NATCHEZ — When the Rev. Darian Duckworth took the microphone on Tuesday night, her message was clear.

“God is in our midst,” she said. “We should always be thankful to be in His presence and for his healing power.”

During her sermon at the Community Thanksgiving Service, Duckworth charged the mixed congregation at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church to “realize what it is to be grateful and what it is to be thankful.”

Duckworth, pastor at Grace United Methodist Church, said during the season of thanksgiving it is important to remember Jesus’ commandment to “go out into the world.”

“When we are asking to be healed, it is so easy to sit back and do nothing,” she said. “It is only when you obey, that we are healed.”

She said it is just as important for the community to work together.

“We have to be willing to work together to bring about unity in the body of Christ,” Duckworth said. “That begins when we start to go out and work together as one and with unity.

“That is when we will see miracles take place.”

In the truest sense of thanksgiving, a community offering was taken to benefit Kyle’s House, a day care center for special needs children that is part of Fertile Ground Inc.

More than $1,000 was given to benefit the center.

Matilda Stephens, executive director of Fertile Ground, said the goal of Kyle’s House is to provide a nurturing environment for children with special needs.

“Children who require special care are so often in the minority, we wanted to them to be in the majority for once,” she said.

The center also offers various support services to parents and other family members of special needs children.

John Scott, pastor of Christian Hope Baptist Church in Natchez, attended the service because of the importance of being “one in Christ.”

“We believe in being one in the body of Christ,” he said. “Scripture says there is only one God and that we need to be together as one.”

Vera Woods, a member of Christian Hope Baptist Church, said attending a community service gives her a positive attitude about the future.

“We are Christians with hope,” she said.

The annual service is organized by the Adams County Ministerial Alliance and is one way the group is bringing unity to the churches in Adams County.

Rev. Stan Searcy, pastor at New Hope, said the service was a realization of the alliance’s vision of unity.

“We wanted to bring the community together in thanksgiving in a festive atmosphere, and that way, bring unity to the congregations,” Searcy said. “And I believe we did just that.”