It is hard to explain all the JIBC events that have taken place in the past two weeks. We set up for the Thanksgiving dinner last Wednesday night. The youth and all the volunteers did a fantastic job in a record amount of time. Wow! Chairs and tables brought down from upstairs, seating for 240 arranged and set up. Thank you all. Then, the big day comes! We had a full house in worship this Sunday. Our Kitchen Krew served Wednesday night, Sunday morning and Sunday night! They served pretty close to 400 delicious meals this past week. Sunday, they served over 240 and did it in record time! Thank you all, your team is amazing. We had an entire family from outside our church family that volunteered to serve! Thank you all. And then after the meal, volunteers came from every direction. The decorating team went into beast mode and got the worship center decorated for Christmas. (By the way, the first Sunday of Advent is this Sunday!) The other volunteers took down all the tables and chairs and set back up for Celebrate Recovery. Again, you guys are the best! Our students did an absolutely amazing job with great attitudes, strong backs and smiles on their faces. Really, a pastor could not hope for anything better. This was a model of volunteer production.
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT. This Sunday, December first will be the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means “coming”. As believers we celebrate the first coming of our Lord Jesus and anticipate His second coming. In a world of busy schedules and secular messages, I love that JIBC draws our hearts, minds and actions back to our purpose in Christ. We remember the reason for the season and will commit to staying in God’s Word and joining in God’s work. Each of the four Sundays of Advent, we put an emphasis on others, on reaching out, on helping those in need. These are values we have all year long so it is not a stretch for us to focus on them at Christmas time. This is a great opportunity for parents to teach children about missions and helping others who are under served. Take them shopping as you buy diapers for Low Country Pregnancy, food for James Island Outreach or for Back Pack Buddies. The first gift of the season for Janie and I is always the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. This is a way to help missions around the world and 100% goes to mission work. No administrative costs are taken out. It is the most mission bang you can get for your buck.
This really is a most wonderful time of the year. I love the music, the lights, the giving, the increase in charity, the emphasis on God’s plan to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world.
See you this Sunday for the first Sunday of Advent when we will light the candle of hope! W are rejoicing that Jesus Christ, our Hope, came into the world to show us God’s great love and His desire to reach a broken and sinfully marred human race. Jesus…What a Beautiful Name It Is!
Pastor Tom
This coming Sunday is our traditional Thanksgiving Sunday at JIBC. It is full of blessing and celebration. First, join us at 9:45 for Bible Study for the entire family. We have Bible Study classes for preschoolers all the way to and through Senior Adults. Our greeters will gladly help you find a class if you don’t have one already.
Second, the worship service will be built around “Thanksgiving: The Eucharist”. We will observe the Lord’s Supper together. You will have a “Thanksgiving Card” in your worship bulletin and will have time to give thanks, to list some of the blessings you have enjoyed this year. As you come to receive Communion, you are invited to bring your “thanksgiving card” as a part of your worship. One of my favorite parts of the service is the celebration and recognition of all new members God has brought to JIBC this past year. If you have joined a Connection Group, been baptized or have completed Class 101, Janie and I would love to have you come and stand with us, during the service, for a picture and celebration. It is always touching to see how God has added to JIBC. Following the worship service, our Kitchen Krew will serve a bountiful Thanksgiving Meal. You don’t need to bring a thing except a grateful heart. If you wanted to bring a dessert, that would be great, but not necessary. All desserts that reach the level of outstanding should be brought straight to my office for safe keeping! Please invite family and friends to this Sunday’s service.
Sunday night, we will have Celebrate Recovery as we always do, rain or shine, holiday or not. For those not a part of CR, you are invited to the Community Thanksgiving Service hosted by James Island Presbyterian Church at 5:00 PM. *Please note this is an hour earlier than previous years. You will want to arrive by 4:30 to get a good seat!
Oh what a day of rejoicing that will be. On behalf of our entire staff, we hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day Celebration. See you Sunday, good Lord willing!
Pastor Tom
Wow! Here we go full steam into the most wonderful time of the year. We are less than three weeks from Thanksgiving Day, two Sundays away from the first Sunday of Advent and only 6 more Sundays until Christmas Week! I love Thanksgiving…it gets us in the mood for the Christmas season. Just kidding, we have so very much to be thankful for at James Island Baptist. On November 24 we will have our annual Thanksgiving Celebration. We will celebrate with Communion and will also recognize all the new members to our Connection Groups and our Church family. It is always moving to see how God has added to His family here at JIBC. And then we have our annual Thanksgiving Feast. Our Kitchen Krew is one of a kind. They prepare the entire Thanksgiving Meal for our church family. You can bring your favorite dessert to share if you would like…you know we would like! If you still have enough energy, you can join the Community Thanksgiving Service. This year we gather at James Island Presbyterian Church. There is an earlier time this year. The service begins at 5:00 pm.
Now, all that being said, let’s get ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. This year’s Advent theme: “What a Beautiful Name It Is”. We will be getting the details out very soon. Here is the one really big change…I mean really, really, big change. For the first time, we are going to offer Two (2) Christmas Eve services. Yep… one at 4:00 and the other at the traditional 6:00 time. Both services will be virtually identical with just a few exceptions. For years we have packed out the Worship Center on Christmas Eve with standing room only crowds. I was the hold out on moving to a second service. I finally agreed that it is now time to find a way to allow even more people to enjoy the beautiful Christmas Eve service. There will be a few adjustments in order for us to serve the church family and community. So buckle up! How amazingly cool would it be if we packed out both services! All things are possible.
Pray for us this Sunday as we offer Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC. We have around a dozen signed up so far. It is always a great time to share the mission of JIBC and to have families decide to join in with us! To God be the glory. You can still attend even if you have not signed up, just give us a call or make sure you tell us Sunday morning.
See you Sunday, good Lord willing!
Pastor Tom
Here is an interesting quote: “Mental pain is less dramatic than physical pain, but it is more common and hard to bear. The frequent attempt to conceal mental pain increases the burden; it is easier to say ‘My tooth is aching’ than to say ‘My heart is broken’ (C. S. Lewis The Problem of Pain).
Last Sunday night our lesson in Celebrate Recovery was about depression. It has been one of my goals over the past two years to lead in the cause of removing the stigma from mental health issues. Someone said it this way: “When people don’t know exactly what depression is they can be judgmental”. We can do better and we will. Nationwide, more people attend Celebrate Recovery to find support for mental health issues than for addiction to alcohol and/or drugs. It has been suggested that 1/3 of all alcoholics and 1/2 of all drug abusers battle with mental health issues. I personally think that is too low of a number. Those of us who struggle with addiction issues are often trying to medicate a pain. The problem is it is not always a physical pain. Sometimes it is the mental pain that C. S. Lewis referred to in the opening quote. 50% of us experience some mental health issue in our life time according to the Center for Disease Control. Our brain is an organ like our heart or lungs. It can malfunction, have problems and develop issues. It is tough enough to deal with the issues without having people be judgmental and creating an unnecessary stigma to a health issue.
So Celebrate Recovery offers a safe place for those seeking to find support…whether from a mental health issue or an addiction issue…or both. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered 12 step program built on the 8 Principles found in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. We offer a safe place to work through all of life’s hurts, habits and hang-ups believing that freedom in Christ is something that can complete even without physical healing. God’s Word says “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
Here are principles taught in God’s Word that may help. Every person is a person of dignity and is created in God’s image. You matter to God and therefore to us. All of us are broken in one way or the other. You are loved and valued. Whatever we are struggling with we can do it better together in community. Having accountability partners or sponsors is not just for those addicted to alcohol or drugs. All of us could benefit from such a support network. The Bible is filled with such encouragements.
You are not alone. If you want a safe place with no judgment, I invite you to visit Celebrate Recovery any Sunday evening at 5:30 pm. It could be a great first step toward recovering. Pick up one of our Mental Health brochures. It has some very helpful information inside.
See you Sunday, Pastor Tom
We are fast entering the Holiday season…or as we politically incorrect people say, the Holy Day season. By the time you read this article, our 2019 Fall Festival will be in the history books. Then we are blazing our way to Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. I am among those who are asking is it too early to put up our Christmas Tree!
JIBC has a few holiday traditions that I love. Let me share a few of them. First, as we begin November, we start thinking about our Thanksgiving service. It is a big day for our church family. Our Thanksgiving Sunday includes giving thanks for all the beautiful members God has added to the JIBC family. We always include celebrating the Lords Supper/Eucharist on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Sunday morning after worship, we enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. Our Kitchen Krew is the best at providing great food and served up fast.
Then, Sunday afternoon, everyone is invited to join together for our annual Community Thanksgiving Worship service. JIBC has been a part of this community tradition since 1985. It really began to take shape the year after Hurricane Hugo. In fact, this year will be 30th Anniversary of the James Island Outreach that started the year of Hugo. There will be a special celebration related to the James Island Outreach Anniversary. The Community service is a wonderful service led by multiple church families giving support to James Island Outreach. We will give more details as we get closer to the date. I want to encourage you to begin thinking about giving a financial gift to James Island Outreach. This is a ministry we support as a church family with our finances and with members who volunteer. What a great way to show our gratitude…giving to help others.
So here we go, saying good bye to our Fall Festival and saying hello to the Thanksgiving Season. I love thanksgiving. One reason…because I can put my Christmas Tree up!
See you Sunday,
Pastor Tom
