Now, as we look to the new year, Holy Lamb has unprecedented opportunities to move forward in ministry as we have never had before, or at least as long as I’ve been here (16+ years).

Our Lord has blessed us with resources of all kinds in the form of a strong and dedicated group of longtime members who have and continue to bless us with their tireless efforts; new members with new ideas and abilities; a financial picture that continues to improve beyond anything we could have imagined 10 years ago; and a site and building more than adequate to expand our ministry activities.

On Wednesday, January 5th, we will resume our Wednesday evening Bible studies at 6:30. We will begin with a look at Luther’s 95 Theses. Luther intended these statements as an invitation to debate theology. It turned into a conflict that led to the Reformation, yet few people have any idea what those 95 statements said. Come and learn what all the fuss was about.

As we approach this Thanksgiving holiday, many of us may think we have little for which to be thankful. But Jesus has given us every reason to be thankful: his constant presence with us in this life, and the assurance of our presence with him in the life to come.

Let’s begin to think outside-the-box as we consider how we might renew, restore, or recreate our ministry activities. We have a large property. Perhaps outside-the-box thinking includes outside-the-building thinking. The years that we held our Summer Camp, we had a large tent set up on the left side of the building to expand our space. We have demonstrated an ability and willingness, even a desire for outdoor worship.
We live in a climate that allows for outdoor activities for most of the year.

As the Covid numbers increase due to the Delta variant, we are learning that even those who have been vaccinated are, once again, at risk. While they will likely not suffer significant symptoms, they are still able to pass the infection to others who may not be vaccinated – including children who are not eligible for vaccination. This raises the question, “What is the responsible behavior of a Christian in these circumstances?”

NEWS FROM PASTORS VACATION:  Since my column this month includes pictures with captions which would have taken significant work to format and fit into the regular newsletter, my column is in an attached pdf document. Go ahead and read it and laugh with, and at me. That experience was on Wednesday, July 20th.

New opportunities abound at Holy Lamb:

• Worship is now available at any time! If you are sick, you can still join in worship. How about this for a new habit: Never miss another worship service, regardless of when or where you might worship?

• Bible study is no longer limited to the Fellowship Hall at a specific time.

The coronavirus numbers for Horry County have been excellent! We have been well under 20 new cases per day for more than a month; we did not see an upward spike following Memorial Day; and there has been no overall increase with the rising tourist population. 

We are opening our worship services without any mandatory limits or restrictions.
However, in this time of Covid awareness, every person has his/her own unique comfort level. We ask that each of us recognize this and extend common courtesies to each other, even if we don’t share the same concerns.

It appears that we have one more thing to rejoice and thank God for: the plague of the coronavirus has been significantly diminished!