Jim Burchill, Co-founder of PeaceWorks, 1954-2014

In 1990, Jim cofounded PeaceWorks to support Nicaraguan community organizations. He led the organization for the next 24 years. Jim passed away on March 24th, 2014, but his work continues and his spirit of solidarity lives on within PeaceWorks and especially among the Nicaraguan partners that he loved working with.

In the words of Michael Ring (former PeaceWorks Board member):  

When we begin to despair that justice and love are not rising, we remind ourselves that, at this very moment, there are people around the world who we know are working to bring justice and love forward.  Jim always was one of these people, people whose lives are embodied in the words of what is often known as “Romero’s prayer” in honor of Oscar Romero, San Romero de las Americas:

“This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one
day will grow. We water the seeds already planted
knowing that they hold future promise

…… We may never see the end results, but that is the
difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not
messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

Read Jim’s obituary in the Star Ledger.  Here’s another tribute to Jim from his Alma Mater, University of New Hampshire.