Rebranding – the very word conjures up negative connotations. There is a sense that well known and much loved institutions are being cast aside in favour of the new, the trendy, the glib and the slick, and that the very nature of an organisation is being tampered with and its ethos please marketeers and focus groups. Baby and bath water – all gone leaving supporters or customers the worse.

This has been a year of deep change for Us. We started the year as USPG (United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel) – a name largely devised in 1701 – and end the year as ‘Us’. Reflecting on our journey as an organisation, I feel happy, energised and optimistic about our future, but also challenged – in a good way!

Before we embarked upon this process, as trustees, directors and staff, we determined that our gospel values would remain at the very heart any decision we might make. We went on to consult as widely as possible. Of course consultation and decision-making are two separate processes. Some remained unhappy at the prospect
of our name change, but in such situations we endeavoured to explain personally to allay concerns.

Choosing the name was difficult. In the end we chose to amend our name to United Society, essentially a truncation of our previous name that nicely abbreviates to Us. And what a gift this name has turned out to be – our new name is both aspirational and inspirational. In a world that is increasingly individualistic, it speaks to community and inclusion.

I have worked at the nexus of mission and development for a long time. I have seen how access to healthcare, education, women’s empowerment, economic development and food security can help people to grasp the full life promised by Jesus (John 10:10). For me, our new name reinforces the understanding that development work is most effective when it is owned by the community – locally and globally – when it is owned by ‘Us’. It is only when we acknowledge our interdependence – and stop thinking in terms of ‘us and them’ – that we can truly empathise.

And it is out of this sense of solidarity, rather than a sense of pity or guilt, that we can most effectively stand alongside each other in facing the challenges we all face. Put another way, in this journey of life, we are in it together. And this sense of inclusion is contagious! It’s you. It’s me. It’s your neighbour. It’s local. It’s global.

In 1701 – the year we were founded – ‘propagating the gospel’ was the right language to communicate our understanding of God’s mission. In 2013, it’s about sharing, learning, listening and seeing God in each one of us. By Janette O’Neal, Chief Executive, Us (formerly USPG)

By Janette O’Neal, Chief Executive, Us (formerly USPG)

(First published in Anglican World Issue 130 Available at http://shop.anglicancommunion.org/)