Hello, BRN family. It’s good to be with you today.

Hey, I’m here to just say a word about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is one of our favorite seasons, and we’re so blessed every time the season comes upon us because we’re just grateful for all that God has done, and we’re certainly grateful for you.

There’s a tradition we have with our family at Thanksgiving. We’ve shared with our children and our grandchildren that we do every year, and it’s based upon a story about what happened in the new world when the pilgrims came over into the Massachusetts colony. Governor Bradford was the leader of the colony at that time, and because of the severe famine
and the lack of food, he had to ration five kernels of corn a day for each one of the pilgrims in the colony.

So when we think of that story, there’s something we do every year traditionally with our family. What is it, Beth?

BETH WHITWORTH: Well, ever since the children and grandchildren have been small, we’ve given out five kernels of corn around our table, and they sit there until the end of the meal. And at the end of the meal we take a basket and we pass it around and everyone drops their kernels of corn in that basket one by one to share something that they have been thankful for, that God has done in their life that year. And so today we thought we’d like to share a little bit with you some of the things that we’re thankful for–five things that we’re thankful for are the BRN and what God has done over the course of this year to help us to be reminded of how special it is that He works in our lives.

BARRY WHITWORTH: So the first thing that we’re thankful for when we think of the BRN are certainly our churches and their pastors. We couldn’t see the activity of God that we’re seeing today if it weren’t for your faithfulness to respond to what God has called you to do in the community and the context in which you minister. So we thank God for you churches. We thank God for you pastors.

And I’m thankful for our team. Our team works very hard each year to be the “Resource” Network for our churches, for you pastors. And I’m so grateful that God has assembled a team that I am blessed to lead to do the work of the BRN on your behalf.

BETH WHITWORTH: We are also very thankful for the resources that God has poured out this year.We have seen more people come and ask for grants to do evangelism in their communities. We have seen partnerships that have come together with the teams in our own state to do ministry and missions. And so those resources that come come from the field, and we’re just such a blessed people to be able to use what God’s given this year and see him abundantly supplying. One of the things he supplies is actually extension partnerships that we have. And we have been blessed tremendously through our partnerships with the South Carolina Baptist, the North Carolina Baptists, the Georgia Baptists. They have done so much in our state amongst our churches, and even amongst the, the resources we have here at the BRN to help us to serve you better. So we’re so thankful to God for those partnerships.

And then the last thing that we are thankful for, really at this time, is God’s movement among His people. We’re seeing through our BRN United every week stories of God’s people getting baptized, getting the gospel, getting community compassion poured into them. And that is all coming from you, our churches. And so it has been such a great blessing to see his movement
amongst His people this year.

BARRY WHITWORTH: Amen. And I want to express to God our thankfulness for you and a word of prayer as I close out this time with you as Beth and I do. So would you pray with me, father God, thank you for blessing us here in Pennsylvania, South Jersey, first and foremost, with the churches that you have birthed here, that are serving you here in this location. And the great pastors and their families that lead these churches each and every week to be faithful to you, to be on mission,
for you, to change the scorecard of lostness and push back darkness in Jesus’ name. So I’m asking you during this Thanksgiving season that you will bless them as they celebrate, as they think about all the things that they’re thankful for. And I pray, Lord, that out of the abundance of this thanksgiving, we can see more fruit that will come forward in the New Year to come, if you will it to come. So Lord, I just pray for these churches, these pastors, that you will continue to bless and let them know that the BRN is very thankful for them.

BETH WHITWORTH: Yes, God.

BARRY WHITWORTH: And the work that they do across Pennsylvania and South Jersey. So I ask that you would do this today In Jesus’ name, amen.

Amen. We hope that you have a great Thanksgiving celebration with your family and try that five kernels of corn just
to give ’em to every one of the people around the table and just tell them what’s five things that you’re thankful for what God did in your life today. Thanks for listening in today, and may God bless you as always.

BETH WHITWORTH: Thank you.