Partners Worldwide Prays For its Partners in Liberia

Business leaders who are at work in Liberia, one of the epicenters of the Ebola outbreak, have decided not to come to next week’s Marketplace Revolution '14 Conference in Grand Rapids, Mich., says Doug Seebeck, president of the business ministry Partners Worldwide.

The conference is sponsored by Partners Worldwide, which grew out of World Renew and is a denominationally affiliated agency of the Christian Reformed Church.

Seebeck says he and his staff recently sent out a letter to Partners' supporters to give an update on the Ebola situation and how it might impact the bi-annual conference, which runs Oct. 30-31.

"They (partners of his ministry) are staying home to keep up the normal commerce that provides food and other essentials," says Seebeck in the letter.

"We are in continual dialogue with them and have already sent the protective gear they've requested so they can continue to do their work."

Many of the ministry's partners in Liberia — some 12,000 clients — are on the front lines, serving as "the boots on the ground," in some cases helping families who have lost loved ones and in other instances doing all that they can to keep the faltering economy afloat, says Seebeck.

Next week's conference features keynote speakers and a number of breakout sessions involving business partners and business people from several countries around the world.

Referring to business partners at work in Liberia, Seebeck says, "I admire their courage and deeply regret that I won't be able to greet them personally this year. We hold them in prayer as they manage through a difficult health concern."

At the same time, he said, Partners Worldwide is "fortunate that the Founder and President of the Board of LEAD, our local community institution in Liberia, has been in the U.S. since before the outbreak, so he will be able to attend the conference."

Currently, according to World Health Organization officials, there are about 10,000 reported cases of Ebola, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.

With a mission to eradicate poverty by helping people develop businesses or obtain job skills so they can live life more abundantly, Partners provides mentors to more than 70 organizations in some 25 countries.

Mentors are seasoned business people from North America and elsewhere who can help groups or individuals work through challenges.

"There are a lot of problems local leaders face and the mentors can lend a helping hand," he says.

Overall, says Seebeck, Partners Worldwide seeks to "mobilize a global Christian network that uses business as a way to create flourishing economic environments through partnerships with community institutions that build up permanent local capacity and catalyze entrepreneurs and job creators."

As they have prepared for the conference, says Seebeck, "The Partners Worldwide global network has exercised an overabundance of caution. None of our global staff or partners has traveled to or from any of the affected countries since the first case was reported."

He says in his letter, "We are all encouraged that global health organizations are increasing resources to care for those affected and to stop the spread of infection. It's clear there is now heightened awareness.  

"Precautions are being taken at airports and hospitals to stop the spread of the virus. For example, the World Health Organization declared Nigeria Ebola free, a clear sign that the spread of the virus can be stopped when adequate protocols are in place."

Between 400 and 450 people, including business people, Partners' clients, students and others are expected to attend the conference.

On-line registration for the Marketplace Revolution '14 Conference runs through midnight on Saturday, Oct. 25.