A person of knowledge lives by acting, not by thinking about acting. --
Carlos Casteneda
The caller reached out for help, according to the story. Her voice registered a sense of urgency that had not been expressed before.
"What do you need?" her friend asked, recognizing a plea for help.
The caller said she knew that asking a friend for money was a sure way to lose one. But she was distressed, and the last thing she needed was a lecture about how it was going to get better. She didn't need to meet and discuss her troubles. What she needed was help -- immediately.
"Uh, $150, $50," she said. "Whatever you can do would be appreciated."
I have heard that request before, too. It is a sign of desperation, a dead end, of being out of options, panic. There are others in crisis situations similar to this, in need of help right now.
Judie Holcomb-Pack, the marketing and public-relations coordinator for Crisis Control Ministry, told me recently that more people are asking for help for the first time -- 3,000 in the past year -- at the ministry, whose mission is to assist people in crisis to meet essential needs and to become self-sufficient. The organization has a need for volunteer interviewers to help assess the needs of people coming through the doors. Three hours a week could make a difference.
If you can't volunteer, maybe you can learn from the actions of a U.S. District Court judge who was invited to speak to a congregation about an international organization, the Society of St. Stephen. Its sole purpose is to help people in need.
The church wanted information about the organization and how to start its own program. You have been in those meetings too, haven't you? You gather information, hear a speaker talk about a program, sit around and ask questions and then debate the merits of getting involved. While you are debating, someone's needs are not being met.
After his introduction to the group, the judge pulled out a piece of paper and read the names of a mother and her four children, including their ages and clothing sizes. And he provided their address, according to the story.
"If you want to start a Society of St. Stephen, then you should contact this woman by 11:30 tomorrow morning. If you are not able to help her, don't worry, I'll be in contact with her tomorrow and I'll get her help by mid-afternoon," he told them as he departed.
It was a five-minute meeting.
Like the caller, the mother and her children were in crisis, too, and the need was immediate. Instead of spending time listening to a program about how to help, the church members discussed how to help this one family, and as the story concludes, they did just that.
Another church, United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist in Winston-Salem, did the same thing recently after learning of a family whose child had died in a house fire. The family couldn't pay the gas bill, so they used a space heater, and the result was tragic. There was a need, it was identified and monetary help is on the way from the Special Needs Ministry, along with gift cards from the Sunday school department to buy essentials such as food, clothes and household items.
Organizations such as Crisis Control Ministry provide a helping hand to people who are in need and are experiencing a crisis. More and more people are finding themselves in a situation that warrants immediate assistance. It could be a person who has never asked for help before and doesn't know how to navigate the system of support in the community. While he may not know where to go, you might know what his need is. If you do, help if you can.
Sometimes, we get caught up in talking about the dire needs of others, rather than identifying what is needed and moving quickly to help in whatever manner we can. Volunteer for Crisis Control. Give money, food or a gift card to help one person or one family in need.
What better way to illustrate the meaning of the holiday season?
■ Nigel Alston is a Dale Carnegie trainer and motivational speaker who lives in Winston-Salem. He can be reached at nalston1@triad.rr.com.
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