The annual Thanksgiving Community Service in Brundidge will be at 7 p.m. today at Salem Baptist Church.

Dr. James O. Newell, Salem Baptist Church interim pastor, will deliver the message. Special music will be presented by the church choir and soloists in celebration of the national holiday.

Thanksgiving is the most celebrated holiday in America.

An estimated 97 percent of all Americans pause on the fourth Thursday of November to give thanks for their blessings.

The Rev. Michael Lawler, pastor of Brundidge United Methodist Church, said Thanksgiving transcends all religions.

“Even those who are non-believers celebrate Thanksgiving,” he said. “When we think of Thanksgiving, we usually think of the Pilgrims and how, in the fall of 1621, they celebrated their successful harvest. But, Thanksgiving didn’t become an official holiday until 1941.”

Lawler said Thanksgiving is unique in that it hasn’t been lost to commercialism.

“Thanksgiving is about families and friends coming together to give thanks,” he said. “And, that’s the idea behind the annual Community Thanksgiving Service in Brundidge.”

Traditionally, the service of Thanksgiving is held on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving and rotates among Salem Baptist, Brundidge United Methodist and County Line Baptist churches but everyone is invited and encouraged to come.

“The coming together of our community is the beauty of the Community Thanksgiving Service,” Lawler said. “This is a very special time for us as a community as we come together with grateful hearts for all the blessings we have received and all of God’s blessings in our lives.

“Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on our lives and the many blessings we have and also on the purpose in our lives.”