Looking back seems to be common this time of year. 
I’m doing it here to look back at stories I wrote in 2018 to follow up on what has happened since then. These were mainly small, new and young churches.
I reached out to the pastors to learn where they are now.
1. Joy Mission Church, Pastor Paulette McHugh. This is a new, start-up Lutheran Church that meets in a funeral home. Attendance is holding steady at 26 and they recently added 4 associate members and one voting member. Their roster is now at 28. And on 12-2-18 they voted to accept the North American Lutheran Church constitution.
Being small doesn’t keep them from serving the community, though. For example, in December, their ministry of the month was to abused, neglected and abandoned children. 
They partnered with Palmetto Place Children’s Shelter by collecting clothes, essentials and toiletries to give a “White Christmas” for around 40 children at the shelter. They are now planning on volunteering at the shelter in January.
In addition to that, they held a coat drive for boys at White Knoll Elementary School and visited residents of Lexington Place assisted Living.
2. Lakeside Church, Pastor Chris Martinez. The church has grown since my story. They have moved to a larger facility. They are now meeting at the Whiteford campus of The Harvest Church. The new location gives them much more space for children’s activities. Chris told me that they love working with Pastor Ken Jumper and administrator Brooks Cannon of The Harvest. They are “Kingdom” minded men who have opened the door for Lakeside to continue their growth.
Since moving to the new location, they are now able to provide a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere for newcomers. They have space for monthly hangouts after the service and for small groups to meet.
Missions are still a high priority. They continue to support a missionary to Japan, filled 45 backpacks for the homeless, supported an after-school tutoring ministry for at risk children and filled 33 food baskets of food for families at Thanksgiving.
3. Covenant Baptist Church. I did stories about their India ministry and Kenya ministry. Now I have learned from my friend, Elder Alton Crapps, that the church has grown from the original charter members to many family members now. And the growth continues as more people are drawn to their commitment to preach only from the Holy Bible.
They didn’t make numbers their goal or vision. They focused on preaching and teaching the truth. God has sent many new people who have sought the truth.
They have expanded their foreign missions by supporting work in Guatemala, China, Papua New Guinea and Kentucky.
4. The Pink Tea at Midlands Christian Church. This is a Breast Cancer awareness event in October. They had prepared for 50 women and, according to Judy Knight, that is exactly what they got. They considered it a success.
As the participants checked in, they were given pink folders filled with information and booklets about cancer. Since the purpose was education, they got plenty of good advice from professionals like Kelly Jeffcoat, nurse navigator from Lexington Medical Center, Jacqueline Gibson-Talley from the Best Chances program, Amy McClellan of Forms Boutique and Suzanne Porth from the American Cancer Society.
I really enjoyed writing these stories and hope you have enjoyed the follow up.
Do you have a ministry to talk about? Contact me at chuck.lexchron@gmail.com or 803-348-0243.