November 23, 2014
Location: St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church,
101 St. Stephen Lane, Troy, MO 63379
Come join with us for our annual Thanksgiving gathering on Sunday, Nov. 23 at Covenant Family Church in Troy, MO. Our regular worship service will be from 1:00 to 3:15 PM with Pastor Serven preaching. Following that we’ll gather around the dinner table for a wonderful fellowship meal (3:30-5:00 PM); then we will gather once again (5:30-7:00 PM) to hear about the Pilgrims and their faith in God. Our three speakers are…
- Mr. John Huffman on “Why—did the Pilgrims flee from England?”
- Mr. Jeff Hamann on “Why—did the Pilgrims sail from Holland?”
- Rev. Todd Wagonmaker on “Why—did the Pilgrims persevere in America?”
There will be some great congregational singing of hymns and psalms! At the end we will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dessert. Come one, come all!
“So many therefore of these believers as saw the evil of these things, in these parts, and whose hearts the Lord had touched with heavenly zeal for his truth, they shook off this yoke of anti-christian bondage, and as the Lord’s free people, joined themselves (by a covenant of the Lord) into a church estate, in the fellowship of the gospel, to walk in all his ways, made known, or to be made known unto them, according to their best endeavors, whatsoever it should cost them, the Lord assisting them. And that it cost them something this ensuing history will declare.”
—William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation
The Pilgrims had much to thank God for—they survived the first harsh winter, they grew a bountiful crop due to the wise advice they received from Squanto, they brokered a lasting peace with the local Indians, and the Lord gave them an abundant harvest with much promise for the future. Let us remember that as Christians we are a “Pilgrim People” who sojourn on the earth for only a little while (Hebrews 11:13-16). We can draw much strength and encouragement from our spiritual forefathers—the Pilgrims! Let us thank God for their spiritual legacy.
If you are joining us for dinner, please bring a main dish and a salad or dessert
— Pastor Marcus J. Serven