A people who knew the land in which they resided was not theirs and could be taken away from them on account of their own misdeeds, offer thanks for emancipation from oppression in Deuteronomy 26. Thanks is given for the gift of a land of milk and honey, and for a bountiful harvest.

For a war-torn nation struggling with wounds that are still with us today, Abraham Lincoln in 1863 established a national day of “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,” to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving is likewise offered by many who have found refuge in the United States from war, destruction, and persecution in the last few years. Many in Oshkosh have made Zion their spiritual home. One will often hear them give thanks for the land and nation which has welcomed them. Their thanks is genuine and spontaneous.

It is a joy to weave those three threads together at the International Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day at Zion every year.

The smiles of friendship we share are glorious. The food is amazing.

A great big thank you to the Sudanese youth and families of Zion who come out in force to share Thanksgiving with youth and families who have very recently arrived from East Africa and the Middle East. A great big thank you to families that come to the event through the International Book Clubs sponsored by Southwest Rotary of Oshkosh, the Lourdes and West High School Rotary clubs, and Cherith International based in Oshkosh. So many willing hands on Thanksgiving Day!