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100 Acts of Love

As we step into Hillside’s 100th year in our building at 144 North Street, we’ve been thinking about what it means to honor a century of ministry, not just by looking back, but by living forward.

We’ve always been a church rooted in the threefold love that Jesus taught – love for God, love for neighbors, and love for ourselves – the kind of love that is at the heart of all true religion.

So this year, let’s embody that love more deeply than ever before.

This list of 100 Acts of Love is a celebration of who we are and an invitation to grow. You’ll find 33 actions under each kind of love, plus a space to add your own. Some are simple. Others are bold. All are ways to say: we’re still here, still loving, and still becoming the people God calls us to be.

Whether you do one or fifty or all hundred: Do them with heart. Do them with joy. Do them like the world depends on it – it does!

Here’s to the next hundred years of love!

  • Read one psalm a day for a week
  • Try a new spiritual practice
  • Attend worship 10 Sundays in a row
  • Volunteer to read scripture
  • Memorize a Bible verse you love
  • Take communion with full attention
  • Spend 20 minutes in silence
  • Walk a labyrinth or make your own
  • Write a prayer and share it
  • Keep a prayer journal for a week
  • Read a spiritual memoir or devotional
  • Visit a sacred space or sanctuary
  • Pray for your church leaders
  • Start a gratitude journal
  • Create worship-inspired art or poetry
  • Pray with your body ( dance, yoga, etc.)
  • Fast from something to focus on God
  • Make a playlist that stirs your soul
  • Read an entire book of the Bible
  • Lead a mealtime blessing
  • Take one full Sabbath day
  • Say thank you aloud for ordinary things
  • Attend a service in another tradition
  • Take a prayerful walk in nature
  • Listen for God in uncertainty
  • Reflect slowly on the Lord’s Prayer
  • Pray through the news
  • Watch the sunrise and give thanks
  • Write a reflection about your faith
  • Take a prayer walk around your block
  • Read a Bible book you’ve never read
  • Write your own psalm
  • Practice awe – just be still and notice
  • ___________________________________
  • Volunteer at Friday Cafê or other meals program
  • Deliver socks/snacks to unhoused neighbors
  • Write a thank-you to a community leader
  • Attend a public meeting to listen and learn
  • Stock the micro pantry
  • Learn your mail carrier’s name
  • Support a BIPOC-led local org
  • Organize a small donation drive
  • Offer your skills to someone in need
  • Bring someone a hot meal
  • Help a neighbor with yardwork
  • Host a justice conversation
  • Leave a kind note for a public worker
  • Help someone register to vote
  • Invite someone unexpected to dinner
  • Shop at a minority-owned business
  • Tutor or mentor a student
  • Write your rep about an issue you care about
  • Advocate for housing justice
  • Help someone navigate a tricky system
  • Pick up litter in a shared space
  • Share your story to encourage someone
  • Babysit for a tired caregiver
  • Leave snacks or water for delivery folks
  • Donate to mutual aid or bail funds
  • Welcome someone new at church
  • Bake something for a neighbor
  • Learn a greeting in another language
  • Tip generously
  • Ask what someone needs and listen
  • Read a justice-themed book
  • Partner across difference on an act of love
  • Show up for someone else’s cause
  • ___________________________________
  • Forgive yourself for a mistake you’re still carrying
  • Take a full day to rest and reset your mind
  • Drink a glass of water and give thanks for it
  • Wander outdoors with no agenda
  • Make a playlist that lifts your mood
  • Bless your body, saying thank you to each part
  • Try something creative just for fun
  • Say no to a commitment you don’t have space for
  • Speak to yourself like you would a close friend
  • Celebrate a small win, even if no one else saw it
  • Go to bed early and don’t apologize for it
  • Take yourself out for coffee or a walk
  • Take a break from social media noise
  • Eat a meal slowly, without multitasking
  • Write down what you hope for this year
  • Move your body in a way that feels joyful
  • Let yourself cry if you need to
  • Do one thing that lovingly stretches you
  • Ask for help instead of toughing it out
  • Set a boundary and keep it without guilt
  • Revisit a childhood joy: a book, a game, a snack
  • Tidy up one space that’s just for you
  • Do absolutely nothing for 10 minutes
  • Make a list of the gifts God has given you
  • Bless your past self – who survived and grew
  • Take a quiet walk alone and breathe deeply
  • Look in the mirror and say, “I am God’s beloved”
  • Laugh hard, even if it’s just at a meme
  • Read or watch something that brings you joy
  • Let someone take care of you for once
  • Release guilt you’ve been dragging too long
  • Write a letter to the future you
  • Make a special meal with all your favorite foods
  • ___________________________________

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