VIDALIA — Unity will help the community — that was the message the Rev. Troy Thomas hoped those who attended Tuesday night’s Vidalia Community Thanksgiving service would put into practice.

“You can do more together than you can apart,” Thomas said.

Thomas spoke of appreciation, forgiveness, freedom and truth. Being truthful to yourself and others is a way to live life, he said.

“The truth shall set you free. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes unto the father but through me,’” Thomas said.

Thomas also spoke of the freedom that God wishes for all people, reminding those in attendance not take for granted the freedom that our country has.

Thanksgiving, a time for giving thanks for our family, friends and well being, is also a time to help those less fortunate, Thomas said. To give to someone in need is what being a Christian is about, Thomas said.

The service, sponsored by the Vidalia Ministerial Alliance, was at Cornerstone Church.

Fountain of Praise, Vidalia United Methodist, Young‘s Chapel Baptist Church, Vidalia Ministerial Alliance and New Birth Christian Center also participated in the service.

The Thanksgiving Service in Vidalia is an annual event during the Thanksgiving holidays that was founded in 1960 by local ministers.