Participants in a combined Thanksgiving service held Sunday evening at Clarkstown UM Church included (front): Nancy Hodge, Pastors Beverly Cotner and Connie Waugh, Reade Holzbaur and LeRoy Snyder.

CLARKSTOWN – Colorful polished pebbles placed in a wooden tub convey a visual thanks to answered prayers. This token of Thanksgiving is available year round at the Clarkstown United Methodist Church. The tub consists of two varieties of wood fashioned by LeRoy Snyder. A pouch filled with stones hang from two sides of a stand on which the container rests, and when a prayer is answered, parishioners place a pebble in it.

Hosted by the Clarkstown United Methodist Church, a Thanksgiving service commemorating the current holiday was held Sunday evening Nov 23 at 7 p.m. The service was in conjunction with Messiah and St. James Lutheran Churches pastored by Beverly Cotner.

Reade Holzbaur provided special music with three of his home-made wooden flutes. Holzbaur remarked that flutes were available at the time of the first Thanksgiving feast, but no record documents the instrument was ever played during the festivity.

Nancy Hodge served as pianist and Pastors Beverly Cotner and Connie Waugh led scripture readings and gave a message from Luke 17:11-19.

The Son Light house was the designated recipient of the evening’s offerings.