Happy Thanksgiving!!!

In 1621, the pilgrims and native Americans shared the first Thanksgiving meal together to celebrate the first successful harvest of corn. The feast lasted for three days but didn't include any cakes or pies because they had no ovens and the supply of sugar brought over on the Mayflower was running low. Instead, the pilgrims had to rely on Native American spices and cooking methods to complete the meal.

As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God". 

Thanksgiving in the United States was observed on various dates throughout history. From the time of the Founding Fathers until the time of Lincoln, the date Thanksgiving was observed varied from state to state. The final Thursday in November had become the customary date in most U.S. states by the beginning of the 19th century. 

Thanksgiving was first celebrated on the same date by all states in 1863 by a presidential proclamation of Abraham Lincoln . Influenced by the campaigning of author Sarah Hale who wrote letters to politicians for around 40 years trying to make it an official holiday, Lincoln proclaimed the date to be the final Thursday in November in an attempt to foster a sense of American unity between the Northern and Southern states.  

On December 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday. Two years earlier, Roosevelt had used a presidential proclamation to try to achieve this change, reasoning that earlier celebration of the holiday would give the country an economic boost.

So today, on this fourth Thursday in November, we will gather with friends and family to give thanks to God for all of our many blessings. The Bible commands us to give thanks to God... 

Priase the Lord.Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 106:1 NIV

For me, I am thankful for a wonderful wife, seven healthy amazing children, food to eat, a warm home, good friends and so much more. I am also thankful for God leading our family to Pennsylvania for me to pastor at Downtown Fellowship. Each week, I can sense God moving and I am thankful to serve a congregation that listens to the Spirit of God. Let us continue to pray for God to work miracles that we could never take credit for!

I truly count it a privilege to be your pastor and friend. Happy Thanksgiving!

Pastor Mark