Tuesday, December 22, 2015

ALL IN!

Starting January 3, we will begin a new teaching series we are calling “All IN!” As we thought through and prayed about combining the 8:30 worship service with the 11:00 service, that was our emotion…we want our church family to be All IN! All in one place, one worship service, one in unity and purpose…all in.

You may have heard this phrase before… it has been the Clemson Tiger football rally cry this season…#ALL IN. That seemed to work out great for them Tiger fans. Now, let’s see if we can get Team JIBC to be all in for the Kingdom.

Our desire was for all of us to be all in with a feeling of unity as we combine the two services together. Not having the 8:30 service after so many years was a tough emotional decision for me. It was not, however, hard from a practical point of view. The 8:30 service was poorly attended even with our best efforts. Those who did attend were extremely faithful. So, let’s see if we can be blessed by an attendance boost in the 11:00 service and see if those who have faithfully attended the 8:30 service can be blessed by seeing new faces, meeting new friends and experiencing a different level of worship energy. Being “All In” the same service, I believe, can add a wonderful new dimension of fellowship to our church family. Acts 2:44 says “All who believed were together and had all things in common.” Pray with me that this will be the Spirit filled result of bringing the two services together. I am praying for us to be: all in worship together; all in fellowship together; all in unity together; and all in service and outreach together.

A GREAT SHOW OF LOVE

Thank you for faithfully supporting the effort to bless our community. You gave almost 100 Clothes hampers to the home for unwed mothers; over 125 pairs of pajamas for the Orphan Relief; over 150 jars of jelly; and over 1,400 diapers for the Pregnancy Center. Thank you for being such a giving and generous people. I so love that about our church family.

See you Sunday for the last Sunday of worship in 2016. Let’s end the year strong in Bible Study, fellowship and worship.

Pastor Tom


Thursday, December 17, 2015

CHRISTMAS RE-GIFTED

I so love our church family. Thank you for the wonderful way you responded to the mission project of re-gifting hope, peace, joy and love. The gifts for the Florence Crittenton Home, the Lowcountry Orphan Relief, James Island Outreach and Lowcountry Pregnancy Center look absolutely beautiful under the Worship Center Christmas trees. Thank you for the extra effort and, in many cases, the sacrifice of giving to help others. It is the added beauty of the Christmas season that reminds us to reach outside of ourselves. You do this all year long for many other ministries and then really pour on the love at Christmas time! To quote Tiny Tim in the Christmas Carol: “God bless us, everyone”.

CHECK YOUR CHRISTMAS CARDS
There is a Christmas card letterbox in the main hallway. You can use it to give Christmas cards those in the church family. Don’t forget to check for cards to you also. If you see someone’s cards “building up”, why not help them out by delivering them to them. Take them to your connection group or just hand them to them before the worship service. Connection Group leaders can help out here. After December 27, all left over cards, like the Christmas Card box, will magically disappear.

The original idea of the Christmas Card box was to help raise money for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. The money saved on postage was given to missions. What a sweet idea. That was back when stamps were $.03 each. Now that postage stamps cost almost $127 each the game changed a little. Now it is just a nice way to remember friends at JIBC. You can, still of course, give a gift to International Missions. I can tell you it is the best way to get the most production out of your dollar. Every penny given to Lottie Moon is used to support International Missions. It would be hard to find a better way to support missions. Janie and I will absolutely be making our gift this year, as we have every year.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SEASON
Remember that you may have family and friends that would not attend worship with you during the year. Somehow, by the Holy Spirit’s calling, they do seem to be open to coming at times like Christmas. Invite them, encourage them. They will be moved and touched by the great music, the beauty of the Worship Center, the friendliness of our church family and they will hear the Word of God. Come early and hear the String Quartet in the atrium. Pastor Sean and I will be performing select songs from Handel’s Messiah. Ok, maybe not performing, but we will certainly be listening to it. Well, not so much listening to it as playing a CD of the Trans Siberian Orchestra…Never mind. But the String Quartet will be playing in the atrium starting at 5:30 until 5:55.

See you Sunday as we continue the Advent series on Christmas Re-Gifted. What does God’s gift of Love look like?

Pastor Tom




Wednesday, December 9, 2015

“ALL IN”


Today’s article is about going “All In” on the 11:00 Worship Service. Let me begin by saying a heartfelt thank you to the small group that has faithfully supported and attended the 8:30 worship service over the years. Remember we started the 8:30 service as a hymn based alternative to the more contemporary service. That was a great idea but apparently not one that met many needs according to attendance over the years. Recently, it has been exactly like the 11:00 service but it did not start out that way. Then, we promoted the 8:30 service as a wonderful opportunity for those who wanted to attend worship but still have most of Sunday ahead of them. Again, that made sense on paper, but in reality not many used it that way. Our last major push was to see it as an available service for those who served during the 11:00 service. They could attend an early service and still serve…the best of both worlds. That seemed to help one or two, but not very many. So we might have 20 or 30 in attendance spread out in a sanctuary designed for 300-400. It is very hard to create worship energy or fellowship intimacy in that setting.

So, starting January we are going “All IN” joining our two worship services at 11:00. We believe it can introduce, or re-introduce, some of our 8:30 attendees to the rest of the church family. It will

give us an opportunity to build both unity and numbers. We have had members and guests ask why we had a service for such a small number. We never intended for it to stay so small. So, let’s go

“All In” in an effort to do it better.

We will monitor attendance at the 11:00 worship service and when it is consistently full, we may plan to launch a second service more in keeping with our purpose, mission and values. The reason for a second service will be more about strength and need, not convenience. It will be more about “them” and less about “us”. It will be more about church health and Kingdom progress. I long for the day when we can re-start a worship service like that.

Until then, my thoughts and prayers for the few who really did like the 8:30 service. I really hope and pray you will be able to make an adjustment without too much difficulty. I will deeply regret, but fully understand, if we lose someone who says the 8:30 service is the only reason I attend James Island Baptist.

It may be a small consolation but let me offer an alternative service. Starting in January, Celebrate Recovery will have a worship service starting at 6:30 in the Worship Center/Sanctuary. It will be led by Pastor Marty and a Praise Team. You could attend Celebrate Recovery from 6:30 until approximately 7:10 and enjoy great worship, see what CR is all about and receive helpful life information. Just an idea…but a pretty good one.

See you this Sunday for the third Sunday in Advent…JOY!

Pastor Tom


Wednesday, December 2, 2015

HOW DO YOU KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS?

I would be very interested to hear how our church family and friends keep Christ in Christmas. This is a very familiar phrase that is really needed in our time. I get it that non-believers and secular minded groups have no true interest in keeping Christ in Christmas. The world is really focused on how to keep the money in Christmas. To paraphrase a recent song: “I’m all about that buck , that buck, not Jesus, You know I’m all about the buck, bout the buck not Jesus”. I get it…they don’t!

But let’s talk about what you do to keep Christ in Christmas. I would love to hear the stories about your traditions. What specific things do you and your family do to keep Christ at the center of the Christmas season? It may seem so natural to you but may be inspirational to a new family or new believers. Message me on Facebook or write a note on Sunday’s green information sheet. If I get enough response, I will find a way to share them. Anyone can curse the darkness (Christmas is too commercial, etc). Let’s be believers who light a candle (pardon the pun) and make a positive difference.

REMEMBER THE MISSION
God is in business to reach, redeem and to restore a lost and broken world. That is our mission as well. So what will you do this Christmas season to join God’s effort to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world? First, let’s pray. Pray for missionaries and missions that go to places of darkness and work with the lost and broken. Southern Baptist support over 4,000 missionaries and saw over 190,000 baptisms last year. Second, go and participate in something JIBC is doing to reach, redeem and restore. It could be as fun as caroling to the Senior Adult homes or as interesting as trying to feed those who live in tent city. Third, consider a Christmas gift to missions this year. A gift to International Missions/Lottie Moon that reaches around the world is really a great gift. You certainly cannot beat getting the most bang for your buck! What a great time of the year to teach our families about Christmas giving. There are certainly a lot of mission and ministries worthy of our support. Pick several and bless them this year.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom




Tuesday, November 24, 2015

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT, NOVEMBER 29. This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. The Advent season takes place the four Sundays before Christmas and it ends on Christmas Eve. The word advent means “coming” of “visit”. During the Advent season we remember Jesus’ first coming (his birth) and his second coming (His return). In a world that starts the commercial side of Christmas before October 31, Halloween, it is a good thing to remember the reason for the season. My prayer is that the Biblical readings on hope, peace, joy and love will draw our attention to the great Gift of God’s Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Let each of our worship services begin with a focus on God’s love. Biblical focus, Christ centered, Mission minded…what’s not to love?

A CHANGE IS COMING. January 3rd is the first Sunday of the New Year, 2016. We are going to temporarily end our 8:30 worship service. The attendance has continued for years at a small number of attendees. I know it was very convenient for some to have an early option. There were times when we had almost as many people leading the 8:30 service as those attending. We suspect the numbers will grow even smaller during the colder, darker months of the year. So, we will visit the possibility again at the end of March and the end of May. If we do a re-launch of the service, it will be tied into the attendance of the 11:00 service…when we are consistently full. Until then, let’s use Ephesians 4:4-6 as our theme verse: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as we were called to one hope…one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING SUNDAY COMING

This Sunday should be a lovely day of worship and giving thanks. We will combine for one service. THERE WILL BE NO 8:30 SERVICE THIS WEEK. At the 11:00 Thanksgiving service, we will give thanks and recognize the new members added to the JIBC family this year…always a wonderful highlight! We will celebrate communion together as the Eucharist…thanksgiving. We will enjoy a wonderful set of praise and worship songs led by Marty and our praise team. Then, to follow that…we will have a church wide meal. The Kitchen Krew is fixing everything but the desserts. So bring your favorite dessert…and a little something else if you want to. But everything will be provided. Most of us will be seated inside, but there will be some seating available outside and the youth will be retreating to the youth room upstairs. So there should be plenty of room for everyone this year.

To finish the day, we will gather together at 6:00 for the Community Thanksgiving Service hosted this year by James Island Christian. Bring a canned good if you can…see what I did there? An offering will be taken to help the less fortunate on James Island. Oh, what a great service this will be.

Haters Going To Hate

Trends come and go. Here is one that I wish would go quickly…haters going to hate. There seems to be an idea that it is popular, cool, necessary, godly, spiritual, requested…whatever... to be a hater. It is in vogue to be against something. It does not have to be wrong or important or of consequence. A hater is going to hate. They are against whatever, whenever, wherever that gets them attention. It could be The Donald’s hair or Tim Tebow’s prayer. Haters gonna hate.

The uproar over Starbucks red cup was crazy…but haters gonna hate. Can we assume there was such a slow news day that someone would give time to a non-decorated cup. We seemed to love “my red solo cup, I fill you up, let’s have a party”. No haters there. Why you want to be a hater of a coffee cup?

An acquaintance of mine is hating on all things Christmas…trees, gifts, lights...all the things about Christmas that we love. And he is a believer. Sorry Mr. Grinch…why you gotta be a hater? You don’t like parades, don’t go…but don’t be hating on people that love parades. You don’t have to eat the pie, but don’t ruin it for those who love it…if you know what I mean. Sometimes I think, like the Grinch, their hearts are two sizes too small or their halo’s are on too tight. They take the fun out of fundamentalism.

Two days after Thanksgiving, I will be sitting around my decorated Christmas tree, enjoying the beautiful Nativity scene Janie’s mom made..with the 3 wise men present, watching the little Disney train go round and round, marveling at the beautifully wrapped gifts bought with love and singing “My Red Starbucks cup, I fill you up, let’s have a party!” To paraphrase the Word…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord…and try our best not to be haters! Don’t let your good be spoken evil of. Give thanks…give lots of thanks. It’s a good cure for a bad case of the hates!

Pastor Tom




Thursday, November 12, 2015

THREE REASONS TO GIVE THANKS

1. COME TO THE TABLE…The next two Sunday’s will be focused on one of the most important of spiritual disciplines…giving thanks. Learning to be thankful is a spiritual attribute that cannot be over looked. This is how important I think it is in the life of believers. If you want spiritual life to grow more…give thanks more. If you wonder why your walk with Jesus is not moving anywhere…take a look at your practice or lack of practice in being thankful. So, for the next 2 Sundays, we will look at 1 Thessalonians 5:11-19 and Matthew 26:26-30. You will be invited to come to the table…and to give thanks.

2. On Wednesday night, November 18, you are invited to join the Church Leadership team for a presentation of the 2016 Mission and Ministry Budget. The presentation will be made by Ronnie Cooper, one of our Elders and a member of our Finance and Budget Team. After the Budget presentation, there may also be time for other ministry and mission teams to report and share what God is doing in their areas of missions.

3. COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING WORSHIP SERVICE - Sunday, November 22 at 6:00 p.m. James Island Christian Church will host the Community Thanksgiving Worship Service. JI Christian is located just off of Folly Road behind Arby’s. It is always an inspirational and effective gathering of believers. An offering will be received that will be given to the James Island outreach. You are also asked to being an item of canned food for JI Outreach. The new pastor of First Baptist James Island is scheduled to bring the message this year. Give thanks…with a grateful heart.

See you Sunday… good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

A NEW NAME ON YOUR PRAYER LIST

I want to encourage our church family to add Tom and Lisa McConnell to your prayer list. You may be aware that we, as a church family, commissioned Tom McConnell to a new ministry. I don’t mean just new as in just beginning. I mean new as in I don’t know anyone else doing what he will be doing. So let me explain.

Tom recently accepted a job in Georgetown, South Carolina. He and Lisa moved to their new home in Pawleys Island. They still consider James Island Baptist their church…at least their home church. They started visiting churches around the area where they live. There are some large, growing, thriving churches in the area. What they found and what burdened them was the smaller, struggling rural mind set churches. Churches that had so few people they could not afford to call a fulltime pastor, not even a part time or bi-vocational pastor. Tom grew up in a small rural town and began his faith walk in a small rural church. These two experiences tugged on his heart.

He came to me with an idea. He would offer his services to these small churches at no charge. He would basically serve as their free interim pastor. His unique skills of teaching and leading would help the church families look at two options. One, do they want to exist? Do they want to continue on or do they see their days as over? If so, Tom can help them plan their exit strategy…how to use their assets to continue the legacy of their church. On the other hand, if they believe God is not finished with them, how do they turn around? How do they re-vision and re-engage in Kingdom work?

Truthfully, this is a hard work. God can do all things…the question is often do we want Him to? It would be much easier to start a new church than to resurrect a dead church. Both are dependent on the grace and power of God. Tom feels called to at least try. This mission seems so big and so impossible I think it must be of God. When Mr. T was asked his prediction of the fight with Rocky Balboa he said “pain”. I make the same prediction…pain. I also know there is never a feast without a sacrifice; that we know Jesus in the power of His resurrection as well as in His suffering.
So pray. Pray for wisdom, patience, courage, boldness, kindness. Pray for open doors that Tom will find favor with God and with the churches looking for help. Pray for how JIBC will join God as the doors open.
Interestingly enough, the Charleston Baptist Association just voted on its new purpose statement. The CBA exists to do three things: strengthen churches; strengthen pastors and leaders; plant new churches and develop church plant leaders. Almost sounds like Tom McConnell was listening in on that meeting. Really, it sounds like God is doing something. So pray.

See you soon, Lord willing,

Pastor Tom


Friday, October 30, 2015

2015 Fall Festival

SO WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31-6:00-8:30?

This Saturday we are planning our annual Fall Festival. It is the largest event of the year for us.

We have great crowds, sometimes standing room only, at Christmas Eve and Easter worship service. The Fall Festival is larger than both of them. Remember our goal is not just large numbers of people. The origin of the Fall Festival was to go head to head with Halloween, providing for families a safe and fun environment for a community event. We do have a Gospel presentation booth and the Gideons will be here to give away New Testaments. Nothing beats seeing the Gospel lived out by our members. Be kind, be happy, share love, and look for conversations you can get into

Let’s create an impression that is so positive and loving that those who do not go to church would consider JIBC if they were ever looking for a church family. How can you beat that…having fun and influencing the community. Thanks JIBC, you are the best. That being said…

IT IS NOT TOO LATE
We live in such a fast paced world it is necessary to calendar and plan ahead. Some move so quickly, they cannot plan or calendar…they take the adventures as they come. That being said, it is not too late to sign up to help at the Fall Festival. We have several booths and positions that still need teams of two to help. If you would be willing to help, please call Susan or Neale at 762-0244. It is not too late. You can sign up for an hour or for the entire 2 hours. How much fun do you want?

See you there, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom




Thursday, October 22, 2015

Thank You

Thank you for responding so well to the Buckets of Hope. Susan Warren, our Connection Minister, is working hard to gather and distribute the relief buckets to the places they are needed. Last week she was able to deliver 7 to Johns Island. Last Sunday night Janie and I went with Pastor Sean and some of the youth for a buying spree at Lowes. JIBC was given enough money to purchase 9 more buckets and materials. It was fun to watch them do their power shopping. I felt like we were on an episode of Extreme Couponing! Good job everyone. It is not too late to donate toward buying the Disaster Relief recommended item or to donate. They youth were able to buy all the items requested for just under $70.00 per bucket! Billy and Felecia Hebert had the buckets to donate…woohoo. Bucket List for Jesus…love it.

WOODLAWN…THE MOVIE. We have been blessed by two outrageously good movies lately. War Room is an absolute must see. Now, Woodlawn takes off like a rocket. What an outstandingly good movie. It is inspirational and so clearly Christ centered. This movie should be a block buster and send a message to Hollywood that these great movies can make them money as well as be a positive influence on America. Go see the movie. Take someone with you if you can. Grandparents, I want to recommend a sneak attack. Offer to babysit for your kids and give them $9 to go see the movie at James Island Cinema. You get the grands and they get a great movie. Everyone wins.

FALL FESTIVAL, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31. This may be our biggest community outreach event of the year. PRAY His Kingdom come and His will be done. Pray for safety of those attending and strength for those serving. PARTICIPATE by volunteering. There are plenty of opportunities to be a part of the event. You can sign up for the first half of the evening or the second half…brave souls can sign up for the whole evening. PARTY by having fun. Smiling faces and helpful members go a long way to make guests feel welcome. This much laughter counts as two therapy visits…and it is free! We put on a positive family oriented event for the community. Let’s show them a great time.

See you this Sunday, good Lord willing

Pastor Tom


Tuesday, October 13, 2015

DON’T KICK THE BUCKET UNTIL YOU FILL ONE…

There is an old quote: “Many drops make a bucket, many buckets make a pond, many ponds make a lake, and many lakes make an ocean.” The North American Mission Board and the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief have developed a FLOOD BUCKET LIST. Now that is a productive list. This list includes items that will help in the South Carolina tornado and flood disasters.

SO HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Many drops make a bucket, many buckets make a pond… Let’s make a pretty good size pond from James Island Baptist. Susan went out to Home Depot and found that you could place every needed and requested item in the bucket for $80.00…including the bucket. Some will be able to put together one bucket, some more. Some will not be able to afford an entire bucket but you can still help. Donate what you can and we will be able to make buckets from all donations received. If you would like to give, but do not want to go to Home Depot or Lowes, still donate, we will have volunteers go for you. Make this a Connection Group project. Together, many drops make a bucket. This is a great project that is so very practical and helpful.

We are hoping Susan will be able to work with the relief agencies and find out how we can be hands on in distributing the buckets of love. Our goal is to put together 50 FLOOD BUCKETS. Why 50? Because many drops make a bucket, many buckets make a pond, many ponds make a lake, many lakes make an ocean. Let’s make an ocean of love…or at least a good size pond!

If you decide to fill a bucket, here is the list of requested and needed item. They are due before October 21. That is this coming Wednesday. We can do it!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom


Wednesday, October 7, 2015

AND THE RAINS CAME

It is hard to let the storm of the century go by without comment. The problem is we have had two storms of the century this year! As far as we know, everyone in the JIBC family has survived this flood. Almost everyone got by with no damage at all…a miracle in itself. Several have reported some flooding and some roof damage from trees. Please know that your JIBC family is available to help. Please do not face these tough times alone. If you have a need that has not been addressed, let us know as soon as possible. We will see how we can help. Thanks for checking on your neighbors, friends and the elderly. Again, let us know if we can help. We are not looking for work, but we are prepared to help where we can.

RARELY DO WE MISS WORSHIP SERVICES
As of Saturday night around 8 pm we were planning to have worship services this past Sunday morning at 8:30 and 11:00. Janie and I were at our daughter Erin’s house until 11:30 Saturday night. When we went home, we met several cars submerged past their front lights. We back tracked and found a long, but drier way home. We got home just before midnight and continued listening to the worsening weather projections. I sent a text out to the staff…they were all still awake monitoring the storm as well. We decided to wait until Sunday morning at 6:00 am to make the final call. Actually, the roads from my house to the church house were clear. Many of our folks could not get out at all. Some had water up to their doors, some had it in their homes, several were without power. All were safer at home than risking coming out. The Governor had requested everyone stay off the road if at all possible. We made the call by 6:10 to cancel the services. We got the word out on face book, texted as many as we could and called the news outlets to get on their announcement boards.

NOT AN EASY CALL
As you can imagine, even making the right call is not an easy call. For the safety of our members and in respect the first responders who must be out on the roads, we decided…no services at JIBC. It makes it even harder when it is a first Sunday of the month, the Sunday of our largest offering. The impact of missing one week’s offering is a small price to pay for the safety of our church family and community. Thank you for your faithfulness to our Lord and His church at James Island Baptist. We look forward to seeing you this Sunday, good Lord willing and the …oh, let’s forget the rest of that saying!

Pastor Tom



Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Worship: All About Jesus

The teaching series during the month of September was focused on worship. It is one of the five purposes we elevate in value and have as a part of our mission. Our ultimate goal is to bring God glory, cause Him joy and give to Him the worship He is due and that He so wonderfully deserves. I am so grateful for the many people who work behind the scenes to make the worship experience such a positive one. The audio/visual team, the nursery volunteers, the children’s church team, the greeters, ushers, mission and ministry moment speakers, etc, etc. I thank you for your faithful service. Your service, in itself, is a beautiful act of worship. Blessings.

THE HARVEST
Jesus told them, “The Harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Luke 10:2

This time of the year is a time of harvest. We particularly think of the fall fruits and vegetables like pumpkins, squash, apples and sweet potatoes. It is a wonderful time of the year. This is also a wonderful time of the year to pray for and expect a spiritual harvest. Think of the wonderful things God could bring into your life this time of the year. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful. The challenge is not the harvest, the challenge, according to Jesus is the workers. So he invited us to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out…literally, to throw out…workers into his harvest. Let’s think about not being thrown out. Let’s see how we could pray and go out and work in the harvest. It is a beautiful time of the year to do so.

By the way, part of the beautiful harvest God gave includes the precious families that joined James Island Baptist this past Sunday. We had 17 attend Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC. Of those, 11 have already joined. Perhaps more will come at a later time. What an honor that these would choose JIBC as their church family. To God be the glory.

See you this Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom


Thursday, September 24, 2015

WORSHIP CENTER-SANCTUARY DEDICATION

This past Sunday was the dedication of the newly renovated worship center-sanctuary. We talked about how this area is often referred to as the Sanctuary, the Worship Center or even Big Church for those who have little children. At any rate, we had a time of dedication for the gathering place. In Exodus 3:5 the ground Moses stood on was holy. It was holy because of the encounter with the Holy God, Yahweh. Others no doubt passed by the bush and thought of it as just a bush. Perhaps some will attend JIBC worship and think of it as just a building…a religious building, but just a building. I pray that for you and for all who enter the doors, it will be a holy place where we meet the Holy God, Yahweh.


We dedicated ourselves to the Lord. A holy place without a holy people would seem to cancel out each other. It seems like sin will push out holiness or holiness will push out sin. Either way, we are in need of dedicating ourselves to genuine worship, seeking God to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Third, I dedicated myself to the following: Christ-centered preaching; inspired worship; celebration of the symbols of our salvation (baptism and the Lord’s Supper); a place of unity of the faith; and to be a place welcoming the broken who seek His healing. When this happens, I suspect we will be glad when they say unto us let us go to the House of the Lord.

I close today with one of my favorite poems. It was written by Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

“Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God, 
but only he who sees takes off his shoes; the rest sit round and pluck blackberries.”

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom


Wednesday, September 16, 2015

WOW, WOW, WOW,WOW!

I was thinking my entire article would be made up of a series of the word “Wow”! That was the word we heard most often Saturday night and Sunday morning. Wow. I know it is not a praise word…but it is so close. So let me say Amen and Hallelujah. To our entire team that led the renovation project we say “Well done”. The list is too long but our gratitude is extended to all who led and worked to make this project happen. I only wish everyone who labored on this project could have stood with me as our church family first walked in the doors to see the beautiful renovation. The faces, expressions and words were priceless. To God be the glory. 

The Big Reveal, as important as it was to us, was not more important than our purpose for gathering. So everything in the service pointed to our purpose. We began with powerful praise; celebrated with baptizing two precious souls; introducing and interceding for our Connection Group Leaders as they help connect us to God, to each other and to our community; then the central Christ event, the Lord’s Supper; followed up with the entire offering being given as a thank offering to missions. Ladies and gentlemen…you have just witnessed the heart and soul of JIBC. We value what we celebrate and celebrate what we value. I know of no clearer picture that Sunday’s service!

HOW CAN I SAY THANKS? The “BirthAversary” celebration was over the top. I could never have imagined my own children speaking so eloquently and fondly of their old man. And my four preacher buddies…well, that could have hurt a lot worse. They were kind. It could have been a roasting of epic proportions. (BTW, do not buy the book they gave me. It was a joke, not a recommended book!) Having the Chinese Church and Luz Y Verdad present moved me to tears.

We are honored to have played any part in blessing them. My gratitude to all who spoke and shared such kind thoughts and memories. The gift from our church family was so generous. Thank you so very much. I would have liked to have said thank you, but my eyes were leaking with joy!

NOT COMPLETE YET. All the crews worked so hard to be ready by Sunday. Saturday night we were still painting, installing, tweaking everything electronic, setting up chairs, etc. We were 90% ready…but it was a huge 90%! Our volunteers and paid workers did a great job. The punch list of little finishes will come at a much slower speed. And as Forrest Gump says “That’s all I have to say about that!”

Love you all,

Pastor 30/60 Tom


Wednesday, September 2, 2015

WE ARE ON THE FINAL 2 LAPS

This week we are on the final 2 weeks of renovation. The list of things going on this week is long. There will be painting, second coats, carpet going in Saturday, lights went in this past Monday, counters in the front restrooms, paint goes on the walls this week. I mean it is a bee hive of activity. Please pray for all the workers that they will be safe and have a sense of how this job is different from any other. Our offices are still a mess but we can see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

SO LET’S FOCUS ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT
Starting this Sunday, I will begin a new teaching series on Worship. With all the activity going on it is too easy to lose focus. At the end of the day, it is not about lights, paint, carpet and chairs. It is about Him…worshipping our Lord. For the next 4 weeks we will focus on worshipping His majesty. This coming Sunday we will learn about the Priority-Purpose-People and Place of worship. On Sunday, September 13, we will have the big reveal. We will re-focus the day by celebrating baptism, the Lord’s Supper and introducing our Adult Connection Group Leaders. We will have only the 11:00 worship service on Sunday, September 13. On Sunday, September 20 we will have a Dedication Service for the renovated Worship Center. And then on September 27 we will look at the John 4 story where Jesus teaches that we are to worship in Spirit and in Truth.

A special thank you to everyone that has been so patient and helpful during this time of transition. Two more weeks and we should be back into our routine…assuming we can find where we have put everything! Lol.

LEADERSHIP MEETING SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12 @6:00
We are having a brief prayer and worship time for the staff and ministry management team on Saturday, September 12 at 6:00. Our goal is to have you meet, pray and worship from 6:00 to 7:00. You will be out in plenty of time to get home early or go out to eat. I really encourage our leadership team to join us for this time of prayer and celebration.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom


Friday, August 21, 2015

RENOVATION UPDATE NEXT

Progress is full steam ahead. If you attended Sunday, you saw that work in the Atrium and the main hallways started. They did all the prep work of sanding and caulking and will paint this week. Sunday, when you arrive, that should be a done deal! Whoohoo…I mean hallelujah! We have also started packing the offices up for renovation. We will be getting fresh paint, new carpet and some new furniture. So for a week or two, we will be out of our office environment. The major work in the Worship Center this week includes: completing the sheetrock and sanding of the ceiling; redoing and finishing the balcony walls; frame up the restrooms in the front of the worship center. We are enlarging the two restroom areas in the front of the church. This will provide more spacious rooms compared to the former small rooms. The balcony wall will increase in height while increasing the site line for those who sit in the balcony. This was a much needed correction. Our plans are still to have the Big Reveal on Sunday, September 13. On that Sunday we plan for one worship service and will celebrate with baptism and the Lord’s Supper. What a day that will be!


LET’S GROW DEEPER TOGETHER

Believing we will be finished with the renovations, we plan to start Wednesday night discipleship options on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9. There will be 4 options for adults: serve with our Kitchen Krew; Praying Like Jesus led by Jeff Koch; First Place 4 Health led by Janie Brown; Recovery Bible Study based on the 12 Steps led by Pastor Tom. We will also provide preschool care, as well as Preschool/Children Awana ministry and Surge: Youth Worship. It is a great fall lineup. Our goal is to help you grow deeper in God’s Word.


CHAIR COUNTDOWN

It is wonderful that we already have financial gifts given to purchase 276 chairs. The “competition” between Connection Groups was designed to help everyone participate whether they gave a little, a lot or none at all. There really is a triple blessing potential here. First, everyone, every family, every connection group can participate in purchasing chairs that will be used in worship for years to come. It is not about the amount, it is about participation…being a part of a beautiful celebration. Second, we have an offer of matching funds. If we raise the funds for 200, 300 or for all 430 chairs, an equal amount has been pledged to the overall renovation project. We receive blessing on top of blessing. Third, whatever amount we give toward the purchase of chairs is the amount we can keep in savings for a rainy day…and those days surely come. We have over the past 2 years, replaced multiple roofs, and entire boiler system and cooling tower and have paid over $7,000 for plumbing issues. Old buildings require ongoing repairs. We are blessed to be able to pay for this project…however the Lord sees fit to provide. God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

ONE WEEK DOWN, FOUR TO GO

We have successfully had our first week of worship in the Fellowship Hall. Interestingly enough, several who were present remembered when JIBC first had our worship services in the Fellowship Hall. The 8:30 service had around 85 in attendance. Wow! Great job. Thanks to all who made the shift to the early service. We could still use around 25 more to attend at 8:30. The 11:00 service had around 140 or so in attendance. That was full but not packed like sardines. We will add more chairs for this coming week and have a few more attending the 8:30 service. It’s all good. Our thanks to all who are going the extra mile to make this change possible. If I could make a request for some of our home folks it would be this: if you are able, please sit toward the front and toward the middle. We have quite a few guests who come in right at 11:00 or just after. While we are standing and singing, it is difficult to see available seats. Not everyone can sit forward and to the middle…we understand. No problem. We want you to sit where you are comfortable. If you can, it will be a big help.

RENOVATION UPDATE

We are now well under way in the sanctuary renovation. This past week saw quite a bit of activity. First, the painting prep work of sanding and caulking is going full steam ahead. We are replacing the “popcorn” ceiling with sheetrock. As I am typing this, they are finishing that part of the project. They will begin taping, mudding and sanding this week. We are working to enlarge the two restrooms in the front of the church. That will be a much welcomed change from the formerly very small restrooms. Work has begun on the booth for our audio/visual team as well as new risers for the balcony to improve the sight line. So, right now it looks like what it is…a construction zone. All the construction and visual type people who have eyes to see what is not are positively moved by what they can “see”. Right now, I just remember this is what it looked like last time…and it turned out beautiful then too!


NOW, LET’S TALK ABOUT THOSE CHAIRS

On a $200,000 renovation project, we have around $150,000 already in hand for this project. We are so blessed by God to have the rest in savings and can pay for this project without going in debt. Several of our leaders felt like the church members and friends would like to give toward the project. The idea was to be a part of the project, to have heart and hand, in the renovation. It was a very doable idea to ask the church to give toward the purchase of the chairs. Here is the reality: whatever monies we do not use from our savings can then be used for other needs. So, if we give $20,000 toward the purchase of chairs, we actually keep that amount in savings to use for air conditioning repairs, emergency repairs, unseen opportunities, etc. Really…the goal was to give everyone an opportunity to participate. The idea got a little better when it was suggested that every Connection Group be challenged to have 100% participation. Simple: having every member of every Connection Group give toward the purchase of chairs. The focus was not on the amount given. It could be $5, $50, $500 or $5,000. Participation, not amount, was the goal. A good idea got even better when an offer was made to give matching funds. So, if the entire amount was given for chairs, that amount would be match ed andgiven toward the project. Don’t over think this or make it complicated. Rejoice, God is good all the time and all the time, God is good.


See you Sunday, good Lord willing,


Pastor Tom


Wednesday, August 5, 2015

HERE WE GO!

This past Sunday we began the renovation of the worship center.
Volunteers from our church family and friends joined volunteers from the church family in St. Stephens. We moved out all of the church pews and they were loaded onto the trucks…just seconds before the rains came down. Perfect timing of the Lord. The joy of the men that helped us move them was tremendous. A terrible storm had destroyed their church and the donation of pews will go a long way in helping them to rebuild. They were scheduled to get the lights on Tuesday, August 4. The pews were a donation from JIBC. Their church made a $3,000 donation for the lights. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Sorry, but that was fantastic compared to the price we were quoted for used church lights. Now, keep your ears open. We are trying to set a date when our two church families could join together in St. Stephens for a praise service. Oh, what a joy that will be! 


Today, we have the painters who are sanding and caulking. They are doing all the prep work to prepare for the last stage…painting. It is a busy bee hive in there. Lights have come down, the old stained and wrinkled carpet is up and wonderful progress is being made. Please pray for all of the workers that they will be safe and blessed in their work here at JIBC.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BUY A CHAIR? Here is the fabulous news about the chairs. Each chair cost around $50, not including shipping, handling, taxes, etc. We need about 420 chairs. We have had an offer of matching funds for the chairs. If the JIBC family gives the funds to buy 200 chairs, the donor will match that amount. If we raise funds for all 420 chairs, the donor will still match that amount in a gift to the renovation! God is good all the time and all the time God is good. Let’s see if we can match the blessing of this gift. We are asking each Connection Group to have 100% participation in buying chairs. The friendly competition is not about which Connection Group has the largest amount given, but rather who has the greatest participation. What an opportunity.

By the way, can you guess what the number one question is about the chairs? It is not what color. The number one question is how big are they? So, let me put it this way. They are the largest that the church industry makes. The only thing larger would be love seats! They are back supporting, bottom comforting, interlocking with a place for hymnals and other items. We believe they are the best in the church chair industry. I can preach for hours before you will get uncomfortable…ok, that was a little over the top.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom


Wednesday, July 29, 2015

RENOVATION UPDATE

“I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” That is a famous line from the movie The Godfather. Today, I share with you a wonderfully redemptive way that line was used. As you may know, we have already begun some of the Worship Center/Sanctuary renovation. The balcony was closed last Sunday and will be closed this Sunday as well. We will worship in the Worship Center this Sunday, August 2nd. Starting Sunday, August 9th through September 6th, we will be meeting in the Fellowship Hall for worship.

Now, the offer we can’t refuse. Al Beever made a suggestion a few weeks ago that I really liked. He suggested that each Connection Group be challenged to have 100% participation in “purchasing” the new chairs for the Worship Center. The challenge would not be to see which group donates the most money. It would be a challenge to have 100% participation…everyone in the connection group participating. Each chair cost just over $50 each. We are purchasing 430 making the cost of the chairs around $21,000.00…not including shipping, etc.

So, here is the offer we cannot refuse. We have a matching fund offer. Whatever the entire JIBC family can give toward the purchase of chairs for the worship center, we have a family that will match that amount. If you purchase one chair, you are really purchasing two because of the generous matching fund. If the Connection Groups collectively purchase 200 then we are blessed to get 400 chairs with the matching funds. You see, it really is an offer we can’t refuse. God is good all the time and all the time God is good. By the way, we already have funds given for 42 chairs…hmm, make that 84!

Let’s make this a double blessing. Remember that we are donating our pews to an African American Church in St. Stephens. We are able to bless even as we are blessed. I am praying for even more ideas of how we can bless this sister church!


NOW LET’S GO TO CHINA!

OK, not China. How about let’s go to Sauldam Baptist Church on Wednesday, August 5 and hear about China. Mary Braxton will be speaking at Sauldam Baptist about her summer trip to Chongqing, China. I am willing to drive the bus if we have enough people interested. And of course, we will go get something to eat before we go! The place of our eating is to be announced. But, I do have a wonderful idea up my old sleeve. We need at least 12 people to take the bus. Fewer than that makes it more practical to drive cars. Want to go, sign up and/or let me know. Missions and a meal! We would leave at 5 pm, eat and then arrive at Sauldam Baptist around 6:45 pm. We should be home around 8:30 pm.


Blessings,

Pastor Tom


Friday, July 24, 2015

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN

During the Worship Center renovation we will be temporarily meeting in the Fellowship Hall for the 8:30 and 11:00 worship. For some of those who were around from JIBC’s early years, it will be a return to the beginning. The Fellowship Hall was the original Worship Center/Sanctuary until the current one was built. The Library/Conference Room was the original kitchen. The baptismal was in the corner of the Fellowship Hall right close to where the Coke machine is located. 

So here is the good news…this is only temporary. We are planning for the Worship Center to be closed for 5 Sunday’s, August 9 through September 6. The Big Reveal is planned for Sunday, September 13. The extra good news is that we need about 75 volunteers to temporarily attend the 8:30 worship service instead of the 11:00 service. We anticipate being able to seat around 150 comfortably in the Fellowship Hall. If we can have around 100 at the 8:30 service, I think we can do this for 5 weeks. During these 5 weeks there will be preschool childcare and All Star Worship for the children at BOTH the 8:30 and the 11:00 times.

For the next three Sundays we are asking EVERYONE to sign up for the 8:30 or the 11:00 service. This will give us a better idea of how to accommodate those attending both services. It is all very exciting and positive. Remember the old saying and repeat it often: “People don’t mind change, it is the transition that gets them!”

CAN YOU IMAGINE?

After a recent funeral service a visitor said he heard we were renovation our sanctuary. He thought what we had was so lovely, he thought we should not change it. I know what he means. Our team hit a homerun when they renovated back in 2001. They wonderfully upgrades, updated and changed the Worship Center into a bright, warm and welcoming place to gather. I assured our guest that we were only continuing the warm and welcoming efforts that created what we currently have. “If you love this, I think you will really love the new renovation” was my final encouragement to him. I laughed and told him even an old barn looks better with a fresh coat of paint. We are aiming for a worship space that is comfortable, clean, user friendly and fresh. We are not a traditional Baptist Church. This renovation will give us the same current look as the atrium everyone loves so much. It should be fresh, new, comfortable, facing the present and the future, not so much the past.

RETURNING FROM CHILDREN’S CAMP

Shortly after you receive this Messenger, we should be returning from Children’s Camp. Pray for the children’s last days to be Spirit led and filled. Ask for traveling mercy as we return Friday. We look forward to see you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom




Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Renovation Update


RENOVATION COUNTDOWN: AUGUST 9-SEPTEMBER 6 

The beginning of the Worship Center Renovation is just around the corner. Any day now work may begin on patching the plaster walls, sanding and all the prep work that precedes the painting part of the renovation. Work will also begin on building a booth for the audio/visual team in the balcony. The major work will not begin until after Sunday, August 2nd.  

WORSHIP IN THE FELLOWSHIP HALL

From August 9 until September 6 we will be meeting in the Fellowship Hall for worship. Some of our older members will remember when that WAS the original worship center! We anticipate being out of the sanctuary for 5 Sundays. It could be less, but we are planning for the BIG REVEAL to be Sunday, September 13. During this time, we will be asking if some of you would temporarily volunteer to attend the 8:30 worship service. That will allow a more manageable crowd at 11:00. It will work…really! It will help if we could have about 75 to 100 volunteer to be a part of the early worship for those 5 weeks. There will be coffee and Krispy Kremes!


ADDED BONUSES

There are several things that we are doing that were not on our original list of renovations. FIRST, we are finally adding a video security system. We have talked about this for years and have even had them priced out for us. The renovation and the incident at Mother Emmanuel created the perfect opportunity to make this happen. SECOND, we are looking at the possibility of enlarging the two restrooms in the front of the worship center under the stairways. Right now they are very small convenience restrooms. They certainly are not meant for senior adults or people with small children. If this renovation is possible, both restrooms will be handicap accessible. That was not part of the original renovation plan but is certainly needed. THIRD, the women’s restroom going into the Fellowship Hall is getting a makeover. We can’t create any additional space, so we are attempting to redo it completely. That will at least make the space more accessible to Senior Adults. We do, by the way, have a handicap restroom in the Fellowship Hall. What about the men’s restrooms? All we men need is a little bulletin board to post the sports page like they have in restaurants.


This is all very exciting. The Lord has provided the funds we need for this project. We are inviting individuals and classes to make donations to purchase the chairs. The suggestion has been made that each Connection Group be challenged to get 100% of their group to participate in buying chairs. The amount is not the challenge…it is the participation. That suggestion was just made Sunday so we do not have the details…yet. But I do like the idea. Let me know what you think a great winners prize would be.


See you this Sunday,


Pastor Tom

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY


ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY

This Sunday we celebrate our 68th anniversary as James Island Baptist Church. We are looking forward to a wonderful day together. We will celebrate believer’s baptism, observe the Lord’s Supper together and then enjoy fun and food after the service. Dress comfortable and casual for the outside event. There will be plenty of ice water and soft drinks to enjoy! We will also have booths to introduce and promote several of the missions and ministries we are involved with. Please stop by to say hello and find out more about these missions. Our dear friend Pastor Oliver from St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans is planning to be with us this Sunday. It will be great to see them again post Hurricane Katrina.


KIDS CAMP/ CENTRIKID COMING: 

JULY 20-24 AT GARDNER WEBB UNIVERSITY
I am telling you that Children’s Camp/CENTRIKID is absolutely one of the best events I have ever attended. I am going again this year as a chaperone and I am taking my grandson Noah. He is looking so forward to it that he gave up a chance to see the Braves play the Dodgers. If you know of a school age child wanting to go to a camp, this is the one. Christ centered, worshipful, high energy, plenty of activities to choose from, time with our staff, etc. Really, this is a fantastic children’s camp. And to boot, it is designed to start prepping them for MFUGE, the youth mission camp. I wanted our parents and grandparents to know I am completely sold on CENTRIKID!
RENOVATION DATES

It is just around the corner. We are looking at a worship center renovation to take place August 9 through September 6. The Big Reveal is scheduled for Sunday, September 13! Woohoo! During this time we will be worshipping in the Fellowship Hall. We will continue to have 8:30 am and

11:00 am worship services. We will be asking for volunteers to attend the 8:30 service so we can accommodate everyone during this time.
See you this Sunday for our 68th Anniversary Celebration. To God be the glory!
Pastor Tom

Thursday, July 2, 2015

WORSHIP CENTER RENOVATION


We are on schedule for the Worship Center/Sanctuary Renovation to begin the first week of August. There are two parts of the project that we are still waiting for. One is the change in lighting and the other is a church wide video security system. We have been encouraged by our leaders to install a video security system. We were hesitant because of the cost. With the recent tragedy at Mother Emmanuel Church, it has moved our concerns forward. We are now in a position to include it as a part of the renovation project.

So, let’s review. We renovated the Worship Center 15 years ago. We moved from a dark, gothic look to a more pleasing warm and traditional 1980-1990 look and feel. The Renovation Team began with a need to just replace a well worn and used carpet and to change the paint colors. Then we began looking at doing an entire renovation including seating, lighting, fixing cracks, correcting sight lines in the balcony, etc. The project grew to the point that we needed to bring in a General Contractor and the Church Interiors Consultant. Together we put a plan in place that looks to create a comfortable, casual welcoming worship center.

How much will it cost? What if I told you the renovations were all but paid for? Between donations and available cash on hand, we are able to update, upgrade and renovate the Worship Center with no cost to the church family! I know…amazing right? There is one thing we would very much like to do. We are purchasing 420 high quality padded chairs to be placed in the worship center. We would like to give every individual and every family a chance to purchase a chair or as many chairs as you would like. Each chair costs just at $50. You could make a donation for one, one for each family member or as many as you would like. We had several members of the Renovation Team ask if we could do this for the church family. Of course, we would like to. All said and done, that would be an additional $21,000 if all 420 chairs were purchased. Certainly Janie and I will donate for our family. Speaking of donating: The church pews will be donated to an African American Church in St. Stephen. They lost everything in a recent disaster and this will go a long way in rebuilding their worship center. Win-win-win! Gotta love that.

More to come as we make progress. Hopefully we will be sharing final plans at this year’s church anniversary on July 12.

Blessings,

Pastor Tom

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Praying for our brothers and sisters of the Mother Emanuel AME Church


LETTER FROM SOUTH CAROLINA BAPTIST CONVENTION STATE OFFICE

 

From: Dr. Richard Harris, Interim Executive Director-Treasurer, South Carolina Baptist Convention


The news of the tragic shooting in Charleston at the Emanuel AME Church breaks my heart and that of our leadership in the South Carolina Baptist Convention. This act of violence against our brothers and sisters in Christ is deplorable and evil, and appears to be anti-Christian. We stand with our brothers and sisters in prayer and in Christian love and sorrow. We stand ready to assist this church and its members where their beloved Pastor and District 45 State Senator, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, was killed. Our leadership is calling our South Carolina Baptist Convention staff to a time of prayer today, and we are calling on all of our 2,138 churches and church leaders to join us in prayer and support of our fellow Christians in Charleston. We stand ready to assist in any way possible and will be investigating how we can assist in any way.

The violent acts of unspeakable evil committed by this young man on Wednesday evening in one of our sacred houses of worship is evil and deplorable beyond words. He obviously needs the prayers of Christians. The appearance of such a tragedy in a Christian church in South Carolina is a wake-up call for the need of Christians all across the state and America to stand heart to heart and hand to hand in total rejection of such horrendous acts of violence upon anyone, particularly Christians. I would request that any Christian anywhere would join us in prayer and support for this wonderful church and church family in Charleston. Let’s be praying for all the families who have been touched by this tragedy.


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

RENOVATION OF THE WORSHIP CENTER UPDATE #3


TWO MONTHS AWAY We are approximately 2 months away from the renovation of the Worship center. I have been writing articles to share the vision and purpose. This will actually be the second major Worship Center/Sanctuary renovation in my 30 years here at JIBC. The first one took place almost 15 years ago. We moved away from the more traditional 1960’s gothic and dark worship center to more bright, welcoming warmer colors and fabrics. It was more of the trend in the 1980’s. We are now moving to a warm and welcoming style that reflects the 21st century and who we are as a church family.
THE LEADERSHIP TEAM APPROACH I am grateful for the team put together to lead in this project. It began with me moving the possibility of renovation forward. It moved to a Renovation Team listed in the first renovation article. That team then reported their findings and suggestions to the entire staff and Elders. We met with various church members seeking their input and ideas. We called in consultants with Church Interiors, Inc and others to help in the process. Then we presented the plans, as we had them, for the approval of the Church Leaders/Ministry Management Team.
WHAT IF IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE CHURCH? The only real question we have heard is concerning updating the pews with high quality chairs. I realize there is a love in many of us for the pews. But the pews really do not make us look like church…you do. Pews or chairs are just seating devises. Church seating in the 13th century started with stone slabs. They quickly updated to wooden benches with no backs. Stone, wooden benches, pews or chairs…the function was seating. It is not the pew that makes us look like a church…it is you. You and I are the church, the Body of Christ. The Worship Center is just the place we gather. The renovation will be warm, comfortable and inviting. The chairs will give us a little more versatility in that they can be moved, rearranged for weddings or larger crowds and, if need be, cleared out in case of a Hurricane Hugo type disasters. We are planning to keep and reupholster the pews in the balconies. We already have a sister church family in St. Stephens that had their entire worship center destroyed. They would like to have the pews and we think that would be a wonderful use for them.
THE GOAL The Renovation and Leadership Team is committed to continuing our warm and inviting place of worship. We want to reflect more of who we are…a more casual, comfortable church family. Changing the carpet and paint gave us the motivation and opportunity to address many issues in the worship center; carpet, paint, fixing cracks, better protecting the stain glass windows, addressing light, completing unfinished work from the last renovation, improving the balcony line of sight, etc. Praise God we are in the position to consider such a renovation. While some are just holding on…by God’s grace we are moving forward. To God be the glory.
Pastor Tom