When kindness creates change: Winnie Varghese on compassion and courage (188)

What difference can one person make? On this episode of Compass: Finding Spirituality in the Everyday, we welcome the Very Reverend Winnie Varghese, Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Together with host Ryan Dunn, Winnie explores the surprising power of a single act of kindness—how even the smallest gestures ripple outward to change lives, communities, and maybe even the world. Winnie shares insights from her upcoming book, "One Single Act: Gestures of Kindness, Compassion, and Courage That Change Us and the World." We uncover the transformative impact of everyday goodness, discuss the power of storytelling in shaping our moral imagination, and dive into spiritual practices that foster hope, mindfulness, and compassion amid today’s overwhelming challenges. In this episode: 00:00 Stories of kindness with Winnie Varghese 05:42 Family story about church help 07:53 Giving back during difficult times 10:02 Starting a Social Media Kindness Challenge 15:29 Contrasting protest strategies 17:02 Discussing social contracts and power 23:02 Feeling the Power of Faith 25:47 On storytelling without rigid interpretation 27:42 Launching the gift certificate program 30:33 Distractions from faith and community 34:32 Power of storytelling and language 37:32 Podcast outro and subscription reminder Find more episodes and show notes: www.umc.org/compass #Kindness #Spirituality #Hope #WinnieVarghese #CompassPodcast #ActsOfKindness #Christianity #SocialJustice #EverydayFaith