Compassion is at the heart of all authentic ministry.  If our actions are not a result of a compassionate heart we are but a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.  We look first to our Elder family, then to the surrounding community, and finally to the world that is home to us all. An Elder student is taught to think globally but act locally.  He learns, in word and deed, to reflect Christ, whose spirit gives us the desire to minister.