“That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
So says Juliet in the Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet, which pretty much describes the message that many have been trying to convey since the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund voted to change its name in October, 2024. “The name has changed,” we say, “but the ministry remains the same.”
The new name, for those who have not heard, is Alongside Hope.
As might be expected, the responses have run the gamut to “Why would they change the name?” to “I love it.”
My own response to changing the name has gone from total opposition, to ambivalence, to acceptance, to advocating for the change. For many years, I would say, especially in children’s stories when I spoke in churches, something like, “it’s a very long name and confusing but what’s important is that it’s how we care for one another in this world.” Which may be a clue as to why we needed to change the name. One of the reasons so often cited was, “when you spend more time explaining the name than you do speaking about what you do, it’s time to change it.”
Whether you agree with the name change or not, it came about as a result of a lengthy process. On the advice of the Strategic Planning Working Group, the board made the decision to create a Task Team, representative of all constituencies. The Task Team met for over two years. Two creative agencies were consulted. There were many conversations and consultations. It quickly emerged that many names we might have liked were taken or otherwise copyrighted. It was also clear that there was no name that made everyone say, “Oh, why didn’t I think of that? That’s the perfect name!”
So far, I realize I have not done much to ‘sell’ the new name. Perhaps there is no real way to sell it. But there is a way to understand why the words ‘alongside’ and ‘hope’ were chosen. Alongside was chosen to speak to what emerged as the central value of the ministry we do—that of partnership. We don’t ‘do’ for others, we walk alongside in partnership. The scripture that truly spoke to us was that of Jesus walking alongside two disciples on the road to Emmaus, disciples who recognized him when he broke bread and blessed it. Jesus accompanies us as we care for one another. Hope was chosen because it is the essence of who we are called to be—people of hope. “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). These familiar words come from the service of baptism, a service where we affirm our covenant with God to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbour as ourselves. Which is what we do in the ministry of PWRDF, now Alongside Hope. The name has changed—the ministry has not.
