The more extensive a Living Resource Guide becomes, the wider a chaplain's circle of influence grows. We see that as an absolute good — because unlike other players in a community, a chaplain seeks to use their influence for the betterment of other people.
What does that actually look like? We're glad you asked.
Rabbi-Cantor Marie Betcher in Austin and Chaplain Mindi Russell in Sacramento embody the idea of a Living Resource Guide. Each built a network that reaches far beyond a single department — connecting law enforcement with clergy, civic leaders, nonprofits, mental-health professionals, first responders, and ordinary citizens ready to help.
Their value becomes clearest in a crisis, when a department needs more than a list of phone numbers. It needs someone who knows which person will actually answer, who can act immediately, and who can be trusted.
Marie
Marie Betcher's influence grew through her work as a rabbi-cantor, congregational leader, police and fire chaplain, interfaith representative, and visible participant in Central Texas civic life. She became senior chaplain for the Austin Police Department after years of showing up wherever people needed comfort, guidance, or connection. By the time the title came, the relationships were already there.
Mindi
Mindi Russell built a similarly broad network through law-enforcement chaplaincy, crisis response, public speaking, officer support, and the training and mentoring of chaplains across California. Her service at Ground Zero after September 11, and her leadership during officer deaths in Sacramento, gave her rare credibility with first responders, families, public officials, and the wider community.
What they had in common
Neither woman treated networking as a strategy for personal advancement. They remembered people. They showed up before they were needed. They made introductions, supported the work of others, and stayed present after the immediate crisis had passed.
Over time, their names became associated with steadiness, competence, and generosity. They built trust quickly because it was obvious to everyone that their aim was always to help other people — never themselves.
That is a Living Resource Guide fully realized: not a binder of contacts, but a life of relationships, kept current and offered freely, so that on the hardest day the right person is only one phone call away.