Christmas Countdown!

Before you know it Christmas day will have come and gone. Thank you all so very much for the generous gifts given to Lowcountry Orphan Relief, Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, and James Island Outreach. I can hardly wait for Susan to count up all the donations…poor Susan! Don’t you just love her? I really am excited to hear the final tally at the end of the year. The groups that went out Christmas Caroling were great! This Wednesday we have the Children’s Christmas presentation.

The Sunday after Christmas we are scheduled to have two pastors from Ukraine at JIBC. These are the two pastors that Mark Livengood works with, the two pastors that we include in our budget each year. Try your best to be here on Sunday, December 30. I know they will share briefly in the worship service, and we are considering having an open meeting in the Fellowship Hall for anyone who would like to hear more details about how God is working in Ukraine. Thank you for giving to our budget so we can bless others.

We have another new resident at the Transition House. Her name is Karissa McCray. She has a two year old that will join her once she gets settled in with transportation and a job. It is a joy to work with Jada and Karissa. I love what we see our Father doing. Both of them are a part of Rose Haselden’s Sunday Connection Group. That class serves as “big sister” to the House residents. By the way, last Sunday night we had 43 in Celebrate Recovery plus the band, plus the prayer group, plus the children and students. The volunteers who cook, serve, give, clean…God bless you. Many thanks to the Charleston Crab House, Kickin Chicken, Chef Barry, our fabulous Kitchen Krew, Al who provides pizza, classes that volunteer, etc. Thank you JIBC for making these ministries possible. We could not have a Transition House without the ongoing regular giving to the church budget. That ministry could never pay for itself. You don’t see the estimated $20,000 in support in the church mission budget, but it is there. Because you gave so generously, we could purchase the old Parker Home and renovate it. We have had over 30 women come through that mission!

The largest attended service of the year in coming on Monday, December 24. The Christmas Eve service of Candlelight, Communion and Carols is a favorite. We read the Christmas story and sing many of our favorite Christmas songs. It is a lovely service and a wonderful way to end the “Prepare Him Room” Advent season. See you there! 

Pastor Tom

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

Many of us remember the immortal Christmas classic “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth” as performed by Alvin and the Chipmunks! Lol. Thankfully, the song has been updated and upgraded. Still, I like the sentiments of the old song…if I had my two front teeth, then I could wish you a Merry Christmas. What would you like for Christmas that would help you bless others? I love the spin JIBC puts on Advent…find a way to bless the underserved, the widows, the orphans and those in need. Our Worship Center Stage is looking fabulous filled with diapers, jars of jelly, bottles of cooking oil and children’s pajama’s. Thank you for wishing Low Country Orphan Relief, Low Country Pregnancy Center and James Island Outreach a Merry Christmas. Wednesday we will be going Christmas Caroling at the Savannah House Nursing Home and in the community to some of our homebound members. Susan Warren, thank you for working so hard to make the arrangements for these projects. Well done.

This is the time of the year when my grown kids start asking Janie “What can we get dad for Christmas?” The answer is always the same: put some money toward one of your bills and then buy me a cool pair of socks! The only part I do not like about Christmas is when families or individuals go too far in Christmas spending. Don’t go into debt or put yourself in a financial bind for something that will be forgotten about the same time as the Christmas trees start to come down. Spend time with family, do for others, give to missions, and remember those in need.

Now, this is what I am asking our Heavenly Father for this year. We are down two staff persons and I would love to see them delivered to our church family and community this coming year. We are talking with a prospective Associate Pastor who would lead our Connection Groups. He would focus on discipleship, evangelism and leading our different team ministries in addition to other pastoral duties. Second, we are looking for a Student Pastor. The number of Students that we have at JIBC is not that large but the number of unreached Students in our community is very large. The Student Pastor would be a shepherd to the Students, leaders and families that we already have as well as a missionary to the majority of unreached students in the community. Join with me in seeking our Father’s will concerning these two leadership positions. He is able to do above and beyond what we have faith to ask.

See you Sunday for the third Sunday of Advent as we “Prepare Him Room”.

Pastor Tom

Prepare Him Room

“Prepare Him Room” is our Advent Theme for this Christmas season. The word advent means coming. It usually refers to the first coming of Christ, the Christmas Story. It also can refer to the Second Coming of Christ as well. Either way, let us prepare Him room. I hope this letter finds you enjoying the beauty of this time of year. I love the Christmas lights, the decorations, Christmas music and the increased spirit of giving. Make sure you take advantage of the many Christmas activities going on at and through James Island Baptist.

As we are approaching the last month of the year, I wanted to write a letter to thank you for your faithfulness this year. I really do mean that. Whether you are a person who gives a little, a lot, or nothing at all, I thank God for you. If you are praying for JIBC to be faithful to our God called purpose, you are a part of the family. If you are serving in any area, you are a part of the reason for our blessing and success. If you give financially, you are directly involved in making a difference. You feed the hungry, provide ministry for the addicted, help support missions all around the world as well as right here at home. You provide worship and education space for Luz Y Verdad, the Hispanic Mission that meets here at JIBC. They feed the community, sometimes up to 45 families at a time. You have a part in making that happen. You provide this mission and ministry space to Luz Y Verdad at no charge. I estimate that would be about $30,000 to $40,000 a year in mission support. You are not afraid to take on the toughest problems in our community…drug and alcohol addiction. The Transition House has blessed over 30 women since it has opened. Again, other ministries could be making tens of thousands of dollars with this type of mission. You provide it as a mission and ministry of JIBC and you do it with love and grace. You do such significant ministries they seem natural. They really are not. That is not counting the mission support that comes from your weekly tithes and offerings. I love it, love it and love it some more. Thank you.

I want to remind you that it is not too late to make a year-end contribution to our mission and ministry. For some, this might be a catch up offering that will help us end our fiscal year on a strong note. Others may have a year-end “thank you “offering” in gratitude for all God has done for you. This is a great time to make a gift to Daring Faith to help with the new side entrance and the new elevator. As I helped our custodian carry the tables back upstairs, I thought I would put some extra in that mission myself!

This Advent season make sure you prepare Him room. Don’t fall for the trap of overextending your calendar or your finances even for things that you enjoy. Prepare Him Room daily as you spend time alone with God. Prepare Him Room as you find ways to help those less fortunate this year. Prepare Him Room in a time of the year that began with Him. I look forward to celebrating the first Sunday of Advent with you on December 2.

Blessings In the Name of Immanuel…God with us,

Pastor Tom

It’s A Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

We have chosen “Prepare Him Room” for our Advent theme this year. The word advent means “coming”. So, advent can refer to both the first coming of our Lord Jesus (the Christmas Story) and the second coming of Jesus. I have come to really love and enjoy the Advent season. First, is all the hustle and bustle of Christmas time, the Advent Season and events helps us to stay focused. Advent becomes a weekly, even daily reminder of the reason for the season: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”(John 1: 14). As a part of Advent, we light a different candle each week: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Then at the Christmas Eve service we light the Christ Candle. The focus is on God’s Word and the Gospel story.

Second, I love the mission aspect of Advent that we have added. We make gifts and presents a part of our mission DNA. Each week of Advent will feature one of the ongoing missions that we support. You can bring any gift any on any Sunday during December. But each week will focus on a different ministry and a different gift. This year, we bring Jelly for James Island Outreach. Look for the BOGO deals! James Island Outreach also has a special need for cooking oil, so the second Sunday of Advent, December 9 we will bring cooking oil. Again, you can bring any item on any Sunday or any day of the week. I do all my shopping at one time and then just bring them all together! The third Sunday of Advent, December 16 will focus on Low Country Orphan Relief. They have asked for pajama’s and underwear of any and all sizes from 3T to XL. You know some displaced children will love to snuggle up to some super hero p.j.’s. Then last, we will bring diapers and pull ups of all sizes for our friends at Low Country Pregnancy Center. Oh, boy oh boy, this will be fun. Want to make it complete? Volunteer with Susan to take any of these items to the ministries. You will be double blessed.

Last, but not least, let us find a way to be generous and give to the International Mission Fund, the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Supporting close to 4000 full time missionaries around the world, this is about the best bang for your buck! Many of our missionaries work in Moslem countries and are the constantly at risk. Pray, give and support the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

Oh there is more: Christmas Caroling on Wednesday, December 12, a Children’s Musical on December 19, a mission program on December 5 and then our annual beautiful Christmas Eve Service. It is a most wonderful time of the year!

Pastor Tom

SEASONED WITH THANKSGIVING

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving Sunday! Could it have been better? Hard to imagine. Kevin and Nancy Walsh were back from an unbelievable series of circumstances. When they entered the worship center, the church family erupted in applause. The worship was strong and enthusiastic. I have to believe part of it was because our attendance was backup and more voices means more praise!

Our Kitchen Krew is the best ever! They served the entire church family a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. Homeless people ate to their hearts content, the Hispanic church joined us after their worship service and had plenty of food to enjoy. If that was not enough, the Kitchen Krew came back and served 55 more at Celebrate Recovery Sunday night. Well done to all our cooks, servers, volunteers, etc. Well done!

One of the most exciting parts about the day of Thanksgiving: It was one year ago that we had the ingathering offering for Daring Faith: Renovating Believers and Buildings. Imagine all that has been accomplished in the renovation projects. Accomplished, paid for and checked off the list. We roofed all of the church buildings; resurfaced the front and back parking lots; added the new sign and the row of protection bollards (the boxes with lighting have concrete poles to protect life and property); added sidewalk and safety curbing; landscaped; completely remodeled the fellowship hall from top to bottom, floor to lighting! During all that time, we still met and exceeded the goal for Shoeboxes, sent supplies to hurricane relief, collected jelly for James Island Outreach, etc, etc. To God be the glory.

If you are looking for a way to give an extra gift of thanksgiving, may I recommend you consider the Daring Faith Renovation? The next phase is one of the most exciting…adding a new entrance and the elevator. Some of our members and friends have given a large one time financial offering. Some prefer to make a monthly gift. You see what God is able to do with His family. I believe your financial gifts are well used and are intended to bring God glory and help us reach His community with love and the Gospel. Your generous giving allows us to feed the church family at no charge; to offer food to the homeless, to feed the patients from the Charleston Center each week, to maintain the Transition House, and so, so much more. Thank you for your prayers, your service and your financial gifts. May your life be seasoned with thanksgiving, now and forever.

Pastor Tom

THANKSGIVING SUNDAY CELEBRATION

This Sunday, November 18 is our Annual Thanksgiving Celebration. There is an abundance of great things to thank God for this year! Let me share a few:

First, we want to recognize and thank God for all of our new church family members and friends. This Sunday, we will invite everyone who has joined JIBC or one of our Connection Groups this year to come forward. We will take a picture for our history books and join together to say thanks to God for adding to His church family!

Second, we will observe the Lord’s Supper as the focal point of the worship service. The “Seasoned With Thanksgiving” series will conclude this Sunday as we give thanks for the Body and the Blood, given by God’s grace to redeem us.

Third, we will have a church wide Thanksgiving Dinner. You don’t want to miss this wonderful time of fellowship and feasting. Get to know some new faces and rub shoulders with some new friends. You do not have to bring anything but a good appetite. If you want to bring your favorite dessert, that will be great. By the way, all the finishing touches have been made of the Fellowship Hall just in time for this Thanksgiving Meal! Another Daring Faith project completed.

Fourth, Sunday night you can choose from two great options. One, join us each week, any week for Celebrate Recovery. God is at work setting the captives free. The meal is served at 5:30 and the Celebration Service starts at 6:30. The second option is the James Island Community Thanksgiving Service at 6:00 pm being hosted by First Baptist Church, James Island on Camp Road. This is always a great service of praise and thanksgiving. Bring some jelly or a cash offering as a part of the service. This is usually one of the best experiences of the year.

Thanksgiving Sunday is seasoned with thanksgiving. Take advantage of a great day, join us for worship, fellowship, mission, ministry and mission.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Pastor Tom

SEASONED WITH THANKSGIVING: A Verse, A Chapter, A Story, A Life

The teaching series for the three weeks leading up to Thanksgiving is “Seasoned With Thanksgiving”. I am praying that we will continue to build this spiritual discipline, this spiritual habit, into the very DNA of our lives, our Connection Groups and our Church Family. Everything we do…seasoned with Thanksgiving.

A Verse to memorize: Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In your anxious times, give thanks; in your prayer times, give thanks; when you need the peace of God, give thanks,; when you are guarding your heart, give thanks. Season everything you do with thanks!

A Chapter to meditate on: Psalm 100. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving…give thanks to Him…For the Lord is good.” Try taking time this week to read and re-read Psalm 100. It is an invitation to worship the Lord. Imagine our Good and Gracious Lord inviting you into His presence. How do you prepare, what do you say? Thanksgiving must be on the list. It is the appropriate response to any revelation God makes to us…praise and thanksgiving.

A Story: Luke 17:11-19 is a great story about one who returned to say thank you to Jesus. It changed his life forever. Such is the goodness of God, the mercy of our Lord Jesus and the power of giving thanks.

We will culminate this series on the Sunday before Thanksgiving when we will give thanks for a precious soul ready to be baptized; observing the Eucharist/Lord’s Supper; recognizing all the new members that have joined JIBC this last year. Let’s season it all with thanksgiving.

By the way, this past Sunday night we had almost 40 adults at Celebrate Recovery, maybe 15 to 20 in the Student Bible Study, a dozen or so in Celebration Station for Children. In the adult CR, we had 3 who were new, 4 who celebrated 30 days of “sobriety” (not all who attend are alcohol or drug related), 1 who celebrated 1 year sober and one who celebrated 3 years sober, and 4 who brought friends. Thank you all who make CR a real celebration.

Until we gather again, may your life be “Seasoned with Thanksgiving”!

Pastor Tom

SEASONED WITH THANKSGIVING

This Sunday I will begin a teaching series leading up to Thanksgiving.  Here is the basic idea:  A Verse, A Chapter, A Story, A Life…Seasoned With Thanksgiving.  First, we will work together to memorize a Bible verse about Thanksgiving.  Second, we will study one of the greatest chapters in the Bible about Thanksgiving.  Third, we will look at one of the greatest stories ever told about giving thanks.  And last, we will celebrate what our Lord Jesus did for us as we celebrate Eucharist: The Lord’s Supper on Sunday, November 18.  This is such a wonderful time of the year for being thankful.  Fill a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child…be thankful for His many blessings.  Plan to attend worship regularly as a way of expressing your gratitude.   Drop into the Dementia Support Group on Sunday, November 11 and be really thankful for a support group.  Join us on November 18, Thanksgiving Sunday, as we plan to have a ribbon cutting to give thanks and dedicate the completed Fellowship Hall.  Surely, the Daring Faith Ministry has been so worth it all.  A Verse, A Chapter, A Story, A Life…Seasoned with Thanksgiving.

FOR YOUR PRAYER LIST:

JIBC is hosting the Baptist Women’s Day of Prayer on Monday, November 5.  What a day of blessing   in so many ways.  For more information please contact Linda Iler.  This meeting is open for anyone to attend. 

Pray for our Quarterly Ministry Conference as we share updates on Daring Faith Renovation Hearts and Buildings and updates on potential staff members. 

Pray for our attendance in Connection Groups and the Worship services.  It might just be the time of the year, but we are experiencing really low attendance over the past few weeks.  We have been blessed with such healthy attendance for so long, it makes it so noticeable when we are way down in attendance.  Join me in prayer about this; call and check on those who you have been missing; invite someone to come with you. Our focus has always been on Church Health, not Church Growth.  We know that a healthy church (and a healthy Connection Group) is a growing church and a growing Connection Group.

Pray for our Mission Outreach for the Advent Season.  We will focus on how we can help hurricane victims.  Susan will be sharing more about this in days to come.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

Fall Festival Is Almost Here!

FALL FESTIVAL: LESS THAN ONE WEEK AWAY! 

I know it does not seem like it, but the Annual Fall Festival is the largest attended event of the year for JIBC. We pack the worship center out for Christmas Eve and Easter. But we will have three times that number at the Fall Festival on Wednesday, October 31. Susan and her team have done a good job of recruiting volunteers, gathering mountains of candy and dealing with the construction obstacles this year. So, this year may be a little…different. Hotdogs and drinks will be served outside at the Kickin Chicken Food Truck. All restrooms will be the port-a-potties! We will not have anything inside this year since the side door-elevator entrance is under construction. Remember the goal: a family friendly, extremely safe, fun filled alternative to the traditional Halloween (going door to door, accepting candy from strangers, too much emphasis on evil, etc). Families of preschoolers and children can have a great time, get plenty of candy and be about as safe as you can be (our security team will be in full force). If you have not signed up to volunteer but want to, please let Susan know. There are jobs where you can sit the whole time, mingle the whole time, give directions or actively participate at a booth. This is a day the Lord has made, let us be glad and have fun with it. The devil does not get to decide what we do on any day of the year! Amen!?


THEN COMES ADVENT. You know your pastor, I absolutely love the Christmas season. Just about the only thing I do not like about Christmas is the idea of someone going into debt or spending money they do not have on things that will not last. I absolutely love that JIBC has found a wonderful way to combine Advent with Missions. Susan Warren and our old friend Charles Dillon will be gathering a list of items for us to bring each Sunday of Advent. This year we will, of course, bring jelly for the James Island Outreach. The other three Sundays of Advent, we will bring items needed in the hurricane relief efforts. Hopefully, we will be able to take a load down the week after Christmas to our old friends at Carpenters House Global, Charles and Judy Dillon. The Dillons are former members who have gone full time into Disaster Relief work.

As I said last week, starting with the Fall Festival, this is my favorite season of the year!

Pastor Tom

Fall Festival and Operation Christmas Child

COMMUNITY OUTREACH: FALL FESTIVAL 

In just about 2 weeks we will put on a community party known as The James Island Baptist Fall Festival. I know there are some who totally embrace the whole “Halloween” experience and some who totally object to anything related to Halloween. I try to take my lead from neither of those two positions. Over the years, we have decided to take the Halloween tradition head on. We have tried, with God’s blessing, to offer a family friendly Fall Festival that gives families a positive alternative to Halloween. This is a day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it. We don’t run inside or go out to eat to avoid the crowds. We go after them, invite them, and show them good clean fun for FREE! And just like on any given Sunday we cannot keep out the scary people or those with impure motives. What we can do is pray for them, love on them, surround them with God’s people looking to bring God joy and to share that joy with the world. 

This year will be a little bit of a challenge with all of the construction going on. Susan and her team are ready to make last minute adjustments based on where we are on the days just before October 31! 

By the way, we still need three more things: More prayers, more candy and about 20 more volunteers. We have 40 signed up but we still need a few more to serve as greeters and to help point people in the right direction! Please sign up Sunday or touch base with Susan! We will have more people on our campus on October 31 than on any other night or day of the year! Let’s show them a Good and Beautiful God and His Good and Beautiful Church family known as JIBC. 

CHRISTMAS IS COMING AND THAT MEANS 

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD SHOEBOXES 

Susan has lost her mind! JIBC and over 300 shoeboxes…really? Just teasing. That is the goal for this year: over 300 Shoeboxes filled with toys and supplies to take God’s love around the world. Wouldn’t you like to see all those faces of the little children who open these boxes? It basically takes around $9 to fill a box with the suggested items and, if you can, Operation Christmas Child asks for an additional $9 to help cover the shipping. But you bring the box filled even if you cannot cover the shipping. I suspect that the cost will be covered. The filled shoeboxes are DUE BY WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14. For more info contact Susan@jamesislandbaptist.com. 

See you Sunday, Good Lord willing! 

Pastor Tom 

FALL FESTIVAL OR BUST!

One of the longest standing mission/ministries/traditions of James Island Baptist has been our annual Fall Festival. It has truly become a community event. Do you remember how we started it? We wanted to go head to head with a fun, but questionable, night of Halloween. I know many of us had so much fun as kids going door to door getting free candy, dressed in homemade costumes. We stayed out to the wee hours of the night until everyone turned their lights out. Our Piggly Wiggly grocery bags were filled with an assortment of goodies. Very seldom was there any meanness, razor blades or poison in candies, seldom a mention of child predators and drugs were not an epidemic. That was then, this is now.

So we went head to head with a favorite night on the calendar. We offer a family friendly, as safe as possible environment that is free…affordable to every family. I am continually amazed at all we are able to offer and do at this festival. Kids get all the candy no parent wants them to have (lol); games are good clean fun; food is always delicious; and every now and again, we are able to share the Gospel story in an introductory way. The music is always the best! We have never really been tempted to offer this on another more convenient night…like a weekend. We always go head to head with Halloween. We encourage all of our volunteers and JIBC folks not to wear scary costumes or dress up in scantily clad costumes. Think family, think preschool and children. There are adult and teen parties that have more mature, frightful themes. We try to target families. By the way, we do not mind when our guestz come dressed in traditional Halloween garb. I personally love that they will see very creative costumes by our church family that are neither scary or “sexy”.

So how can you help? You know the drill: Volunteer for a two hour shift…or more if you have the stamina; brings lots and lots of candy; invite someone with children; pray for favor with God and man. Our challenge this year will include the renovation of the side of our building. That takes away, just for this year, a sizeable chunk of real estate we would use for the festival. Susan Warren and her team are already on top of the Plan B!

Hard to believe it is almost here! See you soon, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

PRAYING FOR JIBC!

So we have quite a few things on our plates to lift in prayer to our Father in Heaven. Thankfully, He knows our needs before we can give voice to them. Our praying is to seek Him and find what He is doing. It is not so much to ask Him to bless what we are doing. Second, our praying is a confession of sorts. We confess how much we need Him and how dependent we are on Him for guidance and blessing. So here are a few things for us to lift up to the Father of Lights, the giver of every good gift.

First, let’s give thanks for the time our students have been blessed by Frankie Gilmore. As you may have heard Sunday in the worship service, Frankie is stepping down as the Pastor of Student Ministries. We are so grateful he is not leaving, only shifting. He is going back to more like the status he used to have when he served as Student Pastor Intern. The Lord opened a financial door for Frankie that pays him almost triple what we are able to pay an entry level Student Pastor. He will be working at one of the Escape Game venues in West Ashley. His hours there conflict with the main hours he serves at JIBC or we would have gladly offered him a part time position. He is the type of servant we want on our team. He and Jen will be getting married in 2019 and this career move will allow him to prepare for the wedding and provide for his family. God is good all the time! AGAIN, Frankie will still be here coordinating our ongoing Student Ministries and leading in our worship band on Sunday mornings. But we will not see him around much in the evenings as he works his new job!

Second, please pray for Janie and me as we travel to meet and interview a prospective new staff member for JIBC. We are seeking the Father’s will as we look for someone who will serve as, what is now referred to as, the Executive Pastor. Back in the day, we would have just called them the Associate! We have had several conversations with this prospective staff member and will be meeting with him this weekend. Keep us in your prayers, please.

Third, the Daring Faith Building Believers and Renovating Buildings continues full steam ahead. We have a few minor touches to complete the Fellowship Hall. As soon as they are complete, we will have a ribbon cutting praise celebration! The new entrance and elevator will take a little longer. This may impact our Fall Festival to some degree, but Susan and her team are working brilliantly on a Plan B to adjust for the construction. Thank you for giving so generously of your tithes to support the ongoing mission of the church and your offerings to accomplish the much needed renovations. We will be continuing the Daring Faith Offerings over the next two years. Our hope is to be able to complete all the renovations and to maintain all of our missions and ministries. It is not too late to give a larger one time gift and/or a monthly gift to help offset expenses.

It is a good time to pray and seek Him, to ask His blessings to continue on JIBC. God is good all the time and all the time, God is good!

Pastor Tom

IT IS A LOT TO ASK

James Island Baptist has been blessed in so many ways it is hard to list them all. One way we have been blessed is in tithes and offerings. This church family and our friends have consistently given above and beyond. There have been years where, by God’s grace, we were able to take the entire offering for a week and give it to mission causes. The mission and ministry of JIBC is strong because God has led you to be faithful in giving your tithes to your local church. To God be the glory.

There are times when asking for additional offerings for missions and ministry is needed. Now is one of those times. In addition to our tithes, which should go to the local church where you worship, we have needs beyond JIBC. Let me share three that you might consider blessing with an extra offering.

First, there is James Island Outreach. Now through October 12, you have the opportunity to give and to have your gifted doubled. A benefactor has pledged to match dollar for dollar every financial gift given from now until Friday, October 12. I have challenged our staff to give with the idea that what they are able to give, Janie and I will try to match. Imagine, instead of buying a jar of jelly to donate that cost $1.50, you gave that $1.50 as an offering. It would be matched and you would in effect be giving $3.00. There is no gift to small to be doubled! As the political commercials say: “ I approve this announcement”. You can donate through JIBC or go to http://jioutreach.org/donations. You can make checks out to James Island Outreach and mail them to JIO, 1872-C Camp Road, Charleston, SC 20412.

Second, there is the GoFundMe for Kevin Walsh. The unique circumstances make this a ministry we want to support. On an airplane returning from a business trip, Kevin had a massive heart attack. The plane was rerouted to Dallas Texas and Kevin was airlifted to Baylor Hospital. Monday, he had an LVAD inserted that will help his heart to function until he can have a heart transplant. The hope is to bring him back to MUSC, a hospital that accepts their insurance. If you would like to donate any amount you can go to www.newheartforkevin.com

Third, will be the massive Disaster Relief effort for victims of Hurricane Florence. This devastation is likely to be more extensive that Katrina in New Orleans. We have already sent one loaded UHaul trailer full of supplies. My guess is there will be many more in days to come. Once the water recedes and damage is accessed, then there will be a time and place for teams to go and help. Pace yourself on this one. It is easy to be fatigued by non-stop pictures and information about the devastation.

IT IS A LOT TO ASK. We have been blessed to bless. Pray…it is always the number one request. Give when you can as the Lord blesses. Prepare for the time when we may be taking trips to help out.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

What's Happening at JIBC

Class 101: Discovering Church Membership is scheduled for this Sunday, September 23 at 4:00 pm. We have 12 signed up for this discovery seminar! I am always to excited to think about how the Lord leads people to unite with His family here at James Island Baptist. Beautiful families with stories of how God has blessed them. Each of them came to JIBC on different paths but now feel ready to take the next step to explore membership. To God be the glory! 

Daring Faith Continues Making Progress. Many of you have seen the wonderful makeover for the Fellowship Hall. It is NOT finished, but it is already such a wonderful improvement with beautiful colors, a fabulous looking floor and improved lighting. The little finishing touches are on the way. We will have a ribbon cutting celebration when everything is ready.  AND…the new entrance with the elevator is in progress. As I am typing this article, the workers are drilling and hammering away! Thank you for your patience during the transition time. Many of you have volunteered to park off campus and walk a little extra to leave parking for Senior Adult, families with small children and guests. You guys are the best! Keep your fingers crossed we can have this completed by the time of our Annual Fall Festival, October 31st. If not, Susan and her team have a really good Plan B ready.

Thank you for your faithful giving to make these renovations possible. Every Pastor I know wishes we did not have to spend money on renovations, upkeep, improvements, etc. But just like our homes, it comes with the territory. And the end result, we believe, will be so worth it all. Thank you for generously giving. If you have not made a gift to Daring Faith, please consider doing so. Some found it easier to give a large one time gift and then to regularly give a monthly gift as God blesses. So far, we have been able to pay for the construction as we go along. That is possible because so many gave so generously upfront. The more we pay off, the better it is in avoiding interest!

The Storm That Was Not. We are grateful for the blessings of not having to face a Cat 4 hurricane. Florence missed us and for that we give thanks. It hit our neighbors to the north and continues to do severe damage across the Carolinas. Please continue to be in prayer for first responders and those still in harms way. Thank you to everyone who helped cover bases for Sunday worship. Again, you guys are the best. See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

FLORENCE OR NO FLORENCE…THAT IS THE ANNOYING QUESTION!

As I type this article we are watching regularly the non-news news about Hurricane Florence. This is such a difficult time for everyone that is anywhere near the potential path of destruction. Like many of you, we have our families to prepare for and then we have our business to prepare for (in this case James Island Baptist Church). How do you properly prepare for something that might not happen? You prepare as though it might happen! So, here are some suggestions that might help.

First, pray. Really, that is a good strategy. Pray for peace, wisdom, discernment, energy, leadership, etc. Pray and trust that our Father in Heaven wants to bless you. Pray for those who are first responders, medical personnel and those who will serve and work in the storm.

Second, prepare. I really don’t mind buying things that I will use during the year anyway. We will always use water, canned chicken, duct tape, plastic, extra gas, etc. We try to buy the kind of things we will use eventually anyway. I know I am going to grill out…so make sure the tanks are full. We always need flashlights to check outside and in dark places…so have batteries on hand. The hardest thing to prepare for me is the emergency list and contact information. Most of my emergency people are here! So be creative.

The rule of thumb at the church is if Charleston County School District closes, we close. That makes it so hard because we do not have a phone tree to get the word out to everyone. Our thinking is we don’t want you taking a chance on being out if the officials have warned everyone to stay off the roads, or if flooding is imminent, etc. We will try our best to get word out but stay in touch with social media whenever possible. Now, the good news! By the time you read this, whatever is going to happen will have already happened. This will be good information for the next time!

Be safe, be prepared and pray. Does anyone around you need help? Let us know.

Pastor Tom

CLASS 101: Discovering Membership @JIBC

Every 3 or 4 months we offer our membership class to members and non-members alike. Why would anyone willingly give up a Sunday afternoon to attend a course on church membership? The answer is partially found in the question…because it is church membership. For years the only requirement for joining a local church was the ability to walk down the aisle at the invitation time. The church family would dutifully and usually gladly vote to receive a person into church membership. Church rolls are filled with inactive members who one day mustered up the courage to walk down the aisle to join the church.

It is unfortunate, but in too many cases we got what we asked for…nothing. The bar was set so very low…just come forward and say you want to join. No mention of what you could expect from your new church family or what your new church family would expect from you.

We have for years been offering Class 101: Discovering Church Membership @ JIBC as the way to join the church. It gives me the opportunity to personally present the Gospel to every person who joins JIBC. Each seminar presents the opportunity to say “yes” to the call to follow Jesus. Second, I am able to walk each potential member through the traditions of the Church of Jesus Christ concerning why we baptize by immersion and our customs for observing the Lord’s Supper. As long as they keep their Class 101 workbook, they will always be able to go back to the biblical teachings of why we believe what we believe and why we do what we do and be able to explain it to others.

The third section of our membership course covers what we do as a church and who we do it with. We go through the biblical foundation of being a church driven by the purposes of God as clearly revealed in the Bible. God is on mission to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world. We are in business to join Him. Class 101 tells how we do that. We explain how we make disciples that make disciples that change their community and world.

Then lastly, we share why we are willingly a part of the Charleston Baptist Association, the South Carolina Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention. Every new member receives the latest info produced by the SBC explaining who Southern Baptist are and what we are trying to do in the Kingdom of God.

Now, here is the kicker. First, when they attend Class 101: Discovering Membership @JIBC, they received great, informative material to start their discipleship journey. Second, then they are invited, if so led by the Spirit of God, to sign a membership covenant becoming a working part of JIBC. That, my friends, I love!

Never been through Class 101? Come on, I promise it will be worth your time. Has it been a while since you have been through? Come on back, the refresher will bless you and through you bless others. The next class is scheduled for Sunday, September 23 at 4:00 p.m.

Pastor Tom

DISCIPLESHIP - BIBLE STUDY OPTIONS

Starting Wednesday night, September 5, you can choose between two Bible Study options. First, Janie Brown is teaching First Place For Health. This is a total health program that involves a daily Bible Study, a guided eating plan and exercise. Any one part of this class is worth taking but you get all three in place! You can’t beat that.

Second option is the Old Testament Survey that I will teach each week. We will start with an introduction on Wednesday September 5 and will begin with Genesis on Wednesday, September 12. We will take a survey of each book of the Old Testament seeing how it fits in the Gospel plan. How do we see Jesus in the Old Testament? All you need is your Bible. I will have handouts each week for notes.

Even if you are not signing up for a Bible Study, remember you can come and enjoy a great meal and fellowship. Our Kitchen Krew serves southern food that rivals any in town. The traditional first meal is fried chicken and mac & cheese. If you have not been here on fish night you are missing a treat.

For those with preschoolers, children or youth, we have you covered. We have a nursery each week and Awana ministry is one of the strongest ministries in the church. Kids who attend Awana are 715% less likely to fail math test on Thursday’s than those who do not attend. Ok, I made that up. But 89% of the things I make up could be based on factual misrepresentations. Youth ministry features Surge on Wednesday nights. This is the Youth Worship service. Do whatever you can to encourage your student to be present on Wednesday nights.

One last plug: Sunday mornings our Youth are beginning a new Bible Study, The Gospel Project. The idea is to take them through the entire Bible in a 3 year period. They will focus on the major doctrines that youth deal with in their lives. It will help them understand a Biblical World View that will enable to better handle opposition to Christianity they might encounter in their daily lives. This starts September 2 in the Book of Genesis. This is so worthwhile.

Sunday, I start a new teaching series based in the “One Anothers” found in the Bible. Over 40 times the Bible instructs us to do things like “love one another, admonish one another, pray for one another etc. I am praying this biblical series will be used by our Father to make our sweet fellowship even sweeter. Blessings await those who live in obedience to His will.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Tom

WANT TO HEAR SOME OUTSTANDING NEWS?

All too frequently we hear about the horrible and unfortunate fall of church leaders. It happens in all denominations and at all levels of leadership. The fall of church leaders seems to be sensational news. There is an old adage in the news industry: “If it bleeds, it leads”. Good news does not seem to sell copies or get ratings. So, let me share with you some Great News you may never hear anywhere else.

I have for years considered Rick Warren and Saddleback Church to be mentors to my own life and ministry. Let me share some of the reasons why. Pastor Rick Warren’s dad was a pastor, a bi-vocational pastor. Rick’s first book, The Purpose Drive Church was the best selling book on church growth in history. Warren gave all the profits to help bi-vocational pastors because he was raised by one. Warren was the founding pastor of Saddleback 38 years ago. It is the only church he has pastored and he started with just him and his wife, Kaye. This past Sunday Saddleback Church, to the glory of God, baptized their 50,000th member. That is not a typo…50,000. Over the 38 years of the church, that averages out to 3.6 people becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus every day for 38 years. I am sorry you did not read about that in the news. That may be the first church in history to hit such a milestone. Did you know that Saddleback Church was the first church in history to have 10,000 members and to not have a building to meet in yet! The met in 79 different locations their first year until God provided the land and buildings! During their 40 Days of Community, their church fed every homeless person in their county, 41,000 of them, 3 meals a day for 40 days! They prepared and delivered over 126,000 meals. To God be the glory. Saddleback was the first church in history to fulfill the Great Commission literally…to go to EVERY NATION and make disciples. Saddleback has sent out 25, 869 missionaries from their church to ALL 197 official nations. They are now working with every major mission sending organization, including our International Mission Board, to take the Gospel to all 3,000 tribes with no Gospel in their heart language.

Rick Warren was raised by Southern Baptist parents in a pastor’s home. He earned his college and seminary degrees from Southern Baptist schools. He has been offered leadership positions at our largest seminary and our Mission Board. He is the most doctrinally sound pastor in America. He authored the world’s best selling non-fiction book The Purpose Driven Life. He drives a 20 year old pickup truck. Unfortunately you will not hear about those things in the news. And for some unknown reason, I even have Christian friends who love to put Warren down. Gotta tell ya…I am grateful to God for raising up and protecting such a humble man of God. A lesser person would have fallen. To God be the Glory.

Pastor Tom

Fellowship Hall Update

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

Hebrews 12:2 

It is almost impossible for me to relate to the sacrifice Jesus made for us all. The price he paid is all but beyond the ability for my mind to comprehend. What I can, in some small way, relate to is how Jesus endured such suffering. It is in the phrase “For the joy set before him he endured the cross”. For the future benefit and the eternal joy of the world, he endured suffering. Hallelujah, what a Savior.

In a very small way, could I ask our JIBC family to embrace this verse? We are currently in the middle of two renovation projects. Both of them will cause and interruption to the natural flow of the church campus and to some degree the ministries of the church. The side door on the Plymouth Avenue side is under construction. You cannot imagine how many times the staff starts toward that exit...only to be greeted by a boarded up door. This will affect parking, entry in and out, the weekday preschool, etc. Just remember... “For the joy set before him, he endured”. By the time October gets here, we will be enjoying the joyful part of the construction project.

The same is true for the Fellowship Hall. Work began Monday. Ceiling tiles, tracks and lights are coming down. This will, as I said, impact many of our ministries. The weekday preschool, meals, Bible Study classes, Celebrate Recovery, etc. Just keep repeating “for the joy set before him he endured”. I really do believe the end product will be a source of great joy. Until then it will be a source of something else. Lol.

Hang in there, plan ahead, get your extra steps in by using the other doors. Together, we will celebrate the completion of this part of Daring Faith!

See you soon,

Pastor Tom

Come, Follow Me: Discipleship @ JIBC

The Great Commission of the Church is to “Go and make disciples”. Somehow in the “Come, follow me” invitation is the task of making disciples. On Sunday mornings I am going through a 5 week series I am calling “Come, Follow Me: Discipleship @JIBC”. The goal is to paint a picture of what a disciple looks like. If making disciples is our business, how is business going? How are we doing in the task of making disciples that make disciples that make our community a better place to live? 

We are starting with the question of “What does a disciple look like?” Each week I am giving a few more pieces of the puzzle. Two weeks ago, we started with the key word BELONG. A disciple is someone who Believes (trusts, surrenders, commits to) in the Lord Jesus Christ; they have been BAPTIZED into the family of God; and the BELONG in God’s household with every other believer. I believe we are all created with a longing for belonging.


This past week the key word was BECOME. A disciple is someone who BECOMES more and more like Jesus as they follow him. It was God’s intention from the beginning of creation that we be made into His image and conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. How does that process work? The work of the Holy Spirit of God changes our hearts. How? Through the regular, ongoing reading of the divinely inspired Word of God, the Holy Spirit of God begins His work. The Bible is read for transformation, not information. DAILY BIBLE READING is essential to being a disciple and for becoming more like Jesus. PRAYER is perhaps the second way the Spirit of God works in and through us. Discipleship and prayer cannot be separated. Don’t look at prayer as our way to change God’s mind and actions. Look at prayer as the way the Spirit of God changes our minds and actions. Prayer moves us to where God is working and to be involved in what God is blessing. The third way of becoming more like Jesus is be becoming a GENEROUS GIVER. Tithing is not the goal of New Testament giving. Tithing 10% is the way you demonstrate that everything you have belongs to God. Not just 10% but 100%. It is all His and we are His managers. Allow me to share a word of pastoral caution about tithing. The tithe is never yours to decide what to do with. It would be spiritually unwise to “hold your tithe” or to “designate” your tithe. You may hold or designate something that belongs to you. The tithe belongs to the Lord. Even then, remember, the tithe is not the goal of your giving. It is the beginning of you becoming a generous giver. Biblical examples, teaching and reason should lead us to give our tithe to the local church where we worship, serve and fellowship. Offerings could be given to other ministries. At any rate, to become more like Jesus, we become generous givers. Last, we must be CONNECTED to become more like Jesus. No one grows in isolation. We need each other and we are indeed better together.



What does a disciple look like? He believes, is baptized, belongs and is becoming more and more like Jesus.



Pastor Tom

DARING FAITH: RENOVATING BELIEVERS AND BUILDINGS

FELLOWSHIP HALL HAS BEEN STARTED, BUT NOT COMPLETED! 

This past week work on the Fellowship Hall renovations was started. It was such an interesting process to see the work in progress. If, and we emphasize the word if, all things go well, we should be able to be back in the Fellowship Hall this Sunday, July 29. Now, repeat after me: “Started but not completed”. If you go back to see the new floor, remember there is no new paint, no new fixtures, ceiling, lights, etc. As of today we believe we will have the new tile floor down by this Sunday. That will allow us to set up the two Adult Bible Study Classes and be able to serve the meal at Celebrate Recovery. And, best news ever…coffee will be served Sunday morning. That is the plan as of today. But in construction world, things beyond our control change. So stay flexible.

Please keep in mind that the new flooring is just the first part of the Fellowship Hall renovation. But in good time, all things will come together. When it is complete, we will have a ribbon cutting and celebration. I really do believe you will love the finished project.

Now, let’s get ready for another significant, but temporary, challenge. Any day now we could start the new entrance and the installation of the elevator. That will be quite a project. For the next two months we will not be using the Plymouth Avenue side entrance. You can still enter the church through the front doors, the atrium doors, the youth fire escape and the back floor by the Genesis Class room. Just remember, this too shall pass. Again, when it is all said and done, this will be such a welcome addition to our church facilities.

Daring Faith was more than just the name of our last church wide discipleship emphasis. It was an accurate phrase used to describe what we were undertaking. Trying to elevate the faith of our church family while raising almost $500,00 to do some much needed renovations to our buildings and grounds. Thank you for your generous giving to make this happen. Some were able to give one time offerings that helped us double the largest single offering ever given in JIBC history. Some are giving a monthly offering. And still others were giving by faith trusting God to provide what they currently do not have. If you can, please consider giving a cash gift now. The more we can pay for as we go, the less we have to borrow from the bank and the ore we save on interest. So far, we have been able to pay for all the renovations without borrowing a penny. Well done!

See you Sunday, looking at the new floors…I hope.

Pastor Tom

WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL AND SWEATY SERVANTS!

Our hats off and our sincere thanks to all who made the Sunday Anniversary Picnic such a wonderful success. I think everyone had a great time. The attendance was great and the weather was beautiful. Thank you to Susan Warren and Janie Brown for organizing the large number of hard working volunteers. Many hands make light work. You all sure made it look easy…and we know it was not. Thank you from all of us that enjoyed the wonderful day. I am so happy to be a part of a church family that loves one another. People sat and talked for hours. By the way, how cool was it to celebrate believer’s baptism on Anniversary Sunday. Such a beautiful young family God has added to the JIBC family. Welcome Wally and Ashley.

THE CONSTRUCTION IS ABOUT TO BEGIN 

We do not know the exact dates so let’s say sooner rather than later! Any time now construction could begin on the next two major Daring Faith Renovation Projects. Both of them could rearrange your usual traffic pattern in attending Bible Study and worship. There are two projects that could be happening at the same time. 

First, the Fellowship Hall. This is predicted to be the dustiest project you can imagine. So when it begins Rose Haselden’s Class and Fred Roark’s Class (Genesis) are very likely to be temporarily displaced. Rose’s class will meet at the Transition House for the few weeks of construction. Hopefully only two weeks. We will see. The temporary location of the Genesis class is TBA. We are working hard on the details. For the two weeks of construction, you will not be able to enter the Fellowship Hall through the double doors in the main hallway by the water fountain. Deep breath and remember…this too shall pass. As soon as we know we will try to let you know.

Second, the new entrance and elevator is coming…maybe at the same time. So, for a month or so, we will not be able to use the Plymouth Avenue side door entrance. That is the side door closest to the oak trees. If we could, let’s all of us able bodied folks park on the Plymouth Avenue side of the church and let those who need to (Senior Adults, people with children, special needs, etc) park on the front paved parking lot. Please note, this project will take longer that the Fellowship Hall. So, we will be without this exit for well over a month. This too shall pass…like a kidney stone, but it shall pass. Be patient and rejoice, be patient and rejoice and again I say be patient and rejoice.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

CHURCH ANNIVERSARY THIS SUNDAY, JULY 15

Here we go, ready or …of course we are ready! This Sunday will be a great day to give thank to our Heavenly Father for the part of His Church known as James Island Baptist Church. For 71 years the faithful have been seeking to join God in His mission to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world. I do love that about JIBC…outward focused, loving fellowship and a desire to live out the Word of God. God has been so good to His people.

This Sunday the schedule will be exactly the same as far as Sunday School/Connection Groups. We meet at 9:45 as usual. Then we gather for worship at 11…just as we usually do. We will celebrate believer’s baptism and observe the Lord’s Supper together. THEN THE PICNIC! Dress casual so you can join us at the James Island County Park at the Edisto Shelter. The Edisto Shelter can seat around 300 people inside and it is air conditioned! There will also be seating outside at the picnic tables under the oaks. Weather permitting; there will be some outdoor children’s activities. A new little twist at this year’s picnic will be the time of singing and drawings for some really neat door prizes. You do have to be present and inside for the prize drawings. This will add a little spice to the picnic. Serving tents will be outside, but we will fix our plates and find a place inside the Edisto Shelter. Enjoy the fellowship, get to know some new faces and enjoy the cookout. If you bring anything, just bring a dessert. Please make sure it is pre-sliced and ready to serve since we are not at the JIBC Kitchen will all of our serving supplies! I am looking forward to another great anniversary celebration. I do hope you will join us!

CHILDRENS CAMP 

JIBC Church kids will be off to CentriKid Camp at Gardner Webb University on Monday, July 16. I can tell you from first-hand experience, that is a fantastic camp and our kids will have a blast as they grow closer to Christ and to each other. I am hoping that Janie and I can take off Wednesday night after she gets off work and join our kids for the full day of camp on Thursday. I so want Janie to see and experience this camp. Pray for our entire team of leaders and children: ask the Lord for safety and smooth traveling with no vehicle issues; pray for hearts to be drawn ever closer to our Heavenly Father; pray for those who might make first steps toward becoming a follower of Jesus. See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

CHURCH ANNIVERSARY PICNIC: SUNDAY, JULY 15

We are less than 2 weeks away from our 71st Church Anniversary. This year we will celebrate on Sunday, July 15. Join us at JIBC for Bible Study—Connection Groups at 9:45 and Worship at 11:00. We are planning to observe the Lord’s Supper and celebrate believers baptism. What a great day at JIBC.

Then everyone is invited to join us for the church wide picnic in the air-conditioned Edisto Hall at the James Island County Park. Food tents will greet you as you arrive and fellowship will await you around the tables! This year we are adding a little twist of fun. We will have giveaways and live music at announced times. Marie Smith has done a fabulous job in getting great donations for the day. You will want the ticket you will be given as you go to the food tents. There will be activities for the kids as well. Those who choose can enjoy the cookout under the oak trees at the picnic tables. It should be a wonderful, wonderful day.

NOW FOR SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT 

ON MISSION magazine is published by our North American Mission Board. They have an article called “The Pulse”. Here are some of the, let’s say, interesting items reported. (1) Teen Depression. The American Academy of Pediatrics is now recommending teens between the ages of 12 and 21 be assessed every year for mental health disorders. Suicide has become the third leading cause of death among young people in the United States. (2) Stress and Prayer. Americans surveyed said their stress level is 4.5 out of 10, but only 29% say they turn to prayer in times of stress. “Oh what needless pains we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer”. (3) A study of 27,000 people worldwide showed that having close friends in old age was a stronger predictor of physical and emotional health than close family connections. Connection Groups…they are good for your health!

This Sunday we conclude our study of 1 John: You May Know. The message this Sunday will focus on how to know you are a child of God. Looking forward to seeing you, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

CHURCH ANNIVERSARY COMING UP: SUNDAY, JULY 15

Our church family will be celebrating another anniversary in July. Traditionally, the anniversary has been celebrated on the second Sunday of July. We had such a great turn out last year that we wanted to stay with the successful game plan. Our church Fellowship Hall is really too small to seat 300 people. So, we rented the Edisto Shelter at the James Island County Park. It will seat 300 inside, plus about 10 picnic tables under the oak trees. We will do a cookout providing all the hamburgers, hotdogs and all the fixin’s. You are welcomed to bring a dessert if you would like. If someone happened to bring a macaroni and cheese, they would need to see me so I could take special care of it! Oh, back to the desserts. It would help if you could pre-slice your dessert since we will not be at the JIBC Kitchen with all our serving wares. Believe me, anyway you bring a great dessert will be fine. Plan to dress for the park on that Sunday. We will leave right after worship. By the way, we are planning to celebrate with Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

So, a few things that will be different at this year’s picnic. We will fix our plates outside the shelter under the tents and then proceed inside for seating. That way we increase the number of seats in the air conditioned inside! We have some great prizes to be drawn but you do have to be present to win. Marie Smith has been working on the door prizes and she always comes up with great prizes. Rumor has it there are two $75 gift certificates to the View Salon! So far I think she has seven adult prizes and three for children. We plan to have live music featuring our talented musicians. Sounds like it is going to be a great day at the park.

This past week was a great example of why I so love JIBC. We had a great Vacation Bible School with volunteers that were high energy and highly committed to serving children. We collected over 100 jars of jelly and gave over $1,200 for James Island Outreach. What a great way to say welcome to the new Director at JIO, Scott Graule. We want him to know JIBC is on board with the mission. By the way, I can’t wait for you to hear some of the new changes in the outreach ministries. The VBS children also collected and made dozens of hygiene kits for the homeless.

We also had a Life Celebration/Funeral service for our dear friend Jenny Greenhalgh. Our praise band played three different times Sunday and all three brought Him glory. Our Kitchen Krew fed over 100 people. Our security team and prayer teams did their job and I want to thank them for a job well done. Thank you for all you do as a church family to make His love known. You were able to show, perhaps over 100 people, what a good and beautiful God looks like. I am honored to be your pastor.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

Celebrate Recovery

Next Sunday should be a very interesting and meaningful Celebrate Recovery.
You may have heard that one of our dear friends, a sister in Christ, Jenny Greenhalgh passed away last week. It does not seem like it, but Jenny came to us four years ago. Jenny came to our church family through the Charleston Center and through our Transition House ministry. Like so many, she battled with her addiction. She truly loved the Lord and her JIBC family. She was an easy person to love and always so very interesting. In personality types, she was a true Golden Retriever! I believe her life was blessed by her time and connection with the JIBC family. I know we were blessed by her.

So, here is the little twist in her Life Celebration—Funeral. We will actually have two services for Jenny. Both of them will be on Sunday, June 24. The first one will be at 4:30 here at JIBC. It will be the more traditional funeral. Of course everyone is welcome to attend this with Jenny’s family and friends. The second service will be a part of our regularly scheduled Celebrate Recovery Service. We will kind of wrap the remembrance and celebration of her life around the parts of Celebrate Recovery. This was the planned service from the beginning. Plans had to change a little so we opted to serve the family with an early service. Of course, family and friends are welcome to stay for the tribute during Celebrate Recovery as well. I believe both services will be beautiful in their own way!

You know, perhaps from your own life or from the news, addiction in America is far too common. It is easy to curse the darkness of evil. Thank you for being a church family that lights a candle and takes on the tough issues of life. The Gospel of Christ is the power to change. May we forever be committed to being a recovery station for broken people.

See you Sunday, Good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

It’s About To Get Real Up In Here!

By the time you read this we will be less than one week away from Vacation Bible School: Game ON! Our VBS leadership team has done an outstanding job in recruiting leaders and workers. I believe they are ready for a great year of Bible Study, Worship and Fun. Please keep this year’s VBS in your prayers. Pray for precious souls to come to know Jesus Christ; for disciples to be grown even more; for workers to stay energized; and for safety for all involved. Game On!

Today, 21 Youth and 6 Adults went to summer camp. I am blessed with mixed emotions. First, my Grandson, Noah is going to youth camp. I am excited about that. Second, my grandson, Noah is going to camp. I can’t believe Janie is old enough to have a grandchild going to camp. Mixed emotions. In all seriousness, I want to thank our JIBC family for so generously supporting sending children and youth to camp. It really does make a difference. Join me in praying for their safety as they travel to Ridgecrest, North Carolina and back. Praying for a mighty movement of God among them all.

Monday, July 16 is the projected start date for the Fellowship Hall renovations. If we do everything that is planned you are going to be amazed. Make sure you go by to see it one more time before July 16. Once the plans are finalized and approved, we will start letting the proverbial cat out of the bag concerning the renovation plans. For those who are new to the church family, we recently completed a church wide discipleship ministry called “Daring Faith: Renovating Hears and Buildings”. It was a wonderful success. If you would like to participate, it is not too late. We have asked our church family to pray about three ways to give. First, would you consider making a sacrificial one time gift. As much as possible, we are trying to pay as we go so we do not have to borrow money. Second, some will give on a monthly basis, working it into your regular budget as God blessed. Third, some have committed to giving additional gifts that they don’t currently have. Now that is Daring Faith. Trusting that God will provide is the key no matter how you give or how much you give.

The next renovations on our list are the new entrance on the Plymouth Avenue side of the church and the installation of an elevator! Wow, has that ever been a long time coming. As stated above, then we will start the Fellowship Hall renovations on July 16. HEADS UP…that will be a very messy process. It will most likely impact Rose Haselden’s Class and Fred Roark’s class. When it is time to begin these projects, we will have times of prayer and dedication. Keep looking for information coming your way.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL…NOT YOUR DADDY’S VBS!

Vacation Bible School is almost an institution for many southern communities. It has been a way of life and a part of life for many of us throughout the years. Our parents attended VBS, we attended, our kids attended and now our grandkids attend. Here are some interesting things about VBS you might enjoy reading.

Mrs. Walter Aylette Hawes gets credit for starting what we know call Vacation Bible School. In 1898 she rented a beer hall in the Eastside of New York to conduct an “Everyday Bible School”. Her goal was to get kids off the streets. Her pastor convinced her to move the school to the church campus. She tried but found out the kids were not coming so she went back to the beer hall!

In 1922 Southern Baptists more formally adopted this idea and it became known as Vacation Bible School. It began as a 4 week Bible School…oh my. In 1924 VBS had grown so much it moved from under the Sunday School Division and became its own division in the Southern Baptist Convention.

It is one of the most strategic outreach tools using age appropriate evangelism messages and methods. Each year in the Southern Baptist Convention, 25% of all baptisms come from decisions made during Vacation Bible School. Each year, there are over 2.7 million people enrolled in VBS and 10% of those enrolled in VBS are unchurched. This makes for a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel. Every year almost 79,000 precious souls come to know Jesus as Savior by the mission and ministry of Vacation Bible School. My guess is Mrs. Hawes would love the development of what she started back in 1898 in that local beer hall.

This years VBS theme is GAME ON!. The motto is “Gear Up! Get Ready! Game On!” We will have 4 great Bible studies, great worship and lots of fun. VBS will start Monday evening, June 18 and will conclude with family night on Friday, June 22. If you have not been to a VBS in a while…check it out one night. We have all our classes and teams filled, but you can always come as a spectator…or a last minute volunteer. Pray for this years VBS. Pray that boys and girls will open their hearts and lives to the work of God’s Holy Spirit. Pray that they will be reached before they have to be rescued.

Game on!

Pastor Tom

Church Health and Church Growth

I recently read an article about Church Health and Church Growth. The title of the article: Church Growth is okay, but Church Health is What Matters. By the way, this was written by a pastor who has both church growth and amazing church health.

Paul says in Ephesians 4:16 “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy and growing.” (NLT) Notice it is Gods will for the Body to grow and to be healthy, not one or the other. Healthy bodies grow. You don’t have to force a healthy child to grow. Just put them in a stable environment and feed them properly and they will grow and grow. Churches, connection groups and individual Christians will grow spiritually if they are spiritually healthy. That is God’s will and plan.

At JIBC, we believe it is God’s will for every church, every Connection Group and every follower of Jesus to grow spiritually and to be spiritually healthy. How do we do that? We grow warmer through fellowship; we grow deeper through discipleship; we grown broader though ministry; we grow larger through outreach and evangelism and we grow stronger through worship. We strive to keep the five purposes of the church in balance: Fellowship, Discipleship, Service, Outreach and Worship. Which one is most important? They all are! The reality is that every Church and every Connection Group is driven by something: personalities, traditions, leaders, money, fear, etc. The goal is to be driven by the purposes of God as revealed over and over in His Holy Word. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) give a clear picture of Gods desire for His people. I am praying that JIBC will forever seek to be balanced in what drives us. It is not Church Growth or Church Health…it is both!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing, as we resume our teaching series in 1 John: That They May Know.

Pastor Tom

A POWERFUL SUNDAY PLANNED

This Monday, May 28 is Memorial Day. That means this weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. Memorial Day, a Federal Holiday held the last Monday of May, is a day to remember the men and women who died while serving in the armed forces. To some it is associated with the beginning of summer and Labor Day marks the end of summer. Let us hope that Memorial Day is much more than a day off. Since before the Civil War, people were observing some form of Memorial Day. In some parts of the country it is called Decoration Day. We still have friends who will go to the family cemetery to pay respects to their loved ones, particularly those who died while serving the country. They use the day to clean the grave site, to decorate with flags and flowers and to gather for family reunions. In this type of setting it is easy to see how traditions and gratitude are passed down from generation to generation. On Veterans Day we give a well deserved thank you to all who have served and are currently serving. On Memorial Day, we recognize those who gave all in service. Make sure you and your families take time to reflect and remember: Freedom is not free.

This Sunday we will have another type of “Memorial Day” recognition as we observe the Lord’s Supper. We do this, after all, in remembrance of Him. Every time we observe the Lords Supper, we are remembering that our spiritual freedom was not free. It cost the Father His only begotten Son. It cost Jesus his life and His life blood. It cost Mother Mary her son. It is indeed a day to remember. It is a very appropriate time to combine these two “Memorial” events. Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for another. Jesus not only said these words, He lived them. The Bread and the Wine are taken in remembrance of the Good News of What God has done for us in Christ Jesus.

This Sunday we will also recognize those who are graduating. If your favorite graduate is not present Sunday, please know that we still rejoice with you and your family. Well done. Our prayers are with you all as you enter the next stage of your spiritual journeys.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

JAMES ISLAND OUTREACH

I wanted to give our church family the wonderful update on the James Island Outreach. Very soon JIO will be moving from the current site at our sister church, Bethany United Methodist. The Outreach will be in the new location on 1872-C Camp Road at St James Church. Construction and preparation work is still ongoing but they are coming close to the end! The new location will make it possible to serve many more people is a more spacious environment. Our community gives thanks to Bethany United Methodist Church for the many years they housed this ministry. Well done. James Island Outreach has been given the designation of a “Wellness Pantry”. This is kind of a big deal. There are thousands of food pantries across the nation but only 23 have received this designation so far. The goal is not just to give them food but to give them choices in healthy food and healthy eating ideas. Another wonderful expansion for the ministry.

So, how can we help now? Four ways I would like to suggest. First, keep buying and bringing the jelly. Whenever you see it on sale, buy, buy, and buy. We have been designated as the jelly church. Of course you could bring any non-perishable food item. Any food that is donated saves money that can be used to meet other needs. Second, do you have any of the reusable, woven grocery tote bags you could donate? This is a bigger need now since the clients will be able to “go shopping” at the food bank and select food items. I just love this creative idea. If you want to hit a homerun, bring your jelly donations in a reusable bag! Third, consider volunteering with your Connection Group. Susan Warren will be delighted to help your Connection Group find a way to get involved with any of the ministries we support: James Island Outreach, Lowcountry Orphan Relief, Lowcountry Pregnancy, Florence Crittenton, etc. Whatever mission we are doing, we can do it better together. BTW, I think they still have some construction and cleanup needs for those with that particular skill set. Fourth, pray for JIO as they search for the new Director. This will be an important decision that can affect the future in a wonderfully positive way. Add them to your prayer list.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing. This Sunday’s teaching will be from 1 John 1:5-2:2. The Joy of knowing you are forgiven. Our memory verse is 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Pastor Tom

CELEBRATE, CELEBRATE, CELEBRATE

I know it seems like yesterday that we announced Daring Faith: Renovating Believers and Renovating Buildings. Phase I was the roofing of the entire building. We had not replaced the shingles since 1990, after Hugo. Completed! Let me here you say amen. Phase II was the protection of the buildings, property and people. For most of us, the curve at Maybank and Wappoo just does not seem that difficult. If you add speed, night time and alcohol/drugs then it can be a horrific curve. We cannot do anything about the speed and D.U.I., but we could do something about the lighting and the protection. Each of the “boxes” has a concrete post planted into the ground designed to slow a vehicle down considerably before it gets very far on JIBC property. The lighting is necessary because almost 100% of the wrecks have been after midnight and before daybreak. The landscaping and signage were much needed. Our teams worked hard to make sure we had almost everything in place before Resurrection Sunday (Easter). We are grateful for their extra hard work. So, let’s celebrate that the first part of Phase II is completed…and paid for. Yes, we have put shingles on all the buildings and completed the extensive protection and landscaping project and have paid for it all. God is good and our church family and friends have been faithful and generous.

Now, the second part of Phase II is in the planning. We are applying for permits, ordering the elevator (doesn’t it sound cool to say that?) and working on the next timeline. At this point, here is the next order of events. First, we will have a ribbon cutting/prayer of dedication for the beginning of the new entrance. The new entrance will be on the Plymouth Avenue side of the building. That is also where the Elevator will be installed. We will most likely have the new entrance finished and in use before we start on the elevator. The elevators are made in China and apparently there is only one elevator inspector for the entire state of South Carolina. We will plan on ribbon cuttings when we start and dedication services when we finish. As soon as we know starting dates, we will warn you…I mean let you know…construction is about to begin.

I do not want us to miss the wonderful blessing of God. By His grace He has led our church family and friends to give generously above their tithes and offerings that we may be good stewards of His buildings. And because so many are giving on the front end of Daring Faith, we do not have to borrow money or pay interest. The blessing is doubled. To God be the glory.

Pastor Tom

WELCOME FRANKIE GILMORE

For the past year and a half Frankie Gilmore has been serving as our Youth Ministry Intern/Student Campus Ministry Director. During this time Pastor Sean trained and mentored Frankie as an intern. Under Sean’s supervision, much of the youth ministry had been turned over to Frankie’s leadership. Frankie has also been serving as Pastor Marty’s assistant in the Worship ministry. Therefore, it was easy to fully recommend Frankie to take on the new position as full time Youth Pastor. It worked out as if it was the perfect timing of God: we already had in place a qualified servant ready to step in.

Let me tell you a little about Frankie. He is a graduate of Charleston Southern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Worship Leadership. He has a very strong background in bands and ensembles. Frankie’s peers recognize him as a leader, extremely organized, Gospel centered, artistic and creative. Since 2012 he has worked at Moe’s Southwest Grill in Summerville. The last three years he worked there as Shift Manager. Frankie is engaged to Jen Colburn. They make a most beautiful and wonderfully talented couple. You see Jen playing and singing in the praise band each Sunday. She also serves with Frankie and Marty in the Youth “Surge” ministry. Frankie and Jen have already been a blessing to our church family and the ministry here at JIBC. I look forward to working with Frankie and seeing how our Father will use him to equip JIBC to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken generation.

Two caveats to my introduction. First, Frankie is not Sean. God already has a Sean. Frankie is Frankie: saved by grace, blessed by God, talented in more ways than we can count. Sean brought almost 25 years of experience to the table. Frankie is just beginning his full time journey. Frankie learned from one of the best, so he has a great start. Second, Frankie is primarily focused on Youth Ministry. While he may deal with those infamous “other duties as assigned”, his primary mission is to lead JIBC to join God’s work to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken generation of youth. He is not the Connection Pastor or All Star Pastor. He is the Youth Pastor who will, as all of us do, help out when appropriate. Susan Warren will supervise Joanne Brown in Children’s Ministry and Marie Smith in Awana. It is our plan that Frankie will continue as our Full Time Youth Pastor even when, Lord willing, we fill Pastor Sean’s position as “Family Pastor/Associate Pastor”. The new position and title has yet to be determined. To God be the glory, great things He is doing!

Pastor Tom