5 ways to celebrate Thanksgiving with ministry partners

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to communicate with ministry partners in the United States. After all, it is a time to celebrate God’s goodness. At the same time, Thanksgiving can feel hectic and stressful to many, which is why engaging people with prayer and reflection can be so meaningful.

Here are five easy, creative ways you can bless your partners during this Thanksgiving season:

1. Express gratitude to your partners

As William Arthur Ward once wrote, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” Send your partners a message telling them how thankful you are for them. Their prayer and financial support have been vital to every good work the Lord has accomplished through you and your ministry, so be vocal in saying “Thank you!"

2. Invite your partners to pray for Thanksgiving ministry opportunities

Holidays often present opportunities for ministry. The Holy Spirit empowers gospel outreach through hospitality and can bring reconciliation to difficult relationships as we reconnect with loved ones. It’s a gift to pray for one another, so don’t be shy about asking for prayer during Thanksgiving or other holidays.

3. Bless your partners with a photo, Bible verse, or song of worship

During the busyness of Thanksgiving, a simple photo with a Bible verse can bring your ministry partners spiritual care and a refreshing reminder of God’s presence. Or you can send them a link to a worship song lyric video. It might be just what someone needs amid the bustle of Thanksgiving travel, hosting, cooking, and shopping.

4. Write a prayer for your partners, or send a recorded prayer

There are few gifts more precious than sharing a prayer written to the Lord, since it’s something your ministry partners can revisit time and again. Alternatively, you can use Prayvine to send a recorded prayer to a specific supporter, friend, or family member.

5. Celebrate Thanksgiving year round, don’t limit yourself to November (or October in Canada)!

As the Apostle Paul writes, we should be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). So don’t let the calendar limit when you communicate gratitude to your ministry partners. Instead, let’s “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).