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At least ten clergymen and women from around Marco Island will unite for the first time in twelve years Thursday morning, to create a very special community Thanksgiving Day service to be held at Marco Lutheran Church on Collier Boulevard.

The monumental community gathering, scheduled for 10 a.m. Thanksgiving Day, will bring people from all denominations together in harmony for one like cause: to thank God for the many blessings bestowed upon us as fellow Americans and Islanders.

Pastor Thomas McCulley, of New Life Community Church and president of the Marco Island Clergy Association, says in the midst of division among people in our world, our country and our community, this service will represent the way things should be.

“I think it’s very important. We don’t have to agree on issues like the city or the sewer. We, as a people, can be contentious at times. I really like the idea of a calendar event that forces us to look up, to be grateful for the sunshine. There’s something bigger than this little island where we live,” McCulley explained. “And why not take a break from cooking? I think the turkey tastes better if you realize you’re not the one responsible for things anyway. We need to step back and acknowledge God.”

The holiday service will last around 45 minutes and include music, scripture readings and prayers giving thanks for all things. Ronald Biel, Senior Pastor at Marco Lutheran Church, says the purpose of the service is to bring the community together in having an “attitude of gratitude.”

“The real purpose of Thanksgiving is to give thanks to God, not to bake pumpkin pies and watch football games. That’s secondary. What we’re trying to do is convey that message. The theme of the service is ‘I will give thanks to the Lord.’ And it’s meant to be a personal kind of thing, giving thanks with our family. We want to invite the whole community to come together with us,” Biel implored. “We want people to stop and give thanks to our Lord and remember the people serving us in our military who can’t say, ‘Well, it’s Thanksgiving Day, I’ll take off work.’ That’s why our nation originally set up a day for Thanksgiving in the first place.”

The service will include excerpts from the book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 30 in the bible. It will take a look at how we, as Americans, are blessed with the freedom to worship God as we choose. And although we may exercise our rights in unique ways and have different understandings, we can give thanks together as a community.

Kyle Bennett, rector at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, reminds us of the original Thanksgiving, which involved relationships between unlikely people.

“As churches, sometimes we are strange to each other. At this service, we can all gather to celebrate what we’re thankful for,” explained Bennett. “When I think about the original Thanksgiving, the pilgrims and the indians, one offering to another, it didn’t happen because people stayed home. There was a risk involved. God’s grace is something that happens in between the plans. Being open to something new. I’m encouraged by that. This will show the best of what we have in common instead of what we have different.”

Hari Jacobsen, Cantorial Soloist from the Jewish Congregation of Marco Island agrees 100 percent.

“It’s a common thread. We all want and need to say thank you and the whole point of ‘congregations’ is to do things together. So if we can all congregate to share our commonness, then that is a good thing,” he said.

The Marco Island Clergy Association invites the public to join this unique Marco Island Thanksgiving Day celebration service. All collections will go toward Habitat for Humanity, to provide needy families with more of a reason to give thanks.

Marco Island Clergy Association, Thanksgiving Day Service will be held at Marco Lutheran Church, 525 N. Collier Blvd. For more information call 394-0332