The season of Thanksgiving offers the opportunity to explore the Christian practice of gratitude. The Media Center offers resources that you can borrow for:
- Studying in your small group
- Planning a Thanksgiving program
- Celebrating with youth and children
- Cultivating gratitude in your congregation
See the full list of resources in our new Thanksgiving and Gratitude Pathfinder. We have highlighted some resources below:
Small Group Studies
Read the Pilgrims own words about how they became missionaries. Were they escaping persecution or simply spreading the Gospel? This study includes four reflection lessons with discussion questions.
Read more about this study in our online catalog: The First Thanksgiving by Stephen Skelton; The Entertainment Ministry, 2016. This 23-page booklet can be copied for everyone in your group.
A farm wife and mother of seven invites you to join her in recording God’s gifts. In this 5-session DVD study, you will learn to cultivate a practice of gratitude.
Read more about this study in our online catalog: One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp; Zondervan, 2012. A book and study guide are also available.
Plan a Thanksgiving Program
This book of intergenerational activities offers lots of ideas to celebrate Thanksgiving. Instructions for recipes, crafts, games, and activities are included. Leaders will appreciate the ideas for outreach, prayer, bible study, and multicultural inclusion.
Read more about this book in our online catalog: Growing Together : Six Intergenerational Celebrations for Fall & Winter; Living the Good News, 1999.
Make young children a part of your program with easy verses for them to recite. Give each child one verse or they can say them together. The three Thanksgiving poems in this book can be easily adapted to your group.
Read more about this book in our online catalog: Celebrate Christmas : Easy Dramas, Speeches and Recitations by Peg Augustine; Abingdon Press, 2002.
Celebrate Thanksgiving with Youth and Children
This book provides four activities to use with youth over the Thanksgiving holiday. A service project, an outline for thankful reflections, a bible study, and a psalm discussion are included.
Read more about this book in our online catalog: Ready to Go: School’s Out : Youth Ministry Ideas for School Breaks and Summer Vacations; Abingdon Youth, 2009.
Veggie Tales has produced these four Sunday School lessons on thankfulness. The kit includes a DVD with video clips, a CD-ROM with coloring pages, and a Teacher Guide with objectives, scripture, supply lists, and activity scripts.
Read more about this curriculum in our online catalog: Veggie Tales Thankfulness: Sunday School Lessons; Big Idea, 2013.
Cultivating Gratitude in Your Congregation
Grow generosity in your congregation with these step-by-step procedures that focus on gratitude. This book can be used as a 5-session small group study or a 12-step stewardship campaign. Kent Millard is a United Methodist pastor and gratitude coach.
Read more about this book in our online catalog: The Gratitude Path: Leading Your Church to Generosity by Kent Millard; Abingdon Press, 2015.
Teach your congregation the spiritual practice of thankfulness using chapter two of this book. Along with scripture and testimonies, the author describes the specifics of thankfulness. Discussion questions are included.
Read more about this book in our online catalog: Joy Together: Spiritual Practices for Your Congregation by Lynne M. Baab; Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.
Request These Resources
Would you like to borrow these resources for use in your church or small group? We can mail them to you! Simply fill out the Resource Request Form, or contact the Media Center with any questions. The NC Conference Media Center is open to all clergy and laity in the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, free of charge.