helping other people, knowing you can be a blessing both locally and abroad,” he says. He has helped his employees work through financial issues, allowing them to avoid eviction and legal troubles. He fundraises by using a percentage of his sales to buy furniture and books for schools and to send children to camp. He loves that having his own business allows him the opportunity to travel on mission trips with his wife, Lezlie. They also work with the Living Hope School of Evangelism led by Pastor Mark Finley in Haymarket, Va. His advice to business owners: “Be open to face-to-face networking. Do not lean on advertisements.”
He's found networking opportunities through his local Chamber of Commerce, as well as Business Networking International and ASI.
"All of our business is word of mouth," Reed says. "It helps you share about your business and grow your business. It also helps you to be a witness out in the world." |
| | — By Michele Joseph, managing editor, CUASI newsletter, and photos provided by Daniel Reed |
| | (Top) Daniel Reed enjoys traveling with his wife Lezlie, daughter Kyleigh, 7, and son Joshua, 11. (Bottom) Reed's business, Nova HomeWorks, supplies and installs flooring, backsplashes, carpets to clients in the Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. area.
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| SHARE YOUR STORY
We want to share how God is leading our members to business or ministry, testimonies of His faithfulness and members' tips on what they've learned along the way. Please email us at connect@columbiaunionasi.com. |
| | A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Well, here we stand on the verge of the event we have been working and waiting for — the CUASI Spring Convention. We have highlighted the convention, its theme and its speakers in the previous two newsletters, and the convention schedule and registration information can now be accessed on our website (cuasi.org).
Please take note that the biennial elections will be held 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4. I encourage all CUASI members to be present. Then on Friday we engage in the primary task. I pray that you have captured the vision of what we believe God has ordained for us to accomplish while we are together. We believe that it is God’s desire that we gain a better understanding of what we should be doing, how we should be serving, and how we should be living while we await the return of Jesus.
With that said, there is one main message that I pray you will receive in the few weeks remaining until convention, and that is to be present and participate in this event. My strong belief is that God has something specific in mind for us to accomplish as we consider what “occupy ‘til Jesus comes” means for us. I believe that the Holy Spirit has already begun to speak regarding what should be included in our discussions. And lastly, I believe that each of you have an important piece to bring to the table as we do this. So, once again, I appeal for you to be present and to participate in this event.
As I close, I would like to thank those who attended our first networking event on Feb. 19, and encourage you all to come to our next networking event on May 16 (see details in the events calendar below). Our hope is to continue to build on what God has started and our prayer is that you will join us as we go higher in service for Him.
Looking forward to seeing you all on April 4–6. Blessings on you all. Your fellow servant, |
| | Mark A. Brown, CUASI president |
| | | GOD'S PROMISE
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
— Rev. 21:5, NIV |
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| | CUASI PRAYER REQUESTS This month we are praying for: |
| Reginald Alexanderreceived a heart transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital and is now walking, talking and building up his strength. Please keep Reggie, his wife and their three children in prayer.
The CUASI Communityas we grow in Christ and share His love in 2019.
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| JOIN THE PRAYER LINE
Call 570-354-0272 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. to pray with Sharon Pruitt, CUASI vice president for spiritual development and other CUASI members. |
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| | April 4 — Elections for CUASI officers, 7 p.m., North American Division headquarters, Columbia, MD.
April 4–6 — CUASI's Spring Convention: "Occupy! til I Come — With Christ We Will Do It." North American Division headquarters, Columbia, MD. To register, visit our website. |
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| May 16 — CUASI networking event, 22900 Shaw Road, Suite 107, Sterling, VA 20166. More details to come.
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| Our mission is to obey the Holy Spirit’s call to encourage, empower and equip Adventist members of Columbia Union to work together to finish God’s work in these times in harmony with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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| CUASI Board: Mark A. Brown, president; Andrew Baker, vice president for membership; Ruthven Phillip, vice president for finance; Eddie Gonzalez and Margaret Anderson, co-vice presidents for communication; Sharon Pruitt, vice president for spiritual development; and Subodh Pandit, vice president for evangelism CUASI Staff: Nicole Labiche, administrative assistant Sponsor: Celeste Ryan Blyden, vice president, Columbia Union Conference Newsletter Managing Editor: Michele Joseph |
| | DID YOU MISS IT? Now you can read earlier editions of our newsletter by visiting the archive. Catch up on our news and learn about the variety of ministries, businesses and jobs held by our members. |
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