Seeds of Kindness


	CREATING AN ATTITUDE OF GENEROSITY AND SHARING

ABOUT SEEDS OF KINDNESS

Seeds of Kindness is one of many variations on an idea that combines generosity, assistance, and anonymity � a trio of unlikely partners. Generosity often demands to be noticed. Assistance too frequently has strings attached. And giving through Christian groups is often tied to witnessing or church attendance or some other expectation of those who are recipients.

Seeds of Kindness is akin to an underground railroad of goodwill that operates quietly, out of sight, but effectively. It puts into practice the maxim �If you don�t care who gets the credit, the sky is the limit to what can be accomplished.� Here is a brief history and summary of the project . . .

During the Thanksgiving season of 2000, Pastor Denny Bellesi attempted a unique experiment. He and his wife, Leesa, were inspired by the movie Pay It Forward and Jesus� Parable of the Talents to give away $10,000 in $100 increments. It took some convincing to get 100 volunteers from the Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, California, to step forward. They weren�t told what their mission would be!

The volunteers were initially stunned at being given $100 each under the following stipulations: the volunteers had to acknowledge that the money was God�s rather than theirs, they were to use it in ways they believed would enlarge God�s kingdom, and they had to report what they had done with the money within 90 days. A series of extraordinary things began to happen.

Pay It Forward (2000, PG-13) is a movie about a boy who was challenged by his junior high teacher to come up with an idea that could �change the world� � and then act on it. He came up with an idea of helping others without taking anything in return. Those who were helped and wanted to pay someone back were told instead to pay the kindness forward. You might want to rent the movie and see it for yourself.

And if you are not familiar with the Parable of the Talents, you can read it from your own Bible at Matthew 25:14-30. It is a story in which a man entrusts three of his servants with money to invest for him.

Terry Zwick was one of the volunteers at Bellesi�s congregation. He took the $100 challenge, sent to a birthday party, and shared with her friends what was going on. Those friends wound up giving an additional $1,800 to help in the effort! But what to do with the money? Another person at the same part knew about a single mother of three who had escaped an abusive relationship but was assaulted while at a safe house. Zwick decided to give the money to the woman. In connection with this project, Coast Hills Community Church committed to go ahead with plans to help others like the young woman who had been abused. One man contributed a $75,000 down payment on the home, which soon opened. �At least $125,000 probably has come from just Terry�s $100,� says Leesa Bellesi.

The Aliso Viejo News carried a story on the church�s project. The Associated Press picked up the story. Soon it was on NBC�s Dateline, in People magazine, and the PAX Television Network is considering a TV movie and weekly series. Denny and Leesa have written a book about their experience called The Kingdom Assignment.

Many people have duplicated this fascinating project. For example, an anonymous donor in Nashville, Tennessee, provided $50,000 at Thanksgiving 2001 for what his church called �Seeds of Kindness.� People in his church, students at Tennessee State University, and a number of random persons were allowed to volunteer to plant their seeds in keeping with some general guidelines. And now the program is being expanded throughout the Middle Tennessee area by means of a second initial gift of $50,000 that will be followed by columnist Tim Chavez of The Tennessean.

Our goal is to create an attitude of generosity and sharing. Anybody is welcome to plant Seeds of Kindness in a place that is barren of recent kindness. Use $5 or $10,000 to help someone � and take nothing in return. Enlist your church, civic group, or a friend to start a share-the-wealth club. This website will post first-person accounts of what people do with Seeds of Kindness provided through this method.

If you don�t have a natural means for participating (e.g., civic club, Bible Study group, etc.), you may donate money to this site that will be distributed through a variety of persons and groups. Seeds of Kindness is a non-sectarian Christian ministry under the supervision of the Family of God at Woodmont Hills in Nashville. Donations are tax deductible. Inquiries are welcome.

Website services for Seeds of Kindness are donated by Alliance Software of Brentwood, Tennessee.

The Kingdom Assignment