In honor of the release of the new Tom Hanks movie that profiles the life of Fred Rogers, Presbyterian Media Mission, in conjunction with Pittsburgh Presbytery and the Synod of the Trinity, has established Nov. 17 (or thereafter) as Kindness Sunday.
For Kindness Sunday, a bulletin complete with liturgy, song suggestions and other worship elements has been created for use by congregations. It can be downloaded and easily adapted to an individual church’s bulletin. Two versions of the bulletin are available here:
The “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” movie will hit theaters nationwide on Nov. 22. If a congregation would prefer to celebrate Kindness Sunday on Nov. 24 or any other Sunday in the near future, the bulletin inserts are easily adaptable for that change.
The movie details how Mister Rogers’ kindness had an effect on the people he interacted with. Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister who is better known as the creator and star of the children’s television show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” To read a review of the movie, as written by Gregg Hartung, the director of Presbyterian Media Mission and personal friend of the late Fred Rogers, click here.
Kindness Sunday will occur within a week of World Kindness Day, which is annually Nov. 13. On this day, participants attempt to make the world a better place by celebrating and promoting good deeds and pledging acts of kindness, either as individuals or as organizations.