Anyone who has experienced Tony Campolo in person probably has Tony Campolo stories. Not stories about him, but stories he tells that you retell. Yeah, me too.
Since I claim over two million airline miles during my life–a small amount compared to Tony–I like his story about networking on airplanes. I do not mean doing confrontational evangelism to a captive audience, but authentic conversations with the person in the seat next to you.
The way I remember Tony’s story is this. When he gets on an airplane and the person next to him says they are Jane or Joe and they sell widgets, and want to know who he is and what he does, he has one of two answers.
If he wants to talk he tells them he is a sociologist. That typically leads them to ask him questions they believe a sociologist could answer. But, if he does not want to talk because he wants to sleep, watch a movie, or read a book he tells them he is a BAPTIST EVANGELIST [speaking loud and in a commanding voice] and that typically shuts them up.
One night on a red eye flight from the west coast to the east coast knowing he needed to be alert to teach classes at Eastern University the next day, he sat down and the person next to him started pumping him with questions. Tony gave his BAPTIST EVANGELIST answer. The guy then explained his personal theology that everyone goes to heaven. Tony said, “That’s nice” and turned his head to the window to sleep.
As they were approaching Philadelphia Tony woke up, looked at his seat mate and said, “I’m sure glad the pilot does not share your theology about heaven.” “Whaddayamean,” his seat mate said. “Well,” replied Tony, “right now the pilot is getting instructions from the air traffic controller as to what speed, altitude, direction, and so forth he should travel to safely land at the airport. I can just see the pilot saying to the air traffic controller, ‘there are many ways into this airport’.”
Who Me? Network on Airplanes?
I am not a big networker on airplanes. Usually I am trying to nap, read, work on my computer, get comfortable with such a big guy in the seat next to me, and other things rather than in-depth socializing. However, on a recent set of flights I ended up having conversations with my seat mates on both airplanes.
On the first flight I sat next to a woman from Mississippi–I am from South Carolina–whose oldest child is the same age as my youngest child. Among the things we discovered is that her husband’s family is in the same business in Mississippi as is the husband of my wife’s cousin here in South Carolina, and they know one another.
I also discovered that her oldest child–a son–heads up a Christian humanitarian organization that works in Kenya. This very pleasant woman and I have been to some of the same places in Kenya.
We discovered that her son and my daughter went to the same university in South Carolina at the same time. When we contacted them we discovered they knew one another, had mutual friends, and did some group things together.
As we talked about the Christian humanitarian ministry in Kenya the need for a certain resource came up. I happened to know a Christian ministry who are specialists in providing that resource. I gave her a contact person with whom to connect.
Who woulda thunk it!
Then on the next flight I sat next to a person who also lives in Columbia, SC. This person is from the same part of South Carolina where the relative referred to earlier is from. He knows him. They are part of the same small denomination that originated in that part of the state.
When I asked about his profession he started describing it in generic terms. I stopped him and said, “Do you work for So-and-So?” He does. One of our long-term friends retired last year as CEO of that organization. We still get invited to their big Christmas party. I am going to see my seat mate the first of December at that party–along with our mutual friend.
It is indeed a very small world. I guess I need to wake up from my nap, look up from my book, or close my computer and see what else I can learn, and who else I can network with on airplanes. If all my networking conversations were like these, I ought to do it more often.