At our 2nd annual Jazz For Justice event, we sit down with Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic ED Chris Purnell to learn more about the Clinic's passion for Indianapolis and its most vulnerable populations. When did you first become engaged with the Clinic and why? Tell us your story in the comments below or find us on Instagram & Twitter @NCLegalClinic and be sure to use #MyClinicStory #StoriesOfJustice

This rainy month of April we spent time ruminating on how our faith compels us to acts of compassion. In lock-step with this theme, the Clinic's semiannual Refugee Adjustment Day* took place on April 25th. On that day, 24 volunteers from College Park Church (as part of their annual SERVE day), plus 9 additional volunteer attorneys, worked with our staff to help 62 immigrants apply for Legal Permanent Residence. All in one day!

It is easy to understand how and why other people hurt—at least when they’re in your office, crumpled tissues in hand, the empathy flows. But sympathy and empathy alone can leave you in the realm of pitying people. And we have not been called to pity people. Our call is to "(a)dminister true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another” (Zechariah 7:9).

The beauty and effectiveness of this relationship is perhaps most keenly evinced by our collaboration on Refugee Adjustment Day, when the Clinic and College Park come together at the end of April to assist dozens of refugees in obtaining their green cards. These kinds of works are a natural consequence of the Body of Christ partnering with one another. Dale explains, “You do life together under the umbrella of the Gospel and really good things happen.”

“Compassion is loving others … I’ve learned one of the most important things is to just hear someone’s story. To stop, put your pencil down, because life is so busy and hard and complicated that people don’t give each other time.”

She tells us she and her children survived everything that happened to them by the grace of God, and that she knew He would not let her travel so far from her home only to find despair.