Church display encourages people to give thanks
What are you thankful for? This is the question Emmanuel Lutheran Church is encouraging people to think about with its fall lawn display.“We do lawn visuals that communicate a message,” Pastor Bryan Kittner said. “It just depends on the season. At Christmas we hope to do a message about hope.”
Three giant pumpkins bare the message, “Give thanks,” and they are flanked by a wooden scarecrow and two praying scarecrows made of straw.
“My wife Dana came up with the idea,” Kittner said. “I got the wood, and her and our daughter Sarah drew it out. One of our church members, Eric Turner, cut it out and made a way to fasten it together. My daughter Liz and our family then painted it. Eric and his wife April made the praying scarecrows, and Roger Ridenour got a donation of pumpkins from Darr Farms.”
The pumpkins are scattered in front of the display, and people are welcome to stop by and take one as long as they are there. They also are encouraged to write what they are thankful for on the back of the display.
“We were trying to make it interactive,” Kittner said. “They could take a picture of themselves here too and post it to Facebook and share with us what they are thankful for. We have so much to be thankful for. We really do.”
Kittner encourages people to pause and reflect on their blessings and even find a way to give back to others.
Emmanuel Lutheran Church is located at 1500 Pleasant Valley Drive in Coshocton. For more on the church, visit www.emmanuelcoshocton.org. A grant from Thrivent Financial Services made the fall display possible.
Category: Faith, Multimedia, Photo Galleries
