Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Connecting

Guest Post from Susan Warren
Connection Ministry Leader at JIBC

On any Sunday as you enter the church building, I hope you are greeted with a smile and friendly voice. I am a people watcher. I love to see how people interact with each other in certain settings. In this particular setting, meaning our church, I love to see how people “connect” with each other. For instance, families with children connect with each other because their children are attending the same Sunday morning class together or because they are attending Awana together. On any Sunday morning, you can see those who are members of the same Connection Group “connecting” with each other and checking up on each other with “how is life treating you?” One of my favorite times to observe is when a visitor is greeted by a church member or a member of our Greeting team. Some of the most nervous faces of visitors have melted away into a sweet smile when you greet them, welcoming them to our church. Through these observances I see Christ working in and through people’s lives. I challenge you to look, to observe any Sunday, with an expectant heart to see Christ working in and though the very beings of our church.

Why do you think there are such a “connection” among Christ’s people? In my thinking about this I have come to understand that we all have a sense and need to belong to someone or something. In the past year our people have come together with others to “connect,” to live and do life with each other. You can see this lived out through our Sunday morning and weekday connection groups. In our Connection Groups, we come to together to study God’s Word, have fellowship with each other, seek encouragement and prayer from each other, and to join together in reaching beyond our walls to minister to others who need to know Christ’s love, healing and forgiveness. I have observed in the past year that being in a Connection Group is what has brought us closer to Christ and closer to each other. Some of you I have observed cannot help but share the joy of Christ and be an encouragement to others because of what you have been blessed with by being in a Connection Group. The joy of Christ, the encouragement you are to others, the smiles that radiate from your faces ministers to those who visit with us for the first time, ministers to those who feel lost and lonely, and ministers to those who are hurting and feel there is no way God could love them. Someone else’s joy in Christ can be very contagious!

Would you like more information on how to join or start a Connection Group? Contact me at susan@jamesislandbaptist.com or 843-762-0244. It is a pleasure to serve you!


Blessings, Susan


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Connecting to JIBC!


Guest Post from Susan Warren, Connections Ministry Leader at JIBC


Occasionally, people ask me, “What do you do in life?” Yes, I do understand they want to know more my work, but that usually is the question that gets me to talking about all of my children, my mom, and the rest of my family. I will finally relieve their tension and say, “I am the Connections Leader at James Island Baptist Church.” “But, what do you do?” Good Question! I can connect you with God, people, ministries inside and outside the walls of our church, Connection (small) groups, and all the training and encouragement that goes with connecting you to God and each other.


In the year, plus some, I have been at JIBC, I am so amazed at the many opportunities there are for us to join with God on His mission of reconciling all people to His Son, Jesus and to “connect” with each other and others who so need the good news, the Gospel! Many of the opportunities are in the form of becoming a part of a Connection Group – living life with each other, going to and interacting with the young women at the Florence Crittenton Home, volunteering for and supporting A Taste Of James Island Churches which will benefit James Island Outreach food bank, becoming a reading buddy and mentor to a child at Murray-Lasaine Elementary School, Lowcountry Orphan Relief and Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. And this is just the “tip of the iceberg” of the opportunities we have to join God on His mission. In the many opportunities we have to “connect,” we cannot forget what our purpose is. Pastor Tom so clearly and regularly reminds us and challenges us of our purpose in Christ: to connect with each other through worship, fellowship, membership, discipleship and spiritual growth, praying for and encouraging each other, and ministering to the lost.


You and I are called to be God’s messengers of his Good News. It only takes one person to respond to His calling, however, it is so much more enjoyable to live life with others and work together for the cause of the Gospel. You need a place to serve! God wants you to serve Him! Contact me for some ideas that are already in the works. I will get you “CONNECTED!”


On one last note, there will be an Aging in Place Seminar, Saturday, March 29, 2014. Coffee, juice and pastries will be served. I am so excited for our church to be co-hosting with McAlister-Smith on this event. Here is the opportunity to begin planning for yourself or a loved one with resource materials and information provided by the members of the South Carolina Aging in Place Coalition. Make your plans to attend. RSVP to me by March 24 at susan@jamesislandbaptist.com or by calling the church Office, 843-762-0244.


Blessings,

Susan


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Bible Study @JIBC

Think about the amazing opportunities we have for Bible Study at JIBC. On Sunday mornings, you have your pick of a dozen adult Bible Study teachers: all shapes, sizes, flavors…so to speak. Really, you have a wide variety of choices. BIG REMINDER: we study the Bible. It easy to get confused because we give you a small devotional book, sometimes referred to as a “quarterly”. You are not studying the quarterly. That just helps you study the Bible. It helps give you questions, a little background and direction. We study the Bible. I used to hear people say “I don’t like the material we use in Bible study”. Really? You don’t like the Bible? Again, if your class is studying the “literature” or the “quarterly”, I suggest you let me know and I will help you change classes. You have a wonderful opportunity each week to study the Word of God with other believers in a setting that fits almost everyone. What’s not to love?

Then there are the Connection Groups that meet during the week. They also study a wide variety of topics. Several of them have chosen to study different books of the Bible. They systematically go through the Bible verse by verse. I love it. Way to go, Connection Groups. Others prefer topics that deal with things like marriage, prayer, family life, etc. Even there, they will study Bible based, solid doctrine, materials that are designed to help you grow.

Then we have the Wednesday night study of the Book of Romans. A chapter by chapter walk through the inspired work by the Apostle Paul. This study does have requirements. First time visitors are welcomed and allowed to walk in without preparation. JIBC members must have read and studied the chapter before showing up. My goal would be to have a Bible Study that will make you spiritually stronger, not just “hearing the word only”. So, I provide a weekly handout for you to complete and bring with you. We are also looking for an “outreach” project that we can do one Wednesday evening. We have other forums for Bible Study like First Place, etc. All of them designed to help you grow to be more like Jesus.

Bible Study is more about transformation than information. The good news is the information provides inspiration that can lead to transformation. I pray all of our groups will result in making us more like Jesus, changing us into Kingdom minded servants.

I am so happy to serve as your Pastor. I love what I do, where I do it and who I do it with. I am blessed and highly favored.

Pastor Tom


Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Good Things Coming!

Aging in Place Conference

JIBC is scheduled to host an “Aging in Place Conference” on Saturday, March 29. Who could benefit from such a seminar? Let’s say you are a senior adult and want to plan the best you can to take care of your assets and live independently as long as you can…this is for you. Let’s say you have aging parents and are currently taking care of them or one day may need to provide care for them…this is for you. Unfortunately, we have living and growing older issues that come our way. I like to think that is better than the short term alternative….long term that will be glory. Short term, we need to be as prepared as we can be. We hosted a similar conference before and found it helpful. We are taking the parts that most people enjoyed and benefited from and expanding them. A little more time on each topic, as it were. This is a much needed seminar. If it meets a need in your family, I hope you will be blessed.


On Site Counselor

We are currently working with a sister church in North Charleston, Riverbluff Baptist, to have an on-site counselor here at JIBC. Riverbluff Church has a fully staffed counseling center and is meeting a significant need for solid biblical counseling. As they continue to serve people from James Island, the idea came about to place an office here at JIBC. Here is the good news and the better news. The good news is that we will have an on-site counselor as a part of our family and community ministry. The better news is that Riverbluff will be handling the insurance, the scheduling, etc. We will only handle providing the place for the counselor to hold the meetings. We are planning to have a Ministry Team Leader/Quarterly Ministry Conference meeting on Wednesday, April 2 at 6:30. We are planning to introduce the counselor to our leadership team and have a question and answer time. That is what I would call good news and better news! Thank you Jesus and thank you to our friends at Riverbluff!


Remember to spring forward this Saturday evening. See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom