The Rev. James S. Dunlop jdunlop@lss-elca.org
Bishop
December 14, 2021
He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep. – Isaiah 40:11 (NRSV)
Advent blessings in the name of Jesus Christ - the one who is, and the one who is to come again.
I write first to express my gratitude for how all of you are working selflessly for the sake of the common good and to share my concern as COVID-19 continues to deeply impact our local communities and the world. The growing weariness from the many challenges, complications, and complexities of this virus are of prayerful concern. These have proven to be trying times for all of us. I pray daily for your spiritual, emotional, and physical health and want to remind you that our staff is here to support you. May you continue to be granted Christ’s strength and used as instruments of healing to those in need. I pray also for the many families who have lost loved ones from COVID-19, and for the increasing number of our leaders contracting COVID-19. Please join me in continuing to pray for the end to this pandemic.
One of the current challenges is the ongoing surge of cases and deaths. COVID-19 case counts across our synod are very distressing. Six of our counties are at very high risk and three counties are at the highest-level, severe risk. Positive test rates greater than 5% indicate community spread and insufficient testing. Our counties range between 9.6% to a high of 26% positive test rate in Lebanon County. York and Lancaster Counties are reporting the worst test rates since the beginning of the pandemic. Statistically, we are experiencing greater risk than we were a year ago. Cases per 100,000 people and positive test rates for each of the counties in our synod as of December 13, 2021, are reported as follows: