100 ideas for acts to mark our centenary
IDEAS FOR MINISTRY AREAS
1 100 days of prayer
2 A Ministry Area celebration service
3 Community fun day – celebrating the centenary and the community history
4 Living library – bring seniors and children/youth together to talk about history/memories
5 Repair some damage in your community e.g., a damaged wall, broken sign, patch of ground that needs weeding (this may need to wait until the weather is better, but you could commit now to doing it in the future)
- contact your local community councillor before doing anything, to either inform them about what you’re doing or to ask them for a suggestion
6 Create a rest and recreation area in church grounds
7 Sponsor a bench to mark the centenary
8 Arrange 100 lift shares to and from church services/events (and if possible keep it going as a regular carbon reducing activity for the Ministry Area)
9 Plant a community herb garden so the community can come along to pick and enjoy the herbs – going forward ask community members to help take care of the garden
10 Construct a prayer path through church grounds/graveyards
IDEAS FOR CHURCHES TOGETHER
11 100 thank you cards – write and send to different community workers, expressing your appreciation for them, some suggestions of who to write to are below:
- Refuse collectors
- Supermarket workers
- Schools
- Medical practices
- Pharmacies
- Local MS/MPs
12 100 Foodbank donated items
13 100 Baby Basic donated items
14 £100 raised for local charity
15 100 goody bags for children of single parents talk to one of our Children Youth & Family Officers (CYFOs) who could give suggestions what to include
16 100 phone calls to people experiencing loneliness
17 Plant 100 trees
18 100-mile prayer walk – a team of people could walk a few miles each and walk 100 miles in your community, praying for the homes and people that live there (a suggestion on how to do an observational prayer walk is available at the end of the booklet)
19 100 words written about something positive in your local community for your church notice sheet/bulletin/magazine
20. 100 encouraging tweets
21. 100 encouraging Instagram
posts
22. 100 encouraging Facebook
posts
23. 100 encouraging Tik Toks
24. 100 litter picks
25. 100 craft supplies collected and donated to your local school (ask what would be helpful)
26. 100 volunteer days to keep your church open for people to come in and pray, meditate, just be, light a candle
27. 100 coffees and cakes/bowls of soup provided in warm hubs
28. 100 volunteer hours – ask Faith in Families how your church can support the work they do or contact other local charities
IDEAS FOR INDIVIDUALS
29. 100 items bought local to support local businesses
30. Offer to mow someone’s lawn
31. Offer to repair or fix clothes or broken toys.
32. Give away your parking spot
33. Give up your seat on the bus or the train.
34. Write positive reviews about local businesses
35. Donate pre-loved items to charity
36. Donate an hour of your professional service
37. Pay for a drink for the person behind you in the queue
38. Buy an extra tin of dog or cat food and donate to an animal shelter
39. Leave your favourite book in a public place with a note
40. Let someone go in front of you in the queue at the supermarket
41. Buy dessert for someone eating out alone
42. Volunteer for a local charity/project
43. Buy an extra umbrella and give it away on a rainy day
44. Donate blood
45. Make sure you are an organ donor
46. Stop and talk to a street homeless person
47. Return a shopping trolley for someone and give them back their £1
48. Take some flowers/plant to a neighbour and thank them for being your neighbour
49. Learn CPR
50. Babysit for a family
51. Treat someone
52. Give an extra tip in a restaurant
53. Take a box of biscuits to the local fire station
54. Participate in a charity walk or run
55. Sign up for a bone marrow registry
56. Give away your old reading glasses to charity
57. Donate a holiday day to a colleague
58. Offer to walk a neighbour/friend’s dog
59. Ask a care home/nursing home if you can visit to read books or play board games
with residents (you will need a DBS for this, but they will advise you)
60. Hand out recyclable water bottles to people working outside on a hot day
61. Buy a coffee shop gift card to hand to someone on your way out of a coffee shop
62. Buy a coffee shop gift card and give to a street homeless person
63. Thank your boss
64. Thank your vicar/clergy team/lay person
65. Thank your colleague
66. Thank your neighbour
67. Thank your local shopkeeper
68. Invite someone from Church home for lunch
69. Invite someone who will be alone at Easter or Christmas or on a bank holiday to join you on your day out or for a meal
70. Scrape the ice of your neighbour’s car
71. Buy an Easter Egg and give it to someone who won’t get any/many
72. Conserve energy
73. Make a bird feeder
74. Knit hats for premature babies
75. Commit to using less plastic
76. Write a letter to someone who made a difference in your life
77. Organise a beach/recreation ground clean up
78. Plant a tree
79. Learn sign language
80. Learn a language to help relate to a refugee
81. Ask a farmer if you can do anything to help
82. Make someone a blanket/scarf
83. Give the pound from your trolley to the next person
84. Speak kindly and encouragingly to the mum/dad/carer whose child is having a tantrum
85. Give money to a busker
86. Ask for donations instead of birthday presents
87. Buy a Big Issue
88. Smile at a 100 people (not at the same time)
FOR CHILDREN/YOUTH
89. Talk to someone new at school
90. Say thank you to your teacher
91. Do something helpful for your neighbour
92. Donate one of your toys to charity
93. Make a get-well card for someone
94. Pick up litter
95. Make hats for cancer patients
96. Visit an elderly person
97. Do someone’s shopping for them
98. Plant plants to attract bees and butterflies
99. Paint pebbles with messages of hope/love etc. and place around your neighourhood
100. Volunteer at an animal rescue centre