When I was the minister there from 1963 to 1968 I had the opportunity of working with many wonderful people. One of them was Jack Hayward.

In the November issue of the Newsletter you gave a brief history of the development of the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner. I want to mention one slight angle which has never gotten into the written history of this annual celebration.

One day Jack Hayward and I were having lunch together and we were discussing the Seder Dinner and its meaning in the history of Judaism. I suggested to him that there were parallels between the exodus of the Jews from Egypt where they were slaves and the Pilgrim’s exodus of Jews because of the persecution that was being forced upon them because of their dissenting religious point of view. When I mention this we played with the idea and I suggested to him that he should write a Seder dinner celebration around Thanksgiving because the original church founded in Plymouth Mass. is now a Unitarian Church. I think it became Unitarian in theology around 1795. I suggested that Jack write it because he knew the Seder dinner and it would be easy for him to adapt that dinner to our purposes.

The result of this luncheon led to Jack’s writing the first service which was presented at the First Church there in Chicago.

In February of 1995 Jack wrote the following to me: "I admire the variety of your memories of our conversations. One of the best things that happened between us was your encouragement to me to compose the Thanksgiving Seder. With the help of my family we completed the job that you felicitously stimulated."

I want to be clear: Jack Hayward wrote every word of the original Thanksgiving dinner celebration but it grew out of the relationship between Jack Hayward and me.

Thank you again for your continued work and the contribution which the 1st Church makes in the lives of so many people.

Cheers,

Jack Kent
Gunpowder 1-3
Hornby Island, BC
Canada, VOR 1Z0
(250) 335-1292
email: jackkent@mars.ark.com