As we move into November, we move ever closer to one of my favorite holidays of the year. Oh, Easter and Christmas bring incredible joy and awe on an almost cosmic level, but Thanksgiving is a more personal holiday to me. That is, as much as I am overjoyed to celebrate Christ’s resurrection as well as his earthly birth, the fact is that those events are almost incomprehensible. God on earth? Jesus died, but then he lived? My soul is stirred by such pronouncements even as my little pea brain has trouble processing it all! But Thanksgiving is a different story.
Thanksgiving stirs my soul and is something as real as the people who surround me on that day.

Thanksgiving is a chance to honor God for all we have been given, and most importantly to me, a chance to give thanks for those who have paved
the way for me to be where I am today. Thanksgiving is a family and friends holiday. Thanksgiving is a time to cherish the overwhelming bounty that is our life. Thanksgiving is a time to relax, and let those who mean the most to us know that we are thankful for them and for the lessons they have taught us.

That is why our Thanksgiving Sunday celebration on Sunday November 18th is so special to me this year. On that Sunday we will gather as usual for our Sunday worship. We will once again be asking folks to bring canned goods and produce so that our young people can put together gift baskets for our brothers and sisters at the Interfaith Outreach Home. It is a wonderful way for us to share the blessings of our life with those who will gather to celebrate God’s goodness on Thanksgiving Day.

But there will be an extra special reason for us to give thanks on November 18th. On that day we will be honoring the ministry of the Campbell Stone Christian Centers as our way to say thanks to the residents and staff of those senior living apartments.

The Campbell Stone Christian Centers are a ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Georgia and have, for some 40 plus years, served the senior citizens of Atlanta with quality care. A former pastor of Brookhaven, Jim Sosebee was very instrumental in getting the first unit at Campbell Stone Buckhead built, and several other members of this congregation have worked there, lived there, and served on the board of directors. I was privileged to serve 6 years on the board, including 2 years as Vice-President of that organization.

Over the course of the last year, Campbell Stone Buckhead has undergone a beautiful renovation project. It has meant some disruption for residents and staff, but the final results are well worth the effort. Updated, larger apartments; gorgeous new common spaces all point to a new level of vitality at C-S Buckhead. They have had to suspend taking new residents during this time of transition, but now they are ready and
able to take in new residents to fill up the “new” building, so if you know someone over 62 looking for a place to live, get them in touch with the folks at Campbell Stone!

On November 18th, we will formally give thanks for that wonderful institution and ask for God blessings for 40+ more years of fantastic ministry.
Come and honor those who have made it possible, those who provide the services to our seniors living there, and most importantly, let’s give
thanks to those seniors who live there and all the seniors in our life who have laid the groundwork for who we are today! Come, give thanks!