Description: A challenge in service — to put love where it seems to be lacking. This event brings a group together to brainstorm ideas and preform acts of kindness for one week.
Get Ready
- Prep Time: Start publicizing your event among young adults and in the wider parish two weeks before the kick-off event. You should allow two-three hours to prepare and plan for the kick-off or initial meeting and the week of random acts of kindness itself.
- Volunteers Needed: One facilitator can easily organize this event alone, since there is no official prep required (how easy is that?). I personally like to have a partner-in-crime to create a fun, energetic dynamic.
- Supplies: Depending on what you decide to do for each “Random Act,” you might need some paper and pens (for love notes), quarters (to leave on parking meters and laundry machines), and old clothes (to donate to the nearest clothing drive), or other supplies for the Random Acts. You will also want to plan for some snacks or other hospitality items for the initial meeting.
- Reserve the Space: The beauty and challenge of this initiative is the experience of going to places where love is needed most. You will invade every space you decide is in need: a subway station, a restaurant, a classroom, wherever! You will need to reserve a gathering space for the initial event, such as a room at the parish.
- Ideal Group Size: Three participants or more
- Who is this for? The program works well with any age group: anywhere from children’s liturgy participants, to young adults, to middle-aged singles, to married couples during marriage prep. Since it depends so much on the group’s ideas, it can be transformed into anything for any group.
- When is a good time for this? The timing will depend completely on your group and the rhythm of your parish or the program you are connecting to the event (i.e., marriage prep, young adults, etc.). Beginning on a Sunday during the day (initial meeting) and ending on a Friday evening (optional follow-up meeting) worked well for the group at our parish.
- Publicize the Program:
- Make a poster (for the visual learners)
- Arrange for a pulpit announcement (for the auditory learners)
- Post on social media (for the tech-savvy)
- Write-up a blurb in the bulletin/newsletter (for the not-so-tech-savvy)
Prayer for Program Planner: Lord and loving God: You asked us to love one another as we love ourselves. Inspire us to respond with kindness toward our neighbors and give us the courage to sustain our hope when faced with difficulty. Amen.
Community Building: This initiative has a twofold community development component:
- It presents a reason for people to come together for a cause they all feel passionate about — reaching out with simple acts of service — yet gives each individual a chance to express this service in their own way.
- It dispels the idea that community only exists within the group that participates in this initiative. By its nature, Random Acts of Kindness will inevitably extend far beyond the young adult group or parish environment, encouraging the participants to reach out, far beyond their comfort zone.
