Gratitude for Faith-based Groups
Gratitude exercises for people of faith to share with their communities and congregations. We know how unique each collective can be, and how personal faith is for you, so we invite you to adapt the Gratitude Challenge below to fit the needs of your community. There is plenty of room to share with us how you brought gratitude to your unique group!
In this lab, you can:
Watch Our Video
The strength of a community is in how we take care of one another—and there might be no truer expression of gratitude than caring for others with generosity and, ultimately, love. We invite you to share this Gratitude Revealed video – viewed by millions around the world – with your entire congregation, and consider this universal and inspiring perspective on what it means to be truly grateful.
CREDITS
Receive Your “Gratitude Revealed” E-Book
Be the first to receive our collaborative Gratitude e-book, filled with Louie’s breath-taking photography & an inspired collection of your shared experiences from the challenges below (completed March 1, 2017).
Download DIY Gratitude Projects For Your Community & Congregation
We’ve prepared a few PDF downloads for you to use in your communities and congregations. Print, cut along the dotted line, and enjoy the chance to express more gratitude!
Earn Your Certificate of Completion:
Take Our 28-Day Gratitude Challenge for Communities & Congregations
For communities large and small, gatherings, groups and congregations, we offer our 28-day Gratitude Challenge below, guiding you through four (4) weekly exercises. This works perfectly for groups that congregate on a weekly basis, although you can convene in any way that is most convenient for you. Adjust the schedule according to your needs.
Directions: Schedule the 4 consecutive weeks (or units) you’d like to commit to completing our challenge with your community or congregation. To be included in our research findings, please submit your final entries by January 30th. Each week you’ll share your brief experience here and exit by clicking the “Save and continue later” link. That way, you’re only submitting one form per group.
Questions or comments? We’re always here to help!
To preview the entire challenge as a PDF you can print, click here.
START HERE
Fun Gratitude Facts
We have partnered with UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center to provide you with these scientific facts. We have also recommended other Gratitude Revealed short films you might enjoy and learn from. Click on an item below to expand and reveal more.
GRATEFUL PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER
Studies has found that grateful people experience more optimism, joy, enthusiasm, and other positive emotions, and they have a deeper appreciation for life’s simple pleasures. In fact, gratitude can be a powerful antidote to the materialistic yearnings that can get in the way of happiness: Studies find that materialistic people are less happy because they feel less grateful for what they have, always striving for the next shiny object to bring them happiness. True happiness, however, lies in appreciating what you have.
Recommended Gratitude Revealed Short Film: HAPPINESS VIDEO
FEELING GRATEFUL GOES HAND-IN-HAND WITH FEELING CONNECTED TO YOUR FAITH
Research suggests that people who go to church more frequently are more likely to feel grateful, and vice versa. Plus, evidence suggests that religious people’s higher levels of gratitude may explain why they are happier, and feeling grateful to God may contribute to people’s well-being in a unique way. All of these results indicate that feeling connected to your faith and your faith community go hand-in-hand with feeling more gratitude. Gratitude and faith both seem to be important ways to develop a strong sense of purpose in life.
Recommended Gratitude Revealed Short Film: PURPOSE VIDEO
GRATITUDE ENCOURAGES US TO PAY IT FORWARD
When people receive a gift, studies suggest that feeling gratitude motivates them to “pay it forward” and extend a helping hand to others. In fact, this chain of generosity and gratitude may ripple through social networks, creating an upward spiral of goodness. Some evidence even suggests that their generosity may ripple through three degrees of separation—from one person to another to another to another—extending well beyond the initial kind act. Gratitude, then, may create far-reaching effects from a single act of generosity.
Recommended Gratitude Revealed Short Film: GENEROSITY VIDEO
GRATITUDE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH
Gratitude is good for our health: Studies link gratitude to a stronger immune system, lower blood pressure, better sleep quality, a reduced risk of heart disease, and better kidney function, among many other health benefits. It also seems to protect us from mental health problems like depression and stress. That may be because gratitude improves our relationships: Expressing gratitude makes people feel closer to a friend or significant other, and strong social connections are a major factor in good health.
Recommended Gratitude Revealed Short Film: CONNECTION VIDEO
For more on the science of gratitude, visit the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley.