BRANSON – Still wearing the casual business attire he wore for an earlier meeting, Chris Myer, vice president of marketing for Branson’s acclaimed Myer Hotels, made his way down the aisle of the crowded airplane.
He heaved his computer bag into the storage bin above and took his seat between a woman who looked like she was asleep and a man with a silver ponytail tucked under a doo rag and a package of cigarettes poking out of his front pocket.
Myer smiled at the man and offered his hand.
“Nice to meet you. Where are you headed to today?”
Hesitating, the man told Myer he was actually on his way to Springfield to attend his grandson’s funeral.
Instantly Myer felt the familiar direction of the Holy Spirit in his thoughts. Like many airplane trips he’d had before, God was about to use Myer to once again speak into the life of a stranger.
“We talked and I asked him if he had any spiritual beliefs,” Myer said. “He told me he had experienced many hardships in his life, including tragically losing his son in a fire. He said he didn’t know what was out there, but if God would just show him, he would believe.”
Myer then pointed out the window. He reminded the man of the miracle of creation and then, with the Spirit’s guidance, Myer told him what Jesus had done in his personal life.
“Did that man accept Jesus on the plane that day? No. But did God use me in that moment to plant a seed? Yes, He did,” Myer said. “It’s not our job to convince somebody, it’s our job to do what Christ tells us to do. The man told me himself that he felt empty, so I told him the answer to solve that. As followers of Christ, we have the solution to the world’s problems and we need to be telling people. We need to care.”
Raised in a Godly home in Harrison, Ark., Myer said his Christian life story probably sounds a lot like many who grew up in the Bible Belt. He attended a Lutheran church with his family and throughout childhood he enjoyed many summers at Branson’s Kanakuk Kamps, which he said were instrumental in his faith foundation. As a teenager, Myer got involved in a local K-Life group, an extension of Kanakuk’s ministries, and his budding faith began to strengthen into a true lifelong commitment.
“I never really had one of those earth-shattering come to Jesus moments,” Myer said. “I’ve been around the Christian world all my life so for me having faith has been a growth process. There are always failures along the way, but I had great parents with great values and people who were willing to guide me.”
Myer joined the family hotel business in 1992 and later met and married his wife, Sonja, and attended a non-denominational church in Branson. They later switched to First Baptist Church, Branson, where Myer, his wife and three sons have attended for the last 13 years.
“I didn’t have a Baptist background at all, but I really liked the evangelism style that Jay Scribner (former 28-year pastor of First Branson) brought each week,” Myer said. “He wasn’t afraid to be bold and speak out in a culture that isn’t always accepting of such black and white truths.”
That’s a boldness Myer has strived to emulate, especially in his vice president position with Myer Hotels, a family owned and operated company started by Myer’s parents.
With 46 years in the hospitality business and 30 of those in Branson, the Myer family currently owns and manages six premier hotels in the Branson area including: Best Western Center Pointe Inn; Best Western Capital Inn; Comfort Inn at Thousand Hills; Comfort Inn & Suites Branson Meadows; Comfort Inn West; and Holiday Express on Green Mountain Drive. The company also runs three tourist information websites.
“Our business mission is to provide friendly and fantastic service and our Christian values and ethics guide all of our decisions,” Myer said. “We want to take care of what God has given us and serve our customers in a way that will bring glory to Him.”
With that goal in mind, Myer has led Myer Hotels to be a partner for many Christian concerts and evangelistic events in Branson.
A huge Christian music fan himself, Myer has led the way in bringing bands like Kutless, Newsong and Anthem Lights to perform in Branson. He’s also helped with the Xtreme Conference that comes to Branson each winter, and Myer Hotels supports Young Christians’ Weekend every year at Silver Dollar City.
“We love to help these great ministries,” Myer said. “True, when you have a lot of excited youth in the hotels it can get pretty crazy. But it’s all worth it if they can hear these speakers and take in the message that God has for them. Some of the biggest news stories in Branson are never reported; so many people have accepted Christ as their Savior, many lives have been changed.”
So whether he’s in the background promoting and encouraging a huge outreach event or sitting next to a stranger on a plane ready and willing to offer Jesus as a solution, Myer strives to serve God wherever and whenever he is called.
“No matter where God puts us, we are called to serve him,” he said. “It’s about being obedient to that call. My encouragement for people is to not be afraid to share Christ with other people. They don’t know him. You do. You have what they are looking for. You need to do something about that.”