Are you a workplace Christian who desires to purposefully live out your faith at work? Has the concept of calling personally affected you even though you are not a vocational minister? Are you interested in tried and true methods of impacting a city through marketplace ministry? If you can answer yes to one or more of these questions, Navigating the Needle's Eye is a must-read for you. It is the story of Needle's Eye Ministries in Richmond, Virginia, one of the earliest marketplace ministries, and its founder, Buddy Childress. Personal, insightful, motivational, and visionary, this book will touch your heart, excite your mind, and motivate you to action. ""Many of us have heard the term 'marketplace ministry' but we do not understand its true meaning or the most effective approach in growing God's kingdom within the stream of commerce. This book is a must-read for individuals interested in learning about marketplace ministry. It is the story of God's faithfulness to one of God's faithful servants, Buddy Childress, who established a national model for marketplace ministry in the capital region of Virginia. His story will benefit those interested in learning the biblical principles to follow in order to establish a successful ministry that fulfills the Great Commission."" --Barry E. DuVal, President & CEO, Virginia Chamber of Commerce ""Whether you minister to the marketplace or simply work in it, you will be inspired by Buddy Childress' forty-year journey with Needle's Eye Ministries, so lovingly articulated in this delightful book."" --Thomas E. Gottwald, Chairman, President, and CEO, NewMarket Corporation ""In an age when style often out-points substance and social media outlets afford everyone their fifteen minutes of fame, it's nice to know that there are some people who shun the limelight and 'just do it ' Such is the case of Buddy Childress, founder and executive director of Needle's Eye Ministries in Richmond, Virginia. For over 40 years he has faithfully served the local business community without the fuss and fanfare that so often accompany successful ventures, but now he tells his fascinating story with a refreshing blend of grace and alacrity, and it's a story that needs to be told. Graduating from Gordon- Conwell Theological Seminary in 1977, no doubt with a choice of ministries available to him, he had decided already to take a 'road less traveled' and dedicated his entire life to the fledgling and uncertain world of marketplace ministry. Modern denizens of the faith at work movement will no doubt recognize some of the programs and events that he employed in his mission to the business community, not even realizing that he was a genuine pioneer in their field. But pastors and Christians of all stripes will be inspired by his unrelenting faith in the Word of God, his devotion to prayer and his willingness to make difficult choices, trusting that God would provide for all of his needs. That said, this isn't so much a book about a man's faith in God, it's more about God's faith in a man, to do as he was directed and to give all the glory back to him. Richmond has been blessed by this ministry and readers will be equally blessed in the telling of the story."" --Kenneth J. Barnes, FRSA, Mockler-Phillips Chair in Workplace Theology and Business Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary ""In Navigating the Needle's Eye, Buddy Childress has written a powerful and inspirational book that lays out both the spiritual underpinnings and practical truths that led to 40 years of ministry in Richmond, Virginia, in what some have called a one-of-a-kind Christian marketplace ministry. The Great Commission, Childress writes, is God's command that 'we are all called by Christ' to live and spread His word, and that businessmen and women have both the opportunity and responsibility to be His disciples; that their impact from Monday through Friday can be greater than that of a vocational minister or priest on Sunday. At times aut
