29th May, 2015
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An estimated 250,000 people across 1,600 communities in Australia will take part in the National Day of Thanksgiving on Saturday.
While the day, which was first held in 2004, is about saying thankyou to anyone whose made a difference in people’s lives – whether a parent, pastor or friend – each year has a particular focus with this year’s focus being on fathers, father-figures and mentors as well as people working in the finance industry, particularly those working in the finance departments of non-profit organisations.
Brian Pickering, one of the day’s organisers and national coordinator of the Australian Prayer Network, says that the day is about getting churches of all denominations involved in the community.
"We would like them to use it to get out an involved in the community," he says, noting that while some individual churches are using the day well to reach into their communities, there was still much scope for the church as a whole to do more in terms of using the day as a "tool for evangelism and mission".
"But certainly in some places it’s fantastic – I think of Mackay, for instance, which has a family festival. Supported by the council, they get about 6,000 people to that each year which is in one of the major parks in the city," he says. "So you get that sort of involvement and then you get the involvement of people going out and doing acts of kindness, so that involves the community…"
Mr Pickering believes the day is "one of the greatest tools the church has to get out and get to people you don’t normally get to". "You’ve got a positive message – you’re saying thankyou…and people are open to being thanked. You get quite an astounding reaction actually when you thank someone – they’re not used to being thanked."
He says one trend being seen by organisers is a growth in the number of individuals who are taking part in the day, as opposed to being part of a church organisation – a trend which he attributes partly to the organisers’ increased use of social media. While the day is officially held on Saturday, organisers are also seeing growth in the number of churches which are acknowledging the day on the following Sunday.
The website provides a range of resources for those taking part in the day, including statements from Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten as well as from the day’s two ambassadors, former Olympic gold medallist swimmer Duncan Armstrong and world-renowned photographer Ken Duncan.
– DAVID ADAMS
