Originally published as part of the 75th Anniversary celebration, November 2019.
Helping Communities Not Be Left Behind
Lynne Ashbeck has always known part of her call is civic engagement. Fresno Pacific University gave her the peacebuilding skills to transform her work. Lynne sees the need for local government to be more accessible to the people and her work on the Clovis City Council is driven by her passion to bridge the gap between the two. As former Mayor of Clovis, understanding the needs of her constituents and making people feel heard have always been Lynne's top priorities. As a student in her mid-fifties, she brought her work and life experience to class and learned that her insights could help apply her peacemaking and conflict resolution studies to her career in a unique way. To Lynne, peacemaking isn't only called on for certain scenarios, it's something we must strive for in our everyday lives.
7 Areas of Prayer: Public Service
Integrity among politicians and government officials
Safety and support for local first responders and law enforcement
Increased peaceful, civil dialogue around current issues
Increased voter turn-out in local elections
Increased citizen engagement
Care for the marginalized
FPU grads pursuing careers in government or as first responders