Written by Carly Kester
This summer, Harding University will be participating in a business seminar at the Baxter Institute in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Budd Hebert, Director of the International Business Department, along with Walton Scholars Carmen Cuadra and Daniel Avelar will be speaking at the seminar.
The seminar will be part of the Harding Character Initiative program and teaches students how the American business model is run.
The purpose of the seminar is to educate preachers on how to start and run their own businesses and how to invest capital. Students from the Baxter Institute, including former Walton Scholars, will be attending.
Hebert has done other business-related seminars in Japan, Nigeria, China, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany and Guatemala, among others. This summer will be the first time the seminar will occur in Honduras.
According to Hebert, the idea of bringing the seminar to Honduras was developed after discussing it with Howard Norton, president of Baxter Institute.
“We want to take a step forward and also teach them how to get business knowledge, which will help them to work in benefit of their own communities,” Hebert said.
Along with speaking and teaching at the seminar, the Walton Scholars will have other duties as well.
Cuadra said her duties will include assisting instructors and making sure they have their materials ready, collaborating with lectures and organizing housing and food.
Cuadra revealed that she hopes the preachers will learn the importance of combining God and work.
“[I hope] that Baxter participants will understand and undertake the concept of doing business with God in play,” Cuadra said. “Business is not abominable. It’s the principal source of our lifestyle, what we consume, what we wear, eat … and by putting God and business together, this great formula can guarantee the church expansion and its auto-sustainability.”
Avelar’s part in the seminar will be organization and teaching classes.
“I will be sharing my business knowledge and my insights of the American business model with the students at Baxter,” Avelar said.
Avelar said he wants the preachers who attend the seminar to learn how to independently run their businesses.
“What we want to accomplish is that preachers may have another source of income beside of what they receive for their work at the church,” Avelar said. “We want preachers that can depend on what they do and not entirely on sponsors.”
