Our Redeemer Lutheran Church recently donated $3,500 to Greenville Community Shelter to sponsor one of the offices in our new building. Betty Kruhm (Left) & Mary Johnson (Right) presented a check to Executive Director Bob Williams (Center) on April 17th, 2015.ORLC selected a community non-profit as part of their Lenten service. They began to collect money for the Shelter on Ash Wednesday and continued through Easter Sunday. They also prayed for the shelter and its residents during this period. An office in the new shelter will be named for the church as a sponsor of the needed funds for that office. Other offices are available for sponsorship.Amazing acts of generosity such as this are not uncommon for faith-based organizations. A church in Alabama sponsors what they call "random acts of kindness" among their members, encouraging them to give small gifts to someone in need.Random acts of kindness are also catching on beyond the faith-based community. There's even an organization called the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation that features ideas for spreading kindness to our fellow human beings. Through their organization, you can even become a "RAKtivist" by passing out cards to encourage the people you've helped to commit their own random acts of kindness.Says the organization's website:

Our RAKtivists are an extraordinary class of kind do-er’s. They truly believe that kindness can change the world and exemplify that in their day-to-day lives. The RAKtivist™ program recognizes these individuals and creates a community for kindness to flourish. After all, kindness is interdependent and the more we can work together, the greater our reach and impact.For that reason, our RAKtivists participate in fun and easy monthly “Kindness Raids” in their own communities as well as the online community.

Have an idea for a random act of kindness? It doesn't have to be a large gesture. Even simple acts in our daily lives can help restore other people in profound ways.