Community joins in Thanksgiving
After eating their Thanksgiving dinner, Kevin Clanton holds Felicity Clanton as he chats with Caleb Middleton. This year marks Clanton's fifth time attending the dinner.
Maylinna Whittington and Caroline Quinn, front, visit with Jaime Albritton, Richard Mott, Kaeden Albritton and John Messer after eating Thanksgiving dinner provided by the churches of Mid-Chambers County Ministerial Alliance.
ANAHUAC— It was an evening of prayer, food and, most importantly, Thanksgiving as the community came out to celebrate the holiday and break bread.
Many locals of varying churches and denominations gathered at Anahuac Primary School on Nov. 23 for an evening of prayer and thankfulness.
Hosted by the Mid-Chambers County Ministerial Alliance, nine pastors gathered to serve Thanksgiving dinner to about 200 attendees, marking its 10th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner and Service.
"We're just trying to break down the denomination walls and just come and serve the community the best we can," said Mark Pagels, pastor at Community Christian Fellowship and chairman of Mid-Chambers County Ministerial Alliance for about nine years.
New Covenant Fellowship prepares the turkey each year and six other churches provide the sides and desserts. The churches include Community Christian Fellowship, First Baptist Church of Anahuac, Hankamer Community Fellowship, Cornerstone Church, Trinity Episcopal Church and First Methodist Church Anahuac.
"Part of our overall purpose as a ministerial alliance is to show the love of Jesus Christ to our community, not only through our words but also through our actions," said Sheri Phelps, organizer of food for the event.
Jaime Albritton has attended the event for about six to seven years.
"It's fun to get with people who you may not always talk to in the community," Albritton said. "You meet new people."
Pastors and helpers serve guests from beverages to dinner to dessert.
"We serve the people," Pagels said. "The people don't get out of their chair."
"That's what Christ did. He served everybody," Pagels said. "It wasn't about a certain group. He never left anybody out."
Both Pagels and Phelps were pleased with the turnout. The alliance planned for 250 and the group was able to serve about 200. Pagels said the alliance tried to change things up occasionally to keep guests interested in attending.
"The more you do things, the less people get involved," Pagels said.
Prior to a reading from the Gospel, Pagels introduced each pastor in attendance. A Gospel reading and blessing of the food was led by Jamie Lea, pastor at First Methodist Church Anahuac and Middleton Memorial Methodist Church in Wallisville.
Lea read Deuteronomy 26:1-11. Written by Moses, the book details the hardships the Israelites endured before reaching the Promised Land.
"In this day and age, as we have wandered away from God's word, as we are wandering in the desert, take stock and be thankful for all that God has blessed us with," Lea said. "Also to understand that comes with a certain amount of responsibility to each other. Not to be mean to each other, not to be exclusive of people."
The Mid-Chambers County Ministerial Alliance provides for the community in many ways, including giving a Bible to each graduating senior, hosting an Easter sunrise service and having vacation Bible school each summer. Other services include building wheelchair ramps, community clean-ups and providing a choir for Anahuac's Christmas parade.
"What we're trying to do is show the community that we're gonna work together as a body of Christ and we're gonna work together to help the community," Pagels said.