THANKSGIVING

THANKFULNESS

Day 24 – Traditions

It is extra special to celebrate certain holidays the way you did as a child. Many of us celebrated with our extended family and always with certain foods – turkey and dressing, sweet potato casserole, fruit salad, pies, etc. I always try to continue to serve some of these food, even when our gathering includes just two people.. Traditions help to bring back sweet memories for those holidays and the people who sat around the table many years ago. Some people always celebrated by doing certain things – football games, movies, signing a tablecloth, etc. My family celebrated by being together and often visiting family members who were hospitalized or sick at home.

I hope you continue to celebrate some of your childhood traditions each year. Hopefully, you children will continue to do the same and/or create some of your own. Traditions are important, even if some of your relatives are no longer living, relatives cannot be with you, or you are in a new house. Traditions, of any kind, help to ground children. Do you include Scriptures, singing hymns, quoting special/favorite Bible stories in your celebrations?

READ and WRITE BIBLE VERSES TODAY

November 24 – Psalm 136: 23-24

OCC STATISTICS

I went to the church yesterday to get my records from the week (really eight days) we served as a Drop-Off Location for Samaritan’s Purse ““Shoeboxes”, November 14-21. Our collection week involved 16 volunteers who worked a total of 182.5 hours. We packed 108 big Samaritan Purse cartons with 1,726 “”Shoeboxes” from 12 area churches. FBC, Kentwood packed 402 as a group and an additional 93 by individuals connected to our church for a grand total of 495 “Shoeboxes”. Thank-you to everyone who helped by purchasing items, working to remove packaging, assembling items, painting cartons, assembling “Shoeboxes”, filling the “Shoeboxes”, and serving as volunteers during Drop-Off week.

GIFT BAGS FOR COMMUNITY MISSIONS

Our church members are now filling gift bags for Christmas gifts for children in our community. The bags are available under the stairwell to the sound room. Each bag is tagged, for example, “Girl 3rd – 4th grade”, so you can shop better. Filled bags can be returned to the same location and are due no later than the first Sunday of December.

BAPTIST PRESS – https://www.baptistpress.com/

PRAYER FOCUS FOR TODAY

Today, let’s pray for families and each member of families as they gather/do not gather for the holiday. Families always need our prayers.

Anna Lee