“We feel the spirit of God here.” That is a powerful statement, and when you realize the individual is talking about a commercial business enterprise, it is even more potent. That is how one customer described the business of Infinitely Beyond Award recipient, Mr. Bob Weaver. In 1984, with the help and full support of his family, Bob acquired a small Chevrolet dealership in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the heart of “coal cracker country.” He started with 17 employees. By 2014, this small dealership had expanded to include all the GMC brands and was now a sprawling campus of five buildings with over one hundred employees. And all of this survived the General Motors bankruptcy reorganization and dealer cuts. Bob gives all the glory and praise to God.
And it wasn’t just the dealership that was growing. In 2015, a small church plant was looking for a temporary place to meet, and they began to use the drive thru service lane at Bob Weaver Auto for Sunday morning praise and worship. It worked out great for them; you just can’t put God in a box. Freedom in Christ Church continued to grow and they held their first service in their newly acquired facility on Easter Sunday.
Bob has a strong commitment to local and national ministries. He has served on various church boards, and the advisory board of the Salvation Army. He supports the work of Dawson McAllister Ministries, Hope International and the Pocket Testament League.
When the Pocket Testament League approached Bob for support, he took a photo of his pastor’s car, a red Camaro convertible, and had it placed on the cover of the “pocket-sized Gospels of John”, and ordered his first 5000 booklets. Bob has used them ever since, including them with the paperwork when each car is purchased. Little did he know, that Camaro photo would become one their most popular covers, with over one half million with that cover being ordered in 2016 by a community in China.
Bob remains committed to his family and business. He is blessed to have his wife of 30-years, and both sons joining him at work in the family business.
Bob joined Convene about the same time as his beloved father passed away. Convene became a place where Bob was mentored, encouraged, challenged, held accountable, received and gave sage wisdom and advice, and provided a godly influence on how to be a better husband, father and leader in his business.
Bob began a workplace chaplain program, workplace bible studies at lunch, employee mission trips, a Christian resource library and the completion of a Christ-centered vision and mission statement that is prominently displayed throughout his facility.
It is easy to see why his customer stated, “We feel the spirt of God here.”