For the past 8 years, we have been blessed to serve our local elders and widowed on a special day we call “Giving Thanks.” As you know, it is the Thanksgiving time of year, and there is a feast prepared to give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ for His many blessings, and for His saints who have pressed the battle for so long.
The preparation for this much-anticipated day starts months in advance. “Calling all choir members!” From ages 13–28, the local youth pull together to begin their many hours of practice to perfect the songs that will be performed before the elders. And lets not forget the little ones. The 4–10 youth are also busy learning songs and skits that they will perform for the elders.
All the while, decorations, props, food and volunteers are being pulled together for the big cook off. As time nears the event, “bake days” are scheduled for age 16–28 sisters to start the baking. With them are the veteran sisters to pull the recipes together and teach the younger generation the art of delicious food. And there is a LOT of food to make ready!
On the day of the event, all the preparations are in place and we are ready to serve our much-loved guests. Our young parkers shuttle the cars to their places as the elders arrive, and they are greeted at the door by a few loyal, young brothers. The 16–28 sisters are standing behind the mountain of food, ready to serve, and the 13–15 sisters have the tables set and drinks poured. Behind the scenes there is a quiet business of sisters shuttling the food from the ovens to the buffet, making sure it is fresh and prepared to perfection.
Our young MC brothers welcomed the guests to start off the afternoon feast. Their joyful smiles and spirits let us know they came prepared for the Thanksgiving Jubilee.
When it came time to serve the food, Brother Joseph had a little surprise for our guests. Just like we do at YF banquets, he made each table sing for their food before they could make their way to the buffet. This created a fun, entertaining process for the elders, and a lot of laughs.
After the delicious meal and much enjoyed fellowship, it was time to watch the prepared skits and hear the Cub Corner and YF choirs. You’ll read from the testimonies below how all this touched the hearts of our brothers and sisters.
Testimonies from our guests:
1)
How do we begin to tell you what we experienced at Giving Thanks dinner. The eager smiles and warm hellos, the excellent food, the little children singing their hearts out, the YF choir singing unto the glory of God. The attitudes of all reflected the love of God to us. How humbled and thankful we are.
2)
Well, first of all I am old; but I was thrilled to see that the LORD has allowed so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ to also live beyond seventy: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years…” (Psalm 90:10)
It was also so satisfying to see such a lovely number of young people, who are so dedicated to the LORD and the Message He has sent to us. (Especially since my grandchildren are among them.)
The food was delicious, and the fellowship sweet. If the LORD tarries another year, and if I tarry, I will be among the guests again.
3)
When Bro Mike and I went to Giving Thanks, it was very hard because we had lost our precious Sis West (his mother) and she had been going since Giving Thanks started, and she wouldn’t be there to share it with us this year. Giving Thanks was the highlight of the year for her.
The meal was delicious! The arrangement on each table was beautiful. While we were eating I started thinking about all the preparation that was made in making that meal possible. The young sisters were busy making sure that each person had everything they wanted and took care of each person’s needs. I know there were several hours of preparation and cooking that took place to make that possible and we saw the dedication and drive in the young people. All of the young sisters and brothers were so busy and happy. It was amazing! After the meal we heard the YF choir and I can’t begin to tell you what a Blessing it was to my husband and me. As they were singing you could feel the presence of the Lord so strong, and when they sang Only Believe it was so overpowering! I saw many tears among our brothers and sisters in the audience, including myself. There was truly a feeling of Thanksgiving in the building. We worshipped the Lord and let Him know that we loved Him and told Him how thankful we were to be a part of such a wonderful day. I wanted to let YF know that I know that it took many long hours in making this possible for our elderly brothers and sisters, but what a tribute they made in making that such a Thankful and Blessed day for all that were there.
God bless you
4)
Getting together with our brothers and sisters is always a blessing, but getting together to give thanks to the Lord for all He has done for me is even more special.
There was such a warm atmosphere of the presence of the Lord there, where I could lay aside everything else and just soak up the singing, praying, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the fellowship with old friends and meeting news ones.
It seemed like a preview of when we all gather at the Wedding Supper of the Lord, where we’ll cry one more time before our Lord and King wipes our tears away forever, and we are never to depart again from each other. What a day that will be! Then end it with a song: "Til We Meet Again."
Thank you Brother Joseph, and everyone else!
God Bless You
5)
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for Giving Thanks!
I have been a very privileged person to have attended Giving Thanks since it first began. I am amazed how each year seems to exceed the last one. This year I truly believe it TOPS all the others.
The food was so tasty. All the young people that served us were so happy. They were smiling as they went overboard to make us happy. The atmosphere was so relaxing and we got to visit with those whom we had not seen since our last Giving Thanks.
To add to our day, we were privileged to here the Cub Corner and YF choirs. How precious it was. it was a prefect end to a beautiful day. When they sang “Til We Meet Again” the Spirit was so great it just made you want to go on.
What Giving Thanks did for me? It made me examine myself and ask, “What am I giving back to Him?” I feel so unworthy! I’d like to thank Brother Joseph and all of those who made their sacrifices for Giving Thanks and making it a beautiful day for us.
May the Lord bless each of you!!
Here are some of the results after all the baking was completed this year for our 127 guests:
- Turkeys – 8
- Hams – 5
- Pies – 31
- Miniature baked treats – 170
- 70 pounds of mashed potatoes
- 50 pounds of Sweet Potatoes
- 50 pounds of apples
- 40 pounds of green beans
- 40 pounds of broccoli
- 35 pounds of corn
- 14 dozen eggs
- 126 sticks of butter
Here are the numbers of volunteers who helped make it all possible:
- 13-15 girls: 23
- 16-28 girls: 26
- 13-28 boys: 9
- Older sisters: 58
We're thankful for another wonderful Giving Thanks day to serve the saints of God. Soon we will all gather for that glorious, jubilee thanksgiving day at the Wedding Supper, where old age, sickness and sorrow will be no more. To our precious brothers and sisters, we long to meet you there.