What's In A Name

New names have been on my mind recently, for reasons most of you know, and the rest of you will soon find out. Getting a new name at birth is not that big a deal. None of us is very reflective at that point—it tends to be all about getting fed and changed. But some of us have experienced name changes later in life—often due to marital status, occasionally for other reasons. New names later in life tend to be a bigger deal.

When I changed my name from Douglas Johnson to Douglas Wysockey-Johnson, there were challenges. First of all, how do I pronounce it? My in-laws quickly came to my rescue—Repeat after me: “Wysockey rhymes with ice hockey, Wysockey rhymes with ice hockey….” Learning how to sign my name, and deciding when to correct people who used my old name and when to let it go were a few of the challenges.

Changing my name did not change the core of who I was. When I was Douglas Johnson, I brought meaning to that name by the way I lived my life. As Douglas Wysockey-Johnson, the same thing is true. My name doesn’t define me; I define my name. And then there was something else, something much deeper. Regardless of what people call me, regardless of how I act, I have a core identity as God’s beloved child.

Name Changes Are About the Future

My name change did mark a significant shift in my life. More than anything it said something about who I was becoming in the future. Changing my name was making an important statement about my commitment and identity as one partnered with Kathryn (this by the way, is not an advertisement for the “right” way to go about names and marriages—I am way smarter than to walk into that mine field. Sharing the same long hyphenated name was simply right for Kathryn and me.)

This future orientation is true about the new names given in the bible as well. Sometimes the new name was a long time in coming (Sarai to Sarah in old age). Sometimes the name reflected great struggle (Jacob’s new name became Israel—“one who wrestles with God”). In at least one case, it seem to be a snap decision. Jesus took one look at Simon and said “Your new name is Cephas—Peter.” Done.

In all cases, the new name was a statement of hope for the future. It was about becoming something or someone new.

From FAW to Lumunos

Faith at Work is changing its name. Officially beginning in 2009, we will be known as Lumunos, with the tagline “Faith & Light for the Journey.” We are excited about the ways our new name will help us relate to a whole new generation of people. Our core mission is not changing—we want to invite people into deeper relationships with themselves, each other, and God; we want them to hear the Spirit’s call in those relationships. We believe our name will help us, in the words of our founder, “stand at the door.” That is what FAW has always done, and that is what Lumunos will do in the future. But Faith at Work is in the process of becoming something new. In that sense our name change does mean something. We are not doing this on a whim. The board of FAW has talked and prayed about this decision for quite some time. Like Jacob, we have come to our new name with significant struggle. But this represents a clear call for us—a call to stand in the door for a whole new world of people hungry for FAW’s ministry.

You will not see our new name prominently displayed until 2009. And the name “Faith at Work” will continue to be used in our ministry. In the meantime, we welcome your comments and prayers as we move into this new name. Feel free to send us your comments and questions (info@lumunos.org).

Webcaretaker note: 2009 has arrived... check out our new website: Lumunos: Faith & Light for the Journey.

In this Issue…

Our theme for this issue is Changes in our Relationship with Self and Others. Inside you will find thoughtful articles reflecting these changes: how illnesses can change our understanding of self; how relationships between parents and children change; work relationships that become friendships; the complexity of relationships in faith communities, and how faith changes the way we understand ourselves. It strikes me that these changes in our self understanding and our relationships with others is not unrelated to name changes. When my name changed, it altered the way I understood myself and the way others saw me. I imagine the same was probably true for Sarah, Peter and Jacob. Our name change from Faith at Work to Lumunos will undoubtedly change us, and change the way people see us. But at our core, our mission is the same. And by God’s grace, we will define ourselves anew for a new world hungry for what we have to offer.

Doug Wysockey-Johnson is the Executive Director of Faith At Work. He, his wife Kathryn, their daughter Isabel Marie, and their son Soren William live in Richmond VT.