Fernwood Baptist Church hosted the 2013 Spartanburg Community Thanksgiving Service on Tuesday, November 26. Hundreds of community members gathered to worship together and collectively give thanks.
Dr. Kirk Neely gives the Thanksgiving message at the 2013 community service.
Each year a committee of local clergy organizes the multidenominational service and selects a nonprofit organization to receive the offering. As a sponsor of this event, The Spartanburg County Foundation matches the plated offering dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000. The selected recipient of this year’s plated offering was Greater Spartanburg Ministries. The organization provides emergency assistance to the people of Spartanburg County who are experiencing times of crisis.
Rev. Kevin Koger, CEO of Greater Spartanburg Ministries, thanked the community for its financial support of the organization, which distributes food to over 150 local families each week. “The Thanksgiving service at Fernwood Baptist Church was a true communal and missional expression of love for our neighbors in need,” stated Koger. Greater Spartanburg Ministries will use the nearly $11,000 received from the Thanksgiving service to purchase a commercial refrigerator, which will provide additional storage and preservation capacity for the perishable food items distributed through the food pantry.
“It is a privilege to be a part of the annual Spartanburg Community Thanksgiving Service. This is a special community-wide event in which the Foundation is proud to be a partner and sponsor,” said John Dargan, president and CEO of The Spartanburg County Foundation. “Since 2000, the Foundation has matched the offering collection, and since that time over $140,000 has been given to Spartanburg County nonprofit organizations which provide services to our neighbors in need.”
The Children’s Choir provided seasonal music for the 2013 service.
Confirmed in compliance with National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations.