Love This Space is based on the 'Random Acts of Kindness' and the idea that generosity is infectious. It's about loving others, no strings attached.
It’s positive, fun, creative and challenging. It's run by churches, yet something a whole city can join in on. It’s also a mechanism that, for some, will rouse interest, generate conversations and provide a connection point back to church.
Find everything you need below to get started on your project.
The concept is simple: find a way to bless a stranger, friend, colleague or neighbour. It can be through an anonymous gift, an act of service, through business (if you own one) or by stepping in and making the difference at key moments.
With each act of generosity a token is given and the recipient is invited to ‘pay it forward’ and bless someone else. They can join in, look up the website to find out more, or simply enjoy receiving.
Below are some really simple ways to get started.
You just need to decide: are you a ninja, amigo, hero or boss?
Put a £10 gift card through a neighbour’s letterbox
Leave a message like "have a great day" or "for anything you need #LoveThisSpace"
Leave a generous tip at a restaurant
Wrap a £5 note around the token and place in a busker's hat
Say thank you to someone who serves you with a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers
e.g. your kids school teachers or nursery workers. Keep it anonymous to keep it fun :)
#2
Hero
Step in and make the difference!
Offer to help people you see in need
Whether it's the elderly, the homeless, new parents or foreign exchange students, look for ways to help people out and lend a hand.
Post this on your social media timeline:
“I’m free this weekend if anyone needs and hand with anything #LoveThisSpace”
If you're under 18 please ask your parent or guardian's permission!
#3
Amigo
Be a friend to the people around you
Help a neighbour with their gardening or jobs around the house
Volunteer for a project, cause or charity around your town or city
#4
The Boss
Run a business or self-employed?
Offer an unexpected discount on an invoice to a client
e.g. Discount: 10% — see www.lovethisspace.org
Offer a service for free
On smaller jobs surprise a customer with no charge, and give them the token instead
People often get really creative in how they bless others. For more ideas and inspiration launch the stories image gallery to see what others have done. You can use the arrows on your keyboard to scroll left and right.
Here's a few ways we think Love This Space will benefit your church...
It trains us to be generous, thoughtful, adventurous and courageous: to think how we could bless complete strangers and interact with them. Each token is a challenge to take action.
For church leaders it gives us the opportunity to teach, model and celebrate acts of generosity and service without being the direct beneficiaries of such action. This can help those looking in, or on the fringe, who might be a bit more critical.
When you get out of your comfort zone and bless others, great things can happen.
January is a tough one for mental health. After the excesses of Christmas and the onset of winter, it can be a pretty bleak month and many people struggle. One of the first steps, so we are told, to combating depression is to think about others rather than focusing on yourself. January is a great month to run a project.
When something's tailored to your home town, it feels extra special and helps you gain more traction. That's why we think it's worth the time to help you set up your own localised project. There’s four ways you can get started. Select an option to read more:
If you have your own graphic designer and church website, this is a great option.
We have editable artwork files for the tokens and a range of print work. Fill in the form and you'll receive a download link to everything, for free. We’ll include guidelines for branding, printing, promoting, sharing stories and creating web pages.
If you don't have a designer we can set you up with everything you need to get going. Contact us for more information and an outline of costs for design and print.
Contact UsWe love seeing people taking the idea and making it their own. If you want to redesign, rebrand, and do what works in your home town, that’s fine by us.
Please take a moment to download the Key Components PDF — there’s some key aspects to running your own project that can be really beneficial. And if you’re able to include the credit line "Inspired by Love This Space" somehwere on your web page that would be fantastic.
We would love to see what you do. Email us at hello@lovethisspace.uk to keep us up-to-date.
Coming soon:
Our Love This Space tokens won't be tied to any particular location. If you just want to grab some tokens and join in the fun, this will be the option for you.
Love This Space has been developed by the guys at Kings Church Eastbourne as a practical way to love our neighbour. It's something anyone can do, something that can be really fun, and something that challenges our British reserve and individualistic lifestyles. It's good for others and it's good for us.
If you would like to contact us directly you can find all our details at kings.church/contact