On Sunday, October 18, my wife and I had the privilege of attending the 129th homecoming celebration of Grace Advent Christian Church in Walterboro, S.C. The sanctuary was packed and the service was a vibrant time of celebration. The church is blessed with a great deal of musical talent, and it was on full display. The worship team began the service leading us in some praise songs. Later the choir performed two specials celebrating our hope of the second coming of Christ. A septet of young ladies from the church presented an excellent worship song and Coach (Gene) and Sandy Peters did a special song before Coach preached a message entitled “Homecoming,” encouraging us to always be looking for Jesus in our life.
This was also a celebration of the faithful and enduring ministry of the church’s pastor, Rev. Wayne Lucas. I had the unique privilege of recognizing Rev. Lucas for more than 50 years of pastoral service, the last 33 of which have been at Grace. Southern Advent Christian Association regional superintendent, Rev. Joe Pritchett, also presented an award recognizing Rev. Lucas’ many decades of faithful service to the region. Our time of worship and celebration fittingly closed with the Lord’s table. Afterwards everyone adjourned to the church’s social hall for a feast. It was a great day, and I’m thankful to Rev. Lucas, his wife Ruth and the church for making us feel so welcome. It was a wonderfully encouraging day.
