FaithXperimental Spotlight: Compassionate Austin

This post on Compassionate Austin is written
by Darren Slade

In our travels around the U.S., both digitally and physically, we at FaithX like keep our eyes open for examples of people, programs, communities, or ministries doing creative, innovative, and experimental things in the area of faith. And when we do find one, we like to shine a spotlight on them in a FaithXperimental blog post.

FaithX founder and principal consultant, Ken Howard, bumped into (almost literally) Compassionate Austin in late March while presenting MapDash and FaithX consulting services at the New Story Festival in Austin, Texas (they were back-to-back in the exhibit area). While this is not an officially religious program, there are many people and communities of faith involved, and Ken was struck by the underlying sense of spirituality that subtly infused the organization.

Compassionate Austin describes itself as a growing grassroots movement united to promote, strengthen, and celebrate compassionate action in Austin, Texas and its surrounding areas. Their vision is to exemplify and champion empathy in its purest form by creating a livable, vibrant, inclusive, and caring community in which all have the opportunity to thrive. By their actions, Compassionate Austin hopes to inspire everyone to become aware and conscious of the importance of showing compassion in the world today (taking care of others, yourself, and the earth). They seek to strengthen people’s empathy skills, tenderness, charity, and accountability toward meeting the needs of their community.

Compassionate Austin’s strategy to achieve this ambitious vision is to lead by example, creating a movement where people support each other, broaden their awareness of people’s struggles, and collaborate together to forge new relationships and spread the contagious love for engaging people in compassionate action. In practicing “3D” action (care for others, self, and the planet), Compassionate Austin willingly and proudly takes on the mantle of teacher, mentor, and supporter of the Austin, Texas community.

As a member of the Compassionate Communities campaign, Compassionate Austin has an inherent set of core values expressed in the Charter for Compassion and the Austin City Council Resolution designating Austin as a compassionate city. As an Austin based movement and in recognition of Leadership Austin’s example for their community, Compassionate Austin also affirms and supports the core values stated on the Leadership Austin website.

We at FaithX want to thank Compassionate Austin for everything it’s doing to help make our neighborhoods, countries, and planet a better place to live. And we encourage our readers to reach out to them by donating your time, finances, and prayers to support their noble mission in making compassion an integral part of the culture.

The Compassionate Austin Leadership Team

Photo-_LRW
Founder & Director
Lesa R. Walker, MD, MPH
Clay Boykin
Assistant Director
Clay Boykin
michaela maxwell
Assistant Director
Michaela Maxwell
Mike Clawson Photo
Social Impact Coordinator
Mike Clawson

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