Prayer biz
Three men say their weekly prayer meetings have helped them lead their business through good and bad times.
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
— Matthew 18:20
A spiritual practice that began in the midst of uncertain economic times continued to guide three men when their Oklahoma City printing company began to enjoy better days.
And prayer still takes center stage, said Jeff Summerford, John Braaten and Jason McWilliams, leaders at Impressions Printing.
The three said they began intentionally praying together in 2008 when a downturn in the economy threatened to engulf their business, 2241 W Interstate 44 Service Road.
The men said they had been in the habit of meeting each week to catch up on one another’s lives and to discuss the company. When they found out that each of them individually had begun lifting up one another and the company in prayer, they decided to pray collectively.
“In 2008, we had some months that were pretty bleak. We were wondering how do we keep our doors open. How do we take care of 40-plus employees and their families and how do we take care of our own families?” said Summerford, who is the company’s chief executive officer.
“We needed to meet anyway — why not connect with prayer?”
The leaders said each of them knew that their Christian faith was important to them. Summerford and Braaten, the company’s president, had met when they were both Southern Nazarene University students. McWilliams, who is the company’s vice president, also attended SNU but during a later time period.
Each of the three men attend church: Summerford at Life. Church Northwest Oklahoma City, Braaten at Bethany First Church of the Nazarene and McWilliams at The Fellowship at Western Oaks, a Nazarene congregation.
Summerford said praying together strengthened their bond. “Partnerships can get really tense at times because of the stress of business, and sometimes, partnerships fall apart. But spending this time together helps us,” he said.
McWilliams said they didn’t start out with the idea of praying together each week, but they soon realized that their faith was increasing, their friendships blossomed and the outlook for their business became rosier.
“Initially, it was a monthto-month thing, but with each month that we actually survived, God came through again and again,” McWilliams said.
Braaten said they had to work at it. He said they started by praying for the person to their left as they gathered together for lunch in an upstairs conference room. They quickly decided that “things that we share here, stay here,” Braaten said.
Summerford said they learned to take problems— and the stress they create — to the Lord in prayer together. “We’re going to stress over things, but we work through it. I think God has honored that,” he said. “We’ve gotten a lot more confident that God is going to come through. There’s a lot less fear.”
Braaten shared similar sentiments. “Is there worry? Yes. But it’s not that way everyday,” he said.
McWilliams said their mutual faith in God helped sustain them through the troubled times and continues to undergird them. “It comes down to trust,” he said.
Summerford said over the years, some of the printing company’s employees and customers have visited with each member of the group to ask for prayer or to share encouraging news. The men are glad their reputation as men of prayer has encouraged people to share their own spiritual matters with them.
McWilliams said the three make a point to pray for employees as they go through personal struggles.
“We spend the majority of our life here, so this is our mission field,” he said.
Summerford said they often get to share their story with others, and although it is essentially a private matter, they enjoy talking about their faith with those who are genuinely interested.
“Over the last 20 years, we’ve told this story to a lot of people. It’s humbling,” he said.
Summerford said he likes to encourage business owners to invest in prayer.
“I think there would be a whole lot less stress,” he said.