Church Youth Groups and Other Faith-based Organizations Using Game for Fundraising Efforts

Contact: Tim Lester, 502-682-2788, timothyloren@gmail.com; www.thethanksgivinggame.com  

LEXINGTON, KY, Oct. 14 /Christian Newswire/ -- "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thess. 5:18). When God inspired Paul to pen these words in his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul surely had no idea what today's world would look like. The only stock market he knew about was the sheep, cattle, and other livestock he encountered on his missionary journeys. And even though he had his own well-documented struggles, he continued to encourage his fellow believers to look to God and thank Him in every situation, good, bad, or otherwise. Had it been around at that time, he'd have probably played The Thanksgiving Game(tm) with his friends to learn more about what they were thankful to God and to each other for.

Launched nationwide for Thanksgiving 2008, The Thanksgiving Game(tm) has been a cherished holiday tradition for many years for the Louie Stotz family of Lexington, Kentucky. Available in many retail outlets including Amazon.com, the game's corporate leadership decided for 2009 to take it directly to God's people, allowing them to use it to raise funds for mission projects in local churches to spread the Good News of Christ. According to Stotz, "We love that our game is in stores and available to anyone around the world through Amazon.com, but I'm even more excited that church youth groups and other church organizations are able to raise money to do the Lord's work using our game. It is a meaningful fund-raiser that lasts a lifetime for families." ABC Family/CBN's 700 Club aired a 6-minute feature story about the game's beginnings and mission on Thanksgiving Day 2008.

While Stotz originally created the game to be played on Turkey Day, as most Americans celebrate each fall, thanksgiving and its benefits should not be enjoyed only during the Thanksgiving holiday anymore, as Paul shared in the New Testament. According to Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, an acclaimed, prize-winning research psychologist and author of The How of Happiness (©2007, Penguin Books), practicing gratitude regularly as an activity is a key element of well-being. With healthcare being on everyone's mind these days, something seemingly so simple as playing a game can have such therapeutic effects.

Giving thanks to God, to family members and friends for something you have or don't have -- even when, perhaps especially when things are not going as well as one would hope -- makes you feel better, because God made us that way. To get your church or other faith-based organization involved in this fundraiser that makes a difference visit www.thethanksgivinggame.com. Try playing The Thanksgiving Game(tm) (order it on Amazon.com) at your holiday gathering this season -- see if it doesn't make everyone feel better. You might even find a new thing to be thankful for!