REMEMBERING THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

The word “advent” means coming. It is used by churches around the world to celebrate the four Sundays before Christmas…the Advent season. My goal is to assist our church family in the desire to keep Christ as the central part of the Christmas season. It is very easy to get overwhelmed with the magnitude of the world’s celebration of Christmas. Some stores start before Halloween to make sure they take full advantage of the Christmas spending splurge. Ok, all that aside, it is my goal to lead our church family to keep focused on the reason for the season.

We start with worship. As always, our worship is centered on God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We include the beautiful seasonal songs that celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus. It is a story worth remembering and celebrating. The Word of God has been the focus of our sermon series: Advent: The Whole Story. We will finish the series on Christmas Eve as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper and baptism! The birth of the babe in Bethlehem resulted in our rebirth! From the Cradle to the Cross until He returns, we see the whole story of the advent of Christ. To God be the glory.

The third part of keeping Christ in Christmas is the outward focus of our mission effort. So far, you have given 113 packs of diapers (3,427 individual diapers!) for the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center; 76 pop up hampers for the Florence Crittenton Home for unwed mothers; 196 jars of jelly for James Island Outreach (that represents sending love to 196 families); and 128 pairs of pajamas and 10 pairs of slippers for the Lowcountry Orphan Relief. That is Christmas at its finest! Thank you for being so willing to give love to our community. This is a better place to live because you reach out!

See you Christmas Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

THIS WILL BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT

Have you looked at your calendar lately?

I don’t mean the picture of the Kittens…I mean the dates? This is one of those years where Christmas Eve, Saturday December 24 and Christmas Day, Sunday December 25 present an interesting challenge!

Christmas Eve, Saturday night, not a problem…we got it. It often surprises people to know our Christmas Eve service is often our largest attended service of the year. Sometimes it is even larger than our packed Easter Sunday. No wonder, it is traditionally a lovely service of Christmas Carols, Communion and Candlelight. We read the Christmas stories and sing some of our favorite Christmas hymns and usually we celebrate a baptism by candlelight. This year we have three scheduled to be baptized. We do have a lot more seats available since our Chinese Church outgrew our facilities and Luz Y Verdad have grown to being able to have their own services. Of course they are all welcomed to come back…but isn’t it great they are doing so well?

Christmas Day is on Sunday. I mean what could be more appropriate than celebrating Christmas on a Sunday? But is does present a challenge. I suspect that many churches will just not have Sunday worship services. We have decided that we will meet for Christmas Sunday worship at 11:00. We will not have our Sunday morning Connection Groups that meet at 9:45. We are hoping this gives everyone time to enjoy a relaxed Christmas morning and still make it to Christmas Sunday Worship at 11:00. We will start at 11 and end at 12…he says with all the faith in the world. There will be a special children’s time during the service, we will sing great Christmas hymns and have a few special treats!

Back to back worship services will be a little different for us…but it will be inspiring. What a great way to set the pace for your Christmas Celebration. It will be a little different, but different is not always bad…it’s just different.

Join us Wednesday, December 21 for our Annual Evening of Christmas Caroling. It is always fun!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

WHY DON’T WE DO THIS ALL YEAR?

Excuse me for sounding like a broken record, but I love Christmas time. It is a great time, not the only time, but a great time for the followers of Jesus to stand strong about the reason for the season. It is very easy to drift into a secular mind-set about Santa and the consumerism mentality of Christmas. So, as we say on so many occasions: anyone can curse the darkness, let’s light a candle! In this case, it is a Christmas candle or an Advent candle so to speak.

The entire reason for the Advent emphasis at JIBC is to call our attention to the stronger messages of Christmas. Let’s focus on Christ coming and the reason; let’s renew our emphasis on worship and Bible Study; let’s ride the wave of Christmas cheer and reach out to help those in need; let’s sing songs of faith and songs of joy! Sorry, you are not going to get a bah humbug from me. I love Christmas. I love Christmas joy, songs, charity, lights, Advent, musicals…I love the Christmas time. As I have said, about the only thing I don’t like about Christmas is seeing people go in debt to buy what they cannot afford or to bust a budget that is already strained. There are a lot of ways to show some Christmas love that does not cost you a penny! OK, one other thing I don’t like about Christmas…those who take it upon themselves to be an unofficially elected Grinch. The song lyrics go like this: “Every party has a pooper that’s why I invited you!” Why invite the Grinch…unless he needs Jesus and the joy of Jesus in his heart! OK, I even like inviting the Grinch!

So why don’t we do this all year long? WE DO. We worship the Prince of Peace all year long; we do acts of kindness and charity all year long; we give to support missions all year long! That is one of the things I love most about JIBC…you are the hands and feet of Jesus all year long. You don’t just come to church, you are the church. You take the salt out of the shaker, the believers out of the building, all year long. You go to the homeless; feed the widows; bless the orphans; support cross cultural ministry; send out workers into the high schools; serve the poor; heal the sick; etc, etc. YOU DO THIS ALL YEAR LONG! I love His church known as James Island Baptist.

No bah humbug from me. If you can, bring a jar of jelly, a pair of p.j.s, some diapers or a pop up hamper to show a little love to our community.

Pastor Tom

LOVING OUR COMMUNITY

One of the parts of Christmas I love the most is giving. Of course I love giving gifts to the children. I particularly love giving a gift that is just perfect…a gift they have wanted and hoped for. The practical side of me hopes they ask for tennis shoes or jeans but I understand monster trucks and ball equipment too. I love hearing the stories of those who still remember when Christmas gifts were nuts and fruit. A reminder of how far we have come and how blessed we truly are.

I also love the idea of our Advent “Giving On Purpose” emphasis. We are loving our community in ways that are practical, giving gifts that they have actually asked for. How cool is that? God so loved the world that He gave…we so loved the community that we gave! Susan Warren has provided us with four great opportunities to love our community. First, the pop up baskets for The Florence Crittenton Home. These are young girls from 10 to 22 who are pregnant and cannot stay at home. We have a group that occasionally goes to love on these girls. Second, The Lowcountry Orphan Relief ministry has asked for pajamas. These pj’s are for kids that have to be removed from their homes and often have nothing of their own as they start their new journey. Talk about true religion. You can volunteer to go and help pack these emergency kits. Susan will help get you connected. The third group we are loving is our friends at The Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. They have asked for baby wipes and diapers. Oh my, have you bought diapers lately? A pack of diapers represents a whole lot of love. The fourth group is our very own James Island Outreach. What do they want? JELLY, JELLY, JELLY. Look for the BOGO deals. Nobody on James Island goes to bed hungry unless we don’t know about them. By the way, like Christmas music? You can buy a Christmas CD for $10 featuring local musicians, including the Mayor of Charleston!

I am so happy to have a church family that gives generously. Would you like to make my joy complete this Christmas? Let’s give Susan so many volunteers to deliver these Christmas gifts that she cannot schedule us all. Hands on love, delivering gifts of love, because of God’s love. I love Christmas! I love giving to Lottie Moon International Missions and Salvation Army and….

Pastor Tom

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

I am so grateful for our talented volunteers who decorate the worship center for Christmas. I am four days from being in full Christmas mode! As I said last week, I try really hard not to get all Christmassy until after Thanksgiving. But come this Friday, November 25, my grandson, Noah, will join me in our official Christmas season kickoff…decorating the tree. It is a tradition that I love. By Saturday’s Clemson/Carolina game, the house will be decorated, Christmas songs will be the norm and presents will begin finding their way under the tree. I love Christmas and I love the Christmas season. I prefer for it not to start before Halloween…but I still love Christmas.

What is there about Christmas that I love so much? First, I am blessed by the story and meaning of the coming, the advent, of our Lord and Savior. Whether you celebrate His birthday or just the idea that God became flesh…I love it. Second, I love Christmas music. The only Christmas CD I have ever bought that I did not like was Destiny’s Child. I thought it had to be great if Beyonce was on it…WRONG. I love old the old crooners and the new contemporary singers; I love Manheim Steamrollers and the Trans Siberian Orchestra; I like 102.5 and my growing collection of CD’s; I love Christmas hymns and I love hearing it in the malls. Third, I love the charity of Christmas. I love giving to missions and missionaries; I love giving gifts to children and grandchildren; I love dropping money into the Salvation Army Bell Ringers Kettle. I love people who give money to help single moms and struggling families. I love a trickle down economy that gives a boost to so many. And last for today’s list, I love the lights. I love tree lights, James Island County park lights, the lights of those wonderful people who go nuts and decorate their whole house and yard lights. Thank you.

Maybe the only thing I don’t like about Christmas…if anyone goes into debt or unwisely strains their budget to buy Christmas gifts. I hate the old days when we would be tempted to use credit to buy something that would take longer to pay for than the gift would last. Please be careful. Be a good manager of your money. Be creative and be joyful. But don’t go into debt or bust your budget.

See you, good Lord willing, this Sunday as we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent, the coming of our Lord.

Pastor Tom

I held out as long as I could

I am trying my best to not do anything Christmassy until after Thanksgiving. I put my radio on FM 102.5 and heard two Christmas songs…I can’t do it! I love Christmas and I love Christmas music. Can’t wait to buy new Christmas CD’s…I know, most of you are downloading your music. I am still old school. Here is how close we are to Christmas. This Sunday, after our Thanksgiving meal, our team of volunteers will begin to decorate the worship center for Christmas! I will hold out and not put my tree up until Thanksgiving weekend, but after that it is on!

The first Sunday of Advent is November 27. We are encouraging everyone who can to get into the Christmas spirit by participating in gift giving for four of the ministries JIBC supports. Marty and the worship team will help keep us upward focused during Advent; Sean and the Connection Groups will help us strengthen our inward focus on fellowship; and Susan will help us keep our outward focus during the Advent season. Here is my Christmas wish…ready? I am hoping our church family will respond to giving gifts to the four ministries during Advent and will participate in going personally to distribute the gifts to one of the four ministries. Susan will be coordinating taking the presents to these ministries. Some of them will be taken after the Christmas season. Talk to your Connection Group and see if there is interest in visiting Lowcountry Orphan Relief, Florence Crittenton Home, James Island Outreach or Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. Whoohoo, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And I love it. By the way…if you have been really blessed financially, and you really want to put a big present under the Christmas tree, consider sponsoring an orphan in Burma. For $30 a month, or a gift of $360 for the year, you can provide food, clean water, uniforms and other basic needs for the children at Faith Children’s Home and Agape Children’s Home. If that is a little too big for your budget, how about a family or a Connection Group going together to sponsor a child? I so love our church family for be generous.

OK, I have talked myself into it…I am listening to Christmas music on the way home!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing. Plan to stay and enjoy the Thanksgiving Meal!

Pastor Tom

Tomorrow could change everything...

Tomorrow could change everything. By the time you read this we will have a new president of the United States. I think many of us agree with the cartoon that says “America has 350 million people and this is the best we could do?” I am not a betting man and I do not have a crystal ball. But tomorrow could change everything: health care, borders, size of government, debt, the direction of the Supreme Court, support of military, foreign policy, the future our children will inherit, etc.

Then again, tomorrow many things will remain the same. Almighty God is still on His throne; Jesus is still Lord; the Church still has a great commission to carry out; people still desperately need Jesus; the hungry still need bread; the lonely still need visits and the naked still need clothes. Jesus said it this way in John 9:4: “Work for the night is coming. As long as it is day I must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming when no man can work.” What I will do if Trump wins is exactly what I will do if Clinton wins…work. I will do the work of Him who sent me. As long as it is day, as long as He allows, let us, the Church of Jesus Christ, do the work of Him who sent us. There may come a time when we cannot…but today we can. Let’s continue to worship Him in spirit and in truth; let us continually reach out to those we know to lead them to the cross; let’s keep on our knees in prayer and in His Book for guidance; let’s serve His Bide, the Church with the gifts and abilities He has given us for that purpose; and let us serve our community, meeting needs, sharing His love until His Kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

Tomorrow could change everything…or not. Depends on how you look at it and what you are called to do.

Dear Father, all knowing and all wise God, You know today who will be president tomorrow. I acknowledge today and tomorrow and always, that You alone are the Supreme Commander; You alone are King of Kings and Lord of lords. You guide the nations to accomplish Your purpose. Make it so: Your Kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Forgive us of our sin and our sins. Have mercy on our nation that we may continue to be a people who bless and steward the blessings of America. Thank you for Your abundant blessings to our land and to Your people. Bless those who serve you with strength and grace; with peace and joy; with courage and confidence. In the Name of our Lord Jesus we pray, Amen.

See you Sunday, Lord willing, as we continue our teaching series on Thanks-Not Just A Word.

Pastor Tom

Three Weeks of Thanksgiving!

All said and done, could you handle three weeks of Thanksgiving? I would love it. Family getting together, worship built around giving thanks, favorite teams playing football and turkey…don’t forget the turkey! My point is we can seldom have too much thanksgiving. So let me share some of the coming events that will help us give thanks.

First, for the next three Sundays my teaching series will be on the spiritual discipline of giving thanks and being thankful. The attitude of gratitude is often the difference between victory and defeat, between I can do all things through Christ or I can’t. Let’s make the next three weeks of worship about giving thanks to the Lord, our God and King…His love endures forever!

Second, Sunday, November 20 is a day full and running over with thanksgiving. We will celebrate Communion/Lord’s Supper together and will have our annual church wide Thanksgiving meal! That evening, we will join with churches of all denominations for the Community Thanksgiving service. This year the service will be held at Emmanuel Baptist Church on Folly Road. This is the church on the left hand side of Folly as you are heading toward Folly Beach. Yours truly will be this year’s speaker. Extra prayers appreciated! This service is always a highlight of the year. An offering will be received to help support James Island Outreach and of course, we are encouraged, as the Jelly Church, to bring jars of jelly.

Last, but not least. On Wednesday, November 30 at 6:00 we will have a 30 minute Quarterly Ministry Conference for the purpose of presenting the 2017 Missions and Ministry Budget. We will have our regularly scheduled Wednesday night meal and programs. The meeting will be in the Fellowship Hall so you can enjoy the meal and fellowship as a part of the conference.

Give thanks to the Lord, our God and King: His love endures forever!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

NOT SO MUCH

NOT SO MUCH

There are two well known phrases that come to my mind for what I am saying today. The first is from our old poet friend, Robert Burns: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” The other a more home spun wit and wisdom: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

I wrote two weeks ago of the excitement of going to Washington, DC to visit the Museum of the Bible. I was so excited right up to the point that I got sick with some anti-biblical virus! Once my buddies sent me pictures of them kneeling in the rotunda of the Capitol for prayer…I think I got even sicker! Lol. They went and had a great time…and were thoughtful enough to send back pictures to keep me updated on their tour. The offer is still open so I hope to report to you at a later date about a most successful and enjoyable adventure to visit the Museum of the Bible.

READY OR NOT

We are closing in fast on this year’s community outreach, the Fall Festival. On Monday, October 31 we will host a family oriented festival for our community. We have one little boy in our Weekday Preschool program that tells me of his excitement every time he sees me. He is only 4 years old but it is a dominant memory in his wonderful little mind. Please be in prayer for this event. Our desire is to show the community the love of Christ, the joy of Christianity in a family friendly safe environment. Pray for the team members that will be registering families and for those who will be presenting the Gospel. Let us love them like Jesus would love them and pray for the day when they will love Him! Amen?

Looking forward, good Lord willing to seeing you Sunday!

Pastor Tom

WHAT A GREAT RESPONSE

This past Sunday we saw a great response to three needs: First we saw a lot of jelly for James Island Outreach and the effort to help provide food for the under-served and those in need. For those who are a little more ambitious, you can order jelly on line from Dollar Tree for $1 a jar…they are smaller jars, but that is still a pretty good deal! Second, we saw lots and lots of candy come in for the Fall Festival. Wow…that is a lot of sweets. We still need around a ton and a half more, lol; so keep it coming. Third, we are seeing a good response to the sign up for the Fall Festival Booths. We expect to have over 500 guests on Monday, October 31. It will take a JIBC army to have all the bases covered. Our Connection Groups and volunteers can make it happen.

We have some new folks in our church family, so let me share again, the vision of Fall Festival. We try to put on a family friendly, safe event that goes head to head with Halloween. This is not a Halloween Festival, it is a Fall Festival. We are taking back what the enemy has stolen. So, we ask that everyone from JIBC that participates, not wear scary, spooky, ghoulish, bloody, sexy, provocative, disturbing costumes. Sorry if I ruined your favorite holiday. There are plenty of other events for you to go to. This one is designed to be a family friendly fun event. Your children can still have an outstanding time, get lots of goodies and enjoy your time together as a family. Now here is the deal. When the public is invited, we do not stop them from coming dressed in traditional costumes. Kind of the same way we don’t stop people from coming to worship with us who live traditional secular lives. Every Sunday we have people, some of us included, who wear masks. We just wear the nice mask on the outside to cover the real scary stuff underneath. You get that right? Not everyone who comes on Sunday is Christ focused. Some don’t yet know Him and some who say they know Him act like they don’t really like Him. Every week we have a gathering of the nones (they don’t identify with any belief or religion); the nominals (those who are believers but are not really serious about it) and the Bible believing, Christ-centered followers (those who seriously try to live out their faith). That is exactly who we expect to come to the Fall Festival. It is our prayer, that we can help build a bridge for them to know and worship our Lord Jesus Christ. We try to move them from the community, to the crowd to the church, to the committed to the core to the sent!

Way to go JIBC, way to go!

Pastor Tom

WELL, WASN’T THAT SPECIAL?

WELL, WASN’T THAT SPECIAL?

Ok, all together…deep breath in, blow it out slowly. Repeat. I am hoping you and your loved ones came through Matthew in good shape. We have the office calling as many as we can to check in on our members. We get a lot of phones not in service and a lot of voice mails. Please know that we are here and doing our best to contact everyone. A big thanks to the Connection Group leaders for staying in touch with their small groups and letting us know their groups are all safe and sound. Please let us know if there is some way we can help. Do you have a tree on the house or car, water standing, still no electricity…please let us know. The church has power, a shower and hot coffee. Come on by if you need to. We will try to coordinate volunteers with needs.

Our thanks to Marty who anchored…no pun intended…the church building during the storm. He was the first one here and the last one to leave. The church building was open as a shelter. We had a total of 17 people who stayed here including Janie and myself. We had three homeless people and one man who lived on his sail boat. He anchored his sail boat in the Stono River and rode his dingy in. Next time, we will ask him to bring the dingy to the church just in case.

MISSED A SUNDAY OF WORSHIP AND CELEBRATE RECOVERY

We were prepared for worship on the Sunday right after the storm. We had two orders of worship printed…one in case we had power and one in case we did not. As it turned out, everyone was asked to stay off the roads because of debris and live electrical wires. We were back open Monday and business as usual. Two things we would like to ask of our church family. First, the Fall Festival is less than two weeks away. We missed a Sunday to sign up and promote the event. Please go on line and sign up on our web page or sign up this Sunday. We are asking our Connection Groups to join together and help host two or three of our booths. Remember you need two people for 2 hours each. So, we would like to have at least 4 people per booth to keep anyone from working the booth all night. And keep bringing the candy.

Second, I want to thank you for remembering your tithes and offerings. JIBC is unusually blessed by having such generous givers. We are able to do so many of our outreach efforts because God so richly supplies all of our needs. Gratefully, we are able to stay in the black and not have to cut back on things like building insurance, ministries and missions. Thank you for your faithfulness. It really does make a difference.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing and the storm surge doesn’t rise!

Pastor Tom

Blessed Beyond Belief

Blessed Beyond Belief. That is how I feel about an amazing opportunity that has come my way. Next Wednesday, October 12, I am scheduled to fly to Washington, D.C. with my two pastor buddies, Marshall Blalock and Curt Bradford. There are only three of us left in our group that has been meeting for over 22 years. Our other buddies have either moved away or are currently in witness relocation plans. LOL . We have had some incredible opportunities and next week will add to the list. We have been invited to a preview of the new Museum of the Bible in our nation’s capital. If you are interested you can go check this out at www.museumofthebible.org. The Museum of the Bible will be 430,000 square feet and is only 3 blocks from the Capitol building. Plans are for it to open in the Fall of 2017. Hmm, perhaps a church trip to D.C.? Anyway, this museum is promoted as a world class museum with cutting edge technology. There will be art, artifact, kids areas, theatres, literature, world class libraries and biblical exhibits, etc. I am pretty excited about being offered a free trip…oh yeah…a free trip and to be given a private preview tour.

I have been blessed beyond belief by and with my pastor’s small group. We were originally put together as a peer learning group that would agree to meet once a month. We immediately began meeting every Friday morning for breakfast and our group time. We have gone on study trips together, travelled to hear our mentors teach, gone on a mission trip to Peru, toured the Holy Land and remained great friends during it all! The value of close personal friends has been felt during family crisis, personal health issues and church issues. It is like have your own private consultant group. We have even gone to the place of not calling staff members unless they have met with our Friday group for an informal interview.

I am excited about this trip and will look forward to telling you more about it. I am just as excited about going off with my pastor buddies. Our small group has been invited to Ridgecrest this December to speak to state leaders about our small group. It seems so normal to us, but apparently it is not. I think our assigned topic is “How a pastor can stay clothed and in his right mind”. Really, it is on Church Health and Healthy Leaders. I am honored to be considered such and twice honored to be with my good friends, Marshall and Curt.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing and Matthew does not rise!

Pastor Tom

THAT’S A TON!

That is a common way of referring to anything that is big. That defensive tackle for Clemson weighs a ton. He doesn’t really weigh a ton. He is just very big. “THAT IS A TON OF JELLY”. This time, we really mean it. Last year, you literally gave 1 ton of jelly to the James Island Outreach. Technically, we were 42 pounds short of a ton. You gave 1,958 pounds of jelly…just shy of a ton. That amounts to $3,250 worth of jelly the way James Island Outreach calculates donations. Any way you measure it…that is a ton of jelly!

For those who are new to our church family, you may need two words of explanation. James Island Outreach is an effort by churches, businesses and individuals to help provide food and other resources to underserved clients here on James Island and Folly Beach. This ministry, right now, is located at Bethany United Methodist Church. Soon, it will be located on Camp Road on the campus of St. James Church. James Island Baptist supports and participates fully in this outreach effort. We have people that work at JIO as volunteers and some who serve on the board. And we have a lot of people who bring jelly on Sunday mornings.

Second, you may need to know that our church family has been designated as the “Jelly Church”. You can bring any kind of non-perishable item to donate. Primarily, we are the only church assigned and asked to bring jelly. Other churches and organizations have designated items they bring. So when you buy your groceries and see a BOGO, BUY ONE GET ONE, on jelly…pick some up and bring them with you to worship on Sunday. There is a marked collection box just outside the church office. (By the way, if you have old shoes that are in good shape, we also have a shoe ministry. That collection box is located just outside the Fellowship Hall).

If serving the poor is on your heart and you would like a place to get started, let us know. Call me or Susan at 762-0244 and we will help you get connected.

It is not too early to reserve Sunday, November 20th on your calendar. That is our annual Community Thanksgiving Worship Service. Different church choirs and praise teams, great fellowship and an offering for James Island Outreach. JIO has produced an original Christmas CD that will be available for purchase. All proceeds go to JIO.

See you this Sunday, good Lord willing, as we look at Romans 8:28!

Pastor Tom

OPEN HOUSE@THE TRANSITION HOUSE THIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH

By faith, I am speaking this word: We are planning to have an Open House this Sunday after the 11:00 Worship Service. Just to let you know why I say it that way, I have a letter where I told someone I thought we would be open by the end of May. Actually, I did not say May of 2016, so I could be 8 months ahead of schedule. OK, so project management is not my specialty. But, we are planning to be open for our church family to drop in this Sunday just after worship. If you would like to see the house, this is your opportunity. We should have residents in very soon. I recommend you stay downstairs only because the stairs are just a little narrow.

We will also have a Prayer Walk/Dedication on Sunday evening. The Transition House will be open again this Sunday evening around 5:00 until 6:30. Anyone and everyone is welcomed to attend. We will invite those attending Celebrate Recovery to join us before or after the CR meal. CR members will still be able to make it back for CR at 6:30.

My thank you list for this project could be very long. Thanks to Brush Construction; the group of paint volunteers; Ed our electrician and all around handy man; Todd for the landscaping; Ava Mims for distressing the furniture and on and on the wonderful list could go. Really, I want to thank all of you who volunteered and gave to make this happen. The house even has new dishes thanks to Fran Morrow! I love that the project is completed. I love it even more that so many people were involved in making it happen. May our Father get the glory and the women and children get the love from JIBC! So far, we have had over 22 women and just about that many children live at the Transition House. Looking forward to the next families for us to love.

Pastor Tom

DID YOU KILL THIS BEAR?

Almost every time Janie and I have been hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains we have seen black bears. Thankfully most of them have been at a safe distance. We once walked right under a yearling in a tree above us. For the most part, we have been able to spot them on a trail below or across a field. I remind Janie that she does not have to out run the bear; she just has to out run me! Every trail we have ever hiked has a picture of a black bear and this question: Did you kill this bear? There have been occasions where someone did what they were not supposed to do…feed the bears. It seems cute at the moment but it is harmful to the bear and potentially harmful for the next humans that come by. The bear starts to associate food handouts with humans. It is easier than moving old logs and eating grubs. Then a mauling occurs and the bear has to be shot because it is now a threat to all humans in the area. It could have been prevented…just don’t feed the bear.

Please don’t be offended at my analogy. We routinely have people come by the church looking for handouts. They usually say they are homeless and need food. They often come because they have received cash handouts before. Who can resist giving a hungry person food? Here is the thing. With all good intentions, you are teaching people that they can come by a church for handouts of money…not food. They often say they need food but when offered food, they get to the point, and they want cash. It could be for bus fare or a meal…or crack or beer. The point is we encouraged them to come by the church and look for vulnerable people who will give them cash. Our logic says they will just go away if someone says no to their request because they do not have any cash. Someone thought the bears would just go away when they found out you did not have ham sandwiches and cookies…but they were wrong. You will do what you feel led to do…I understand that. You may unintentionally be putting others at risk. As a rule, we do not keep cash at JIBC. Our staff is directed to never give out cash or even imply that we have cash on the property. We do not keep cash on campus, so we cannot give cash handouts if we wanted to…which we don’t. If I give out cash to the homeless, what may happen when they come by and the secretary is here alone? This may sound less than charitable. Sometimes our helping can hurt. So let me share with you how we do help.

First, if you are approached by anyone who is homeless, in recovery or living at the transition house asking for money here is a positive option. Tell them they have to see one of the Pastors, Elders or Celebrate Recovery leaders. It is wonderful if you feel led to help them. Just tell them you will give the money through our recovery program. That may help keep you and others one step away from a potentially dangerous situation. Let our leaders handle the request. Don’t make the mistake of thinking because you feel safe, the next person they approach will be safe. Second, when I am approached for money, regardless of the need (my father died again, I need food, bus fare, etc), I tell them I have no cash on me and we do not keep cash on the church property. Cash is not a possibility. I quickly tell them I will help them. I guarantee I will help them. It might not be the way they want to be helped…with a free handout. But I will help them. For the hungry, we get them immediate food. We feed homeless friends almost every Sunday night. We always invite them to come get a hot meal on any Sunday night at Celebrate Recovery(and feel free to stay for a great program) and on any Wednesday night. We are also prepared for their immediate needs. I have given out many protein power bars and bottles of water from my office closet. We keep enough food in our church pantry to last them a few days until they can get to James Island Outreach for more in depth and sustained help. Because our church family is generous in their giving, I can almost always offer them several hours of work so they can earn the money they need. When I say we have shovel ready jobs, I actually mean it! Actually it is “rake ready”. Soon, our JIBC security team will be up and running. You will be able to immediately lead them to one of the security team members as well as a Pastor, Elder or CR leaders.

Does that make sense? It is not an emotional response that ends up hurting the people we try to help. It is a Biblical response, showing love and friendship. We are happy to build relationships with those in need and help them find the long term help they need. Be safe and act wisely not just for yourself but for others as well. Thank you for being such a loving, generous family of God. I love being a part of JIBC.

Pastor Tom

How good is a Connection Group?

As my old country friend used to say: Gooder than snuff and not half as dusty! Sorry, how about this one: It will make you happier than a June bug on a tomater plant! I think you get the picture. I am all in favor of our church family getting connected. Why call them Connection Groups? Our prayer is that together you will get connected to God’s Word; together you will get connected to each other; and that together you will get connected to meeting a need in the community. They are Connection Groups…not Connection Silos. Life is better together. It is not good to be alone in life. We were made for community and we really are better together.

Pastor Sean has done a great job of introducing our church family to the Connection Group leaders. That was a great way to see age groups, locations, etc. It is possible you were not here several of the Sundays and missed seeing some of the groups. We will help you get connected…really, it will be our joy. If you don’t know which group to choose, come see me, Sean or Susan. We will help you get plugged in with a great group to try. It is also possible you would like to be in a group that has not yet started. Some of you would love to offer your home as a meeting place but are not so sure about facilitating a group. Great, we need several more places to meet. Others of you would be glad to facilitate the group but cannot volunteer your home…I think we might have a match. And here are the people I am looking for…some of you are party planning machines. You love organizing get togethers and being a great host/hostess helping people feel welcomed and comfortable. Wow, do we need you. Some groups have everything they need except someone to add that little extra love! So, here we go. You can pick a group that is up and running. Try it for a while and see how it fits. You could help start a brand new group by hosting, facilitating or being the Captain of Hospitality!

Some of you have been as lost as last year’s Easter Eggs. It is time to get connected. There is no need to be as lonely as a pine tree in a parking lot. Without being connected life can get all catawampus. OK, I will close the Redneck Southern Sayings site. But I really am praying for you to get connected. Even Jesus got connected to a small group. Let’s follow his example.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

What are we in business to do?

I believe God’s work is to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world. I think that is the overwhelming message of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus said “I came to seek and to save that which was lost.” So what, then, is our work? Our work, our business, is to join God in His work. James Island Baptist is in business to join God’s work to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world. So how do we do that? First, we seek to bring people into the family of God through a born again experience, following Jesus in baptism and becoming a part of the church family. Second, our goal is to help them learn the spiritual disciplines that allow them to grow and mature to become more like Jesus. The Holy Spirit’s work, sanctification, continually works to lead us to be holy and to do good works. Third, we discover and use our God given spiritual gifts and abilities to serve others and minister to His Body, particularly the part of the body knows as JIBC. Fourth, we want to equip all our members to be salt and light in the community and around the world. We are committed to being missionaries across the street, across the river or across the ocean. At the very heart of all we do is the central and primary reason for what we do…we worship God. It is our desire that all people would come to worship and exalt our Heavenly Father and Lord Jesus Christ. This is the way we seek to join God in His work to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world.

Whether you are in a connection group or on a ministry team…your ministry should reflect the purpose of God. Your Connection Group or Ministry Team exist to help people become part of the Family of God; to help them mature and grow more like Jesus; to help and encourage them to use their God given spiritual gifts and ability to bless His church; to reach out into your community and around the world to make a difference in the Kingdom; and to help them become God honoring, Christ exalting worshipers. Why not? What would you do differently? What would you leave out or add? These are the purposes of God as revealed in His Holy Word, the Bible. This is what we do. This is the way we join God is His great work to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world. Come on…have some fun and get you some! Get connected to God, others and the community!

Lord willing, see you Sunday as we begin Romans 7,

Pastor Tom

#SOMEKINDOFWONDERFUL

Wednesday nights at JIBC are some kind of wonderful. We kick off the Fall season on Wednesday, September 7 with the official Awana Signup Night. ATTENTION K-MART SHOPPERS…there will be no dinner or any programs on Wednesday, September 7. This is a night of sign up only. Come on by, register your children, and then head off to Pelicans for the best Snow Cone you will ever eat…ok, that is my plan.

LET THE FUN BEGINOn Wednesday, September 14 we will begin the FULL THROTTLE all hands on deck programming. Our Kitchen Krew will lead the way with the most popular meal they prepare…Fried Chicken and Mac-n-Cheese! Need I say more? Here is a secret: You don’t have to attend any of the Bible Studies to enjoy the Wednesday Night Fellowship Meal. Come and enjoy great food and fellowship from 5:00-6:30. After that, we begin all of our Wednesday Night Fall programming: Awana (3k-5th Grade), Nursery, Surge Youth Ministries, First Place for Health (open to men and women), Class 201, Prayer Team, etc. By the way, if you volunteer in Awana and have not taken Class 201…just wait until the next time Class 201 is offered. Choose volunteering with the children. You can catch Class 201 several more times this year.

Wednesday nights can be a family night…eat together, learn the word together, go home good and tired together! #SOMEKINDOFWONDERFRUL.

See you Sunday as we look at Romans 6:15-23…Changing The World by Changing People.

Pastor Tom

ARE YOU OK?

The first time Janie came with me to Celebrate Recovery she saw about a dozen people go up to pick up their chips. We pick up a chip for first time attendees, a chip for 30 days sober, 60 days, 90 days etc. The round chips are a way to mark your time and to celebrate your victories. When she saw people picking up chips and the excitement of the group cheering, her jaw dropped and tears came to her eyes. So I asked her “Are you ok?” Her reply was “This is the coolest thing I have ever seen!” I told her “Yep..and it happens every week."
So this past Sunday night, we had 1 who picked up the new comer blue chip; we had 3 who picked up their 30 day chip; several getting close to 90 days; two who picked up their 3 year chip; and one who picked up their 5 year chip. And again, it was one of the coolest things you will ever see. It is why we call it Celebrate Recovery. It has been 5 years since we have revamped and repurposed Celebrate Recovery. Darryl Young and his team have done a great job of taking it to the next level. I am pleased to be both the pastor of Celebrate Recovery and a member working on my own hurts, habits and hang-ups.

Celebrate Recovery is in over 30,000 churches, established in 25 different countries and is being introduced in about 25 more. CR, Celebrate Recovery just celebrated its 25 year anniversary. Darryl and I went to the West Coast Celebration held at Saddleback Church where CR started. There were 3,500 other CR leaders at this meeting and 3,300 at the one held on the East Coast. I can tell you there was powerful worship and intense learning taking place. Wow.

There are 5 new initiatives the national CR ministries will be taking on in the coming years. We will take on several of them ourselves. First, there is Celebrate Recovery Inside: a mission for those currently in prison. Second there is a new Mental Health Initiative to individuals and family members struggling with mental health issues (that seems to be almost all of us!) Third is the Sexual Exploitation Initiative: a mission and ministry to women and men who want to get out of the sex trade industry. Fourth is the Welcome Home Initiative: an outreach to our veterans coming home and for those who struggle with anxiety or PTSD, post traumatic stress disease. And fifth is the Native American Initiative: the mission and ministry to Native Americans living on reservations dealing with recovery issues.

I know it seems like a lot…that is what makes me think we will jump into it. Having a CR ministry is taking on the giants. Running a Transition House is a giant. I thank God for a church family not afraid of the giants. This next year should be very interesting…go God!

Pastor Tom

PS…Did you know we have a shoe ministry where we can bring our old shoes and they get distributed to those in need? You need to rejoice that almost every Sunday night at CR, we have people who go through to find shoes for themselves. I have seen some very happy people leave with some really good looking shoes! Thank you.

Transition House Renovation Update

To paraphrase a famous quote: “Finished at last, finished at last, thank God Almighty, we are finished at last.” I am referring to the painting at the Transition House. It took a little longer since all painting was done by volunteers except the ceilings. I called in the professional painters to handle that. By the way, if I ever pick up a paint brush again and ask for volunteers, please call Riverbluff Counseling Center and ask them to come get me.

Ok, so where are we on the project. New floors are in...check. All rooms painted...check. New bathroom and all the fixtures are in...check. Jessie is weather-proofing the exterior window…what a blessing… double check. The next major effort will be having the paint removed from the floors…oops. Then we will stage the furniture to see what we have and what we need. Our plans are to have an open house before we get the next residents. I am thinking sometime before 2017. Really, I think it will be ready in a few weeks, certainly by early September... good Lord willing and the Creek don’t rise.

I feel like there was a major renovation done on the Transition House. Yet, I realize in an old house like that, there is still so much to do. But for now…”finished at last, finished at last, thank God Almighty we are finished at last.” Thank you to all the volunteers and all the paid workers for your time and effort. I pray you will get to meet some of the women who will live at the house and see their changed lives. For the most part, when one woman’s life is changed, you change a family and an extended family, and a neighbor, and on and on. I am so pleased that JIBC would be willing to tackle the giants. Anyone can curse the darkness; you are willing to light a candle. We join God in His desire to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world.

Pastor Tom

Casting Your Vote

I have heard a few people say they are not voting in this year’s presidential election. I think most of us wish we had stronger candidates on both sides. As the old saying goes, it is what it is. I do understand the frustration of voting for a candidate you may not like. The reality is you are voting, one way or the other, you are voting. You may exercise your right not to cast your vote for either presidential candidate. But you are voting. I did not vote for our current candidates in the primaries. But I will gladly, with enthusiasm and purpose vote for the candidate of my choosing in November. It is too important not to vote.

Here are some of the things I am voting for in November. I am voting for the president who will most likely be appointing the next 4 or 5 Supreme Court Justices. These are the people responsible for changing the historic view of marriage as being between one man and one woman. These are the people who said it is legal for the government to force you to purchase expensive, inadequate health care from failed companies the government has run out of business. This president will either increase or decrease our military readiness. I cannot vote for a president who will continually shrink our constitutional rights or appoint Supreme Court Justices who will not support the Constitution. I am not a member of the NRA and have never pulled a trigger on a firearm other than a pellet or BB gun. I plan for that to change before November just in case a president is elected who plans to limit or remove our second amendment rights. In this election I will be voting about Benghazi…for a candidate that will leave them behind to die for political purposes or go get them because they are Americans. I will be voting on immigration reform. It is almost unthinkable that we have to vote on laws that are already on the books. This presidential election I am voting to protect our borders. I want the fence built and I want to welcome anyone who wants to come to America legally and share our values. I would like us to try our best to limit the number of Muslim terrorists we welcome into our country. I cannot vote for a candidate who will continually strap our children and grandchildren with debt that will be the ruin of our country. We need a leader who can take a million dollar gift from his father and turn it into billions instead of a leader who can take billions and turn it into trillions of debt.

I am not hesitant or reluctant to cast my vote in this presidential election. I will vote with enthusiasm and purpose for the person and party that best represent the values I have. It is too important not to vote. You might not share my values or opinions; I hope you will share my desire to vote. Many people around the world do not have the privilege.

Pastor Tom

MANY THANKS

I am so very thankful for the dozen volunteers that helped paint the Transition House. We basically painted it 3 hours at a time…but thank you Jesus, it is almost completely finished. The week we are away at CentriKid Children’s Camp, we should have the last of the trim painted. I am, however, calling in the professionals to paint the ceilings. I thought we might get by without painting ceilings, but just as the rest of the house, many of the ceilings needed repairs as well as fresh paint. So again, thank you so very much for helping. Also, a big thanks to Pastor Sean and the Youth group for cleaning the Transition House yard. It was in desperate need of attention and the youth group and volunteers gave it the attention it needed. They made this a part of their Love God/Serve Charleston project. This week, we should have volunteers in staging the furniture to see what we have and what we still need. If all goes well, we should be open for residents by the end of August.

CHILDREN’S CAMP

By the time you read this article, we will be finishing up a week of Children’s Camp, CentriKid, at Gardner Web University. This is an outstanding camp and we have a great group of kids going. I have every expectation that these children will come back having great worship experiences, learning great Bible stories and having had the time of their lives at a camp. I know that some of the first time campers will be anxious. I share that feeling with them. For the first time in over 7 years, my grandson, Noah will not be a camper. He aged out! How did that happen? The good news there, I have a host of grandkids coming behind him that will keep me busy at camp for the next decade!

Keep us in your prayers, see you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

Reading the Bible Through This Year

It has been a while since I read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This year, I decided to incorporate that into my spiritual disciplines. So, I started with Genesis and am now in Isaiah. I have to admit some places are far more enjoyable and interesting than others. I love Genesis and Exodus and thoroughly enjoyed Joshua, Judges and Ruth. Not as thrilled about Leviticus…and the judgments of Isaiah are slow reading. One of the benefits is the extra reading I do to remember people and places. My Bible Dictionary is always nearby, so I often refer to it to look up names and places. I had forgotten that the phrase “By the skin of your teeth” comes from Job. I usually read three chapters a day, then a Psalm and then the passage from Romans that I will teach the next Sunday. My point is not to say you should read the Bible through, cover to cover. It is a good exercise that has blessings associated with it. My point is to encourage you to put in the work necessary in spiritual disciplines. It is God’s design that they have reward and benefit. Things like “Thy Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against Thee”.

Every now and again, it is good to change up your routine. As they say “Variety is the spice of life”. So adding a little variety to your Bible reading or daily quiet time, could just spur some additional spiritual growth. Try a new translation of the Bible or a different Study Bible. You could order a Celebrate Recovery Bible and read the Bible and work on the 12 Steps and 8 Principles of Celebrate Recovery. I am currently using John Maxwell’s Leadership Bible. It is the Bible filled with tons of leadership principles from one of America’s greatest Christian leaders.

So here is how my quiet time usually goes. First, I am at my home desk with my Bible, my notebook, whatever current book I am reading and my hymn book. As I read my scripture for the day, I take notes on what I think God is saying or I just copy verses that speak to me (sometimes those are the same thing). If a Bible verse really speaks to my heart, I write it on a sticky note and put it in my car to be a constant reminder. Then I read a few pages in whatever book I happen to be reading. I do the same, recording what stands out to me or what speaks to my heart. Then I will close with a hymn of praise.

That is what I am doing currently in my Bible reading. Come January 1, I will most likely change it up and read a different translation and use a different method. The point is to consume the Word of God. Look to His Word daily for help, guidance, encouragement, correction, etc. I believe our Father is still speaking to us through His Holy Word. I don’t want to miss it and I don’t want you to miss it. Stay calm and read on!

Pastor Tom

Transition House: Stories From The Residents

Over the past weeks I have been writing articles about the Transition House Mission and Ministry. If you happened to miss them and would be interested, you can find them online at the church website, www.jamesislandbaptist.com. We will have an open house in a few weeks to let the church family see the improvements and repairs. Whew. We are within sight of the end of the construction, painting, replacing and repenting! I thought you might rejoice at some of their testimonies.

Resident #1 The Transition House was everything the name implies. It was a safe place, a home, where I could learn to maneuver in a world I was not familiar with. I had enough freedom to make my own choices which was crucial for me to be able to eventually stand on my own two feet. At the same time, if I needed help, support and leadership it was literally only a few feet away. I came from the Charleston Center broken, a waste of space, and a pregnant junkie. I had no relationship with God or my family. Today, I am a happy fulfilled mommy; I am sober, love God and know He loves me. The Charleston Center gave me 90 days to have a body free of drugs. The Transition House, God and hard work gave me everything else. The Transition House saved my life and my son! I will be forever grateful to the Transition House and JIBC for giving me a relationship with God, my son and my life.

Resident #2 The Transition House was the key to my sobriety. After being in the Charleston Center, I was truly grateful for the opportunity to grow as a person as well as in my sobriety. I had no safe place to go when I left treatment. I needed a safe place away from the people and places where I got into trouble. The people at Celebrate Recovery and church on Sunday showed me that people care and don’t judge me for my past mistakes. Without this opportunity, I would not be the person I am today. I have moved back home and have transitioned to be a full time mother and active in a local church. I cannot thank God enough for the Transition House and the people at JIBC.

Resident #3 When asked to write about my experience at the Transition House I am stopped in my tracks, in awe of Christ. Through James Island Baptist God provided a shelter when I was on the street; provided food when I had nothing to eat; a family when I had been driven away; friendships when I had run my friends off. You loved me in spite of me. You showed me His love and I returned to Him because of you. The Transition House and the ministry of JIBC gave me back my Christ. May this beautiful splendid work of His continue as a tangible evidence of His grace.

I believe I could have received similar words of testimony and gratitude from the majority of the women who came through the Transition House. Even when there were some relapses, we still love them and try to keep in contact with them. Most of the 23 past residents would have similar words of gratitude. Make no mistake about it…working with addiction is very difficult. I believe only the Gospel of Jesus has the power to set them free…He is their Higher Power. Thank you for your generous tithes and offerings that directly make such ministries possible.

Pastor Tom

Transition House Update #4

I hope these articles about the Transition House have been helpful in giving a better picture of what we do. I can tell you that almost every week we get someone asking if we have room in the house for them. These women often come to us under the most dire of circumstances: battling their addictions; little positive real life experience; no transportation; multiple babies; burned bridges with most family and friends; etc, etc. Where will they go? Back home to where they were using? They often cannot afford the next level full time treatment center. So the JIBC Transition House gives them the opportunity to do just that…transition. They can work on maintaining their sobriety and serenity while planning the next step in their lives. Our goal is to help introduce them or re-introduce them to their Higher Power, Jesus Christ. We introduce them to a recovery community that will help them on their journey. Our success rate in giving them opportunity is 100%. The rate of their relapsing, on the other hand, is not so good. Most of them will relapse. Failure does not have to be final. They are not the only ones who relapsed back into their drug of choice. In old time church world, we called it backsliding…not relapsing. The two are very similar if not identical.

Life at the Transition House occasionally goes south…they have trouble. As an example: we have had four bipolar residents at one time with only one of them on proper medications. It cannot be a surprise that they act out in inappropriate ways. When they do that, they “give up” their bed. Some have been successful in sneaking men into the house…they have also been successful at “giving up” their bed. They basically have six contract rules: have a job, pay your rent, cause no drama in the house, attend Celebrate Recovery and do your chores, test negative for any drugs or alcohol use. (There are many more expectations, but these are the 6 non-negotiable). If they do not fulfill their contract, they will be removed from the house. Don’t be too surprised if you hear stories about something happening at the Transition House. These are women transitioning from hell to heaven; from darkness to light; from major dysfunction to a more livable dysfunction; from heart breaking abuse to a life of true love and acceptance. Only the power of the God’s Good News Story of Jesus can break their cycles of defeat.

I am not afraid of the church getting a bad reputation for running such a ministry. I am more afraid of getting a bad reputation for not trying. Here is a great old quote that I like:“Some wish to stay within the sound of church bell. I'd rather run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” - C.T. Studd If you get that close, you may smell a little sulphur.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

TRANSITION HOUSE UPDATE #3

Over the past few weeks I have been writing articles about the JIBC Transition House Mission and Ministry. The first article reviewed how we began the Transition House and how we measure success. The second article covered how the women are selected and the seven step process they go through to get into the house. 

Today, we will try to address who is involved in the ministry. I am involved from the beginning of the interviewing process to the very end when they transition from the house. It is, as I have said, one of the toughest ministry/missions I have ever been associated with and one of the most rewarding. I have learned things you never want to know and have heard things I wish were not so. Such is the ministry of working with women in addiction. When we have residents in the house, I meet with them every week for a house meeting. Each week we go over and review their contract of what they have agreed to do to live in the house. They should never be surprised when they “give up their bed” and are asked to leave. They go over the contract with me every single week. They are often surprised that someone in their life would actually hold them responsible for their actions and follow through on consequences. In our weekly meetings we review contract, go over the 12 step study, address life skills like communication, how to express anger, etc. I teach them how to read the Bible and other spiritual disciplines. After all that is said and done, I am but one piece in this process.

They are required to attend Celebrate Recovery. So they get a good meal, great worship, a solid lesson on recovery and then a small group experience with other women. Our Celebrate Recovery is probably a 70/30 split between the number of women (70%) and the number of men (30%). They are required to have a female sponsor to serve as a mentor/guide to continued sobriety and serenity. We have a Women’s Connection Group that has agreed to serve as a Big Sister’s Class to offer friendship, encouragement as they become a part of our church family. They agree not to be in a relationship while they are in the Transition House. That is standard operating procedure for most people in recovery. They should be working on themselves, not a relationship. Several women in our CR and church family seem to gravitate toward loving our TH residents and building friendships with them. If they will take advantage of what is offered…and that is a BIG IF…they can have more mentors, accountability partners and female friends than most people will ever have.

The new residents are required to be in Bible Study on Sunday’s, worship on Sunday morning, and Celebrate Recovery Sunday night. Upon first arriving, we encourage them to make 90 meetings in their first 90 days. This can be very difficult if they come to us, as most of them do, with no transportation.

We only provide opportunity, training and support. The saying in recovery is: If I want your recovery more than you it will not work. They have to want it, every day, one day at a time. All of us have hurts, habits and hang-ups. Not all of us have addictions that so completely rule and ruin our lives. Only the power of the Gospel, the life of Jesus Christ, can set them free. Where else will they get this?

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

TRANSITION HOUSE UPDATE #2

Two weeks ago, I was asked some very good questions about the Transition House ministry. It reminded me that while our staff may be very familiar with the ministry, most of the church family only knows that we have it, but not much else about it. So for the next few weeks I will write a series of articles explaining what we do.

HOW ARE THE WOMEN SELECTED? WHO DECIDES? Although this is not written in stone, our women come only from the Charleston Center. It is a partnership that we have to meet a significant need n the community. (See last week’s article for details) One of the most difficult decisions I make is to say no to the many requests that come from individuals outside the Charleston Center. I get requests for someone’s brother, sister, aunt, cousin or neighbor. We could fill up 10 homes in a year with the requests we get. It is hard for some to understand we are not a detox center. The candidates for our house must come through the Charleston Center. That helps us know they have been screened and have begun the work necessary for recovery. Even that is no guarantee. We have had women find and use drugs the very first day they were in the house. And the very first day we find out about it they are out of the house.

To get into the house: First, the women must have completed their program at the Charleston Center. While at the Charleston Center, they must have achieved “mentor” status, the highest level of achievement that reflects good work, ability to get along and potential for success. That means they have met and exceeded all requirements of the program and have been put in to position of helping others in the program. Second, they must come with a personal recommendation from their counselor with details about their work and time at the Charleston Center. Third, they must attend Celebrate Recovery for a minimum of 4 weeks to give our members a chance to meet them, hear their stories and observe them in multiple settings (dinner, large group, and small group). Fourth, they must receive a recommendation from our female Celebrate Recovery leaders. If our leaders do not think they are a fit for us the decision is made. Fifth, they interview with me to make sure they understand who we are and what we are trying to do. Sixth, they must interview and be accepted by the current women in the house. Seventh, they have background checks and may have no child abuse or criminal acts of violence on their records (with the exception of the abuse that comes from their addiction like being pregnant while using...which is child abuse).

My guess is that most of us have never been that thoroughly screened for any job, except government, high level, and 007 type works. And they are screened this heavily just for a place to live. And still, we see them crash and burn. Addiction is a disease that has a high level of reoccurrence. It has its root in our sin and our sins. But it has progressed to a disease. There is only one cure...the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

TRANSITION HOUSE UPDATE

Last week I was asked some very good questions about the Transition House ministry. It reminded me that while our staff may be very familiar with the ministry, most of the church family only knows that we have it, but not much else about it. So for the next few weeks I will write a series of articles explaining what we do.

Let’s start with the basics: HOW DID WE BEGIN THE TRANSITION HOUSE MISSION AND MINISTRY? I was in a meeting with community leaders when the need was presented. Housing for women with infants is one of the biggest unmet needs in Charleston. When they complete their time at the Charleston Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, they have nowhere to go. For addicts, we must change “ our playgrounds and our playmates”. In other words, it is difficult to go right back to the same people and places where you 0perfected your addiction. At the time I heard this, the Parker House was open and available. The house was in much need of repair…but it seemed like a no-brainer. There is a great need and we have a great resource. It also helped that we have one of the strongest Celebrate Recovery Ministries in Charleston. Our church family is also particularly gifted at accepting and loving those who can be a challenge to love and accept. I say that with all sincerity. Not every church would be so accepting of those with so many challenges.

Our friend, Marsha Cline, moved from Indianapolis to Charleston to help us get the house up and running and to help us with our first residents. She served as the house mom for a while. She did a fantastic job in getting the house open and up and running. We quickly learned that to have a house mom running the house was not a viable option. House moms work on a much larger scale, but not in a 3 room situation. The Transition House cannot be compared to larger ministries with funding, grants and multiple housing properties with full time staff to run it. We are a little mom and pop ministry setting out on a bold adventure. While JIBC pays the mortgage, it was my goal to have the house be basically self-sustaining…preparing these women to “transition”. As far as I know and have been told by the Charleston Center, we are the only ministry in town doing this type of work.

HOW IS IT WORKING? What is our success rate? As I like to say, we are 100% successful in both of our goals. Goal number one is to give these women and their babies the opportunity to transition. They truly have a golden opportunity to make a change. Second, we are 100% successful in providing them with the help they need to transition. We provide a Christ Centered 12 Step program, Bible Study, Worship, the Gospel, friendship, leadership, support, etc. They themselves must provide the motivation and the work. Rule of recovery: if we want it more than they do, it will not work. Now, the answer that some of you were looking for: most of them will and do relapse into the reoccurrence of their disease and addiction. Not all, but many, if not most. Just remember, they are not addicted to the more mundane sins like gossip, being judgmental or cynicism. These ladies are addicted to crack, cocaine, meth, opiates, alcohol, horrible relationships, years of destructive actions and thinking. I believe only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can truly set them free. Leaving the Charleston Center sober is just the very first step of transitioning. It is a big step, but it is just a first step. The Transition House is the second step of sober living.

NEXT WEEK: HOW ARE THE WOMEN SELECTED FOR THE HOUSE? WHO DECIDES?

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

Change The World By Changing People

This summer our teaching series will be from the Book of Romans. My plan is to start each week from the verse where we stopped the week before. This past Sunday we introduced the series reading Romans 1:1-7. This coming Sunday we will be reading Romans 1:18-32. Join me in praying for the guidance and illumination of the Holy Spirit of God as we listen for our Fathers heart and will.

If you were so inclined, I encourage you to read and reread the Book of Romans. What a grand book to read and meditate upon. I will list a group of verses from Romans you might consider memorizing if you have not already. As you read through the Word of God always ask these two questions: What is God saying to me? And then, what will I do about it?

Here are some of my favorite verses for memorization: Romans 1:16-7; Romans 3:34; Romans 5:8; Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9, 13; Romans 7: 24-25; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 13:8. Now for those who are really up to a challenge…let’s try to memorize Romans 8, the entire chapter. I had a friend who memorized the entire Book of Romans. Ok, that is a little much for me…but it would hold a wonderful blessing.

Update on the Transition House. This past Sunday night, we completed an interview with what we believe will be the next resident of the house. She will be leaving the Charleston Center this week even though the house is not ready. Temporarily, she will be living with one of our members until the repairs are made and the house is ready. The major plumbing work is scheduled to start Monday, June 13. Hopefully, once this is completed, the rest will quickly fall into place. The Charleston Center has once again started allowing their patients to attend Celebrate Recovery on Sunday nights. This has doubled our attendance to approximately 60 adults. We have about half that number again in preschoolers. I have said it often before: anyone can curse the darkness, let’s be the ones who light a candle. Thank you for being willing to take on one of the darkest problem in our culture today. You make a difference.

Pastor Tom

SUMMERTIME IN ROME?

How would you like to spend summertime in Rome? OK, not exactly Rome, how about the Book of Romans? This week I will start a summer series on Romans, a New Testament book written by the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit of God and a blessing to the Church of Jesus Christ. 

The Book of Romans is the most logical presentation of the Gospel in the Bible. Next to the Gospels, many would consider it the most important book of the New Testament. The 16th Century Reformer, Martin Luther called it a “freeing work”. John Wesley said when he read the Book of Romans and Luther’s comments he found his heart strangely warmed. What a coincidence…you can find your heart and more strangely warmed as we read this inspired book together this summer.

So, here are my plans, good Lord willing. I will start with Romans 1:1 this Sunday, June 5. We will basically go verse by verse through one chapter every two weeks. Sometimes it might be a little more and sometimes a little less. May I make a suggestion for you and your family? FIRST, start reading the Book of Romans. Try reading a few verses every day, maybe a chapter every two days. When you have some free time, should that blessing ever happen, try reading large portions of Romans at one time. You combine eating small bite size portions as well as enjoying the Sunday dinner feast.

SECOND, try memorizing verses from Romans. I will make suggestions throughout the summer, but you might find verses that speak particularly to your heart. If you do, why not hide them in your heart? I know memorizing is hard. Most of us can do it, we just do not. For those who cannot, I think you will find rich blessings in trying. If you already have the key verses memorized, try memorizing chapter 8. Surely, it will be an effort that pays off the rest of your life.

THIRD, share what you are reading. Just find ways to talk about what God is saying to you that day. You are asking yourself “What did God say to me?” and “What am I going to do about it?”

The Book of Romans is so powerful, the great theologian Augustine, was converted to Christ just by reading it. May it happen again as we spend summertime in Rome.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing, Romans 1:1-17.

Pastor Tom

MEMORIAL DAY

This coming Monday is Memorial Day. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day and it dates back to the Civil War. It is a day to remember the men and women who died during their service to the United States of America. Please take time to remember one of the most powerful truths we have ever heard: “Freedom is not free”.

Last week I had the joyful privilege of attending my daughter’s graduation at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. While we were there, I had the opportunity to take my grandson, Noah, to visit many of the memorials in Washington. We visited the WWII memorial, the Lincoln and Washington Memorials, the Vietnam and Korean memorials and the Jefferson Memorial. We read names and read the speeches and prayers. As Noah said to his Grandma, “Granddad got a little preachy at the memorials”. He was right. I wanted him to remember the sacrifice made for our freedom. I wanted him to read for himself about the number of deaths. I also wanted him to read with his own eyes the Christian foundation of our nation. I did get a little preachy about our rights are not given to us by the government but by God. The government can be guilty of taking away and limiting our rights…but they do not give them to us. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

This Sunday, we will remember those who paid the ultimate price. We will remember the sacrifice of our military personnel. We will also remember the sacrifice of those who serve our Lord Jesus at a price. Continuing the theme of Family Foundations, we will remember the sacrifice of parents who strive to honor God in their lives. But ultimately, we will remember the sacrifice of our Father who so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son...to die for the world. We will observe the Lord’s Supper as the Memorial Meal. I hope you will be here to participate...and to be grateful.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

A DIFFERENT KIND OF MISSION …that is the same

This past Sunday, Janie and I, along with 6 others from JIBC, rode our motorcycles to Aiken, South Carolina. We went to visit Gary Hanna, pastor at Freedom Biker Church. Gary and his wife Debra lead a small but growing mission church that targets bikers. It is different. Their welcoming motto is “Leather, jeans and tattoos are appropriate church wear”. Granted, that is not all that different for our church family. It is very different for the majority of Southern Baptist. Freedom Biker Church is endorsed by Southern Baptist North American Mission Board. Pastor Gary understands that not everyone will feel at home at Freedom Biker Church. Everyone is welcomed, but not everyone will buy into their vision. They are a solid church, committed to honoring God, exalting the Lord Jesus, believing and living God’s Word, with a passion to reach bikers who do not know Jesus. By the way, there are 25,000 registered bikers in their community.

Here is the interesting thing to me. If they were in China or Africa we would fully understand that they have to learn the language, adapt to a new customs, perhaps wear different clothing and go to where the people are living. They might visit places that are not so “holy”…like a Buddhist Temple…or a biker bar. They will no doubt smell different smells, eat different foods and hear very different music. It is missions.

Freedom Biker Church is a different kind of mission that is the same. It is the same for any church that seriously wants to engage the un-churched or under-churched culture. I have said before that one of the largest unreached people groups in America are children and teenagers. The current statistics suggest less that 10% are followers of Jesus. Whether it is a Biker Church, youth ministry, JIBC or Celebrate Recovery , it is a different kind of mission that is the same. We must not make the mistake of thinking they will come to us. So Jesus gave us a command…Go. If you ride a motorcycle you just go faster…but it is the same “go”.

Pastor Tom

JOY CLUB MYSTERY TRIP: TUESDAY, MAY 24

The Joy Club takes a trip every month. As I like to say, we usually go see something pretty interesting and then go to eat at a really good place. Hard to tell which is most important but both are really enjoyable.

This month we are scheduled for our annual mystery trip sponsored by the church staff. You need to be at the church at 9 am and bring $5 for lunch. There will be some walking involved, but not too much. We will not be in a hurry anywhere we walk, so not a problem. After our trip and lunch we will plan for a special dessert stop. Depending on how much you plan to eat, you might bring another $5…just in case.

Just a reminder of our past mystery trips: we have done James Island Church tours; we did concerts and ice cream sundaes at McAlister-Smith Funeral Home; and we did take out at Dodge’s Gas Station for fried chicken and sweet potato pies. How you gonna top that? That is why it is a mystery trip. Take a chance and join us. Anyone is welcome to come. You don’t have to be a senior adult…just someone looking for good fellowship and some fun.

SOME REALLY GOOD NEWS

Since last Saturday was the Kentucky Derby, how about a trifecta of good news? First, Pastor Claudio and his family celebrated their 5 year anniversary at Luz Y Verdad. Wow. Five years of faithful service has really been blessed. They are running just at 100 adults plus their teens, children and preschoolers. At his rate of growth they will soon be out of space where they currently meet. Now that is the kind of problems you want to have. Congratulations Pastor Claudio and your church family. Second, we have started again having the patients from the Charleston Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment attend Celebrate Recovery again. They were not able to attend for some time. Now we send the bus to pick them up each Sunday night. Last Sunday we have 17 adults and 6 babies! We are so happy for this opportunity! To God be the glory. Third, did you know that Southern Baptists start 25 new church plants every week? Imagine, each week that goes by sees your offerings being used to start 25 new churches. Most of them are started in major metropolitan cities like Baltimore, Atlanta, Miami, NYC, etc. Thank you for giving so faithfully to support your local church missions at JIBC as well as missions around the world. There, the trifecta of good news!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN

I enjoy so very many moments as a pastor. High on the list of the enjoyable moments is a Parent-Child Dedication Celebration. The model we follow is Jesus taking the children into his arms, laying his hands on them as he blesses them. We celebrate the blessing of new life and God’s addition to these families. As you know, parenting is both an awesome and fearful responsibility. Parents are God’s first line of spiritual and physical defense. As a church family, we partner with these families to help love and nurture their babies. They are not just raising children. They are raising children to be fully devoted followers of Jesus who will join us in the task of making fully devoted followers of Jesus. These parents are raising children who may one day be a godly husband or a godly wife. They may be raising children who themselves will one day raise children to be followers of Jesus. My prayer is that they will commit to helping their children survive and to thrive by providing godly role models. We pray for the day we will see these children come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

Our congratulations and prayers to the three couples and the 5 babies dedicated this past Sunday. Remember them in your prayers: Chancy and Angela Welker (Matthew Lee and Millie Jane); Bryan and Paige Cooper (Carter David and Lila Grace); and Daniel and Brooke Wood (Sadie Elizabeth). The sight of these families was spectacularly beautiful in the Lord. They are each a testimony to the grace and goodness of God. We are so honored to celebrate with all three of these couples and their families.

A TASTE OF JAMES ISLAND

A word of thanks to our team that set up, cooked, volunteered, cleaned up, stocked, and those who showed up ate with great enthusiasm. This certainly was the largest attended Taste of James Island so far. There was great fellowship between the churches representing a variety of denominations and backgrounds. We had strong support from several businesses in the community. Food and funds were raised to help feed the hungry and meet needs. Well done…well done.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

CALL TO ME: CHURCH WIDE PRAYER EXPERIENCE

I have so enjoyed the daily devotional “CALL TO ME: A SEASON OF PRAYER AND CONNECTION”. It has been good to read devotionals written by our church members. To see their thoughts and feel the passion of their hearts has been encouraging. I have used the list of ministries in the front of the devotional book as a prayer guide. I am on my third time praying through all of these missions and ministries. I hope you are having a similar experience of joy and refreshing.

The finale to this event is coming up on Saturday, May 14. Pastor Marty and his team have put together an interactive prayer experience for the church family. On Saturday, May 14, from 6 PM to 8:00 PM you are invited to drop by the church for your reserved time of prayer. There will be four prayer stations in the worship center/sanctuary for us to experience. Each one will take approximately 15 minutes to experience. Then you will move t the next prayer station. The four stations will be Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication (praying for others).

Just a thought: why not do this as a Connection Group, as a family or with a friend. Make a night of it. Experience this together; then go out to eat and talk about the experience. It is after all, a season of prayer and connection. What a great way to connect. It certainly would be our prayer and hope that the family that prays together stays together. The same would hold true for Connection Groups and friends. Pray together and strengthen your bonds!

“Call to me and I will answer and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”   Jeremiah 33:3

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

TWO FOR ONE

Don’t you love it when you get a great two for one deal? Buy one meal and get the second free. Buy one jar of jelly and get a second one free. Really, who does not love to get two for one? Here is my point: How about two blessings for one? Saturday, April 30 is the Taste of James Island. The best church cooks from around the island will be putting their best dish forward. You can come and enjoy some of the most delicious food anywhere around AND support one of our favorite ministries…James Island Outreach. If you can, bring a jar of jelly or any canned good item to donate. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the ministry and to collect food. The cost of admission is one non-perishable item…like a jar of jelly! Remember James Island Baptist is the church family in charge of collecting jelly. You can bring absolutely anything though.

FAMILY FRIENDLY The event starts at 11:30 am and goes until 3:00 pm. In addition to the best food around, there will be raffles, good music and children’s activities. This would be a great opportunity to involve your children in giving back to the community. You will see old friends and can make some new ones if you want to. We will have many churches from a variety of backgrounds participating. What a testimony to the love and grace of God that can bring us all together for fellowship and mission.

Two for one…how can you beat a deal like that? Think of the wonderful irony…by eating and enjoying great food we are helping the hungry. Only God can do that kind of wonderful work.

All kidding aside, think of the mission of James Island Outreach: No one on James Island goes to bed hungry unless we don’t know about it. Your ongoing gifts and support make this ministry a success. We have several members from our church family that volunteer regularly. We collect tons of jelly every year and we support JIO financially as well. Way to go JIBC. Job well done…jam up and jelly tight!

Pastor Tom

"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great 

and unsearchable things you do not know.” 

 Jeremiah 33:3

TRANSITION HOUSE UPDATE

I cannot and do not always give updates on the Transition House or our residents. That sometimes is difficult because some may think they are entitled to know everything about everything. It is usually not that way. Residents can come and go quickly. Our primary objective is to give them the opportunity to transition. They may “keep their bed”, their place in the house, as long as they live up to the contract agreement they turn in every week. It should never be a surprise to a resident if they are asked to leave the house. They turn in a weekly agreement. Either they kept it or they did not. You certainly understand when we do not make public announcements about the house, who is out and for what reason. And, by the way, not everyone leaves because of a relapse. Some leave for more personal reasons. Thanks for understanding this and for helping others understand as well. 

I love the way our church family loves and receives the House residents. Just remember, many of them, like many of us, have lived for years as cons. To stop using your drug of choice is hard. Those addictive thinking patterns can be harder to change. One of the things we will be asking the church family and our recovery ministry is to not give money to our current or former Transition House residents. That is so hard because we love them and their babies. You can give money for them through Celebrate Recovery. Then their sponsor or CR leaders and/or group can make sure it is the healthy thing to do. That even includes things like diapers, milk, etc. Wow, I know, that is so hard. We want to make sure helping does not hurt. This may relieve a lot of pressure should someone ask for help. You can agree to help…but only through Celebrate Recovery. The new residents will sign an agreement that they will not ask.

Right now, the Transition House is going through some changes. I am calling it a reboot. We are having some major construction issues. Some of them are structural in nature. Others are more cosmetic. Think about it. We originally bought the house for the purpose of tearing it down for parking. It went with no attention for over 6 years before we started the Transition House. We have had the Transition House Ministry for close to 4 years; housed over 20 women and almost that many children. It is time for the four R’s…repair, repaint, refresh and refurnish. While the house is temporarily closed, we will also be “rebooting” our policies and procedures and developing a Ministry Team to help lead the Transition House Ministry. Just FYI, the last residents had over a month’s notice that the house was closing down. We did not want anyone, especially babies and children, living there with major construction happening. So, all in all, announcing in February that the house would be closed was good timing. It gave everyone 4 to 6 weeks to make plans.

Let’s pray together Jeremiah 33:3…call to me and I will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know…

Pastor Tom