For many people, the acronym PWRDF is virtually a tongue twister. Even clergy and PWRDF Parish Representatives often have difficulty saying the acronym or relating what the letters stand for. And what do we actually mean by the terms “Primate” or “World Relief and Development”?
As Anglicans, we refer to the head of the Canadian Anglican Communion as a Primate, but for many others a primate is a being in the wilds or a zoo. Even recently, the PWRDF office in Toronto received a letter saying, “If you are having difficulty locating primates, why not broaden your search category to include orangutans?”
And do the words “World Relief and Development” truly reflect how PWRDF works with others? Do we in North America have the answers to problems in the rest of the world? Is PWRDF only for others, or also for Canadians? We need to ask: Who is doing what for whom? And, is it for, or with?
As PWRDF Board Member, The Rev’d Cynthia Haines Turner wrote in last month’s Anglican Life, “when you spend more time explaining the name than you do speaking about what you do, it’s time to change it.” It was obvious that PWRDF needed a name that is easy to say and understand, and that expresses the way it actually works.
A Task Team established by the PWRDF Board to choose a more representative name concluded that the name needed to say that PWRDF works together with agencies around the world in the hope of creating “a truly just, healthy, and peaceful world.” The two most significant terms that emerged from these discussions were “alongside” and “hope.”
These terms may be easiest to remember, if we consider their scriptural basis. “Alongside” emerged from reflections on how Jesus walked alongside two disciples on the road to Emmaus, disciples who recognized him when he broke bread and blessed it. And “hope,” was chosen because it reflects who we are called to be: a people of hope. As our baptismal covenant states: “There is one body and one Spirit. There is one hope in God’s call to us. One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (from Ephesians 4:4-5).
The name has changed, but the ministry has not. Our new name, Alongside Hope, reminds us that we are Anglicans and partners working together for change in Canada and around the world as we express our love for God and our neighbours.
With thanks to The Rev’d Cynthia Haines Turner,
submitted by Doreen Helen Klassen
