Marcia Pledger: Freedom to celebrate kindness on any day is important

Monday is Independence Day and thankfully, all sorts of organizations and companies are back to celebrating in Jacksonville with entertainment, food trucks and — of course — fireworks exploding through the night sky.

Also knowns as the Fourth of July, it is a celebration of freedom, a day when people wear red, white and blue all across the country in observance of the Declaration of Independence. Planned barbecues and gatherings for friends and family are a reminder that celebrations are important.

Just a couple of weeks ago city leaders, organizations and individuals commemorated the city’s bicentennial celebration, marking 200 years since the River City came into existence. Then days later, mostly Black people celebrated Juneteenth all over the city. It’s a holiday celebrated on June 19 to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.

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But with every holiday, whether it’s federal like Christmas or one celebrated by various cultures like Cinco De Mayo (a celebration of Mexican heritage) or Chinese New Year (important in Chinese culture), holidays are meant to recognize important events. Some people will always observe history, and others simply see them as a day that they can count on smiling.

Still, just thinking about the three holidays celebrated in the last couple of months also brings to mind division. Too often, holidays make people think about differences in interpretation of history or feelings of exclusion.

That’s why the “waving ministry” at Shepard of the Woods Lutheran Church comes to mind. Every Saturday and Sunday church members stand outside the church on Southside Boulevard near Baymeadows Road and simply wave at passersby. They choose to celebrate life every week.

Their only intention is to play a role in offering a random act of kindness. This small gesture of people waving at passing cars makes people smile.

Similar to other churches in various denominations, this church does a lot in the community. They offer ways to feed the hungry, provide Meal-on-Wheels locally and have mission trips, among so many other efforts to make a difference in the Jacksonville community and other places.

In the church's website page category "Community Care," there is no mention of their "waving ministry." This church does a lot for the community, so a lot of other efforts are mentioned however. But most importantly, in bold letters there's this: "Making a difference, one person at a time, one family at a time, one community at a time."

"In the midst of life and all of its challenges, our waving ministry is an opportunity to extend Christ's love and care to the community," said Kristen Phillips, senior pastor. "It is our hope and prayer that this simple act of a wave and smile might bring a bit of joy to others and a reminder that we are people of hope because of God's love for us."

Of course members young and old want to encourage passersby to consider joining them for a church service at some point as well, but it's hardly their only goal.

"So each week before worship [Saturdays and Sundays], rain or shine, on windy or beautiful days, we smile and wave with exuberance, encouraging those driving or walking by to take notice and take us up on the invitation. We have had some people going by pull in and worship with us," Phillips said

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But be clear, these church members have learned that people aren't exactly used to random acts of kindness. Sometimes they're happy. Other times they want to know their motives.

"Some have done a U-turn and brought wavers donuts," Phillips said. "Some have asked innocently, 'What are you doing?' Or they ask, 'What is this place?' Some have asked for, and received, prayers. We have the opportunity to greet and communicate with them. For some of our members and visitors, the 'wavers' are the first thing they notice that a church is in those woods. We always hope it is but the first of many contacts."

There's so many holidays that people celebrate. I just learned that there's even a "Random Acts of Kindness" holiday that started in Denver in 1995 and spread worldwide. The day — Feb. 17 — is all about reminding people to practice kindness and pay it forward when you can.

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The idea is to make the world a better place by making kindness a part of our everyday lives. It's really not that hard to brighten someone's day. The goal of this holiday is to remind people to offer simple gestures like lifting someone up with your words or complimenting a stranger on their appearance, or sending a kind note.

You don't even have to take the time to buy a card and go to the mailbox. You can simply write a note on the check for the person who served you at a restaurant, along with a tip of course.

On Monday our nation celebrates freedom on Independence Day. There's no better time to remind people that we have the freedom to make positive choices to be altruistic to friends, colleagues, and yes, even strangers.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Waving ministry at Jacksonville church reminds us to celebrate kindness