By Alana Stephenson Phillips

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 21, 2016) --  At this time of year 395 years ago, a group of natives and refugees joined together to celebrate what is known as the first Thanksgiving. This past weekend, in the Norwood community in Knoxville, Tenn., a similar gathering occurred.

Saturday, Nov. 19 was the first annual Community Thanksgiving at Northwest Middle School, organized by Knoxville Internationals Network (KIN) and members of the Norwood community. Norwood United Methodist Church was blessed to be a part of the Thanksgiving celebration that included about 400 members of the community from a variety of cultural backgrounds.

The Norwood community is 20 percent international, and two local schools are community schools with many outreach programs offered to the community. The faith community in the Norwood is working together to show love and appreciation for their neighbors of all backgrounds. Members of Norwood UMC participated in the community Thanksgiving and are working with KIN to find ways to be a blessing to the local community.

To learn more about ways that you or your church can be involved with Knoxville Internationals Network, visit their website http://www.kin-connect.org.