Fewer churches holding Thanksgiving Day services

From Capital Journal (South Dakota)-

Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church is trying something new this year at Thanksgiving: not having a divine worship service on Thanksgiving Day. Rather it’s holding one the night before.

“We normally have Thanksgiving Day services but the numbers have been dropping in recent years,” said the Rev. Cory Rajek on Wednesday. “So we thought we would try out having a Thanksgiving Eve service. We do have a chili supper tonight right before the service.”

That seems to be a kind of a trend among many American churches: away from holding worship services on the fourth Thursday in November set aside as a national observance of giving thanks to God.

More here-

http://www.capjournal.com/news/fewer-churches-holding-thanksgiving-day-services/article_cf787a80-d00d-11e7-a60a-0fab481e04c0.html

Bishops’ Thanksgiving Message: We are grateful for the gifts of immigrants and refugees

From America Magazine-

As the nation made preparations to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed gratitude for "the gift of immigrants and refugees to the country," but also appealed for their protection.

"As we do every year, we will pause this coming Thursday to thank God for the many blessings we enjoy in the United States," Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston said in a statement Nov. 20, a week after the U.S. bishops opened their annual fall assembly.

The longest and most passionate discussion on the first day of the fall assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Nov. 13 focused on immigrants, on how to help them but also how to drive home the point that they, too, are our brothers and sisters and should not be demonized.

Cardinal DiNardo said his Thanksgiving Day statement was prompted by the bishops urging he "speak out on their behalf."

More here-

https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2017/11/21/bishops-thanksgiving-message-we-are-grateful-gifts-immigrants-and

How the Mayflower compact sowed the seeds of American democracy

From The Boston Globe-

Driven far off course by gales and rough seas as they crossed the Atlantic in the fall of 1620, the Mayflower’s 102 passengers made landfall at a spot much farther north than they had planned. They anchored at the tip of Cape Cod in what is now Provincetown, hundreds of miles from the Virginia territory they’d been aiming for — and well beyond the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company of London, which had issued the patent authorizing them to build a settlement. It was a setback, but not enough to weaken the resolve of the ship’s Protestant Separatists, who had come to America to create a community true to their religious beliefs and would stick together no matter what.

A majority of the Mayflower’s passengers, however, were non-Separatist “Strangers,” some of whom now insisted they were no longer bound by the original plan. William Bradford, who would become the foremost Pilgrim leader, wrote that several Strangers began to make “discontented and mutinous speeches,” announcing that when the ship anchored they would go their own way. The Virginia patent was now void, they said, and “none had power to command them.”

More here-

http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2017/11/22/how-mayflower-compact-sowed-seeds-american-democracy/hM95Jx8BUXQFO9k6G7rjxM/story.html?event=event25

Pope Francis Canonizes Single Turkey In Annual Vatican Tradition

A little humor to begin the day-

Declaring the 10-pound bird worthy of the church’s veneration to a crowd of thousands in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis celebrated a hallowed tradition on Thursday by canonizing a turkey from a local farm, a Thanksgiving ritual dating back more than three centuries to the pontificate of Innocent XII. “Dear brothers and sisters, it is my deepest joy today to present the life and witness of this humble bird to the Church and welcome him to cluck and cackle among the saints in God’s Kingdom of Heaven,” Pope Francis recited in accordance with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, invoking the name of God three times before inscribing the newly beatified bird, named St. Gobbler, in the catalogue of saints. 

More here-

https://www.theonion.com/pope-francis-canonizes-single-turkey-in-annual-vatican-1819575901

Commentary: Five myths about Puritans

From Chicago-

On Thanksgiving Day, Americans often look back on the first English settlers in what is now New England. Since these Puritans fill the earliest chapters of the American story, they make plenty of appearances in our shared imagination. But debates over who the Puritans were, what they stood for and how they contributed to our sense of national identity are shrouded in misunderstandings. Here are a few myths:

More here-

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-puritans-thanksgiving-history-20161123-story.html

The Plymouth Hero You Should Really Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving

From Smithsonian-

Almost everything we know about the first Thanksgiving in 1621 is based on a few lines from a letter.

"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five Deer, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful, as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty."

–Edward Winslow, December, 1621

Not surprisingly, the sparse details of the harvest festival Winslow describes bears little resemblance to the turkey-and-pigskin-imbued holiday most Americans celebrate on the fourth Thursday of November.

More here-

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-edward-winslow-plymouth-hero-thanksgiving-180961174/

Dallas ministry brings refugees their first Thanksgiving feast

From Dallas-

The scents of Thanksgiving — freshly roasted turkeys, sweet pecan and spicy pumpkin pies, and a whole batch of side dishes — filled the parish hall at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lake Highlands on Thursday as people who had never celebrated the holiday were given a feast.

Gateway of Grace, a 4-year-old ministry working with international refugees who find their way to the U.S., sponsored the Thanksgiving gathering with help from several churches. Guiding these newly arrived families through this uniquely American celebration is just one of the services the ministry provides.

More here-

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20151126-ministry-brings-refugees-their-first-thanksgiving-feast.ece

Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

From 1789-

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and—Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

More here-

http://www.heritage.org/initiatives/first-principles/primary-sources/washingtons-thanksgiving-proclamation

Not your children's Thanksgiving tale

From Massachusetts

Perhaps it is not surprising that a woman started America’s great celebration of family, abundance and unity. The Pilgrims? Forget about ’em. She brought them to the table. We can thank Sarah Josepha Buell Hale for Thanksgiving. The story of her founding this national holiday is better than the one we learned in elementary school.

Born in 1788, home-schooled by her mother and brother, Sarah taught school in Newport, New Hampshire, until she married David Hale, a young lawyer, who died just before the birth of their fifth child. Widowed in her early 30s, she turned to one of the few ways a woman could earn a living – writing. She published “Northwood: Life North and South,” one of the first American novels to address slavery. One chapter described in elaborate detail a New England Thanksgiving, championing a nationwide celebration to help unify an increasingly divided country.

The 1827 book caught the attention of John Blake, an Episcopal minister, who invited Hale to become America’s first woman magazine editor. Eight years later, Louis Godey folded that foundering magazine into Lady’s Book, which the two turned into the dominant monthly of the day and a national platform for Sarah Hale.

Read more here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/11/26/4356508/not-your-childrens-thanksgiving.html?sp=/99/108/#storylink=cpy

Happy "Snarksgiving!"

From Kansas (Made me laugh)

It seems most appropriate on this Black Friday, to share some thoughts from the (still bloated) underbelly of Thanksgiving. Over on Twitter yesterday several rather snarky clerics created a Litany of #Snarksgiving throughout the day. It was an enjoyable and humorous exercise in between courses and conversations and quarters (the football variety, not the drinking game).

I felt compelled to compile these intercessions in case the Liturgical Standing Committee of the Episcopal Church ever authorizes a shadow Book of Common Prayer. I’ll share the names of the participants but, for fear of reprisals, I won’t attribute them. Of course, if you’re on Twitter you can go back and figure it out but I’m betting no one has the energy or will to actually do that.

Besides me, contributors included the Rev.’s Laurie Brock, Scott Gunn, Anne Lane Witt, and the ever-mysterious ChurchSnobTEC. If you’re on the Twitters, I suggest following these folks — never a dull moment when they get going. But without further ado here it is:

Litany of "Snarksgiving"

For people who say, “Get up! Let’s go DO SOMETHING instead of nap!” We give snarks.

For family members who don’t like football and consider it rude to put the TV on, we give snarks.

For distant relatives who call and have the phone passed all around, we give snarks.

For in-laws who can’t travel without small, yappy dogs, we give snarks.

For a mother-in-law who’d hadn’t yet put the turkey in when we arrived (!), we give snarks.

For having to make culinary compromises for vegans, we give snarks.

For those who consider pigs in a blanket an appropriate appetizer, we give snarks.

For being overstimulated & undermedicated, we give snarks.

For those posting pictures of food on Facebook, we give snarks.

For inane discussions about the moose lodge, we give snarks.

For family members who think alcohol is “of the devil,” we give snarks. (And drink. Wine.)

For Reunite as the “good” wine, we give snarks.

For people who think Thanksgiving is the right day to bust out Christmas music, we give snarks.

For family that buys champagne but doesn’t put it on ice, we give snarks.

For those who insist holiday cocktail hour doesn’t begin until happy hour, we give snarks.

For the children’s table at ages 35+, we give snarks.

For less sleep than we get during the work week, we give snarks.

For guests who don’t leave after the pie, we give snarks.

For being put in a twin bed like we’re 12, we give snarks.

For relatives that didn’t buy Bloody Mary mix, we give snarks.

For traditional family dishes that no one likes, we give snarks.

For family that awake us from naps and then won’t go away, we give snarks.

Well, there we go. We hope you enjoyed this litany and encourage you to use it in place of grace at next year’s Thanksgiving feast.


http://www.dodgeglobe.com/article/20121123/BLOGS/311239994

Thanksgiving tradition continues between Vallejo synagogue, Benicia church

From California-

More than 100 people from different faith backgrounds gathered at a Vallejo synagogue Wednesday night for a spiritual Thanksgiving tradition that began decades ago.
This year, more churches participated in Congregation B'nai Israel's and St. Paul's Episcopal Church's Interfaith Thanksgiving Service as a result of the synagogue joining a network of local congregations.

"It's spiritual, it's wonderful and gives us a chance for a lot of old friends to get together," said Heather Holpen Campbell, a member of B'nai Israel. "The more, the merrier, because this is a wonderful holiday for sharing."

The service was held at B'nai Israel's temple at 1256 Nebraska St. Afterward, many participants adjourned to the social hall for cake and coffee.

The synagogue -- the only one serving American Canyon, Vallejo and Benicia Jews -- and St. Paul's in Benicia started the service as a way to reach across religious barriers and get to know more people.

"I've been a member 20 years and they were already doing it when I joined," said Fred Zola, president of Congregation B'nai Israel. "Many years ago, the pastor at St. Paul's and the rabbi here thought it would be nice to have an interfaith service. People have changed over the years, but we've kept this going."

More here-

http://www.timesheraldonline.com/news/ci_22048064

Why I am Grateful to Be an Episcopalian: Part 3 – Thanksgiving

From Patheos (links to pt. 1 and 2 included)

My identity as an Episcopalian stems partly from family history and partly from choice. On this Thanksgiving Eve, I am grateful for how the Episcopal Church has formed and is forming my Christian journey. I am particularly grateful for:

The Book of Common Prayer

I am a lousy pray-er. When I set aside time to pray, I spend far too much time figuring out what to pray about/for, or what kind of prayer to focus on (thanksgivings, intercessions, confession). When I try centering prayer, I fall asleep. I’ve finally come up with a twofold strategy that works pretty well. I offer lots of short, spontaneous prayers throughout the day of the Anne Lamott “help, thanks, wow” variety, in response to whatever events or feelings come up. And for set prayer times, whether at home, at church, or in some other communal setting, I rely on words other people have already written, especially the Psalms, the Jesus prayer (“Lord Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”), and the rich offerings of the Book of Common Prayer. Whether I’m confessing my sins with my congregation on a Sunday morning, using one of the daily devotions to structure my morning or evening prayer at home, or finding a suitable prayer for a specific need in the “Prayers and Thanksgivings” section in the back, I can always count on the BCP to provide authentic, beautiful prayers when I am incapable of coming up with anything on my own (which is most of the time).

More here-

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ellenpainterdollar/2012/11/why-i-am-grateful-to-be-an-episcopalian-part-3-thanksgiving/

Harvard, Yale And The Puritans

From Connecticut-

Each November, Thanksgiving focuses attention upon the Pilgrims, that group of courageous English dissenters who came to New England in 1620. They were the vanguard of the Puritan influx, Calvinists who rejected ceremonialism in worship and insisted on a congregational form of church government. Ironically, while they sought to practice their religion freely, they soon exhibited reluctance to grant that right to other faiths .

One of their major concerns was education. The Reformation emphasis on reading the Bible meant that their offspring must be literate, and soon one-room schoolhouses were found throughout their early settlements. It is no coincidence, either, that both Harvard and Yale, arguably the best-known of American universities, were established by the Puritans.

Harvard was founded in 1636 at New Towne (later Cambridge), Massachusetts, primarily to train clergy. An early anonymous description of the college’s origin recalled: “After God had carried us safe to New England … dreading to leave illiterate Ministry to the Churches, when our present Ministers shall lie in the Dust…it pleased God to stir up the heart of one Mr. Harvard, a godly gentleman and a lover of learning.to give one half of his estate…towards the erecting of a college, and all of his library.”

More here-

http://www.myrecordjournal.com/religion/article_ae982dac-2da0-11e2-a676-001a4bcf887a.html

Pantry gives 430 Thanksgiving meals to Clifton families

From New Jersey-

St. Peter's Community Food Pantry provided Thanksgiving turkey dinner to hundreds this holiday weekend and also refilled its emptying shelves.

Clifton's only food pantry located on Clifton Avenue was able to provide 430 families with a Thanksgiving turkey dinner last year, along with gravy and cranberry sauce, thanks to donations made by local residents, said Rev. Peter DeFranco, priest at St. Peter's Episcopal Church and a director of St. Peter's Community Food Pantry.

"We anticipated 330 turkeys coming in," said DeFranco, explaining some were provided and some were donated. "The variable was donations. We anticipated 100 and we got 200. We were overwhelmed by that."

With St. Peter's serving about 2,100 persons and most of them interested in receiving the Thanksgiving dinner works, pantry operators compiled a list and randomly chose from recipients that had been utilizing St. Peter's services for at least three months.

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/community/134887193_Pantry_gives_430_Thanksgiving_meals_to_families.html

Rising from ashes: Saugatuck feast shares bounty

From Connecticut-

Four days after a fire wreaked heavy damage to Saugatuck Congregational Church, more than 100 volunteers cooked, carved and served 36 turkeys to more than 200 attendees Thursday at the church's 41st annual Thanksgiving community feast.

"This is the first year we're not hosting the dinner in our church," said Mary Ann West, spokeswoman for the 179-year-old house of worship. "But it's only because so many in the community stepped up that we're having it at all."

Within the first 60 minutes of the six-hour blaze Sunday, West said church officials received multiple offers from others to host the free community dinner at alternate locations in town.

Church leaders chose Christ and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church at 75 Church Lane, West said, partly because it's nearby the landmark church on Post Road East.

More here-

http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Rising-from-ashes-Saugatuck-feast-shares-bounty-2291451.php

Thanksgiving in America - 2011

From "American Thinker". So what he's saying is that William Bradford (my 12th great grandfather) started out as a communist?

In large part, the first Thanksgiving Day, which was celebrated in 1623, was a celebration of the abundance arising from the pursuit of individualism and incentives associated with free markets, amazing as that may seem.

The background for understanding Thanksgiving Day is found in records kept by the governor of the Plymouth colony, William Bradford. He informs us that the colonists' English sponsors had arranged for all crops and goods to be held "in the common stock," from which they would be supplied to each family according to its needs (sound familiar?).

As with many other recorded instances of collectivism in the history of mankind, there were disastrous results. Governor Bradford wrote that this experiment reflected a belief of his that common ownership of property would allow the colony to flourish. Instead, it was soon found that communal sharing resulted in unintended consequences. The colonists, as many others have discovered over time, found that individuals work harder within an incentive system that allows them to maintain and enjoy the fruits of their own labor.

Read more:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/11/thanksgiving_in_america_2011.html#ixzz1ed0PFpZf

Happy Thanksgiving

Collect for Thanksgiving Day

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we beseech thee, faithful stewards of thy great bounty,
for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Soup kitchen plans holiday feast

From Utah-

The supplies and donations may fluctuate, but Rich and Jessica Rivera have spent the past three years making sure the St. George Soup Kitchen has fed Southern Utah's needy, especially during the holidays.

Though the economy has struggled since the couple took over the soup kitchen in 2009, they have managed to navigate difficult financial waters to continue helping the growing number of people who need a warm meal during the holidays.

"The economic climate adds another layer of clientele," Rich Rivera said Monday while stocking supplies in a food pantry at Grace Episcopal Church. "There's a lot more working poor, and you get more children. You never want to see that."

On Wednesday, the soup kitchen will host its third Thanksgiving feast at Grace Episcopal Church, a gathering where about 200 to 250 people are served a free Thanksgiving meal consisting of turkey, potatoes, stuffing and all the other fixings.

More here-

http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20111122/NEWS01/111220324/Soup-kitchen-plans-holiday-feast?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage

Dorchester church food bank gives away 125 turkeys

From Massachusetts (with video)

Members of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Dorchester have been handing out turkeys to members of their food pantry each Tuesday during the month of November, said Sarah Borgeson, food pantry director. By the end of the month, they hope to have donated a total of 400 turkeys to families in need.
Josey Corvett of Dorchester was one recipient. “It’s definitely going to help me out,” she said. “It’s a blessing.”

Most members of the food bank are not parishioners, Borgeson said. They come from Dorchester, as well as Mattapan and South Boston, she said.

More here-

http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/11/dorchester-church-food-bank-gives-away-turkeys/C69j4QKOSxWhXoSRYarryJ/index.html

Alameda church to offer free Thanksgiving dinner

From California-

More than 1,000 people are expected to attend a Thanksgiving dinner Thursday at Christ Episcopal Church in Alameda, according to its rector.
The annual event -- an Alameda tradition that began more 30 years ago -- will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's open to the public and there is no charge.

The Rev. Kathy Crary, rector of the church, describes the annual dinner as "a miracle in it is own right." It was launched more than 30 years ago to help the families of the men and women who were stationed at the former Alameda Naval Air Station.

Jim Franz, a longtime church member and former head of the Alameda Red Cross, will oversee this year's dinner, where about 55 turkeys, 35 hams, 100 pies and more than 300 pounds of mashed potatoes are expected to be served.

Crary said she wished to thank her congregation for making the annual event possible.
She also singled out the "other churches and groups who contribute food, money and countless volunteer hours to show the love of God, to provide delightful companionship and a traditional Thanksgiving dinner companionship and a traditional Thanksgiving dinner to those who come with many needs.

More here-

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19385069