This question ran for a little over a week just before Thanksgiving 2006:
     Thanksgiving is a tradition-rich holiday. What part does your faith play in your Thanksgiving gatherings?

These were the responses collected:

1.

This is a special day to attend a worship service where we focus on our many blessings and offer prayers of thanks to our heavenly father. Then we take this home to share with family and friends over a meal and fellowship in a land blessed with freedom and prosperity!

2. Our church has a Wednesday night time of reflection, we as a congregation are able to give thanks and voice our thanks and praise as a body of believers.On Thanksgiving morning, there is a men's gathering at a local breakfast spot.My husband sends out invitations to all the men in our past church which closed four years ago thanksgiving weekend, although most have plugged in to the many wonderful churches we have in the Fox Valley...it is good to get together. We came to have a personal relationship with Christ in that church so we have never thought of it as a failure. Those people will always be very important to the both of us. After the men's breakfast, this year we will be driving to the chicago area as a half way point to meet with our children. We will have to show our faith with actions more than words, since our one child is not there, faithwise. We alway pray in the restraunts we eat in, and leave bible tracks with a very generous tip inside.I hope to "connect" with those who have to work on this Thanksgiving day.Vacation always gives extra time to get in God's word, so I look forward to that. God Bless You Guys...
3. Sadly, very little. Eating, shopping and football are the idols.
4. Attending worship services on Thanksgiving morning has always been part of our family celebration.
5. My faith plays the role of making me ever-more thankful for the wonderful things that I have been blessed with (job, family, church, financial stability) and it also reminds me to share with others!!!
6. Faith is the only thing that keeps us living in this world of sin and selfishness. We are happy to celebrate and give thanks to our God for the many blessings that we have. All of what we have comes from God. EVERYTHING.
7. I had an abusive childhood and I thank the Lord everyday that was adopted when I was 16. Looking back, this was the best thing that could have happened, but it surely didn't feel that way at the time. It was a time of great pain, confusion, and ultimately.... rebellion. Even through it all, God lifted me up. Even during this time of great sin due to my rebellion, I could always feel the presence of the Lord whenever I needed him. Even though I felt angry at God for what I had had to go through, I still knew in my heart that it only made me stronger, and God has a purpose for everything. It took me a long time to warm up completely to my new family, and say good-bye to my old family and their abusive ways. I still deal with the confusion today about how much do I allow them in my life, if even at all, but... ultimately, Jesus brings me peace. I turn on your station and it brings me back to the clarity of the His great message. As Thanksgiving draws near, I am thankful that Jesus was with me, is with me everyday today, and will always be with me. I am thankful for the strength He gave me with the life I endured, the progression of my life to where it is today, and the exciting future I can look forward to in his overwhelming presence of glory and hope. The Thanksgiving holiday marks a time of memories and therefore the awareness of how much things have changed, and how thankful I am for my faith, for it has carried me through the worst of the worst, and the best of the best. As a child I was a recipient of the god-given kindness of others serving me a Thanksgiving dinner at the local church, and someday I hope to do the same for others. As a child I learned about the pilgrims, but not the reason they came, and I watch my own children learn the full story, and I am glad. I enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner with my children and always know that they don't quite know what they have, but I am thankful for the opportunity to have that time with them, and the opportunity to give them what I didn't have myself as a child. For years it was difficult for me to watch them not fully realize how blessed they are, but God has given me the peace and ability to enjoy his sweet blessings. My Thanksgiving is extremely ladden with great faith and great thankful emotion towards my great Lord, and I hope it is forevermore.
8. Who else to be thankful to but God. Without Him there is no Thanksgiving. There would be no point. Specifically we feed people at church who have no where else to go either because of financial difficulties or lack of family. We gather together and fellowship. This year we are teaching our 3 yr old what Thanksgiving really is, a time to thank God for all he has done and is doing for us.
9. The Thanksgiving holiday is an opportunity to practice a Biblical command--which is practicing hospitality towards others. In preparing the meal myself (meaning: not having a potluck) I can also show service to others.
10. Because there are different faiths in my family, Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to stand for the truth that the Lord has revealed through His Word, Jesus.
11. My family has very diverse religious beliefs, but this is one time that I am usually dedicated to say the prayer and I enjoy that I can bless us all and we can come together for those few moments.