Neighborhood Ministries

When I was a child, Thanksgiving was when my grandparents gathered their three daughters and their families and we shared Thanksgiving together as a family. Few do that anymore with families so scattered. During Thanksgiving, we celebrate all the blessings God has given us but there are many who will not have much to be thankful for. Some may have lost loved ones, been divorced, or separated, or suffered a financial crisis. They may not have relatives living nearby to share Thanksgiving with. Do you know someone who will not have someone to share Thanksgiving with or have anything to celebrate it with? Invite them to share your table and your family for Thanksgiving, or your church or community can hold a Thanksgiving feast and invite those who have no one to share Thanksgiving with. It is good to remind ourselves and our children why we celebrate the holiday. After we pray before the meal, the head of the family could add a comment such as “Today we celebrate the end of the harvest season when the last of the crops have been gathered in, to remind us of the First Thanksgiving when the pilgrims who survived the first year in America, gathered with the Indians to thank God for their harvest. It also reminds us that one day God will complete the harvest of souls and call His people home to Him in heaven. Then all who believe in Christ will be gathered in heaven, before the throne of God, for the marriage feast of the Lamb of God.”