Fw: Letter from General Secretary

[fmaga...@gmail.com]

------Original Message------
From: Janette O'Neill
To: fanuelm...@yahoo.com
Subject: Letter from General Secretary
Sent: Oct 11, 2012 4:20 PM

October 11, 2012
 
Dear Bishop Fanuel
I am writing to tell you of a significant event in the life of our historic and storied society.
 
As I think you know the last several years, for the Society, have been one of restructuring and realignment in the face of our constantly changing world.
 
Beginning with partner consultations, our programs are becoming more strategic and responsive. It is the Society's commitment to our partners, our sister Anglican churches, to help support work with communities and to strengthen and build the skills in leadership, of both laity and clergy, so that the Church may play an even fuller role in achieving God's mission. Together we are striving to bring about the full life Jesus promises in John 10:10.
 
At home, we have reduced our staff by more than half, moved to a smaller and cost effective building. We have built teams of experience, passion and commitment to better support the work.
 
The final piece of the puzzle is to look at our relationships with the Churches of Great Britain and Ireland. Over the last ten years we have seen support reducing year upon year. Our supporters are almost all aged over 60 years with very few younger people ready to take their place. Over the last year we have conducted extensive research and consultations to see how we can stem the tide of decline. This research showed us that our name USPG had become a barrier that gave many people the wrong impression about who we are and what we do and turned them away. In particular, people have told us that the words ‘Propagation of the Gospel’ suggest we are a colonial organisation that aggressively and insensitively tries to convert people, and they perceive that we are an organisation that sends missionaries. In fact we work in partnership with churches around the world to help them develop programmes that embrace and nurture all people whatever their faith, gender or ethnicity.
 
If we are to increase our support and bring more people to participate in mission, our trustees, working with staff have concluded that we should change our name. On November 20th 2012, we will become United Society, to be known as Us - every person, every community, a full life. If your internet connection allows, please watch this short film, which tells an important story. http://merdesign.co.uk/portfolio/portfolio/uspg-rebrand-animation/
 
 
By changing the name, have we got rid of the gospel? Definitely not! The gospel is at the very heart of who we are and what we do. Indeed, our ‘strapline’ – every person, every community, a full life – is taken from the words of Jesus in John 10:10. It is the words ‘propagating the gospel’ that can easily give people a wrong impression and lead to misconceptions. We do not undertake an aggressive or insensitive form of evangelism, but want to share God’s love sensitively and respectfully. We continue to express God’s love through our actions as much as through our words.
The name United Society, we soon realised, contains the gift of the abbreviation Us (nb not US!) Us speaks of community and how people find their fulfilment through being together and sharing experiences. ‘Us’ is a together-word in a world that is becoming increasingly individualistic. Us is not a cosy name, but a challenge to see the humanity in our neighbour. Us reminds us that we are called to live together in our diversity and in our differences. We are all made in God’s image, and we all have something to share and something to learn. Us is about belonging, bringing people together, inter-dependence. It has much in common with the African concept of ‘ubuntu’, which is a way of being community that the west urgently needs to hear. Ubuntu welcomes people, affirms them, cherishes difference, and longs for communion.
 
Change is never comfortable and we know that some are deeply unhappy. But I know that if we are to continue to uphold the poor, vulnerable and marginalized, this unhappiness is a small price to pay.
 
Please pray for us as we approach this moment in the life of the Society, and know that you and your work are always held in prayer by all of us in the United Society.
 
Yours in Christ
 

 
Janette O’Neill
General Secretary and Chief Executive
 

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