SINGAPORE (UCAN) -- "You spend 70 percent of your waking time in your jobs. If you don't like your job, you don't like much of your life," a Filipino lay preacher told 600 Catholic working adults at a recent seminar.

Bo Sanchez, a popular inspirational speaker, was speaking at a Dec. 1 conference organized by Praise@Work, a Catholic charismatic group for working adults. The conference, Christ@Work, had the theme Seeking God's Grace in Our Daily Work.

According to organizers, their aim was to help people learn God's plan for them through their daily work, and how they can practice their faith at work.

The conference featured Christian speakers dealing with these topics, along with small-group sharing and a panel discussion.

Keynote speaker Sanchez urged his audience to "connect your work to the deepest part of who you are -- your soul."

He told them God has given each person a life mission as well as unique gifts with which to bless the world. The more one is connected with this "mission," the easier work becomes, he said.

Sanchez, who engages in small business and real estate as a micro-entrepreneur, said each Christian is "employed" by Christ. However, this does not mean one should start preaching the Bible to colleagues and customers, he clarified. Rather, these people should be able to see Christ through Christians' integrity and the quality of their service, he said.

Sanchez explained that "preaching" through patience and compassion toward colleagues is more effective than talking about Jesus all the time but refusing to help a co-worker in need.

Various speakers stressed the importance of having a personal relationship with Christ before one can witness him to others.

"In order to find your destiny, you first have to find your identity through intimacy with Christ," said Glenn Lim, a youth counselor.

George Lim, a lawyer and deputy chairperson of the Catholic Social and Community Council, urged the audience to treat each employee and co-worker with dignity by valuing the person more than the task.

Employers should ask themselves whether they charge clients and treat staff fairly, he said, while employees should ask themselves how they treat their subordinates, colleagues and bosses, and whether they are team players.

His personal mission as a Christian lawyer, he continued, is to be willing to represent deserving clients even though some may have difficulty paying him, and also to be competent, fair and trustworthy.

He urged each person to come up with a personal mission statement for work, and to reflect on God's word and pray about her or his work daily.

Adrian Chong, an entrepreneur, said one of the greatest challenges he faces is applying Christian values at work.

"Christian love can be mistaken as a sign of weakness, and tough decisions can be mistaken as being un-Christian," he shared. "The challenge is to make decisions based on Christian principles -- respect, fairness, compassion."

He urged his listeners to seek the Lord's wisdom, especially when making major decisions in the workplace.

During the panel discussion, Lydia Lim, a journalist, shared her understanding of work as "an activity in which we collaborate with God in his creative work." She warned the group that "being a Christian at work also means speaking out for your values, and that might mean opposition."

Kwek Mean Luck, a director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, shared on the use of power and authority in the workplace.

"How do we use the power that is given to us?" he asked. "We use power well in the workplace when we follow the principle: Love one another as we love ourselves."

Other panelists included a Catholic member of Parliament, a freelance writer, another director from a government ministry and youth counselor Lim.

Participants said they found the conference useful.

Budi Susanto, 24, a civil engineer, said he now realizes that "everyone struggles in correlating faith and daily work." He added, "It makes me feel that I'm not alone."

This is the second Christ@Work conference held by Praise@Work. The next is scheduled for 2009.

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(Accompanying photos available at here)