Time for a Name Change

I have the same name as my father; he the Sr, me the Jr. I have never been small so it irked me during my teens to be called, albeit affectionately by family, “Little Jimmy.” I chose “Jim,” but it took a while. Even now I smile thinking of my mother beginning every voice message to her 55+ year old son with “Jimmy, this is yourMom.” Who else would use that name?

One of our ministries at Prince of Peace is changing its name. It will take a while to break our habit with the old name, and update a lot of our communication tools, so one would hope the change is for good reason, right?

By unanimous decision our Global Mission Ministry is changing its name to the Global Partner Ministry Group. Here’s why:

• The term “mission” has a colonizing etymology that still exists in some circles. Sadly, some think that followers of Christ love others in order to “save them” or convert them. No! We love others because Christ commanded us to love others just as God loves us.

• Our neighbors are commanded to love us also. It is too easily forgotten that many do! There are followers of Jesus all over the world. We share a calling to a global mutuality rather than a superiority/inferiority. We learn from each other, support each other, pray for each other.

• For almost two decades the preferred term for this kind of ministry is “accompaniment ministry.” We walk with each other.

• That is what our (newly renamed) Global Partner Ministry Group is about and why our monthly meetings so often fill me with joy. Each meeting we share what our partners are doing, with us and for God. A recent thank you note from Hoops4Haiti shared that they are praying for us and thankful “that you too are living and loving like Jesus.”

• The new name mirrors how our Global Partner Ministry Group is actually structured. We are in a personal relationship with 13 global organizations. Something is shared about each on our website. Each partner was identified through a direct relationship of a congregational member! We connect regularly, update our relationships often, ask what the other needs. In short, we walk with each other, support and pray for one another. We do have the capacity for more partners, more relationships. If you want to learn more, or experience the joy, our next meeting is Saturday, June 28 at 9:00 am. You’ll always be welcome.

• We hope the new name will provide the context for the fundraising we do, which is significant! $64k in 2024, 100% being distributed among our partners to assist whatGod is doing in our world. Closet Cause (August 22-23), thanks to your support and a generous matching donor, has been our largest fundraiser and has benefitted ALL of our partners. Through our partner relationships, God has multiplied every dollar we have received and shared.

Thanks for your partnership! We are, in fact, walking together in love with our neighbors!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! Indeed, Alleluia!

Pastor (little) Jimmy

P.S. Our choir is off to Europe this week, and Pastor John begins his sabbatical. Let’s keep them all in our prayers, ok?