LIBERTY – On Saturday, November 15, Churches United in Christ for the Community (CUICC) hosted their first ever free community Thanksgiving celebration and dinner. At the behest of one of the parishioners of New Direction Baptist Church, CUICC (made up of several local churches) was formed this summer to assist in serving the needs of the local community. 

“When we came together, we found out that we have very few differences, we all had the same purpose. We knew after that event in August, that we were going to stay together and keep moving forward,” shared pastor of New Direction Baptist Church, Douglas Bowman. It seemed fitting that the next outreach event they would host would be a Thanksgiving dinner. 

Bowman went on to say, “With families being affected by the recent government shutdown and SNAP crisis, and food insecurities being at an all-time high, they realized that many families depend on those benefits to feed their families.”

Guests were welcomed with a brief worship service and song medley led by Pastor Kathie Ienuso and members of Lighthouse Ministries Church in Liberty and short sermonettes from several of the Pastors in attendance. 

A message about love was shared highlighting the scripture from John 3:16; Pastor John Redman of Liberty Presbyterian Church gave encouraging words of hope to those in attendance. Redman shared, “We are reaching out to the community to show that we care, and the key word to all of this is ‘unity,’ we’re all different but totally united in service.” 

Nearly 100 people attended the community dinner, which featured a meal of turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and a variety of desserts. Some attendees also received free Thanksgiving meals and turkeys. Smiles and laughter filled the room as new friendships were formed and old acquaintances were reunited. CUICC is planning future outreach events, including a soup kitchen that will be established soon.