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