You may know the mayor of Destin, Mel Ponder, for his representation of the city at events and public speaking engagements, but outside of his public title Ponder is also active in the faith community.
“Behind the veil of Mel Ponder, I am just a man passionate about family, faith and seeing the community come together and grow,” said Ponder. “As mayor, I honor that office and I try my best to keep my faith separate from that role, but this is who I am, and what I will continue to do.”
As the mayoral role is a volunteer position, Ponder shared that his day job is the business he and his wife Mona founded four and a half years ago — Business Empowered.
“Business Empowered is a Christian business administration,” said Ponder. “It is a membership organization and marketplace ministry helping to connect people of faith across industry and denominational lines.”
Out of that business, and his involvement in the faith community, Ponder and his wife penned a book entitled; “H.O.N.O.R: The Pathway to Community Impact.”
“The book was birthed out of the Week of Blessings and Business Empowered,” said Ponder. “I went to a meeting in California where 30 different countries were represented, all leaders in some way in their cities, and I thought, ‘I wish they could leave with something in their hands that could help implement change in their cities on day one.’”
Thus the nine-chapter, 109-page book was born. Ponder told The Log that the book focuses on two practical steps of bringing about change in a community following the examples of the Week of Blessings in Destin and connectivity and honor in the marketplace.
“The questions that Mona and I often ask in Business Empowered are, ‘Why is it important for people to know who they are, and why it is important to recognize that their work is a calling,” said Ponder. “The idea is that while you are where you are, honor your position, lead with integrity and character, and as you do that you will impact your workplace and your community whether of faith or not.”
Ponder said that when every facet of the community respects one another and honors one another’s work, the community will thrive.
“There is a functionality as a community for every industry,” he said. “It’s a chain reaction; As each part does it’s own work, it helps the other parts grow.”
Although the book is based in his Christian faith, Ponder said that the principles of community connectivity and honoring one another works for people from all walks of life.
“You don’t have to be a person of faith to see this work,” he said. “I believe every city has a call to it…it’s important for a city to embrace who they are, and then once they know who they are, they can move forward.”
For more information on Ponder’s book or Business Empowered visit www.beflorida.net.