With great sadness, the staff and board of ASJ (formerly known as AJS) mourn the loss of Pete Harkema, our board President, our capital campaign director, and our dear friend.

Pete joined the ASJ-US board in 2009 and was elected board president in 2011. He served faithfully until his death on February 3rd at age 70.

Pete’s visionary outlook and strategic mind was an influence to many different organizations during his life. Throughout his decades of experience, Pete nurtured a desire to pursue justice, advance the Kingdom of God, and redeem Creation from brokenness. He first learned about ASJ when his son, Peter, spent a year working with ASJ in Honduras. But Pete soon came to love Honduras in his own right.

Pete’s dream was to see the ASJ staff in a secure, safe, accommodating building, and while he was not able to see the building completed, he was able to speak at a dedication ceremony for the land where the office will be built.

“This building will be more than an office space for ASJ,” Pete told the audience at the ceremony, “It will be a symbol of our hope that through our prayers, our dreams, and our work, we can bring about a more just society here in Honduras,”

We will miss Pete’s vision, humor, warmth, and wisdom on the board. But in our building, our programs, and our work, the legacy of his leadership will not soon be forgotten.