Community Thanksgiving service planned
When St. James AME Church Elder Jerry Burns was growing up on Thomas Island, church was an experience residents young and old eagerly took part in every week. Burns, now 70, remembers rushing to the tiny white church on the banks of Beresford Creek as a little boy, excited to get started on his Sunday School lessons.
“My mother always cooked dinner on Sundays before she came to church,” said Burns, closing his eyes and smiling as he pictured the scene. “But she sent us ahead to Sunday School…Back in those days, we had an understanding, when it was time for praying and going to church, my mama didn’t have to tell us!”
“We had a loving congregation,” added Huger resident Sandra Loretta Broughton, 66, another elder at St. James AME. “This was the little church with the big heart. The older members were wonderful. They taught us real well. To love one another, to share with one another, and to pray.”
St. James, located just across the creek from the Blackbaud Stadium complex, has been a steady fixture in the small, tight-knit community for some 61 years. The congregation actually began on Daniel Island in 1915, before moving to its current building on Thomas Island in 1954, and this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Burns has been part of the church family since 1945 and was confirmed as an official member at age 13. When talking about how the community celebrated the holidays in those early days, his face lit up.
“There were some exciting times,” said Burns, chuckling at the memory. “Christmas was Christmas! When I was young, my father and some other men in the neighborhood used to go around to the different houses and visit with one another. At the end of the evening, when they finished making that circle, you could hear them coming down the road singing!”
In that same spirit of togetherness and celebration, St. James AME will join St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church on Daniel Island for a special non-denominational Thanksgiving service on Monday, November 23, at 7 p.m. at the Bishop England Performing Arts Center. While St. James is celebrating its centennial, St. Clare is recognizing its first anniversary on Daniel Island. The service is open to all members of the community and will feature combined choirs, prayers, and blessings, as well as a reception afterwards. Attendees are also asked to bring donations of non-perishable food items to donate to Easter Cooper Community Outreach.
A Thanksgiving Blessing Service is not necessarily new to Daniel Island. Several island residents, with assistance from local churches, have planned similar events over the years. The first service was held in 1997 and continued through 2008 at various locations, including Providence Baptist Church and Holy Cross Episcopal Church on Daniel Island. After a five year hiatus, the 13th annual service was held in November of 2014 at Bishop England.
When Father Gregory West of St. Clare of Assisi and some of the church’s members began discussing this year’s event, their established relationship with St. James AME served as the inspiration for the 2015 gathering.
“They were celebrating their 100th anniversary and we were celebrating our first anniversary, and that was good synergy,” said Father West. “So we decided months ago to make this service about thanksgiving for St. James AME and their fortitude and their faith through a century, and the fact that they have so much history and tradition there.”
According to Rev. Nathalee Nelson, the current pastor at St. James, the church now has about 43 members. She started leading the congregation just a few months ago and said she has found it to be a welcoming place filled with wonderful people.
“They are loving people,” said Rev. Nelson, who will be delivering a message about giving thanks at the upcoming blessing service. “Very loving people, and they want to do more for their church. The spirit is very high there. Everybody is on one accord.”
Another significant event that helped solidify the need for the upcoming Thanksgiving service, added Father West, is the tragedy at Mother Emanuel AME Church in downtown Charleston last June. After the shootings, St. Clare of Assisi hosted a candlelight vigil in Smythe Park. About 300 community members showed up to participate.
“The way everyone came together to pray, we were once again reminded about the need for prayer, the need for community, the need for leaning on one another.”
The terror attacks in Paris last weekend are yet another reason all community members must support one another, he said.
“We are all in this together. We might go our separate ways on Sunday mornings and throughout the week, but ultimately we really have to take better care of each other.”
Both Burns and Broughton have seen the power of togetherness at work at St. James and are eager to take part in the upcoming service.
“God wants us to show love to one another,” said Burns. “He wants us to help one another. He said if you love me, feed my sheep. Share the love!”
“What we perceive as differences are not differences at all,” added Father West. “They’re human constructs and they get in the way of our evolving into the people that God has designed us all to be. Not individuals, but a people, humanity. Charleston got a big dose of that with the shootings. We captured the world's attention with how we came together peacefully and lovingly, so I guess this is just an echo of that same sentiment from Mother Emanuel, riding on the American holiday of Thanksgiving."
“We need to do this more often,” added Rev. Nelson. “If we love Jesus, we’ve got to love all of our brothers and sisters…To bring this together like this is a blessing for (our church members). To let them know that they are not by themselves, that there are others out there…They are very excited!”
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION OF THANKSGIVING
Monday, November 23, 7 p.m.
Bishop England Performing
Arts Center
Members of the community are invited to a special Thanksgiving ecumenical service hosted by St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church on Monday, November 23, 2015, at 7 p.m. at the Bishop England High School Performing Arts Center. The non-denominational program will celebrate the community’s blessings, as well as the 100th Anniversary of St. James AME Church on Thomas Island and the first anniversary of St. Clare of Assisi on Daniel Island. Combined choirs and prayers will also be featured. Refreshments will be provided after the service. Bring donations of non-perishable food items to benefit East Cooper Community Outreach. Direct questions to
Jerri Pogue at gbpogue@aol.com.