Successful Community Outreach

Michelle R. Brown — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 14:49:52 +0000

With a challenging economy and increased needs within our community, it’s important for the church to take a leading role. This role is not only carrying the Good News of Jesus Christ to minister to the spirit man, but also to meet the physical needs of people in our community. So often, our local churches are more focused on building a bigger sanctuary and forget the true mark of a successful ministry is building lives. We believe the line in the movie, Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come,” and forget that Jesus told us to go into the hedges and the highways and compel them to come. Even though this may be the case in some churches, I know there are many ministries that truly understand the holistic meaning of the Great Commission. These ministries are doing outstanding work in the Kingdom of God by impacting lives in their community. The reason as to why some churches serve their communities and others don’t vary from ministry to ministry. Some may feel it’s not important while others may not know exactly what to do. This latter reason is why I am conducting research on this topic.

Over the next several months, I am interviewing Senior Pastors and Ministry Leaders with progressive community outreach ministries.

My objectives for completing this research is three-fold:

1. To highlight ministries with innovative, measurable outcomes and their methods.
2. To understand the successes and challenges of partnership and/or collaborations with social service agencies and other churches.
3. To provide a road map for other ministries desiring to impact their communities.

If your ministry is doing amazing things in your community, I would love to interview you to share your impact with others. Please respond to this post or contact our office at 302.734.2505

Michelle R. Brown — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:52:14 +0000

What’s the biggest hurdle other than money preventing you from achieving your ideal life? If that hurdle was removed what would you do?

Catalyst Enterprises International Recognized Among Top 100 Regional Minority Businesses

Michelle R. Brown — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:01:49 +0000

Dover, Delaware (October 6, 2009) – Catalyst Enterprises International is proud to announce that Dr. Michelle Brown, Founder and President of Catalyst Enterprises International, has been selected to receive the prestigious Top 100 Minority Business® Enterprise Award. In its fourth year, this program is designed to acknowledge and pay tribute to outstanding women and minority business owners in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. The awards ceremony will take place at the Inn and Conference Center at University of Maryland University College in Adelphi, Maryland on Sunday, November 15, 2009.

A panel of distinguished judges chose Catalyst Enterprises International from fourteen hundred nominations. Selection was based on entrepreneurs who demonstrated outstanding achievement in four key areas: entrepreneurship, client satisfaction, professional and community contributions. This year’s ceremony host organizations are: The Center for Business Inclusion and Diversity (CBID); the University of Maryland University College (UMUC); Southwest Airlines; Maryland’s Governor’s Office of Minority Affairs; greiBO media, and The Parren J. Mitchell Foundation for Talent and Education.

“Catalyst Enterprises is proud to be recognized as one of the region’s Top 100 minority businesses” said Michelle Brown, President of Catalyst Enterprises. “Our firm is more than a development company but a passion and belief that with a clear vision and proper tools for execution, any person or organization can achieve extraordinary results. It is this passion that fuels our commitment and dedication to provide exceptional service to each client through strategic and innovative practices.”

Catalyst Enterprises International, a Dover-based organizational development firm is focused on helping organizations and individual turn potential into performance. Through customized development services corporations and not for profits organizations experience improved productivity, efficiency and employee morale. By assisting clients in crystallizing their vision, setting clear measurable goals, and effectively implementing their plan of action, clients are able to achieve more of their goals at an accelerated rate. Catalyst Enterprises specializes in executive coaching, strategic business development and process improvement.

“Catalyst Enterprises International represents the best of what our region’s minority business community has to offer,” said Sharon R. Pinder, CEO of the Center for Business Inclusion and Diversity and founder of the Top 100 MBE® Awards Ceremony. “This award is the culmination of sacrifice, dedication and hard work and will inspire future minority business entrepreneurs to strive for the same level of success.”

Please visit, www.catalystenterprise.com for more information about Catalyst Enterprises International.

To obtain tickets for the 2009 Top 100 MBE ®Awards Ceremony or for a complete listing of this year’s winners, please visit www.top100mbe.com.

Self-Motivation and the Courage To Act

Michelle R. Brown — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:41:16 +0000

Procrastination and the inability to act can often be traced to fear or doubt. fear is more often than not, imaginary. Once it is identified, analyzed, and understood, the shroud of fear can be lifted and tossed aside, making way for renewed self – motivation and determined action.

Fear can be divided into three basic categories: fear of failure, fear of criticism or rejection, and fear of the unknown. Although any one of these can cause you to become immobile, it is usually a combination of all three that creates the most difficulty. A closer look at the characteristics of these fears will reveal them for what they really are–imaginary obstacle to your success!

It is common for a person to want something intensely but not even try to go after it because of the fear of failure. If people recognized that by not trying they ensure failures, the folly of this thought would become evident. But, this happens to people daily. The reason? We tend to lose perspective of what it means to fail. To fail is to learn. Any newly attempted skill invites failure.

Fear of criticism or rejection is another common, often immobilizing fear. For example, when a salesperson asks for an order and doesn’t receive it, it means that she simply didn’t get the order. But she will often view the transaction differently and conclude that she, not her product, was rejected. Then she stops asking for the orders rather than risk the chance of rejection. At this point, she should pause and put things in perspective. She needs to realize that her worth as an individual is not on the line, only the business transaction.

The fear of criticism or rejection is linked closely with the need for social acceptance. People will go to great lengths to adapt a mode of dress or a certain type of behavior because they fear being criticized by others. This fear can rob you of the very uniqueness that can ensure your success. By giving up too many of your individual qualities, you destroy the inherent creativity, initiative, and self-esteem that you were born with in order to achieve your goals.

Fear of the unknown is another fear that can inhibit behavior. Many times, our need for security (the need to feel safe), causes us to be fearful in those situations where we’re not sure what is going to happen. Our fear of what might or might not happen can cause us to keep from doing those things that will make happen what we want to happen.

One more habit of thought or state of mind has its foundation in fear. That state of mind is “worry”. However, subtle worry may be, it gradually, but persistently, takes over the mind until it immobilizes your initiative, self-confidence, and ability to reason. Worry generally a very meaningless exercise. First, ninety percent of what you worry about never happens. Second, while you’re worrying about something that might happen, you’re not focused on doing whatever will ensure what you want to happen. Because worry stems from fear, it can be controlled mentally by making decisions and acting upon them with persistence, speed, and determination. Focusing on your goals, your desired outcomes, and your rewards, will help you to focus on something other than worry.

What Would You Do if You Weren’t Afraid?

Michelle R. Brown — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:37:45 +0000

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. Henry Ford

Fear is thinking about what we don’t want to happen. It is focusing on the negative and negative thinking generally gets negative results. Realize also that your “attitude” will have a direct effect on fear. Instead of fearing what “might” happen, focus your mind on what you want to happen. By confronting your fears, understanding them and dealing with them, you can conquer them.

As you experience the discomfort of a fear, try the following techniques to relieve and control it.

1. Try to locate the source or origin of the fear. Once uncovered, you will frequently find it is unrealistic in light of your achievements.

2. Analyze the situation which provokes fear. Ask yourself, “What is the worst thing that could possibly happen?” Then be realistic about the possibilities of that happening.

3. Train yourself to think less about yourself and concentrate on achieving your goals.

4. Concentrate on the positive qualities you possess instead of dwelling on those qualities which you may consider negative.

5. Don’t let yourself get hung up in a search for absolute perfection. Set you standards to fit the job at hand.

6. Recognize that you can never know enough to be absolutely certain when you make a decision. Once you know yourself and have a set of goals based on your own values, be comfortable with the fact that you have based your decisions on the best of your beliefs and knowledge.

7. Do not become immobilized through fear of making mistakes. A mistake can often lead to a very productive learning experience for you.

8. Believe that most people are for you rather than against you.

9. Set goals! By setting challenging yet realistic goals, you will stretch your capacity and thus use more of your untapped potential.