Have you noticed someone who could use a lift in life? They want to help pay for it

Notice just one person and the world will be a better place.

As simple as that sounds – in our head-down, quarantined world – isolation has become the standard rather than the exception.

A Sioux Falls church has a mission to change that.

And they’re backing it up – with cash.

The congregation at the King of Glory Church was looking for a way to recognize a milestone. They’d just paid off the mortgage on their building on 17th Street, just west of Cliff Avenue, to become a debt-free church.

“We wanted to do something special,” said Pastor Rich Merkouris. “Something to keep our attention on people rather than the building.”

The result is “Notice the One” campaign.

This is how it works.

Look around in your life, in your daily routine, for people who need help.

It can be new tires, rent assistance, child care, help with their marriage – whatever will make a difference in their lives.

Fill out this form, and you will receive a $25 gift card to give to that person.

But that’s just the beginning.

You can request up to $500 to help someone with a specific need. The barrier to receiving money is low. There is some follow-up to check on the details, but the goal is to fulfill as many requests as possible, Merkouris said.

And if you need help, just ask.

The budget for the campaign is $45,000.

More than 450 people have signed up already in the first two weeks.

This isn’t the first time King of Glory has taken on this type of mission.

Last year, members launched “You are Amazing,” which gave away $5 gift cards at Starbucks, Target or Amazon. It was an effort to get people to reach out to each other. Just to say, “You are amazing.”

They gave away more than $20,000 in gift cards.

Merkouris said the church starts the campaigns early in the year because January is a tough month for many people. Engaging, asking questions and making sure the person next to you is OK is central to the mission of King of Glory.

“We are pushing our members to get more detailed, to ask the questions of what we can do. What do you need right now?”

There aren’t many parameters on who to notice.

“Maybe somebody who is lonely, somebody who is worried about money, maybe somebody who is battling depression, maybe someone who is generally discouraged,” Merkouris said. “We want you to notice them and encourage them.”