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This Sunday, the Webster City Ministerial Association will be sponsoring a Community Thanksgiving service at the Trinity Lutheran church. All families and community members are invited to attend this special service as a lead into our Thanksgiving holiday.
The members of the Ministerial Association are planning the service early due to the many people who travel the day before Thanksgiving.
"It has been many years since there was a Thanksgiving worship service in Webster City and we wanted to bring it back," Pastor Dori Collogan said, "One of my parishioners said to me at the Faith at the Fair event that she wished we had more opportunities to do shared worship services in the community because she found it so rewarding."
The focus of being thankful is one that is a shared message of most Christian churches. Thanksgiving messages usually tie into the harvest, when we think of the first Thanksgiving when having a good harvest, and enough food to get through the winter months were critical. This month of November, sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas is often the only time that extended families get together for holiday meals, for some it's the first of many, for others, it's the only time they think about what they are thankful for. Most people want to be with family on Thanksgiving Day, but for some it just isn't possible.
"We used to do a community Thanksgiving service on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving," said Pastor Jean Morse, "But people are out of town, so it didn't work for us any more."
So when Barb Wollan approached the Ministerial Association with an idea to focus on gratitude, it fit well into the timing to bring the Thanksgiving service back to Webster City.
Wollan was inspired to do something to focus on gratitude after reading the book "Grateful", by Dianna Butler Bass.
"The first part talks about gratitude in an individuals' life, and the second part is about the gratitude in the community," Wollan said.
"I spoke to Jean about this, as she is my pastor," she explained, "My idea was perhaps the ministerium could try to spearhead something community wide, so I wrote a proposal, and they considered it. It's stronger if it comes from all the churches, not just one group."
The ecumenical service will include the participation from most of the members of the Webster City Ministerial Association.
The focus of the ministers is to bring the community together.
"Gratitude is something that is hard to conjure up," said Morse, "Gratitude comes to life in shared community and in relationships."
"The service is purposely early in the month, so that people have the whole month to think about gratitude," Wollan said. "The whole idea of having it early, having it as a kickoff, and also as a community, take the time to thank God for all He has done for us."
"When we express that gratitude, it is contagious," she said, " It helps people value each other, value community more fully and it also makes people more willing to contribute when they realize how much they receive from that community."
"Gratitude breeds hope, make it a call to action," said Wollan, "We don't survive and thrive alone."
The service, which begins at 5 p.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church, with time for people to gather and talk. The church is located at 1229 Kathy Lane in Webster City.
Everyone is welcome to attend the event.
"It has the function of what the old Thanksgiving service used to be, and also help our community building a positive mindset," she concluded.
"We are having a community Thanksgiving service to joyfully rejoice," said Pastor Collogan