'Wired for connection': Regina church hosts Thanksgiving for newcomers

Regina's Celebration Church hosted a thanksgiving celebration for newcomers on Monday. (Hallee Mandryk/CTV News)

Long-time residents of Regina and those who are new to the city and the country gathered together for a Thanksgiving celebration.

Celebration Church teamed up with the Friends of Newcomers group in Regina to put the event together.

Pastor Nico Deschner explained that the idea was quite meaningful for him.

"I personally actually am from Germany, so “I know what it feels like to be an immigrant, come into the country and have nothing,” he explained.

“All of our family [is] still back in Germany. So, I remember when we first came, we had people who invited us to actually experience our first Canadian Thanksgiving, and it really impacted us as a family."

Having now been in Canada for over 20 years, Deschner decided to pay it forward, and include his congregation in the process.

Many hands went into making the Thanksgiving dinner, and people were able to get to know one another while enjoying some food and live music.

"I think it's so important for newcomers to have a place to go on Thanksgiving. Even if maybe they don't celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving,” Deschner said.

“I think, we are all wired for connection and so I think people often can be get lonely."

Deschner is hopeful that there will be plenty more events like this year’s Thanksgiving celebration in the future – so he can keep using his platform to create a sense of community for those who may be far from loved ones, especially around the holidays.

"I think it's really important that as we receive, good things that we pay forward to others and that we give away to others,” he added.

“That's something which we have experience both as a church and me personally, that as I have received love from others and from God, I want to be able to give that to others."