If you go down to the mall today, you're in for a big surprise. If the mall is somewhere in Ajax, Ont., and if it's 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of the month, someone may just hand you a Tim Hortons gift certificate and say, “Have a coffee on us.”
You will be the recipient of a practical act of Christian kindness, or PACK. And the giver of the surprise gift will be a member of St. Timothy's, Ajax.. Some people are so startled to be offered a gift that they shake their heads and hurry on. Others ask what it costs.
The gift suits the time of year. In December, a package of Christmas wrap, gift card and ribbon starts you on your Christmas wrapping. On a cold Saturday in January, Tim Hortons gift certificates are certainly appreciated by the shivering people as they hurry by. Before Easter, a bag of candy Easter eggs brings a smile to any face. In May, a packet of seeds inspires most gardeners to get planting. Other planned acts might include a free car wash or an umbrella escort to shoppers on a rainy day.
St. Timothy's minister Rev. Dennis Cook came across the idea while surfing the Internet. Originally funded with a $500 gift, the PACK program was approved for $1,000 by session this year from the outreach budget.
Church members are also encouraged by this program to perform their own random acts of kindness: shovelling a neighbour's walk, raking someone's leaves, paying for the person behind you in a drive-through line, and especially being aware of ways to show an unexpected kindness, just because… Kindness is offered with no concern about having the favour returned.
PACK is an idea that has taken off in North America, based on Acts 1:8 which reminds us that “when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” It is a low-cost activity that requires little planning and enables your church to have a non-threatening interaction with your community. One U.S. ministry describes it as “sewing seeds made easy.”
In Green Bay, Wis., motorists were surprised when members of Pilgrim Lutheran Church approached them at a gas station and offered to “buy down” their purchase that day so that the gasoline would cost only 99 cents a gallon. Jaws dropped in Chambersburg, Pa., when volunteers from the Church of God's Lighthouse Ministry Center went into a self-service laundry and offered to feed quarters into washing machines as patrons were standing with armloads of clothes. Members of St. James Lutheran, Shawano, Wis., gave away 150 hot dogs.
Owen Thornton, a Presbyterian elder from Westmount, London, Ont., is using all his business and technological skills to promote kindness. Owen launched Owen Thornton Communications to help remind people to be kind to one another wherever they are and whenever they can, including in the workplace. “The world, like lobsters in a trap, will attempt to draw you back down to its level,” Owen says.
Surf his inspiring and inviting website, thehumankindnessproject.com, and you'll be amazed at what one man can do. Owen attributes his insight and knowledge to other writers from Dr. Seuss to Dr. Wayne Dyer, and uses many quotes, including some of his own, to encourage people to feel good about themselves and to pass that feeling on to others.
“True leadership comes from an attitude of servanthood,” Owen says, using a Christian principle to promote good business practices. This energetic project, which has attracted interest from The Globe and Mail and The London Free Press, will inspire you to practice random acts of human kindness. Get involved!
