Job seekers find support through two Fishers groups
From left are Steve Stephens of Holy Spirit, Fishers; Peter Overwalle of St. Louis de Montfort, Fishers, and Chris Phillips of St. Simon, Indianapolis. (Photo provided)
By Caroline B. Mooney The Catholic Moment
At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.
— 2 Corinthians 8:14
FISHERS — Other than death or divorce, the loss of a job is the “largest tragedy a family may face,” says Chris Phillips, co-leader of the Geist Employment Networking Alliance, which helps the unemployed and under-employed find work. The non-denominational group meets weekly at Holy Spirit Church and was founded by a parishioner in 2001.
Since 2003, Phillips, a former Holy Spirit parishioner who now attends St. Simon in Indianapolis, has been co-leader with Holy Spirit parishioner Steve Stevens. “People grieve after losing a job,” Stevens said. “When you lose a loved one, it’s final. When you lose a job, there’s no final point. We hope people feel welcomed and nurtured in our group.”
Stevens joined GENA when he moved to the area around 2001. “Three founding members of GENA were at Holy Spirit and I had the chance to network with them,” he said. “Six months after each of them received positions, they put me in charge. I asked the Lord about it and he put it in my heart to do this.”
There are three main goals:
- to show people that they are not alone in job searching;
- to help teach people how to network; and
- to give them “a little God” — and try to get their lives back in order.
“For many people, it is job, family and then God, but it should be God, family and then work,” Stevens said. “We open and close each meeting with prayer,” he said. “We start at 7 a.m. and there is a 6:15 a.m. Mass and an 8:15 a.m. Mass if people want to go, so I think it was worked out by God to be in that time slot. The time allows people to use our resources before the workday begins and have more of a vibrant session.
“At each meeting we pray for whoever is there and the struggles people have that week,” he said. “There is an agenda each week — if we get to it. We are open to the Spirit to show us where the meetings should go.” GENA alumni come about once a month to share their stories and advice. Alumni must agree to be open to new members contacting them and networking with them.
“Fortunately and unfortunately, people always show up at the meetings,” Stevens said. “I wish no one had to, but the economy doesn’t allow that. Anywhere from five to 20 people come in a given week — the Lord will bring who he wants to bring.” Phillips said that GENA helps more than 100 people every year. The group estimates that for every $10,000 of income, people should expect to take one month to look for a job. If the search is narrowed to a certain area, it could take longer.
“When you think about the financial impact of the job losses in the Fishers area at an average salary of $70,000, with most people taking three months to find a job, it’s really huge,” he said. “And the impact on the Catholic Church is huge, too; you look at 10 percent of that amount; wouldn’t it be great to add that back to the collections?” “The loss of a job is one of the largest contributors to stress,” Phillips said. “As much stress as it puts on the person who loses a job, the spouses and their children are also greatly impacted by stress.
“Losing a job is a big ego hit,” he said, “and sometimes, depression hits hard to the unemployed. Those people may benefit from other parish ministries. We can help people get to that help, and then they will be able to go out to employers and say, ‘I’m good at these five things.’ “God, family, and then work is the motto that Steve and I like to use,” he said. “If you have God and family in place, then the work will happen. You need those first two, though – the family support is important. We tell our groups that they need to prioritize their thinking this way.”
Phillips also stresses that people need to find work that makes them happy. “Even if it means a salary cut — everything will improve if you’re doing what you love and what you are good at,” he said. “While you’re going through the healing process during unemployment, we encourage people to go out in the community and volunteer. Then others will see you and say they want to help you.”
“I first used GENA over four years ago,” Peter Van Overwalle said. “I then helped with the program at Holy Spirit while I was a parishioner there, but since I really live close to St. Louis de Montfort, I switched parishes. I started FENA (Fishers Employment Networking Alliance) at St. Louis de Montfort, because I know there is unemployment at every parish. This group has no fundamental differences than GENA, other than our group tends to be a little smaller.” Both groups network together.
“We coach people to have conversations with others,” Van Overwalle said, “and sometimes a personal introduction to others can lead to a job opportunity. I encourage parishioners to think about how they can serve as a contact – talk about their particular industry to others and what they know from the inside. A lot of people are not used to selling themselves, but here in Indianapolis, there are a lot of good Midwestern values and people tend to know each other within their industry.” Gerry Pall, Holy Spirit parishioner, has used GENA twice to find employment. In July 2006, he found a job in Chicago with the group’s help, but when that didn’t work out, he came back to the area and GENA. He is now working in a temporary position.
“I like the group because it’s close to home, and it’s usually small,” Pall said. “We open with prayer and there is a degree of spirituality to each meeting, as well as personal support that other networking groups don’t offer. I have been to three or four other groups and they are more bureaucratic, larger and not as supportive. “GENA has given me a lot of networking advantages — I’ve gotten a lot more names to call than in other groups,” he said. “Steve and Chris are both very, very good — they really give of their time and are really the reason it stays together.”
Pall said the meetings often focus on individuals and their resumes as well as trying to define and be succinct in stating career goals. “GENA is really a cornucopia of different religions,” he said. “The group isn’t snooty and you don’t have to be a certain religion or have a certain type of job.”
“I do this to give back to my community, and in return a lot is given back to me,” Phillips said. “We are the best group to work yourself out of.”
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Anyone interested in more information about GENA or FENA can contact Stevens at 317-777-9771; Phillips at 317-496-2858; or Van Overwalle at 317-421-4751.
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