"Got grace?” That was the question pastors and volunteers at Riverside Community Church asked themselves as they searched for an innovative way to minister during the Christmas season, a time when society is more open to the story of Christ.

And thus "Be the Miracle" was born. On a Sabbath in early October, Senior Pastor Tami McGrew invited 40 volunteers to come to the platform. She gave each a crisp $100 bill and invited them to find someone in Riverside to be a recipient of a kindness—no strings attached.

In addition, the church inserted 32,000 flyers in the local newspaper asking readers to share their Christmas wishes. Sixty people returned the wish card with requests ranging from a Christmas dinner to a car. Community members were matched with church members, and the miracle began!

“This has been an incredible experience,” McGrew said, as she shared some of the stories of these acts of kindness. One man took his $100 to his office and urged his co-workers to join the project. They pooled $5,700 and used the money to help several needy families.

One man hand-delivered his request to the church. “I need a food box,” his note said. When Mark Thomas, director of outreach ministries, delivered the box of food, he slipped in a $50 gift certificate from a nearby market. The man, tears rolling down his cheeks, explained that his wife is disabled.

A little girl requested a bicycle. She received one from a church member. She then brought the little bicycle she had outgrown to give to another child.

When a church family brought gifts for an 8-year-old child, the girl’s mother was amazed and came to worship with the congregation. One man requested clothes for his brother in prison. A mechanic in the church repaired a donated automobile so a man had transportation to work.

Another man in the Riverside congregation thought of his mother-in-law. She had lived in her home for 40 years. Her kitchen was woefully inadequate. Using his $100 as seed money, he encouraged his family and church members to contribute. Over a weekend they secretly painted, tiled, laid flooring and repaired the cabinets. When she returned home on Monday, she discovered a new kitchen.

One member used his $100 to provide lunches for Loma Linda firefighters to show his appreciation for their work fighting the October fires.

Seven leaders, along with Mark Thomas, are each responsible for a block of 30 or so homes near the church. They contact each home once a month with a gift of friendship. During December they distributed 300 bottles of Martinelli’s sparkling cider with a picture of the ministry leaders and a note saying, “Merry Christmas from your friends at Riverside Community Church.”

“We know situations occur because God is in control,” says Thomas. “That’s the blessing for me.”

“God used the original $4,000—all donated by church members—to reach unchurched people with the message that they are valuable—no strings attached. We go to the people because they seldom come to us,” said McGrew. Her answer to churches struggling with how to reach people is to do simple acts of kindness—acts of grace.