Bridge-builder profile: Pam Peters-Pries honours her father, Ron Peters
Pam Peters-Pries attended Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC), just as her father, Ron Peters, did. During her time as a student, Pam knew exactly where her father’s Class of 1965 graduation photo hung.
“I was always conscious of his photo as I walked passed it,” says Pam, who graduated from CMBC in 1989 with a Bachelor of Theology degree. “It was interesting to picture my father as a young adult, having the same experiences I was having, especially knowing how significant his experience at CMBC had been.”
Studying at CMBC was Ron’s first time away from his home community. He was challenged academically, he thought about his faith in new ways, and he considered what it meant to put faith into action.
“Part of my own experience at CMBC was shaped by knowing what sort of experience Dad had, and wanting to emulate his curiosity” about what it means to live out an Anabaptist Christian faith, Pam says.
Ron’s life of ministry after CMBC included indigenous relations and pastoral work in the Lake Winnipeg community of Bloodvein River First Nation, social work in Saskatoon, Sask., and farming in Aberdeen, Sask.
Ron passed away this past April at the age of 71. At his memorial service, Pam and her siblings talked about how their father approached life with curiosity.
“He was curious about people,” Pam and her siblings noted in Ron’s obituary. “He wanted to understand what made them tick, and he was slow to judge. He was curious about ideas, and read widely and loved deep, probing conversations.
"He was curious about himself, striving always to be open to others’ feedback and to become more self-aware. And he was tirelessly curious about his kids’ and grandkids’ pursuits, spending many hours at recitals, sporting events, and other activities.”
“He was a model in that way for me, and I think that curiosity is related to generosity,” Pam says. “He was generous with his time and his interest in people and different topics. He wouldn’t shy away from challenging conversations or... from connecting with people.
“His life was never too full to add more people and connections.”
Like her father, Pam’s time at CMBC was deeply formative and has led her to a variety of ministry roles. She currently works as Associate Program Director for Mennonite Central Committee Canada.
Ron’s graduation photo now hangs in a second-floor hallway on the North side of CMU’s Shaftesbury campus. Whenever she is on campus, Pam makes a point to walk passed it.
“It’s still interesting to picture my dad as a young man and think about what his life was like,” Pam says.
She recently decided to honour her father’s memory by purchasing a tile as part of CMU’s Come Together: Be a Bridge Builder Campaign in his name.
“Purchasing this tile will give me another point to walk by, and remember my dad and who he was.”
You can make a difference in the life of CMU for less than $14 a month. Find out how you can become a Bridge Builder and support CMU's new Library, Learning Commons and Bridge by going here and clicking on "Alumni: Buy a Tile."
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