As residents sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, several leaders from the religious community share their thoughts on what it means to be thankful.
The Rev. Julian C. Pridgen, pastor of Saint Augustus AME Zion Church in Kinston, said he has his own definition of what it means to be thankful.
“To be thankful is to have a spirit of gratitude for life itself and everything that comes along with it. We also need to be thankful to God, the creator of life,” he said.
He also said giving thanks should not be confined to just one day a year.
“If one considers Thanksgiving to be just a day, than that’s problematic because we need to be thankful every day,” he said.
Ryan Vernon, pastor of 902 Church, said people need to remember members of the military as they give thanks.
“We have freedom today because those men and woman gave their lives for us, just as Christ gave his life for us on the cross,” he said
Vernon also said even during these tough economic times, people can still find reasons to be thankful.
“There’s always something to be thankful for,” he said. “We can always find some way to find joy in what we have, because we are blessed beyond measure.”
Janet T. Grady, pastor of Bay Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in Pink Hill, said family is important.
“Having a family love you and getting together with your family during the holidays,” she said.
Grady also said, in the end, people need to be giving thanks to God.
“We need to give Him thanks for what he has done, what he is doing now and what he is going to do.
Noah Clark can be reached at 252-559-1073 or Noah.Clark@Kinston.com.