A well-known local charity has tweaked its name in hopes of raising awareness about its work in other countries.

The group most people know as Mission Waco now is going by the name Mission Waco/Mission World.

The name change took effect Jan. 1, after a vote by the group’s board this summer.

The Christian ministry was organized as Cross Culture Experiences in 1991, executive director Jimmy Dorrell said. The name made sense back then because the group focused on poverty simulations and “exposure trips” to some of the world’s poorest countries, he said.

But the next year, the group received grant funding from a Christian foundation for a program dubbed “Mission Waco,” Dorrell said. Its aim was work with the poor here and mobilize middle-class Christians to provide hands-on help for that cause.

The Mission Waco name stuck and that is how local residents came to know the organization, Dorrell said.

So much so, in fact, that people often express surprise when they learn the group is immersed in mission work in Haiti, India and Mexico City, he said.

With the group celebrating its 20-year mark — an anniversary banquet will be held next week — leaders decided now would be a good time to adopt a name more reflective of the organization’s overall operations, Dorrell said.

The new name also should come in handy when he speaks to out-of-town groups, most of whom aren’t inclined to fund Waco projects but have an interest in global work, he said.

“What we do on global poverty issues is just as important,” Dorrell said. “There’s a balance.”

Mission Waco/Mission World officials realize some people prefer to donate only to groups that do local work, Dorrell said. He emphasized that general donations will continue to be used only for Waco programs. Contributions must specifically be earmarked for global work to be used that way, he said.

Last year, the group received $757,000 in general donations and $627,000 in donations earmarked for global initiatives.

The group’s overall annual budget is about $2.25 million, Dorrell said. It employs 30 people full time, plus another 25 part time, he said.

The charity runs more than 15 programs, in nine buildings, Dorrell said. Operations include a shelter and medical clinic for the homeless, as well as numerous programs for at-risk children.

The group also has a thrift store, cafe, theater and residential programs for men recovering from addiction.

“We’re still who we were,” the group’s board president Lois Elliott said. “But as time has moved on, we felt like it was the point in our history to change our logo and change our name to reflect who we are.”

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