At a Thanksgiving service tonight, five Raleigh churches will gather to give thanks for the gift of water. Churchgoers aren't praying for rain -- at least not directly. They want to acknowledge the sacredness of water and human beings' dependence on it. The idea is to raise awareness of people's need to conserve a precious resource.

Their efforts follow others who have called upon a higher power for an end to the drought. In June, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley issued a proclamation declaring the first week of July as "Days of Prayer for Rain." Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia followed suit last week, when he publicly prayed for rainfall in downtown Atlanta.

In Raleigh, the five churches -- Community United Church of Christ, Fairmont United Methodist, Holy Trinity Lutheran, Pullen Memorial Baptist and West Raleigh Presbyterian -- have been holding joint Thanksgiving services for years.

This year, as pastors met to plan the service, the drought arose as an obvious theme. As part of the service, members of the churches will be invited to walk to the altar and scoop out about two tablespoons of water into a small plastic container they can take home. The idea is to place the container in a spot that will remind them of their God-given responsibility not to be wasteful.

Water is a recurring symbol in the biblical story, from the creation account where the spirit of God hovered over the waters, to Jesus' claims that water is the source of eternal life. In between, there's the story of Noah and the flood, the parting of the Red Sea, Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River, the miraculous transformation of water into wine. Churches privilege water by placing the baptismal font either directly at the entrance to the church or near the altar.

Stewards of water

The Thanksgiving service will reinforce the symbolism. The sermon will also emphasize that Thanksgiving is not just a time for counting blessings.

"It's a time for claiming our role as stewards and taking responsibility," said the Rev. Moffett Churn, associate pastor of West Raleigh Presbyterian Church who will give the sermon.

The five churches aren't the first in North Carolina to call attention to the drought.

In mid-October, Roman Catholic Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh called on parishioners to comply with Gov. Mike Easley's water reduction goals. He also asked priests to incorporate a petition in their Sunday Masses, asking God for rain. Two days later, the region got a whopping 4.36 inches over the course of three days -- more than in August and September combined.

Burbidge was so pleased he issued another request for Thanksgiving services this week.

"It's what the Lord taught us to do, to come before him with our needs," said Burbidge. "The Lord tells us seek and you will find."

Burbidge said prayers are not enough. Action is needed, too. In this case, it's conservation. That's where humans cooperate with God's grace, he said.

State Climatologist Ryan Boyles sees it from a scientific perspective.

Instead of getting moisture-rich winds from the South and Southwest, North Carolina winds have been coming from the west and northwest this past summer. Or to explain it more simply, Texas got our rain. Parts of the Lone Star state were washed out by massive flooding.

Boyles, however, said he sees merit in the church's exercise.

"Couldn't hurt," he said.

(The service will take place at 7:30 p.m. at West Raleigh Presbyterian Church, 27 Horne St., Raleigh.)