The story of Stanley Tam (1916-2023), compiled from articles by Randy Alcorn at http://www.epm.org (6-16-21) and Todd Harper at http://www.ncfgiving.com (5-16-23).
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In 1934, as a young door-to-door salesman, Stanley Tam met a farmer’s wife who told him about Jesus. Six weeks later, while in a church, he placed his faith in Christ.
With twenty-five dollars of his own in his pocket, plus twelve dollars from his father, he launched United States Plastic Corporation, in Lima, Ohio.
Stanley said, “I started the business in 1936, and I soon went broke. I was very discouraged. Then the Lord spoke to me: ‘Turn it over to me; I’ll make it succeed.’”
So, Stanley legally made God the company’s majority owner—51 percent of company stock was given to a nonprofit, which in turn gave all the earnings to God’s Kingdom. At the time Stanley did this, he was making fourteen dollars a week. Stanley believed that God wanted to run the business with Stanley as his employee. God was in the plastics business.
Slowly, the business began to turn around. By the mid-1950’s, God and Stanley Tam were doing very well in the plastics industry.
In 1955 Tam went to a meeting in South America where he saw God work powerfully in people’s lives. He explained, “God spoke to me and said, ‘Stanley, if a soul is the most precious thing in the world, would you go back to the United States and turn your entire business over to me? And would you use the profits to spread the gospel around the world?’”
“Lord, you already have 51 percent of it,” Stanley replied. “Isn’t that enough?”
But then Stanley sensed God saying to him, “Stanley, on the cross, I paid it all for you. Now you’re my disciple. And I want you to do what I ask.”
You might be thinking that since Stanley is an extraordinary man of faith, this all came easily for him. It didn’t. Stanley said, “You’ll never know the struggle I went through that night. Finally, I said, ‘All right Lord, you can have it.’” He and his wife Juanita made the decision to give the remaining 49
percent of the company to God, thus placing 100 percent of the stock in the charitable foundation. All the profits would now be going to various Gospel ministries around the world.
Stanley said, “We just wanted to be obedient.”
They chose to draw only a moderate salary from the business to live on– a mere fraction of that of a typical CEO. And then, they gave even a substantial portion of that to the Lord’s work. He said, “When my salary was $78,000, our personal giving out of that was about $30,000.”
Stanley found the joy in giving over to God what he knew belonged to him. (Everything belongs to God, right?) Stanley had a new plant built, four times bigger and facing an interstate, with huge letters installed on the side of the building: “Christ Is the Answer.”
The result of their decision is that over the past half-century, the company has generated over $140 million in profits that have been given to kingdom work. Many churches were planted because of Stanley’s contributions and hundreds of thousands of people have given their lives to Christ.
Stanley’s commitment lives on. US Plastics Corporation continues to give away 100 percent of its profits. The company now produces more than 30,000 products and serves more than 85,000 customers. Wes Lytle, Stanley’s successor as president of U.S. Plastic Corp., said, “We’re different than most companies. We’re similar in that we want to make as much money as we possibly can– but the purpose is totally different. What is that purpose? To give away as much money as we possibly can, for the glory of Jesus and the good of others.”
Stanley Tam had a wonderful business career in which he brought the world high-quality plastics. But more important, he brought the world that which will last forever.
Interestingly, while Stanley was remarkably generous, his primary spiritual gift was not giving, but evangelism. He spoke thousands of times to various groups and eagerly shared his faith with as many as would listen. Well into his nineties, he was a powerful speaker. When asked what words of instruction he would give to a man seeking to follow God, he did not hesitate, but said, “One word: Obedience.”
If we truly believe that God owns everything and that we owe him everything for giving us all the goodness we’ve ever known or will ever know, then Stanley Tam’s actions make perfect sense. While the details of our circumstances may vary, the heart behind generosity can be the same. Stanley’s life, and the lives of others like him, should stir us to say, “What can I do that would express the same faith in God’s ownership and lordship of all I am and all I own?”
Todd Harper wrote, “Stanley was one of the most contented men I ever met. His simple obedience to God with everything he owned produced a life of abundant joy in his family, business, and ministry. By transferring ownership to God, Stanley’s life has become an inspiring example of a man that God made rich in every way possible.”
Randy Alcorn quoted Tam as saying, “People used to tell me, ‘Stanley, you’re giving it all away! Why aren’t you keeping it?’ I told them, ‘I am putting it in the bank account in Heaven.’”
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Matthew 6:19-21 — (Jesus said), “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
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Gracious God, all that I have comes from you: my body and mind, my strength and intelligence, my time and abilities, my energy and possessions. Guard me from the temptation to use my gifts only for my personal benefit. Make me willing to use them joyfully in service to you and to your people. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
–WELS Hymnal, page 136.
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For an hour-long documentary on Stanley’s remarkable life go to:
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