I had the privilege this week of meeting Stanley Tam, the president of US Plastics in Lima, Ohio. He is a Christian businessman. I would have said a few years ago, and he would have said too, that he was the owner of US Plastics. But now he is only the president of US Plastics, because he has given his business to God. In fact he has written a book about his life entitled God Owns My Business. One hundred percent of the stock has been given to God in a nonprofit corporation, and he is only the president of that corporation drawing a salary. All of the profits go to mission work. He tells in his book how he became a partner with God in his business.
When he was young door-to-door salesman, he had a hunger for God. One day he called on a farmer’s wife. She listened to his sales pitch and bought what he had to sell. And then she said, “I want you to sit and listen to me.” For two hours, she talked to him about his relationship to God. She opened the Bible, explained to him how he could be saved, and he became a Christian.
A few years later as his commitment to Christ developed, he was in a silver refining business that went bankrupt. In that time of distress in his life, God came to him and said, “Stanley, it doesn’t need to be this way. You could take me as your partner, and I will make your business a success.” From that day forward, he counted God as a partner in his business. As his business grew and his dedication to God grew, there came a time in 1940 when God said, “I want 51 percent of your business.” Stanley went to a lawyer and had a legal contract drawn up that named God as 51 percent owner of the stock in the company. The company continued to grow until today it is a multimillion-dollar company that is still growing by leaps and bounds as God continues to bless.
He had another deepening experience with God in 1955 when God said, “Now I want 100 percent of your business.” Stanley signed over every bit of the stock to God in this nonprofit corporation. God is his partner and God prospers the business. He has three goals in his life. Number one is to speak to a billion people in his lifetime about Christ. Number two is to give a million dollars a year to missions. He is now giving two million dollars a year. His third goal is to be an influence in leading five people a day to faith in Jesus Christ. He is 65 years old and he said, “I am running out of strength, and I’m not sure I can meet and talk to enough people to win five people every day to Christ, but at the present time I’m able to lead an average of four people a day to Christ.”