On the night of April 15th, as Americans scrambled to mail their 2007 income tax forms, members of Pathway Church (Palo Alto, CA) eased the suffering by giving away 1,000 free postage stamps.

As a “Planned Act of Kindness,” they created 500 mini-books of stamps (outreach cards with 2 stamps each). Standing on the streets near a post office, they held signs stating “Free Stamps! Tax-Day Relief!” as they gave away the mini-books. Scott Aughtmon describes people’s reactions as,

They were so surprised and thankful, you would’ve thought we paid their rent/mortgage for a month! Even people driving by who didn’t need or want a card rolled down their windows and told me, “That’s so cool what you’re doing!”

I like the creativity of this outreach. It ministers to people during one of the grumpiest times of the year and gives them a moment of happiness.

For Discussion:
- Have you heard of any other tax day ministries?
- What are some other creative Planned Acts of Kindness?