Training in Redemptive Compassion (RC) is a requirement for our church partners and volunteers to ensure a common understanding and approach to serving neighbors in ways that transform them and us through relationships. The RC class is completed over four weeks, with just two hours of training each week.
At a recent training session, one of our participants, Phoebe, shared a remarkable story. She had been driving through a major intersection in Montgomery County when she observed a young man crossing the street to talk with a man who was panhandling in the middle of the intersection.
Phoebe was struck by how the young man, whose name was Sam, engaged the panhandler in conversation. It turned out that Sam was inquiring about the man’s needs. Phoebe saw Sam hand his phone to the disabled man, who then started talking to someone on the other end of the line.
As Phoebe recounted this story in the RC class, the instructor asked her some questions. He wanted to know exactly where this took place, and Phoebe provided the specific street corner, which was not far away. She also shared the date and time which was around 2:00 p.m. that day.
The instructor then revealed a surprising detail after he asked Phoebe if she knew who was on the other end of that phone call. It was the instructor himself! Sam had called LINC MoCo because the man on the street corner only spoke Spanish, and the instructor was the one talking with him on the phone in Spanish.
Sam had previously gone through an RC training class and was eager to use the tools he had learned to help neighbors in need. In the past, Sam often felt discouraged that he couldn’t offer substantial help to people in need. However, through Redemptive Compassion training, he learned how to care for a neighbor beyond their immediate need and connect them to resources that could help them find a way out of their situation.
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
This story illustrates the profound impact of stepping out to reach our neighbors in need and connecting them to resources. You never know who might be watching and how far the ripple effect of your kindness can extend.
*Names and images are fictitious.
