Helping Not Harming
“First, do no harm.” That famous statement is attributed to ancient Greek doctor Hippocratus. While it’s not included in the Hippocractic oath, it endures as a fundamental principle of care. It’s a recognition that responses to hurt or crisis might actually make them worse.
The church and Christians are obviously not immune. Our lives are riven with sin. Christian institutions can succumb to self-protection and incompetence like any other; harming when they should help. Whenever this happens, it is a tragedy and a scandal against the Gospel.
It’s a scandal because the church is called to more than “do no harm.” We are called to be “ministers of reconciliation” and agents of help and blessing in a broken world. As sinful people, that is no easy task. For this call we need the Holy Spirit’s power, the grace and freedom that Jesus offers, and a great deal of courage and humility.
Titles like ministers of reconciliation and agents of blessing can feel grandiose. Yet, most often, living into this call begins in simple and everyday ways. Mother Teresa once said “To God there is nothing small. The moment we give it (our humble actions of blessing and reconciliation), it becomes infinite.” Even the small actions count in God’s economy.
In the context of COTC, there are a couple of simple and small ways to live into this call now:
This Sunday, Rondell Trevino with The Immigration Coalition, a missionary partner of COTC’s, will be sharing about an opportunity we have to support practical help to those along the border in the name of Jesus. There will be a specific opportunity to support this work in prayer and financially.
The Good Neighbor Fund is an ongoing and lay-led initiative at COTC to support the acute, practical and financial needs of people in the Austin area. The GNF regularly disperses onetime gifts on behalf of members who apply for their neighbors. Read more about it here.
Within our community, we have a couple of families welcoming new children. As has been our custom, there are Care Calendars set up to help with meals in these challenging, early weeks. See below for details. These are in-house opportunities for us to be a community of help and blessing. You can keep Michelle and Will, and Lindsey and Justin in prayer also as they adjust to life with their new gifts of God!
The “do no harm” principle is especially important in moments of crisis and among those who are hurting. There is currently a situation in another diocese in our province where a crisis related to sexual abuse appears to have been mishandled. Survivors of abuse and their families have been speaking out and relating the ways they have been harmed and re-traumatized. This is a truly terrible situation. I’m praying for the survivors and their families, and for justice and healing to be done in the name of Jesus. Please join me in that.
I’m also grateful for the resources our own diocese has produced to lovingly and faithfully respond to any potential allegations of abuse or harassment. You can read more about these resources here. These are part of an expansion of previous training that COTC already complies with. We’ll be working toward fulfilling these new and good requirements in the months ahead. I wanted you to be aware of them also. Obviously, our hope and prayer is that nothing of this nature ever occurs at COTC, but I am grateful for these materials and the way they set out responses that help and don’t further hurt. In a broken and sinful world, this work of preparation, mitigation, and response is a part of faithfulness. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to reach out.
In Christ,
Peter+