A Good Question

DO YOU RIDE A MOTORCYCLE…or know someone who does?
Our sister church, Northwood Baptist, offer one of the best motorcycle safety classes around. They are offering it 6 times this year. Our friend, Timmy Glover, is one of the instructors. He has long been one of the top Motorcycle Cops in the state and nation. The goal of these classes is not to teach you how to ride a motorcycle. It is to teach you how not to crash…crash avoidance! Now that is a class worth taking. For all or our biker members and friends I would say this: I took this course and will gladly take it again. It is that good and helpful. If we want to go together as a group that could be fun. Here are the 2016 dates for training. You do have to register to attend. March 12, April 30, June 11, July 16, August 13 and September 17. Let me know at tombrown41@comcast.net or see me before or after worship.

A GOOD QUESTION. I was asked a good question this past Sunday. Our 2016 Mission and Ministry Budget reflects $43,296 for debt retirement. The line item says this amount contributes to the debt incurred for building renovations. I can see where that could be confusing. The most recent renovations, completed in 2015, to the Worship Center/Restrooms/hallways and offices have been completely paid for. By God’s grace, your generosity and our fantastic finance team we were able to pay for these recent renovations completely. We did not borrow any money and we do not owe anything. Paid for, done, over…can I get an Amen?

The only debt we have as a church family is for the Transition House, sometimes referred to as the Parker House. Two renovations ago, Renovations 4 Generations (R4G), we did a major renovation in our preschool, built the atrium and renovated the children’s center. That was all set and ready to go when the old Sportsman building property became available. That was an old service station building that sat on the point where we currently park the bus. Exactly at that time, the brick home behind our church, owned by the Parkers, also became available. The need to purchase both of these was a no-brainer. We were so excited about the old Sportsman’s Shop that we raised all that money in cash! The Parker house, at the peak of the market, cost us around $315,000. We have paid off all the renovations to the church buildings, paid for the Sportsman’s Shop but had to finance the brick home that now houses the Transition House Ministry. We currently owe around $220,000 on that property. That is where the $43,296 in debt goes each year. All monies now given to R4G go toward the principal. I am glad to say that is the only debt we have and it is for a wonderful mission. To God be the glory. Thanks for asking.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

ALL IN…ALL JESUS…ALL THE TIME

MATTHEW 22:37 - Jesus replied “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Another way to say that…ALL IN! 

ROMANS 8:32 - “He who did not withhold even His own Son, but gave Him up for all of us, will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” God so loved you that HE went all in..giving you the best that He had…His Son.

This Sunday will be the last of this series of lessons on “ALL IN”. It has been my desire to point out the many places where our Father and our Lord encourage us to go all in. The Bible is filled with story of the heroes of the faith that went all in with God. It is also filled with stories of what happens when we do not go all in. AS I said this past Sunday: It always cost to go all in…it just cost more not to”. This Sunday we will be hearing the ultimate story of going all in. I hope you will be here for the conclusion…or should I say the beginning?

By the way, could I review a little history of JIBC with you about going all in? You went all in with your willingness to sponsor and help the Chinese church. They began with 3 and when they outgrew JIBC they had almost 100 adults, their own youth program and their own children’s program. When they left they had more money in the bank than 80% of all Southern Baptist Churches in South Carolina. You went all in and the reward was great…the largest and strongest Chinese Church in Charleston. The same story could be told of going all in with our Hispanic church, Luz Y Verdad. JIBC has sponsored Luz Y Verdad through thick and thin. Now, God has blessed Pastor Claudio and Claudia and their team with almost

70 adults every week, plus their own youth, children and preschool program. All in, all Jesus, all the time. Again, we could repeat the story about Celebrate Recovery. All the way back to the days when Pastor Ted started CR to the place we are today. James Island Baptist has one of the strongest, well run Celebrate Recovery groups in Charleston. We offer ministry to adults (CR) to youth (The Landing) and to children (Celebration Station) and preschool childcare. The Charleston CCrab House, Kickin Chicken , Al Simmons and Barry Waldrop graciously provide quality meals for CR. We have on occasion had more attending CR than the average Southern Baptist Church in South Carolina has in regular attendance! All in, all Jesus, all the time.

Let me be straight forward…it cost every time we go all in. It cost to help the Chinese Church, the Hispanic church and Celebrate Recovery. It always cost to go all in. It’s just that it cost more not to.

Thank you for being a church willing to go all in. I love you and am blessed by God with the privilege to be your pastor. My commitment is to continue to be all in…all Jesus…all the time.

Pastor Tom

TWO REALLY BIG EVENTS HAPPEN THIS WEEK.

I am writing this on Monday, January 11. Tonight Clemson plays Alabama for the National Championship. By the time you read this the game will be a done deal, in the record books. If Alabama wins, it is what most prognosticators expected. If Clemson wins, it may well be the biggest sports story of the year. You have noticed that I usually do not joke about sports or teams from the pulpit. Every now and again I will poke fun at the teams I enjoy and support…but not often. People are very touchy about their teams…especially if they have a history of being less than successful.

It is fun to imagine what would happen if the followers of Christ were as rabid and radical about the Kingdom of Christ as the Kingdom of My University. How different the worship would be if sung with the enthusiasm of our fight songs; how packed churches would be if we attended so faithfully; how the offerings would multiply if we gave with big game enthusiasm. That is at least a part of what I am aiming for in the “ALL IN” series. What would stop us from being all in on an eternal championship team? I am so pleased to hear your enthusiastic worship Sunday after Sunday. I am thrilled to see offerings so generous we can constantly increase what we give away to community and to world missions! I am blessed when I see friends bringing friends to worship and connection groups. Really, I love it. I love Team JIBC. Your love for our Father and Lord Jesus changes your life and your families. All In…All Jesus…all the time!

THE SECOND BIG EVENT. This past Wednesday was the lottery drawing for $1.3 Billion dollars. OK, gotta be honest. Janie snuck out to the 7/11 to buy a couple of tickets. Don’t judge. She did it for the sake of helping South Carolina education. OK, it wasn’t Janie, it was me. The point is, have you ever thought what you would do with $1.3 Billion? OK, after taxes and taking a cash payout, you only get around $500 Million. Still, what would you do? It is fun to imagine. The only thing I can’t imagine is the idea that it would not change me! Since I will not know what it is like to have $500 million, I dream about what I would do with a little less. What would I do with what I do have? I will be a good steward/manager of what God gives me. I will tithe and give offerings, save for emergencies, and live life blessed and highly favored. What I would do with a little is probably an excellent indication of what I would do with a lot. Either way, I want to live ALL IN…ALL JESUS…all the time.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing, wearing Victory Orange!

Pastor Tom

WHAT A NICE OPTION

This past Sunday was our first Sunday without the 8:30 Worship Service and it was our first Celebrate Recovery Worship Service in the Worship Center/Sanctuary. In the past Celebrate Recovery worship has been led by Marty from 6:30 to 7:15 in the Fellowship Hall. That had some real challenges to it: people still eating, kitchen noises, children leaving, people spread out over the entire hall, etc. This past Sunday we moved it to the Worship Center/Sanctuary added another instrument and two more singers. Oh my, oh my…what a wonderful intimate experience. It was worshipful, all together and very intimate. Wow! Way to go CR TEAM. 

So why is it a nice option? For those who were use to attending the 8:30 service, this may be a wonderful option for you. We had 30 people but they all sat close together…not spread out in a room built for 400. Same overhead, same singers, same Marty leading…it was a quality experience and it was well received. It starts at 6:30 and last until 7:15. Then the CR folks break up into their small groups.

So how does this affect you? If you are looking for another meaningful and inspiring worship event,

I want to suggest you visit Celebrate Recovery on Sunday nights. It is not just about alcohol and drug recovery. It is about a variety of hurts, habits and hang-ups. It is for those of us with anger issues, control issues, marriage or family issues, food issues, spending issues, co-dependency stuff, pornography addictions, sexual issues, gambling, etc, etc. It is about life and all our hurts, habits and hang-ups. We usually have a welcome and prayer, a song, the reading of the 12 Steps or 8 Biblical principles, giving out the CR chips, then a worship set followed by a lesson. After the lesson, some leave for the evening. Those who are a part of CR go to their men’s group or one of the two women’s groups. The worship experience is an open meeting and everyone is welcomed and invited.

What a nice option…for someone looking for another great worship experience or a smaller more intimate setting. See you Sunday, good Lord willing!



Pastor Tom