NATCHEZ — Grace United Methodist Church will have an extra service for its four-legged congregation Sunday.

A special blessing of the animals will take place at 3 p.m. on the church grounds.

The event is sponsored by the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society.

“We’ve wanted to have something like this for years,” said NACHS Board Member Nan Garrison. “But because of all the other events we have, scheduling it was difficult. This year things came together for us.”

Grace United Methodist pastor the Rev. Darian Duckworth will do the blessing.

“We have several board members that attend church at Grace and helped get this lined up,” Garrison said. “When she was approached about doing it, Darian thought it was a wonderful idea.”

Pets of all shapes and sizes are welcomed at the blessing as long as they are controlled on leash or in a carrier Garrison said. That means birds, ferrets, horses and cows are welcome along with the more traditional cats and dogs.

The event is meant to recognize animals for the important role they play in the lives of their owners, Garrison said.

“Our pets are such an important part of our lives on a daily basis,” she said. “We thought it was a great thing to do something just for them.

“It isn’t a fundraiser for the shelter; it is just an event to benefit our animals and celebrate our pets and other creatures.”

Garrison said the board is hoping to make the blessing of the animals one of their many annual events, but that depends on the success of the first year.

“We are publicizing it in church bulletins across town so that when owners go to church in the morning they can read about it and take their pets to church in the afternoon,” she said.