I love our church family and I love how our Father is blessing in so many ways. Let me tell you about one area. Everyone is aware that 2020 was a tough year for so many families and businesses. Many churches have also experienced very difficult times with attendance and finances. JIBC has been blessed with faithful and generous givers. Our 2019 Pre-Covid Budget was $743,085. Not knowing Covid was coming, our 2020 Year of Covid budget increased to $765,168. That is the amount of funds we anticipated needed to carry out our mission and ministry for 2020. Here comes the good news. In 2019 our church family and friends gave $710,815. During the horrid Covid year of 2020 our church family and friends actually gave $733,693. You gave $23,000 more during a pandemic! That almost seems impossible!
In addition to the largest offering in our church history, you gave 11,000 pounds of groceries to help the underserved in our community. You gave 5 ½ tons of groceries to help feed families in our community. In addition to that you gave a $3,075 offering to James Island Outreach. That does not include the over 500 hot meals you delivered to local families, neighbors, fire stations, Emergency Rooms, etc. I am not near finished but can you see why I love our church family so much? At Christmas time, you gave $9,140 to the Lottie Moon International Missions Offering. That was almost $1,500 more that our Pre-Covid mission offering. During that time you also collected diapers, food for back pack buddies and jelly for area missions. Then, in addition to all that, on Christmas Eve our church family and friends gave another $4,000 to Missions. With that we sponsored building a house, buying a farm, sponsoring a dental clinic and ESL and purchasing mosquito nets. Possible the best spending spree I have even been on!
Did I mention that on September 13, 2020 in celebration of my 35th Anniversary as your pastor, you paid off the church debt of $35, 459.89! To God be the glory great things He has done. Thank you for being so faithful with your tithes and then on top of that your generous offerings. There is really much, much more we could talk about. Take a moment and express prayers of praise and thanks to our Father in heaven. May we always be found faithful in using the beautiful resources our Father entrust to us.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Tom
