It meant a lot to me because it stretched me. I realized that as often as I have cordially talked to these kind neighbors, I had never brought them a gift and had never been in their home. They happened to have warm cookies that had just finished baking, and the one they gave me tasted so good.
Serendipitous acts of kindness are one of the most creative ways a church can share the love of Christ openly in a community. It is evangelism in the best sense of the word because we are sharing the name of Christ practically, and more importantly, purely for Christ's sake.
The Acts of Kindness card is a tool to let people know we love them and care about them in the name of Christ and on behalf of the church, but to express that it is not because we want anything from them. It is doing for others just for the sake of doing so. So often, people assume churches are only self-interested and this can come as a welcome surprise. It might just warm someone's heart to give church a try.
In today's culture, many people have been turned off from church because of TV evangelism, faith mixed with politics, or negative experiences with intolerant Christians. These influences are not the essence of the church and they are not who we are. Rather, self-giving love is the essence of our faith.
We are hoping to create an atmosphere in our community that opens people to the love of God because others have loved them with no strings attached.
