St Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church And School: Fill & Download for Free

The best source I found on the Web was a September 2010 article in Forward, a Jewish weekly newspaper. Excerpt:A Forward survey of the way churches and synagogues raise and spend funds found this pattern across the country: Rabbis are generally paid far more than their non-Jewish counterparts, for reasons having to do with congregation size and the social status of spiritual leaders. At the same time, churches send far more in dues to denominational organizations than do synagogues, since many Christians support their denomination’s broader activities, the “mission work,” through their own churches.Last week, the Forward reported the results of an informal survey showing that the median amount of money raised per member by synagogues was nearly identical to the median amount raised per church member, despite the fact that synagogues require dues while churches rely exclusively on voluntary giving. But interviews with religious leaders and other experts reveal striking disparities in how churches and synagogues compensate their spiritual leaders and in how they support their denominational organizations. St. Mark’s, for example, sends 10% to 12% of its income to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America each year. That’s more than the 8% of dues that most Reform synagogues give to their movement, and far more than the 1% to 3% of their budgets that most Orthodox and Conservative synagogues send to their denominational organizations.It is difficult to draw direct comparisons between the compensation of Jewish and Christian spiritual leaders, for reasons of doctrine and of accounting. Catholic priests, for instance, have exceedingly low salaries -- averaging $25,000 per year, according to a 2003 paper by Becky R. McMillan and Matthew J. Price that analyzed figures from the 2001 Pulpit & Pew National Survey of Pastoral Leaders. But expectations in Catholic churches are also different, as priests take vows of poverty alongside their vows of chastity.The Pulpit & Pew survey found that the median salary for full-time Protestant pastors in 2000 was $40,000, including a housing stipend.Studies sponsored by the Reform and Conservative movements indicate much higher levels of compensation for rabbis. The median base salary, including a housing stipend, for a senior Reform rabbi in 2008 was $146,582 for congregations of 351- to 650- member units, according to a study conducted jointly by the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Reform rabbinical group. The median salary for rabbis of very large Reform synagogues, with more than 1,000-member units, was $230,000. Synagogues polled by the Forward were generally reluctant to divulge the salaries of their head rabbis. Churches were more forthcoming, and reported incomes of chief spiritual leaders ranging from $33,000 for the priest at St. Mary of the Assumption, a Catholic Church in Boston that attracts about 7,500 worshippers, to $95,000 for the head minister at Arrow Heights Baptist Church, a congregation of 1,500 people, near Tulsa, Okla.A 2009 survey by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism found that the average salary for Conservative senior rabbis of congregations with 400 to 599 member units was $137,000, not including housing stipends. The average salary for rabbis of very large Conservative synagogues, with more than 1,000-member units, was $207,000, not including housing. No such statistics are available for Orthodox rabbis.Experts attribute the disparity between pastoral and rabbinical salaries to structural differences between the communities, such as congregation size, and to differences between the roles of rabbis and priests.“Most synagogues are relatively large… relative to Protestant churches,” said Barbara Wheeler, an Auburn Theological Seminary professor who has studied the implications of low ministerial salaries. “If you have lots of small congregations and lots of ministers, you’re not going to have high salaries.”But Wheeler also said that differences between the status of rabbis and ministers play a role in the salary differential. She pointed out that the academic requirements for rabbinic ordination are more intensive than the academic requirements for ordination in most Protestant denominations, which take between three and four years to fulfill, compared with five years for ordination in Reform and Conservative seminaries.“I simply think that rabbis have higher status in the Jewish community than ministers have in the Christian community,” Wheeler said. “If you’re a successful professional, you’re not disappointed if your kid decides to become a rabbi.”A representative of the Reform movement defended the relatively high salaries, saying that they are necessary for retention and for allowing rabbis to live where they preach. “If you want a rabbi to live in your community, you’ve got to pay them enough money to live in the community. So the salary has to be related to what other people in the community earn,” said Rabbi Daniel Freelander, the URJ’s senior vice president and chief operating officer. “We do not take vows of poverty, as they do in the Catholic Church.”Stephen Savitsky, president of the Orthodox Union, the network of Orthodox synagogues, agreed. “Our rabbis live in the communities that they’re servicing. Sometimes, housing is expensive, they pay for Jewish education and they also tend to have many children, so they need more money,” he said.Meanwhile, the lower pay for pastors has an impact on the level of candidates that Protestant denominations are able to attract, according to Wheeler. “These are subsistence salaries in many cases,” she said. “It’s relatively hard to live a middle-class existence as a Protestant minister unless your spouse has a pretty good job.”Wheeler said that a study of seminary students and rabbinical students she conducted that examined measures like grade-point averages, college honors and college leadership positions found that rabbinical students outshine both Catholic and Protestant seminarians. “We theorized that a major difference in attracting people had to do with the fact that pulpit rabbis are paid livable salaries,” she said.“How are you going to attract the top students into a life of service to the Jewish community if economically they’re going to be earning 10% of what they would have earned if they went into a different profession?” Freelander asked.In order to regulate ministers’ compensation, some denominations set mandatory minimum fees. “No bishop wants to have a situation where a pastor is serving in a congregation and is paid so poorly that when he or she retires, there’s very little pension money,” said John Brooks, a spokesman for the ELCA. In New York, the minimum base salary for a first-year ELCA minister is $35,790, plus a housing allowance of at least $15,000.Jewish denominations do not set minimums, but some -- such as the Reform movement -- do provide average figures as guidelines.Meanwhile, the Forward found that among some 20 religious institutions it surveyed, synagogues give far less of their annual budget to their denominational organization than do churches.The amount given to denominational organizations varied by denomination. The USCJ charges Conservative synagogues a flat per-member fee of $70 for most members, which amounts to between 2.5% and 3% of each synagogue’s budget. The O.U. has no specific formula, but Savitsky said that the total fee is often less than 1% of most synagogues’ budgets. Meanwhile, the URJ collects the most, with dues set by a complex formula that takes into account both the total membership and the synagogue’s budget. In general, the total owed amounts to 8% of the synagogue’s income through dues, which is equivalent to somewhat less than 8% of the synagogue’s total budget.The disparity between the dues charged by the URJ and those charged by the other movements is somewhat misleading, as only half the dues collected by the URJ go toward its expenses. The rest are given to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the rabbinical school of the Reform movement. Neither the O.U. nor the USCJ splits its fees with other organizations. In this sense, the URJ most closely resembles Protestant denominations, which engage heavily in “mission work” -- providing social services and, in some cases, evangelizing.“The denomination for Reform and Conservative Jews is largely organizational,” Wheeler said. “For many Protestants, it’s everything: It’s the whole social service, social action and mission movement…. These denominations are purveyors of all the goods and services that their congregations and members need. That’s the model of the mainline denominations.”To support this work, Protestant denominations often expect large contributions from their member churches. Member churches of the ELCA and the American Baptist Churches give about 10% of their net operating income to the denomination; Episcopal churches give varying percentages based on the size of their net operating income, maxing out at 20% of income greater than $500,000, and some African Methodist Episcopal churches give up to 35% of their income.According to James Hudnut-Beumler, dean of Vanderbilt University’s Divinity School, some of this is in flux. “None of the mainline churches, to say nothing of the nonaligned nondenominational churches, gives anything to serve a national center like they did 50 years ago,” he said. “If anything, Protestants are moving more in a direction of organized Judaism.”“One of the key burning issues in Protestantism is exactly whether that infrastructure can be sustained,” said Mark Chaves, professor of sociology, religion and divinity at Duke University. “People are talking about the declining significance of denominational identities for churches and for people…. One concrete consequence of that has been people being less willing to let their money go up the line to denominations, and churches being less willing to support these denominational infrastructures.”http://www.forward.com/articles/131325/#ixzz1EwOD3S6Y

To expand on Myles Guest’s answer-West Coast (California, Washington State, Oregon)Size- 333,524 sq. miles (863,823 sq. kilometers)Population- 51,085,172Liberal, although rural areas are quite conservativeFar more leisurely pace of life compared to the NortheastWide swaths of Desert in Southern California, Eastern Washington, and Eastern OregonTends to be quite rainy in Coastal Washington, Oregon, and Northern CaliforniaVery diverse populationAll three states are hugeLots of weedHuge tech industryBeautiful beachesGreat outdoor opportunities and natural wondersVery urbanizedPeople tend to be quite friendly, albeit it seems pretty superficialWell educated populace, although public school system quality varies, the region is home to excellent universities such as UCLA, UC Berkley, UC Davis, USC, University of Oregon, University of Washington, and moreEntertainment industry is hugeVery entrepreneurial-minded populaceSpanish is widely spokenLots of fantastic Asian and Mexican cuisine. Large Korean, Japanese, Filipino, and Latino/Hispanic populationVery high cost of livingBelow average in terms of religiosityYouthful and growing populationMajor cities in the region include- Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland (OR), and SeattleLos Angeles is the largest city on the West Coast and the 2nd largest in the nation with about 4 million inhabitantsSilicon Valley is testament to the West Coast’s entrepreneurial mindset. Many world-famous companies such as Google, Apple, and Facebook are based out of the Silicon Valley. Seattle is also a tech juggernaut with Amazon Inc., Microsoft, and Boeing getting their starts in SeattleThe West Coast is home to wide swaths of desert throughout California, Oregon, and WashingtonNew England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont)Size- 62,688 sq. miles (162,361 sq. kilometers)Population- 14,810,001Solidly liberal, the Democratic Party is competitive and successful in rural New EnglandSouthern New England (Mass, Conn, RI) are fast paced states with some aggressive driversHigh population density (Southern New England has a population density comparable to Belgium)Although Southern New England is very densely populated and urbanized, Northern New England is still very rural with most people living in small towns or rural areasSmall size. All of the New England states are some of the smallest in the nation with the exception of Maine which is over 50% of New England’s land area. New England is officially the smallest region in the United States by a very long shotLots of weed ((Seriously, all six New England states beat California in terms of the proportion of people using weed with all six New England states among the top ten “stoner” states))Traditionally Roman Catholic, however rates of church attendance, prayer, and belief in God are the lowest in the US (majority are irreligious) here in New England, especially in Northern New England. Religious landscape is similar to CanadaHeavily forested and mountainous. New England states are among the most forested in the United StatesVery homogenous population with the exception of large cities in Southern New EnglandSome of the best seafood on the planet, and obviously a seafood-orientated cuisineCold and dreary WintersPopulace tends to be quiet and rather introverted. It may be difficult to make friends if moving hereWorld renowned for its AutumnsVery affluent region with the lowest poverty levels in the nation along with a high cost of living. Taxes are also some of the highest in the nation hereLarge Francophone minority in Northern New EnglandVery outdoorsy minded people. Hunting, skiing, boating, hiking, and 4x4ing are popular activitiesWell known for its maple syrupSome people say that New Englanders have funny accents and vocabulary. Not everybody has a “Boston” accent, but the New England accent is still quite prevalent, especially among natives and older peopleVery intellectual and well-educated populace with New England being one of the intellectual meccas of the planet with Boston and the Greater New England region being home to some of the best universities on the planet. To no surprise, New England is the best educated region in the United States with excellent public school systems and the highest proportion of adults attaining higher degrees. We all know the famous New England universities such as Harvard, Brown, Yale, Dartmouth, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Colby, UMass Amherst, Tufts etc..New Englanders are rabid sports fans. College sports aren’t very popular with the exception of hockey and basketball, but almost everyone in New England follows the New England Patriots, Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox, and Boston Celtics with upmost loyalty.Very little agriculture with New England being one of the prime industrial areas of the world in its heyday. Nowadays services and high-tech manufacturing are the prime cornerstones of our economyVery historical and old by American standardsAging population and a very low birthrate. Population decline on the forecast, especially in the Northern half where the median age is about 44 years, the oldest in the United StatesMajor cities in the region include- Boston, Worcester, Providence, Stamford, Hartford, Manchester, Portland (ME), and Burlington (VT)Boston, Massachusetts, New England’s largest city with about 685,000 inhabitants, a city that punches way above its weight in the fields of education, healthcare, technology, and cultural influenceMt. Washington in New Hampshire, New England’s highest peak at 6,288 ft. (1,917M)New England is quite well known for its maritime culture and numerous seaside cities such as Portsmouth, New HampshireMid-Atlantic (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, D.C.)Size- 123,790 sq. miles (320,615 sq. kilometers)Population- 49,395,836Fast paced and aggressive lifestyleDensely populatedVery diverse population. The Mid-Atlantic is/was often the gateway for immigrants entering into the United StatesHeavily urbanizedCold Winters, hot SummersRelatively affluent with high cost of living andGreat seafood and pizzaInhabitants tend to be brash and rather blunt. It may come off as rude to someArguably the most important region of the United States. It is home to our government and New York City is our prime financial and cultural centerRelatively mountainous away from the coastNot really entrepreneurial minded compared to the West Coast. Much more hierarchical work environment and cultureWell educated populace, public school systems are quite good and the region is also home to excellent universities such as Colombia, Princeton, John Hopkins, NYU, SUNY Buffalo/Stony Brook, UPenn, and moreMostly Roman Catholic, however below average in terms of religiosityMostly liberal although rural areas can be quite conservativeEntertainment industry is also quite large in the Mid-Atlantic with numerous actors and musicians having their start in New York CityUpstate New York is severely underrated for its natural beauty and outdoor excursionsSimilar to New England, the Mid-Atlantic is also quite historical by American standardsStagnant population growthMajor cities include- New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Newark, Buffalo, Albany, and WilmingtonNew York City, the largest city in the United States and one of the most important cultural and economic centers on the planetAlong with the Mid-Atlantic’s huge power regarding economics and culture, they are also home to our nation’s capital where one of the world’s most powerful nations makes its decisionsAlthough this region is known for its bustling cities, it has a well-kept secret, Upstate New York, one of the most underrated places in the United StatesThe South (Virginia, Carolinas, West Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma)Size- 835,387 sq. miles (2,163,642 sq. kilometers)Population- 112,336,036Mild Winters with little to no snowfall. Summers are very hot and humidHistorically very agricultural and still is to this dayFriendly and warm populace. Southerners are some of the most hospitable and welcoming people in the USThe South is pretty known for having a slow and leisurely pace of lifeDiverse population. The American South is home to large numbers of Blacks, Latinos/Hispanics, Asians, Florida and Texas have large Spanish speaking populations, and a large Francophone minority in Louisiana. Despite its dark history regarding race, it is arguable that the American South has the best racial integration in the United States in the presentThe South is very conservative politically. All of the South is pretty solidly Republican with the exceptions of Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina being GOP leaning swing statesThe South is considered to be very religious with the “Bible Belt” located in the South. Although Louisiana has a fair number of Roman Catholics due to its French origins, most of the South identifies with Evangelical Protestantism. The South leads the nation and the developed world in rates of religiosity, making the American South rather unique as a developed region with such high religiositySouthern cuisine is flat out delicious. Louisiana has a very unique Acadian/Creole infused cuisine and of course the South is quite well known for having some of the best BBQ and fried chicken on the planetThe South, similar to New England, is actually pretty outdoorsy with wide outdoor opportunities. The prospects for hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, and 4x4ing are quite ampleThe South isn’t very affluent with high levels of poverty, however the cost of living is among the lowest in the United States. 80K a year stretches you much farther here than 80k a year in MassachusettsCollege football almost rivals Christianity as a religion in the South with some of the best NCAA DI teams in the nation hailing from the SEC conferenceLike New England, the South is also known for its accents, but due to the increased diversity of the South, the Southern accent isn’t as prevalent as beforeThe South has pretty subpar public school systems, but I will say that the South is also home to some very reputable and excellent universities such as Tulane, Vanderbilt, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, and Georgia TechThe South will likely become more and more influential and prevalent in the United States. The population is growing rapidly, many companies are moving to Southern cities such as Dallas and Atlanta, and Florida recently overtook New York as the third most populous state in the nation. The South is rising again, but in a good wayThe South is also diverse geographically with deserts in Texas, the prairie of Oklahoma, the mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina, and the swamps of Louisiana and FloridaMajor cities include- Houston, Dallas, Austin, Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, and BirminghamHouston, Texas. The largest city in the South with over 2 million inhabitants and is a major player in the fields of logistics, aeronautics, and energyClassic Southern meal of chicken, collard greens, mac n’ cheese, and a biscuitThe Bayous of Louisiana where the Acadians settled and created Cajun cultureThe Midwest (Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri)Size- 734,874 sq. miles (1,903,315 sq. kilometers)Population- 68,179,351Agricultural, especially in the Dakotas, Kansas, and Nebraska while manufacturing is the traditional economic driver of the Great Lakes States (Illinois, Michigan etc..)All of the main American automakers with the exception of Tesla is based out of Detroit, Michigan. Ford, GM, and Chrysler all call Detroit home.Although Illinois and Minnesota are blue states, the rest of the region is kind of all over the place. Michigan and Wisconsin are swing states, Ohio and Iowa are GOP-leaning swing states, Nebraska, Indiana, and Missouri are red states, while the Dakotas and Kansas are among the “reddest of the red.” This is one of the most competitive regions in the nation politicallyThe region ranges from prairies out in the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Kansas to the rolling farmland of Illinois to the sparsely populated forests and lakes of Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, and MichiganMost of the region is kind of in an economic slump as the nation moves away from manufacturing, however North Dakota is among the fastest growing states in the nation with a booming oil industry and a healthy and growing economyThe region is also quite diverse with large amounts of Blacks, Asians, Hispanics/Latinos, and Native Americans. Minnesota and North Dakota are also home to large Somali populationsThis region received large amounts of immigration from Germany and Scandinavia/Nordic nations. The cuisine is hearty and simple along with plenty of beer. Wisconsin in particular is known for its brewersThe region is pretty average in terms of religiosity with the Lutheran Church being more prevalent here than anywhere else, mainly due to the large amount of immigration from Germany and Scandinavia/Nordic nationsWinters are cold and snowy with very hot SummersMost of the region has a pretty neutral American accent (the one you hear in TV and movies) although many in Minnesota and North Dakota have accents that sound pretty CanadianPeople here tend to be quite “wholesome” for a lack of a better term and quite friendlyThe cost of living is quite low and your salary can stretch quite far hereThis region also has many outdoor pursuits with hunting, boating, and fishing being big hereThe school systems here are varying in quality and this region is home to some excellent universities such as the University of Chicago, Notre Dame University, University of Michigan, and MarquetteCollege football is also quite big here with well known teams from the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and more. This region is also huge in college basketball with Notre Dame, Indiana University, University of Kansas, etc.. having successful basketball teamsOverall, there is population decline, especially in Illinois and Michigan, while North and South Dakota are growing quite rapidlyMajor cities in this region include- Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, Fargo, Des Moines, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Wichita, Indianapolis, and moreChicago, Illinois. The region’s largest city with 2.7 million inhabitants, and the third largest in the US. Chicago is an important economic and cultural center and is a world cityThe Ford F-150, manufactured in Michigan, has been the best selling vehicle in the United States and Canada for over 20 years and runningThe Great Lakes are one of the key features of the Midwest and the Great Lakes led to the Midwest becoming an industrial powerhouse. The Great Lakes contain 21% of the world’s freshwater volumeMountain West (Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico)Size- 863,942 sq. miles (2,237,600 sq. kilometers)Population- 24,158,117These states are very sparsely populated and huge in size. To give perspective, they are larger than many nations, and some are over 2.5x the size of the entire New England regionThe region is heavily urbanized and the economy revolves around services and resource extraction along with the federal government owning a vast amount of land in this regionThis region ranges from arid deserts to alpine mountains and forests. Many of the most beautiful natural wonders in the United States are located in this regionThis region is quite diverse with a large amounts of Hispanics/Latinos and Native Americans. Spanish is widely spoken in some Mountain West states such as Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, and New MexicoThe region is pretty below average in terms of religiosity with the exception of Utah which is the only state where Mormons constitute a majority of the population. Mormons also exist in sizable numbers in Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and ArizonaPeople in this region tend to speak in a neutral American accent (the one you hear in tv and movies)Outdoor opportunities in this region are ample with hiking, skiing, and 4x4ing being hugeYes, cowboys still do exist, especially in Montana and Wyoming. Instead of horses, most drive large pick-up trucks and SUVs nowadaysSummers tend to be hot and dry while Winters are cold and snowy in more mountainous areasSince there is so little rainfall in this part of the nation, agriculture is only sustainable via irrigationMany of the roads out here are flat and straight for miles and you can go for many miles without seeing any roadside services. The American West really give you a perspective on how huge the United States isThe region is politically diverse as well. New Mexico is a blue state while Colorado and Nevada are blue leaning swing states. Arizona and Montana are GOP leaning states while Utah and Idaho are very red statesThis region is growing rapidly in population, especially in Utah, Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona. The population is quite young and youthful as wellMajor cities include- Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Tuscon, Boise, Billings, Albuquerque, Colorado Springs, and CheyennePhoenix, Arizona, the largest city in the Mountain West region with over 1.5 million inhabitants in the middle of a desert wastelandSalt Lake City is home to the world headquarters of the LDS or Mormon Church. The Mountain West is the only region in the United States with a considerable amount of Mormons among its populationAnasazi cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. These Native American ruins have been around for hundreds of years. This area has been inhabited by humans since 7500 BCEAlaska and HawaiiSize- 674,199 sq. miles (1,746,167 sq. kilometers)Population- 2,167,333The only two US states which are separated from the continental United StatesHawaii isn’t even in North America. It’s located in Oceania and is the Northernmost island group in PolynesiaAlaska is the Northernmost state in the US with part of its territory above the Arctic CircleAlaska is the most sparsely populated and remote state in the USAlaska and Hawaii are very diverse states. Alaska is home to a sizable native population and Hawaii is a blend of everything from Native Hawaiians, Asians, Blacks, Whites, and more. Native languages are spoken by sizable minorities throughout these two statesBoth of these states are below average in terms of religiosityHawaii is a solidly blue state while Alaska is a solidly red stateLike New England and the West Coast, weed is quite prevalent in Alaska with a high proportion of recreational usersMuch of Alaska isn’t really hospitable for humans with wide stretches of Arctic tundra and most of the state having a cold climate for most of the year with brief stretches of warm Summer. Hawaii is a tropical paradise with warm temperatures year roundAs said earlier Alaska is covered in everything from mountains, forests, tundra, and much more. Hawaii is covered in active volcanoes, beautiful beaches, and tropical rainforestsThe cost of living is also quite high in both of these states due to logisticsMajor cities include- Honolulu, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and HiloHonolulu, the largest city with over 390,000 inhabitantsDenali, the highest peak in the US and North America at 20,310 ft. (6,190M). This peak makes Mt. Washington look like a small hillNative HawaiiansOf course we can’t also forget about the numerous American territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, US Virgin Islands etc.. These territories are also unique and different in their own ways, but that’s for another question.Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels

HistoryPrayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times.[1] The Thanksgiving holiday's history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date on which the modern Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.[1][2]In the English tradition, days of thanksgiving and special thanksgiving religious services became important during the English Reformation in the reign of Henry VIII and in reaction to the large number of religious holidays on the Catholic calendar. Before 1536 there were 95 Church holidays, plus 52 Sundays, when people were required to attend church and forego work and sometimes pay for expensive celebrations. The 1536 reforms reduced the number of Church holidays to 27, but some Puritans wished to eliminate all Church holidays, including Christmas and Easter. The holidays were to be replaced by specially called Days of Fasting or Days of Thanksgiving, in response to events that the Puritans viewed as acts of special providence. Unexpected disasters or threats of judgement from on high called for Days of Fasting. Special blessings, viewed as coming from God, called for Days of Thanksgiving. For example, Days of Fasting were called on account of drought in 1611, floods in 1613, and plagues in 1604 and 1622. Days of thanksgiving were called following the victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 and following the deliverance of Queen Anne in 1705.[3] An unusual annual Day of Thanksgiving began in 1606 following the failure of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and developed into Guy Fawkes Day on November 5.[3]In CanadaMain article: Thanksgiving (Canada)According to some historians, the first celebration of Thanksgiving in North America occurred during the 1578 voyage of Martin Frobisher from England in search of the Northwest Passage.[4] Other researchers, however, state that "there is no compelling narrative of the origins of the Canadian Thanksgiving day."[5]The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are also sometimes traced to the French settlers who came to New France in the 17th century, who celebrated their successful harvests. The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season. They continued throughout the winter season, even sharing food with the indigenous peoples of the area.[6]As settlers arrived in Nova Scotia from New England after 1700, late autumn Thanksgiving celebrations became commonplace. New immigrants into the country—such as the Irish, Scottish, and Germans—also added their own traditions to the harvest celebrations. Most of the U.S. aspects of Thanksgiving (such as the turkey) were incorporated when United Empire Loyalists began to flee from the United States during the American Revolution and settled in Canada.[6]In the United StatesMain article: Thanksgiving (United States)Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth, 1914, Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, MassachusettsJennie Augusta Brownscombe, Thanksgiving at Plymouth, 1925, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.Pilgrims and Puritans who emigrated from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. The modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is traced to a well-recorded 1619 event in Virginia and a sparsely documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1619 arrival of 38 English settlers at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia, concluded with a religious celebration as dictated by the group's charter from the London Company, which required "that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned ... in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God." The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. The Pilgrims celebrated this with Native Americans, who had helped them get through the previous winter by giving them food in that time of scarcity.[7][8][9]Several days of Thanksgiving were held in early New England history that have been identified as the "First Thanksgiving", including Pilgrim holidays in Plymouth in 1621 and 1623, and a Puritan holiday in Boston in 1631.[10][11] According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Pilgrims may have been influenced by watching the annual services of Thanksgiving for the relief of the siege of Leiden in 1574, while they were staying in Leiden.[12] Now called Oktober Feest, Leiden's autumn thanksgiving celebration in 1617 was the occasion for sectarian disturbance that appears to have accelerated the pilgrims' plans to emigrate to America.[13]Later in Massachusetts, religious thanksgiving services were declared by civil leaders such as Governor Bradford, who planned the colony's thanksgiving celebration and feast in 1623.[14][15][16] In the late 1630s, the Pequot were blamed for the killing of a white man, leading to the colonizers burning down Pequot villages and killing those who did not perish in the fires.[17] Hundreds of Pequots were killed, leading Governor Bradford to proclaim that Thanksgiving from then on would be celebrating "the bloody victory, thanking God that the battle had been won."[17][18] The practice of holding an annual harvest festival did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.[19]Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the revolutionary period, political influences affected the issuance of Thanksgiving proclamations. Various proclamations were made by royal governors, and conversely by patriot leaders, such as John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress,[20] each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes.[21] As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God".[22]Debate about the nation's first celebrationsShrine of the first U.S. Thanksgiving in 1619 at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, VirginiaThe question of where the first Thanksgiving was held in the United States has been a subject of dispute, primarily between New England and Virginia. The question is complicated by the concept of Thanksgiving as either a holiday celebration or a religious service. James Baker maintains, "The American holiday's true origin was the New England Calvinist Thanksgiving. Never coupled with a Sabbath meeting, the Puritan observances were special days set aside during the week for thanksgiving and praise in response to God's providence."[10] Baker calls the debate a "tempest in a beanpot" and "marvelous nonsense" based on regional claims.[10] However, the day for Thanksgiving services specifically codified in the founding charter of Berkeley Hundred in 1619 was instrumental in President John F. Kennedy's attempt to strike a compromise between the regional claims, by issuing Proclamation 3560 on November 5, 1963, stating, "Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and in Massachusetts, far from home in a lonely wilderness, set aside a time of thanksgiving. On the appointed day, they gave reverent thanks for their safety, for the health of their children, for the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together, and for the faith which united them with their God."[23]Other claims include an earlier religious service by Spanish explorers in Texas at San Elizario in 1598.[24] Historians Robyn Gioia and Michael Gannon of the University of Florida argue that the earliest Thanksgiving service in what is now the United States was celebrated by the Spanish community on September 8, 1565, in current Saint Augustine, Florida.[25][26]Fixing dateCanadaThe earlier Thanksgiving celebrations in Canada has been attributed to the earlier onset of winter in the North, thus ending the harvest season earlier.[27] Thanksgiving in Canada did not have a fixed date until the late 19th century. Prior to Canadian Confederation, many of the individual colonial governors of the Canadian provinces had declared their own days of Thanksgiving. The first official Canadian Thanksgiving occurred on April 15, 1872, when the nation was celebrating the Prince of Wales' recovery from a serious illness.[27] By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day was normally celebrated on November 6. In the late 1800s, the Militia staged "sham battles" for public entertainment on Thanksgiving Day. The Militia agitated for an earlier date for the holiday, so they could use the warmer weather to draw bigger crowds.[28] However, when World War I ended, the Armistice Day holiday was usually held during the same week. To prevent the two holidays from clashing with one another, in 1957 the Canadian Parliament proclaimed Thanksgiving to be observed on its present date on the second Monday of October.[6]United StatesThanksgiving in the United States has been observed on differing dates. From the time of the Founding Fathers until the time of Lincoln, the date of observance varied from state to state. The final Thursday in November had become the customary date in most U.S. states by the beginning of the 19th century, coinciding with, and eventually superseding the holiday of Evacuation Day (commemorating the day the British exited the United States after the Revolutionary War).[29] Modern Thanksgiving was proclaimed for all states in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. Influenced by Sarah Josepha Hale, who wrote letters to politicians for approximately 40 years advocating an official holiday, Lincoln set national Thanksgiving by proclamation for the final Thursday in November, explicitly in celebration of the bounties that had continued to fall on the Union and for the military successes in the war, and also explicitly in "humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience."[30] Because of the ongoing Civil War, a nationwide Thanksgiving celebration was not realized until Reconstruction was completed in the 1870s.On October 31, 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a presidential proclamation changing the holiday to the next to last Thursday in November, for business reasons.[31] On December 26, 1941, he signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day to the fourth Thursday in November.[32]Since 1971, when the American Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect, the American observance of Columbus Day has coincided with the Canadian observance of Thanksgiving.[33][34]ObservanceAustraliaIn the Australian external territory of Norfolk Island, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the last Wednesday of November, similar to the pre–World War II American observance on the last Thursday of the month. This means the Norfolk Island observance is the day before or six days after the United States' observance. The holiday was brought to the island by visiting American whaling ships.[35]BrazilIn Brazil, National Thanksgiving Day was instituted by President Gaspar Dutra, through Law 781 of August 17, 1949, at the suggestion of Ambassador Joaquim Nabuco, who was enthusiastic about the commemorations he saw in 1909 in St. Patrick's Cathedral as an ambassador in Washington. In 1966, Law 5110 established that the Thanksgiving celebration would take place on the fourth Thursday of November.[36] This date is celebrated by many families of American origin, by some Protestant Christian denominations, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil (which is of American origin), the Presbyterian Church, the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, and the Church of the Nazarene, and Methodist denominational universities. The day is also celebrated by evangelical churches such as the Foursquare Gospel Church in Brazil.CanadaMain article: Thanksgiving (Canada)Pumpkin pie is commonly served on and around Thanksgiving in North America.Thanksgiving (French: l'Action de grâce), occurring on the second Monday in October, is an annual Canadian holiday to give thanks at the close of the harvest season. Although the original act of Parliament references God and the holiday is celebrated in churches, the holiday is mostly celebrated in a secular manner. Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday in all provinces in Canada, except for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. While businesses may remain open in these provinces, the holiday is nonetheless recognized and celebrated regardless of its status.[37][38][39][40][41]GrenadaIn the West Indian island of Grenada, in the Caribbean, there is a national holiday known as Thanksgiving Day which is celebrated on October 25. Even though it bears the same name, and is celebrated at roughly the same time as the American and Canadian versions of Thanksgiving, this holiday is unrelated to either of those celebrations. Instead, the holiday marks the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of the island in 1983, in response to the deposition and execution of the socialist Grenadian Prime Minister Maurice Bishop[42] by a military government from within his own party.LiberiaIn the West African country of Liberia, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the first Thursday of November.[43] The Thanksgiving tradition there is rooted in the nation's founding as a colony of the American Colonization Society in 1821 by free people of color from the United States. Although recognized throughout the country, Thanksgiving is practiced chiefly by Americo-Liberians, descendants of Liberia's original African-American settlers.[citation needed]NetherlandsPieterskerkMany of the Pilgrims who migrated to the Plymouth Plantation resided in the city of Leiden from 1609–1620 and had recorded their births, marriages, and deaths at the Pieterskerk (St. Peter's church). In commemoration, a non-denominational Thanksgiving Day service is held each year on the morning of the American Thanksgiving Day in the Pieterskerk, a Gothic church in Leiden, noting the hospitality the Pilgrims received in Leiden on their way to the New World.[44]Thanksgiving is observed by orthodox Protestant churches in the Netherlands on the first Wednesday in November (Dankdag [nl]). It is not a public holiday. Those who observe the day either go to church in the evening or take the day off and go to church in the morning (and occasionally afternoon) too.PhilippinesThe Philippines, while it was an American colony in the first half of the 20th century, celebrated Thanksgiving as a special public holiday on the same day as the Americans. During the Japanese occupation during World War II, both the Americans and Filipinos celebrated Thanksgiving in secret. After Japanese withdrawal in 1945, the tradition continued until 1969. It was revived by President Ferdinand Marcos, but the date was changed to be on every September 21, when martial law was imposed in the country. After Marcos' ouster in 1986, the tradition was no longer continued, due to the controversial events that occurred during his long administration.[45]As of 2020, Thanksgiving has been revived as a commercial and cultural holiday, albeit stripped of its official status. SM Supermalls led the way in the slow revival of Thanksgiving Day on the same day as in the U.S., as in the old days. Many malls and hotels offer special sales on this day, which is part of the long celebration of Christmas in the Philippines, which begins in September (unlike on Black Friday in the United States).Saint LuciaThe nation of Saint Lucia celebrates Thanksgiving on the first Monday in October.[46]United StatesFamily saying grace before Thanksgiving dinner in Neffsville, Pennsylvania, 1942Main article: Thanksgiving (United States)Thanksgiving, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November since 1941 due to federal legislation, has been an annual tradition in the United States by presidential proclamation since 1863 and by state legislation since the Founding Fathers of the United States. Traditionally, Thanksgiving has been a celebration of the blessings of the year, including the harvest.[47] On Thanksgiving Day, it is common for Americans to share a family meal, attend church services, and view special sporting events.[48] In addition, Thanksgiving is celebrated in public places with parades such as Macy's Thanksgiving Parade[49] in New York City, ABC Dunkin' Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade[50] in Philadelphia, America's Hometown Thanksgiving Parade in Plymouth, Massachusetts, McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago, and Bayou Classic Thanksgiving Parade[51] in New Orleans. What Americans call the "Holiday Season" generally begins with Thanksgiving.[52] The first day after Thanksgiving Day—Black Friday—marks the start of the Christmas shopping season.[53]Similarly named holidaysSee also: List of harvest festivalsGermanyA food decoration for Erntedankfest, a Christian Thanksgiving harvest festival celebrated in GermanyThe Harvest Thanksgiving Festival, Erntedankfest, is a popular German Christian festival on the first Sunday of October. The festival has a significant religious component, and many churches are decorated with autumn crops. In some places, there are religious processions or parades. Many Bavarian beer festivals, like the Munich Oktoberfest, take place within the vicinity of Erntedankfest.[original research?]JapanMain article: Labor Thanksgiving DayLabor Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日, Kinrō Kansha no Hi) is a national holiday in Japan. It takes place annually on November 23. The law establishing the holiday, which was adopted during the American occupation after World War II, cites it as an occasion for commemorating labor and production and giving each other thanks. It has roots in the ancient Shinto harvest ceremony (Niiname-sai (新嘗祭)).United KingdomHarvest Festival flowers at a church in Shrewsbury, EnglandThe Harvest Festival of Thanksgiving does not have an official date in the United Kingdom; however, it is traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the harvest moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. Harvest Thanksgiving in Britain also has pre-Christian roots when the Saxons would offer the first sheaf of barley, oats, or wheat to fertility gods. When the harvest was finally collected, communities would come together for a harvest supper.[54] When Christianity arrived in Britain many traditions remained, and today the Harvest Festival is marked by churches and schools in late September/early October (same as Canada) with singing, praying and decorating with baskets of food and fruit to celebrate a successful harvest and to give thanks.[55] Collections of food are usually held which are then given to local charities which help the homeless and those in need.See alsoHolidays portalCyber MondayList of harvest festivalsList of films set around ThanksgivingThanksgiving Parade