Natchez &8212; A community-wide Thanksgiving worship service will be held at 7 p.m. today at St. Mary Basilica.

Sponsored by the Natchez Ministerial Alliance, the service will include music, messages, Scripture, prayers and patriotic remembrances.

&8220;It is very important to the community for us to attest to our faith together and to express that, yes, God is alive and is blessing us,&8221; said the Rev. Cliff Marvel, assistant pastor at Macedonia Baptist Church and associate pastor at Rose Hill Baptist Church.

Marvel, president of the ministerial association, said Thanksgiving 2005 has special meaning in the aftermath of hurricanes that sent many evacuees fleeing to Natchez for refuge.

&8220;We must show our appreciation to God, whom we believed in to help us help those caught up in the throes of the storm,&8221; he said.

The Rev. David O&8217;Connor, pastor of St. Mary and of Assumption Catholic Church, will deliver the sermon.

Other area ministers will take part in the program, including the Rev. Bishop S. Searcy, pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, who will give the invocation.

The Rev. Steve Pearson, pastor of Community Chapel Church of God, will say the offertory prayer and the benediction.

The Rev. James Brooke, pastor of St. James Baptist Church, will read the Old Testament lesson, 1 Chronicles 29: 10-13; the Rev. Arthur Brown, pastor of Zion Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church, will read the New Testament lesson, Ephesians 5: 8-11.

The Rev. Jerry Nickerson of Christian Counseling Ministries will read the Gospel lesson, Luke 17: 11-19.

The Holy Family Catholic Church Gospel Choir, under the direction of Alvin Shelby, will sing, as will the St. Mary Adult Choir. Dr. Patrick Doherty will be organist; Beth Boggess will be cantor.

&8220;I want to say to all the community to come worship with us,&8221; Marvel said. &8220;We can re-energize ourselves by coming together as a community of brothers and sisters in Christ, irrespective of color. We who believe in Christ are reaching out to others who do not believe.&8221;