Changemakers: Making an impact wherever you are

Have you ever wondered if what you spend your time and energy on is really making an impact for God? 

Stewardship recently hosted an event in partnership with Wonderful Leaders where the topic of 'Making an Impact' was explored. The definition of impact is ‘to have a strong effect on someone or something’ and I truly believe that no matter where we find ourselves, God has called us to be changemakers, to make an impact for His Kingdom on earth.

God works through our stories in powerful ways

The Changemakers panel from left to right: Matt Rowbotham, Sara-Louise Martin, Ines Uwiteto, Duro Oye, Megan Wilcock. Photograph taken by Wonderful Leaders.

Duro Oye, CEO and Founder of 2020 Change, shared his powerful story, explaining that he ended up getting involved in the wrong crowd as a young teenager which led him down a path away from God until his time at university.

For many years Duro wanted to hide his story and ignore his past but he soon realised that his passion for reaching those who were disadvantaged and were on a destructive path was not going to disappear. God was calling him to do something to help these young Black people. This is how 2020 Change was birthed; a youth empowerment organisation that helps young people from underrepresented minority groups realise their potential through training programmes, mentorship, career support, mental health practises and more. 2020 Change had impacted over 2000 young Black lives by the end of 2022.

Telling your story can feel like a daunting task, but one that God often calls us to. Sara-Louise Martin, Co-Founder of accelerator programme Impact Central and the European Regional Director at Faith Driven Entrepreneur, reminded us that sharing your story does not have to involve standing on a stage and telling thousands of people at once; it can also be as simple as opening up to a trusted friend, or sharing a personal moment with a colleague.

Part of Sara-Louise’s story is that she lost her father in shocking circumstances at a young age, which had a big impact on where she is today - she has always known that she wanted to make a difference. It has taken a while for Sara-Louise to be able to share this painful part of her story, but she does so bravely and has learned that while we may impress with our strengths, we connect through our vulnerability.

The challenges of being a changemaker

I think we can all agree that life is short, and we want to make the most of it.

However, the problems in our world can feel endless and overwhelming, there are so many worthwhile causes that we could support - illustrated clearly by the various passions that each of the panellists shared about - so how do we know where to focus our time and attention?

Ines Uwiteto, a Wealth Manager at Tribe Impact Capital, reflected on the 80-20 rule, otherwise known as the Pareto Principle, which states that 20% of what you do makes 80% of the difference. Rather than trying to do everything, we can focus on the 20% that really aligns with your goals, which also creates a much more sustainable lifestyle.

Matt Rowbotham, Co-Founder of the Christian friendship app naborly, expanded on this point by explaining how he evaluates new opportunities against his two key areas of calling - worship and naborly - measuring each one against whether they are feeding into these two areas or not. He has found this to be a helpful principle to work from when deciding what to prioritise and say yes to.

Partnering with God is key

Ultimately, we have to trust that God is both good and in control.

In all that we do, it is important that we seek God’s hand at work – we cannot make an impact for Him if we are not doing it in partnership with Him. Romans 8:28 says that in all things God works for the good of those who love him – we might not understand why certain things are happening in that moment, but in time we can often see how God has used a situation to develop us.

Introducing the Wonderful Summit

The evening was the start of a conversation that will be continued at  The Wonderful Summit, where a community of entrepreneurs, investors and leaders will gather to learn from experts and peers about what it looks like to be a Christian business owner and leader. We would love for you to join us. Use 'StewardWS' for 20% off your ticket!

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Do you want to join our next-gen community?

This event was part of our programme of activities to support and develop our community of next-generation philanthropists. Please contact the team if you would like to find out more.

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