Christmas at JIBC

What is your favorite Christmas song? Perhaps I should ask what is your favorite Christmas “religious” song and “secular” song. In some philosophical way, all the songs might be considered religious one way or the other. So, let’s just keep it simple…what is your favorite Christmas song? The one that when you hear it you always stop to listen; you know some if not most of the words; and it always makes you feel good. One of my favorite Christmas songs was banned from many radio stations. Can you guess which song and why it is banned?

Here is a second question: What is your favorite Christmas tradition? You do it every year… almost every year; you may have started the tradition or it might have been passed down to you. I would be interested in knowing. In fact, if you attend the Christmas Day worship service this Sunday, December 25, I will be asking those two questions. I have several traditions that I love. One of them is placing the “spikes” in a very inconspicuous place on the Christmas tree. I know these are not exactly like the spikes used to crucify Jesus, but they are a pretty good reminder. In the middle of all the other whimsical and family decorations, there are two reminders of why Jesus was born. He was born to die.

If we have the time and opportunity, I would love to hear from some of our church family about your favorite Christmas songs and your favorite Christmas traditions.

If we have children at the Christmas Day service, we have a little surprise for them. I will read the Christmas Story and give each of them a gift from Bethlehem.

By the way, just a reminder that we will have a nursery available for Christmas Eve worship services at 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM. The nursery will be open for preschoolers from birth to 5 years of age. The 4:00 PM hostess will be Mary Braxton and her Christmas Crew. The 6:00 PM hostess will be Brook Brewer and her Merry Elves.

The Christmas Eve Worship is always beautiful. How could it not be? We read the Christmas Story, sing the old familiar Christmas Carols, Celebrate Communion, have a Candle Lighting Ceremony and this year will continue the JIBC tradition of baptizing by candlelight (only at the 4:00 service). Spoiler alert…we are on schedule to baptize two of my grandchildren! Yeah, a good thing we are in the water…I will probably be crying a bucket load of tears of joy to add to the baptismal pool! Call the church office if you want to be baptized on Christmas Eve. We would love to have you join us.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Pastor Tom

Here we go!

We are officially on countdown for Christmas. We have one Sunday left in Advent. We entitled this year’s advent series “When Christ Came down”. We have given the Biblical story of when Hope came down, when Peace came down and when Joy came down. This Sunday we will look at “When Love came down!” This has been a great season for re-examining the story of when God became flesh. It has been an amazing theological story as well as an amazing practical story that impacts our daily lives. I pray you have been blessed. Don’t miss this Sunday as we celebrate baptism and remember when Love came down!

Now, on to Christmas Eve. We will have two Christmas Eve services. The first will be at 4:00 PM The second will be at 6:00 PM. They will be identical except for the baptisms. We have a confirmed baptism for the 4:00 service. Guess who is being baptized? If all goes according to plans and the flu does not derail the plan…my grandson, Beck. My son Bryon and his family are planning to be with us on Christmas Eve. They asked if Beck, their oldest son, could be baptized. Wow, what a privilege. There is another surprise. We can tell you about that one later.

For the past 20 years or so, the Christmas Eve service here at JIBC has been the largest attended service of the year, even larger than Easter. I think it is because we focus on Christmas Carols, Communion and a beautiful Candlelight service. Be ready to invite family and friends. If they do not attend worship or are not members of a church, invite them to be your guest. Christmas Eve is one of the best times of the year to invite our non-churched family and friends. One of our most faithful members, Bill Murray, started attending JIBC because Parker Kelly, working at Whole Foods, invited him to the Christmas Eve service. The rest is a wonderful history!

This is one of the years when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday. I know that is a stretch for our usual Christmas morning routines. We will have a Christmas Worship service at 11:00. Enjoy your Christmas morning, then come on and join us. There will NOT BE a 9:00 service that day. There will only be one service at 11:00. The same schedule for New Years Day: one service at 11:00.

Well, here we go. Christmas time at JIBC. Don’t forget to consider making a financial gift to the Lottie Moon International Missions Christmas Offering. It is the first gift that Janie and I make every year. Did you pick up one of the Week of Prayer guides? What a wonderful way to support our missionaries. There are plenty still around. I hope you will pick one up.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

In my mind, I am thinking what is not to love? I do understand that there are some who really struggle with the holidays. Seasonal Affective Disorder is real and it can pack a heavy emotional punch! Even with that being said, I am praying that all the hope, peace, joy and love of the Christmas season will brighten the season.

Now, for the rest of us, let the “ho, ho, holy day celebrations begin. Here are a few things I want to emphasize for this season.

One, please consider making a financial gift to the Lottie Moon International Missions Offering. As Great Commission Baptists, we help support 3,650 full time missionaries around the world. We work in 116 different countries. This year’s Week of Prayer Guide gives a great way to pray with specificity for missions around the world. Janie and I try to make our Lottie Moon Christmas Offering the first gift of the Christmas Season.

Two, you do not want to miss the joy of the first Annual Jingle Jam. This will be a night of smiles and laughter. Family friendly, interactive, touching all the senses! Wednesday night December 14 from 6 to 8:15! Actually, it starts with the Fellowship Meal at 5 if you want a night out to eat. Meal time is optional…fun time is a must! Please invite children that you know. Did I mention there will be jugglers???

Three, Christmas Eve services will be at 4 PM and 6 PM. We will have our traditional Carols, Communion and Candlelight Service. This service has always been a standing room only. The staff finally convinced me to go to two services instead of just one. They were right! We pack out the 4 PM service and have a very full 6 PM service. It is always a favorite. Remember, family and friends are more likely to accept your invitation to a Christmas Eve service than what they view as a “every Sunday” kind of service. We have beautiful, colorful invite cards to help us invite.

And now, number four: Christmas Day is on a Sunday. I know, that I know that I know there will be some folks who cannot make it Sunday morning. No problem, no guilt, no lecture. The Sabbath was made for you. For those who would like to come, we will have one service at 11 AM. We WILL NOT HAVE A 9 AM SERVICE. You can come casual. We will plan on singing our favorite Christmas Carols, reading the Christmas Story to the children; have a Christmas Message on our Advent theme, When Christ Came Down.

Now, see what I mean? What is not to love about the Christmas Season? I love it all. Hope to see you at one or all of the special days of celebration.  Merry CHRIST-MAS, Happy Holy-days, and all the rest of the warm Christmas greetings.

Pastor Tom

2023 MISSION AND MINISTRY BUDGET

This past Sunday we were scheduled to present our new 2023 Mission and Ministry Budget. I made the decision to postpone this one week. Last Sunday I had the flu. I was diagnosed on Saturday, November 19. By the way, if you can, I recommend avoiding the flu. So, I suggested postponing both the budget presentation and the budget vote. Our calendar date to present the budget was Sunday, November 27 and the date to vote on the budget was scheduled for Sunday, December 25…yep, on Christmas. I really believe no one would object to postponing the presentation and vote by a week.

So, the printed budgets will be available for review. You can find them at the entrances of the Worship Center. I will speak ever so briefly about the budget this Sunday, good Lord willing. We have been blessed with Ministry and Mission Leaders who see their ministry as service to the Lord and His people. We believe they prayed and sought the Lord’s wisdom concerning their budget request. I love the increase requests in the areas of mission. I also love the good stewardship demonstrated by all of our teams in this past year’s budget.

Our Budget Team met and discussed every budget request. Not all budget increases will be reflected in this budget. That is where the good stewardship of our Budget Team comes into play. There is a general feeling that 2023 may be an economically challenging year. It will affect businesses, the economy, families and churches. Our Budget Team has taken that possibility seriously. As a result, the decision was made to keep the 2023 Budget as close to the 2022 Budget as possible, while still providing for many of the increase requests. That is possible because the Lord has blessed us with a strong savings account. Some of the increase requests will be taken out of our excess funds (savings). We are able to maintain an emergency fund to cover 6 months should that be needed. We also have funds available to meet the requests for the 2023 Budget. To God be the glory and thank you for your faithful and generous giving.

This past year saw more money given to missions than any year in our history. In addition, we saw more people involved. May God bless your efforts with fruit that will last an eternity.

ADVENT GIVING

I would like to encourage our church family to consider giving generously to the Lottie Moon, International Missions Christmas Offering. Every penny given to this fund goes directly to help our missionaries around the world. Janie and I always try to make the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering our first Christmas gift of the year.

While we will not be promoting diapers and jelly as hard, you may still continue to bring them as a gift to our community. We have been able to take 75 jars of jelly to James Island Outreach every week since September! We will be taking over 10,000 diapers to the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center.

Thank you for your love!

Pastor Tom

WHAT A WEEKEND!

There are two worship events happening this weekend that you don’t want to miss. I hope you and your family will be well and come with your spiritual cups ready to be filled.

First, there is Thanksgiving Sunday at JIBC. We are concluding the three part teaching series “Living with Thanksgiving”. This Sunday we will build the worship service around the Eucharist: The Lord’s Supper as Thanksgiving. As a part of the message, we will see somewhere around 12 or 13 video stories about how our church family and friends used the $75 Blessing Envelopes. It has been so much fun giving away $15,000 to our community. I can’t wait for you to hear the stories and hope we will have many more to share in the days ahead. “Living with Thanksgiving” has been a reminder to make sure our thanksgiving goes upward to our Father in Heaven, the giver of every good and perfect gift. We also want to make sure our thanksgiving goes outward to bless others to the point that they end up giving thanks to God! This Sunday, we will direct our thanksgiving focus inward…grateful for the love of God that sent His only Son for us! It will be a wonderful service of thanksgiving.

Second will be our annual Community Thanksgiving Service. All churches and all believers are invited to join together in a service of praise and thanksgiving. Several of the church choirs will sing and Rev. David Dubay of Holy Trinity will share the Thanksgiving reflection. As always, there will be an offering received to help support the James Island Outreach. You may also being a canned food donation.

This really is a wonderful gathering of believers gathered not for theology, not for denomination, but rather for praise, thanksgiving and the mission of helping the underserved. The service will be held at James Island Christian Church, 12 Sawgrass Road, right off Folly Road, Sunday, November 20 at 4:00 PM

By the way, seems everyone is benefiting from livestreaming. If you cannot attend Sunday night, you can watch on facebook.com and You Tube, James Island Outreach.

JIBC has been sending 75 jars of jelly every week since the first week of September. Thank you for being so generous in your giving!

Love you all,

Pastor Tom

You know it is true

 “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.” 

 Psalm 67:1-2

God is good all the time and all the time God is good. You know that is right! Sometimes it seems like the blessings of God keep on coming and now matter how much we give away, He keeps sending more blessings, making His face shine upon us. My prayer is that I will be a good manager/steward of the blessings God has poured out on us.

I just returned from James Island Outreach. Each Monday I take them 75 jars of jelly! So far, you have sent over 300 jars…including some peanut butter as well! We have enough jelly to keep sending 75 jars a week all the way through the first Sunday in December. At a wedding I performed last week, one of the guests asked “What is the story behind all the jelly I see everywhere?” By the way, I thought it was interesting he did not ask about the diapers…like what is with the 10,000 diapers? Lol.

So, speaking of diapers, we are planning a trip to the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center to deliver the diapers. No date or time yet. We are hoping they will be able to give a little tour. Would you like to go and see firsthand what the Low Country Pregnancy Center is all about? Let us know and we will keep you in the loop as best we can.

Time for one more blessing? The Transition House has received almost a total refurbishing! Claudia and Rita, and their faithful sidekick, Pastor David, have really done an outstanding job on replacing broken furniture, deep cleaning, replacing, adding, and fixing so much!. We will have an open house soon for anyone who would like to see the updates. The Charleston Center is moving, so we are not sure when we will get the next two residents. The residents will feel loved from the time they step into the house.

By the way, we are thinking of changing the name from “Transition House” to “Opportunity House”. What do you think? Transition House or Opportunity House?

Sunday, November 27 is the first day of Advent. Hard to believe right? We also are planning for a baptism that Sunday. If you have been thinking , waiting or wanting to be baptized, this is a good opportunity. The next baptism, if we have anyone ready will be on Christmas Eve. What a joy!

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us…I would say He has done that very thing. Now let’s try to make His name famous.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

Taking on the Giants

The entire army of Israel sat on the sidelines afraid to take on the giant named Goliath. God emboldened young David to not be afraid of a giant. Who would not be afraid of someone almost 10 feet tall wearing 90 pounds of armor? Someone who comes in the name of the LORD… that is who!

You have been willing to take on some of the giants in our community. Year ago you joined me in making a commitment that no one on James Island goes to be hungry unless we don’t know about it. Out of that commitment grew a fledgling effort to repair houses and feed the hungry. That small effort grew and grew into the James Island Outreach that is now making an impact, a real impact in our community, taking on the giant of hunger, helping the underserved. We joined with others willing to stand toe to toe with the giant of hunger and to fight for the underserved. You were willing to take on a giant and you made a difference.

Did you know that Goliath had three brothers? The giant of hunger also has brothers. One of them is addiction. Again, years ago, you journeyed with me as we started Celebrate Recovery taking on one of the giants in our community. It grew and developed into one of the strongest Celebrate Recovery Missions and Ministries in Charleston. It grew to include the Transition House…in my opinion, the biggest and baddest of all Goliaths giant brothers. Almost all addicts, with very few exceptions, are knowingly or unknowingly fighting a mental health issue. The mental health issue becomes the tail that wags the dog so to speak. Every week, every Sunday night, JIBC hosts Celebrate Recovery. Last week we had around 40 in attendance. We are currently refurbishing the Transition House, so we don’t have residents there just now.

Here is my point: these giants, those struggling with additions and mental health issues, have babies and children. They often bring them with them to Celebrate Recovery. Our team has done a great job of providing for them. Here is an excellent article written by Joanne Brown who leads our team of volunteers working with CR Children.

Would you like to make a difference in a child’s life? Are you willing to help a child in need? Children are like wet cement, anything that falls on them makes an impression. The Celebrate Recovery mission at the church is growing, and we are in need of help with care for the wonderful children. Children are a gift from God; let’s make the lasting impression a godly impression. We have ages ranging from 4 weeks through 5th grade. We are looking for some nourishing people to care for a baby, play with preschoolers or hang out with elementary age children. Are you the special person who can make a difference in a sweet child’s life? Matthew 25:40 tells us, “Truly I tell you, whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Celebrate Recovery is a fantastic way to serve our Lord, by helping His children know the love He has for them. (Joanne Brown)

It will take special people to volunteer their time to help these kids. Maybe that is you. You might volunteer 1 night a month, or just one month a year, or every other week? You need to know that you are taking on a giant…or at least the children of those struggling with the giant of addiction. Do you have a passion for children, or recovery, or special needs, or the gift of helps or mercy? Give us a call at the church office, 843.762.0244. Ask for me, Joanne or Neale.

Taking on the giants! I love you JIBC.

Pastor Tom

Blessed to be a blessing…now what?

I think I almost always enjoy my “job” as a Pastor. Of course there are times of struggle when things can get a little bit challenging. But overall, I would say that I really like being a pastor and I love being a pastor at James Island Baptist. My time here has never been a stepping stone to bigger or better. I am aware there are many churches that are bigger…I do not know of any church I would consider “better”. Here recently, we have watched as our church family tries to give away $15,000 to bless the community. Again, it might not be the most fun I have ever had, but it has been the most fun I have had in a while. I am so looking forward to sharing the heart moving stories with you. We plan to do that on Sunday, November 20th as part of our Thanksgiving Sunday Service.

By the way, did you know that you have already given 600 jars of jelly for the underserved people in our community? That is a half of ton or more of grape and strawberry love! And on top of that you have given over 10,000 diapers…that represent a lot of dry and happy babies. Last night we gave some of the diapers to the women from the Charleston Center. They felt like Christmas had already arrived! To God be the glory.

On top of that, you have supplied enough candy for around 1000 kids who will attend this year’s Fall Festival. This coming Monday, October 31, we will throw a big old party for our community. It will be fun and free, hosted by some of the best people God ever created…you!

One of our long time members came for the first time last year. Her response was “Wow, I never knew what I was missing! I had no idea this was so big and so well done!” Pray for the Fall Festival: safety, families, for volunteers who will give away; love and candy. Pray for our safety team led by Bill, the policeman who blesses us each week. Let’s love them in Jesus name and help them have a great family event.

Let me close with an ongoing need we have. One of our most successful, yet most trying ministries is Celebrate Recovery. Last night we have about 40 people in attendance. That means more babies and more children. The challenge is these can be some of the most challenging children. It takes someone with a passion to help those who are hurting but don’t know they are hurting. Maybe you would like to check it out or volunteer for a night or two? Joanne Brown will be more than happy to give you the tour! Just a thought.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”

Have you ever heard that phrase? “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is an old phrase, hard to find its origin. It seems to mean that what is beautiful is subjective. What is beautiful to me might not be so beautiful to you. I have several pieces of art work that would most likely not be considered very beautiful. But in my eyes, they each tell a story and call me to a place of love and peace.

Now, let’s circle back to my point concerning beauty in the eye of your pastor. Janie and I have just returned from a 10 day vacation. We went to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons. As much as we loved seeing those places that is not the “beauty” to which I refer.

When I came into the office today, I walked around and saw the mountain of diapers and the multitude of jelly jars. It was and is a beautiful sight. I know to some it looks out of place to see what looks like a warehouse of diapers and jelly. I have never seen our church campus more beautiful. I am fully aware that to some the diapers are just diapers and the jelly is just jelly. To me, I see little babies being changed, dried and comforted…lots and lots of babies; babies born to moms who opted for life even when it was going to be tough. I see young mothers and fathers picking up free diapers and not believing they are really free. Yep, free and given with love, prayers and gratitude. When I see the hundreds, maybe over 500 jars of jelly, I see two elderly senior adults, living on a fixed income, enjoying jelly on their toast and biscuit; I see kids going to school with the universal “pb&j” sandwich of champions!

I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Look around with a thankful heart at the beauty we see on a regular basis. I looked at the volunteer sheets for the Fall Festival just around the corner. Beautiful. Old members, new members, young members, old members, people helping who are not yet members of JIBC. Beautiful.

Thank you for being salt and light in a community that desperately needs it. You add sweetness, hope, love, and joy. Yes, Janie and I saw some beautiful parts of God’s creation while we were on vacation. None of them are more beautiful in my eye than seeing JIBC reach out to the poor and underserved.

No sight I saw in the National Parks was higher than my joy reading about what you are doing to bless the community in 75 days, in 75 ways. We will plan to share these on Thanksgiving Sunday.

God is good and God is great! Love you in Jesus’ Name.

Pastor Tom

The Vision of Fall Festival

Should the Good Lord tarry in His return, this year will be the 35th Fall Festival here at James Island Baptist Church. Some of us can remember when we first started, everything we did was held inside the Fellowship Hall: food, booths, games, registration…the whole thing…inside the Fellowship Hall. And it was good and it was well attended. We even had a reptile room provided by Mark and Annette Petit.

Now, we use every bit of space we have in our back parking lot and under the oaks. It is still, by far, the largest attended event of the year for JIBC. Let me take a moment are refresh why we do the Fall Festival.

I am aware that Halloween is a favorite celebration for many people. I can make a strong case that Halloween has its origins in the dark side of life with devils and demons and I can make a strong case that it has its origin as a day to honor all saints…and then it got a little “wonky”. None of that really made much of a difference to me. You can argue pro and con till the cows in costume come home; you still will not have decided the matter.

My goal has always been to go head to head with a tradition that seemed to have gone south in many ways. Sure, there was a day when you could and would take candy from strangers, walk the streets late at night without a parent, maybe participate in a, shall we say, minor mischievous activity or two. Now, that just does not make much sense and really does not sound safe. So we go head to head with the cultural phenomena known as Halloween and offer a family friendly, all free, positive alternative. We do not promote, devils and witches, zombies or anything related to the “dark side”. By the way, we also do not allow those kinds of decorations to have a place in our preschool and children’s areas. They occasionally “sneak” in…but they sneak back out just as fast!

My belief is “this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” This is the Lord’s day, not the devils day. We don’t run and hide. 1 John 4:4 says “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.” We are not taking this day back from the devil. He never had the ability to take it from God. October 31 is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and have a Fall Festival celebrating it! Let’s show the community how to have a holy party and let them rub elbows with followers of Jesus.

See you this week, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race” 2 Timothy 4:7

It is not how you start the race that counts, it is how you finish! Our JIBC family finished the “jelly” race in record time. Now, you are running a marathon! I had set a goal, a good goal, of asking our church family to bring 75 jars of jelly and 75 packages of diapers each month: September, October and November. Then I got a little more ambitious and asked that we go ahead and do the same thing for Advent in December. The jelly and diapers are to bless our ministry partners at James Island Outreach and Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. Wow, the starter pistol fired and the church family and friends went onto a record breaking pace. During September, you brought over 400 jars of jelly. Technically, you brought 350 jars of jelly and 57 jars of peanut butter. You reached and exceeded the entire 4 month goal in less than one month. We have 4 large displays where you can drop off jelly and diapers. Each of the four displays almost equaled the goal we set for each month.

Now, as impressive as those collection areas are please don’t miss the real picture. This month, there will be widows and under-served senior adults who will enjoy jelly on their biscuits or toast. There will be children going to school with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because mom or grandmom went by James Island Outreach and found lots of jelly! Picture over 350 newborn babies who get dry diapers as needed. Picture a single mom not having to spend $30.00 on a pack of diapers.

Thank you all for giving. Thank you for leveraging your influence to lead others to give. One coach led the football team to bring over 100 jars of jelly and the 57 jars of peanut butter. One teacher led her class to bring formula and diapers…and they brought a lot, a whole lot! Commander ReRe and her team led the Awana kids to bring over 100 jars of jelly.

We are starting to receive some of the stories of what you did with the Blessing Envelopes. I cannot wait to share the stories. I will need help telling those stories. My eyes are leaking already. We gave out 180 Blessing Envelopes to our church family and friends. Crazy, right? You didn’t even have to be a member to receive and envelope with $75 cash for you to use to be a blessing. No strings attached, no real instructions, just pray and ask God to lead you or…just do what your heart says to do! There are still a few envelopes left. Contact Neale in the church office if you would like to participate.

Blessed to be a blessing is a part of who we are and a part of how we live out our faith as followers of Jesus Christ. It is who we are it is what we do. And I am glad Janie and I are a part of it all!

“Have I told you lately that I love you?” Really, I am honored to pastor this church family.

Blessing in the Great Name of Jesus,

Pastor Tom

“My heart is moved with a good theme” Psalm 45:1

Monday morning during my quiet time, this verse is from the Psalms I read that day: “My heart is moved with a good theme”. I stopped a moment to think about two things. One, I want my heart to be moved with good themes, not bad themes. It is easy to let my heart feel discouraged, negative, mad or sad. Watching the evening news can make me feel all four of those at one time. Discouragement and negativity are enemies of our spiritual good health. The enemy flourishes when God’s people feel defeated and live in an atmosphere of negative thoughts and actions. So, I asked the good Lord to help me remember the good, to rejoice and give thanks, to be aware of His blessings that my heart would be moved with a good theme.

This past Sunday was one of the days it was easy for my heart to be “moved with a good theme”. We had a packed house for worship and observance of the Lord’s Supper. The 75th Anniversary Party was a wonderful success. The list of people who helped is too long to mention. We are, none the less, so very grateful. The set up team was finished in 30 minutes. The decoration team moved in and lifted the atmosphere to the next level. The beautiful chatter of fellowship was heard inside the Edisto Hall as well as outside under the oaks. Our Father provided a most excellent day of weather. Wildflower Station performed at a new level! We had so much fun listening to them play. We were blessed by so many guests, former members and members attending. Home Team BBQ served 279 people at the park!

Keep on praying about how you will bless the community in the “75 Ways in 75 Days” Mission. So far, the stories turned in have been fantastic. Some, extremely simple and humble while others are next level creative and productive. By the way, the goal of 75 jars of jelly during September was met and exceeded! Our Mission/Ministry partners at James Island Outreach will be pleased to restock their shelves with jelly. Remember, we will be colleting during October, November and December. The same results about diapers! Wow, we have a small mountain of diapers for our Mission/Ministry Partners at the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center.

Have I told you lately that I love you? I really do. I love our Church Family!

This Sunday I plan to conclude the teaching series “Blessed To Be A Blessing”. We will look at blessing others with the little things of life. Hope you will be present. Let’s try to praise more, give thanks more and do something kind more. It is kingdom living.

Pastor Tom

READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!

 

I can hardly believe the 75th JIBC Anniversary Sunday is here. As I have said often, this is not the actual church anniversary date. We have in the past celebrated the church anniversary on the second Sunday of July. When you see how beautiful this Sunday is you will fully understand why we changed to September! Let me go over a few important items about this Sunday’s Celebration.

WORSHIP. We will have only one worship service this Sunday. The 9:00 Worship Service will join us at the 11:00. We will have Connection Groups at 10:00 as usual. We are planning to observe the Lord’s Supper this Sunday. Depending on how long our preacher goes, we will try to dismiss at 12:00.

JAMES ISLAND COUNTY PARK/EDISTO HALL: Sunday, September 25 at 12:30. We are planning to meet at JIC Park at 12:30 for the celebration. We will have park passes at the 11:00 service. You may pick them up, at no charge to you, at the same tables where we are giving out the Blessing Envelopes. We have purchased enough tickets for 250 people. There will be seating inside and out. We plan to eat and fellowship from 12:30 till 1:45. Then, we will enjoy a concert by Wildflower Station. We have paid for a photo booth to be available for 2 hours. Make sure you stop by for a mug shot! Just a little reminder of our Anniversary fun day. Our meal will be catered by Home Team BBQ. We have had 250 sign up so far. We could not have put 250 in the Fellowship Hall, so renting a place off campus was a great idea. You and your family may stay and enjoy the park all day long. We will wrap up our festivities around 3:30. Come on out and enjoy. Please wear your name tag!

BLESSING ENVELOPES. Our finance team has made it possible for us to distribute $75 to up to 200 people. As of this past Sunday, we have given out 120. We have 80 left for this Sunday. Hallelujah! We have set aside $15,000 for our church family and friends to use to bless our community. This is a part of the larger plan to find 75 ways to bless our community in 75 days. I thought blessing our community would be a great way to honor our Father in Heaven; keep faith with all those who went before us at JIBC; and be in keeping with who we are as a church family. The stories I have heard so far are creative, wonderful and heartfelt. I can hardly wait to share them with you!

Well, there you have it. That is about as short and brief as I could make it and still cover all the details.

If you need other info, please feel free to call the office at 843.762.0244. Ready or not, here it comes, Sunday, September 25!

Pastor Tom

75 YEARS AND COUNTING

 

By God’s good grace, for the last 75 years, James Island Baptist Church has been joining in God’s Mission to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world. Our goal is to make disciples who make disciples that change the world and make our community a better place to live. We do this using the Purpose Driven Church model. First, we work with God to bring people into his family through Church Membership. Second, our goal is to help them grow to become more like Jesus through implementing these spiritual disciplines in their lives: daily Bible study and prayer; connecting to a small group; and generously using their resources to bless others. Our third objective is to equip every member to be better able to help build up the church body. Fourth, we deploy members with an outward focus to bless our community, our state, our nation and the world through missions and outreach. And at the heart of it all is our desire to make disciples that worship God is spirit and in truth daily as we live and weekly as we gather.


Right now we are in a season of blessing. We believe we have been blessed to be a blessing. It is my dream and goal for JIBC to celebrate our 75th Anniversary by finding 75 ways to bless the community in the next 75 days (September 1-November 14). I have already heard of some fantastic plans! To help you accomplish this mission, our Finance Team wants to give every adult member and friend of JIBC $75 to use toward blessing others. We have set aside up to $15,000 toward this mission. I know, crazy right? When some churches are trying to raise money, we are in the blessed position to find ways to give it away! Pray about how you might use $75 to bless the community. No strings attached. Help a single mom, bless a Veteran, pay a bill for a struggling family; buy some children’s books for underserved families; involve your team, club or class; on and on and on the ways to bless can go! If you would not mind, I would love to have just a small note on how you felt led to bless the community. It can be anonymous if you like; no problem. I think this would be a great way to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of a Church Family. May our Father lead and bless as we join Him in His work to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken community!

By the way…starting this past Sunday and continuing the next two Sundays, we will have name tags for everyone to wear. This is an often requested idea. This will so help to put names and faces together. Our Welcome Team will be at the doors to assist. Of course it is voluntary…no one has to wear a name tag. But you will not be eligible for the drawing to an exotic island where they speak a foreign language without wearing one! Lol.

Last idea for the day: would you join me in the goal to have 75 Jars of Jelly and 75 packs of diapers for each month, September, October and November? Let’s bless James Island Outreach with 225 Jars of Jelly and The Low Country Pregnancy Center with 225 packs of diapers.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

75 Ways in 75 Days

On Sunday, September 25 we are celebrating our church anniversary. It has been 75 years that our Lord has allowed us to be on this little triangle piece of property to be salt and light to the world around us. A while back, I felt led to suggest a new way to celebrate our anniversary.

FIRST: Let’s have a big old church fellowship party! We love to eat and we love to be together, so why not combine the two. On Sunday, September 25 we will have our 10:00 Bible Study/Connection Groups as usual. We will have a combined worship service at 11:00. There will be NO 9:00 service that day. We will gather at the James Island County Park at 12:30 for a delicious meal provided by Home Team BBQ! There will be kid’s games, inflatables and a photo booth for memories! After we eat, we will enjoy music provided by Wildflower Station. A special guest singer is scheduled to appear. Please RSVP so we will know how much BBQ to have prepared.

SECOND: We are asking our church family to find 75 ways to bless the community in 75 days. Starting September 1 and going through November 14, let’s find 75 ways, in honor of our 75 years, to bless our community. You can do this as an individual, as a family, as a Connection Group, as a Ministry Team, etc. No limits to the way you can bless. Our Finance Team had a wonderful idea: let’s give everyone $75 to use toward blessing the community. This could be $75 for your family, or for each adult in your family. This could be $75 per person attending or you could combine it with your Connection Group. Pray about it, think creative thoughts and go forth and bless! The envelopes will be given out Sunday September 18 and Sunday, September 25. We plan to give our up to $15,000 which will be 200 Blessing Envelopes. Our Finance Team will be handing them out for us. There will be a little card in the envelope. If you would, we ask that you write a brief note of how you blessed the community.

We are BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING…right? So let the blessing begin. We will be collecting jelly and diapers for our ministry partners at James Island Outreach and Lowcountry Pregnancy. How about 75 jars of jelly in September and 75 more n October…and 75 more in November! The same with diapers…75 in September, October and November!

This Sunday I will begin a new teaching series I am calling “Blessed To Be A Blessing”. Can’t wait to get started!

Pastor Tom

THE BLESSING TRAIN HAS LEFT THE STATION!

I had the idea of how our church family and friends could celebrate James Island Baptist Church’s 75th Anniversary. There are really 3 parts to this celebration plan.

First, under the purpose of Fellowship: Let’s have a big ol’ party! On Sunday, September 25th, we are having a Church Wide Fellowship at the James Island County Park. We will gather at 12:30 in the air conditioned Edisto Hall. Some will choose to meet outside on the picnic tables under the oaks. The meal is being catered by Home Team BBQ; after dinner music and entertainment provided by our favorite local band, Wildflower Station; there will be inflatables for the kids and for 2 hours a photo booth for fun! On Sunday, September 25, we will have our regularly scheduled Sunday Connection Groups and the 11:00 Worship service. WE WILL NOT HAVE A 9:00 SERVICE ON THAT DAY! We will be providing 75th anniversary name tags for everyone on Sunday the 11th, 18th,and 25th. Names and faces! Amen.

Second, Mission and Ministry: The Theme for September is “Blessed To Be A Blessing”. We are asking for everyone to join us in finding 75 ways to bless our community in 75 days, from September 1 to November 14. The Finance Team had a generous and faith based idea: Let’s give $75 to every family (or individual) to be used to bless the community. No strings attached, you just find a way to bless someone in Jesus name. There will be those who bless veterans, homeless, widows, orphans, under served, single moms, etc. You could do this as an individual, as a family, as a Connection Group or with your business partners. Just bless in Jesus’ name. On Sunday, September 18 and 25 we will distribute up to 200 Blessing Envelopes with $75 in each one. We ask that you would consider sharing a brief description of how you felt led or inclined to use the $75. For rejoicing purposes only!

The third part of the 75th Anniversary will take place on Thanksgiving Sunday, November 20. We will celebrate with praise and thanksgiving. What a day of rejoicing that will be.

We are indeed blessed to be a blessing. The Blessing Train is just about ready to leave the station.

See you Sunday, as we finish the teaching series on Jonah: A Story of Grace.

Pastor Tom

“I see the evidence of His goodness, all over my life”

That is a line from one of the songs we sing on Sunday. I like it a lot! It reminds me of what I sometimes take for granted. Look around, see the blessings and draw a straight line back to our Father, from whom all our blessings flow. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift. I see the evidence of His goodness, all over my life…and all over the life of the James Island Baptist Church family!

Last week we had our Ministry Management Team/Quarterly Ministry Conference. I love two of the comments that were shared. The first comment: “I believe from the top to bottom, this is the best group of leaders we have ever had”. If you had have heard the reports from the Team Leaders, I think you might agree. The second comment: “This may have been the most positive meeting I have been in at JIBC”. That was not to say that other meetings were not positive. Rather, this one just cascaded with one blessing after another. The continual outward focus of our Ministry Teams is so refreshing. Thank you all for sharing what you see God doing in your area of ministry.

This week we have two more blessings. First, at the 11:00 Worship service, we will have two baptisms. What a joy to baptize a brother and a sister! Later Sunday afternoon, we will have Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC. This is always a great class. I see the evidence of His goodness, all over the life of our church.

The Charleston Center has started allowing their patients to join us at Celebrate Recovery. They were in isolation so long because of Covid. They started back a few weeks ago and we are thrilled to have them back. The Charleston Center is Charleston County’s Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program. We have been partners with them for over 10 years through Celebrate Recovery and the Transition House. This past Sunday night was a beautiful Celebrate Recovery Worship Experience. Thank you for being willing to tackle the spiritual giants in our community and state. This week we will have one of our members picking up their 3 year medallion! Three years sober! I see the evidence of His goodness, all over our church.

Blessings to all those back in school, to all our teachers and administrators. May you too, see the evidence of His goodness, all over your school!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

WE ALL GO THROUGH SEASONS

It is a part of our life cycle that we all go through seasons. Just as surely as God give us winter, spring, summer and fall, we go through seasons of life. It seems to me that we experience times of growing and abundance and times of sowing in expectations: we have seasons of sunshine when everything is just right…and rainy seasons that seem dark and gloomy. Thank you Father that these are seasons…that we are not permanently stuck in any one season.

This past Monday I read Genesis 26 as a part of my quiet time. The chapter starts off with a famine. It is followed quickly with assurance that God is with him and is still in the process of blessing. The whole chapter is a series of “seasons”. A season of challenge followed by a season of blessing; a season of opposition and a season of cooperation; a season of mistakes and a season of obedience.

It just reminded me that whatever you are experiencing, whether good or bad, it is a season you are going through. Remember the Father’s promise to always be with you and to never leave or forsake you…even in the slow, difficult seasons. Especially in the slow and difficult seasons.

JIBC is in a great season in many ways. We have visitors in the worship service almost every Sunday; generous giving has allowed and enabled generous giving to mission and outreach; more people are involved in outreach than ever. Pastor David wrote an article giving praise for the growing season of technology. I met a man Sunday who grew up at JIBC but has been away for almost 40 years. He said he watches us online every week!

I hope you are in a good and pleasant season right now. If you are not, I pray Jesus will bless you and keep you. May the unpleasant season be short and followed by a season of abundance.

My family has had a wonderful season of life with my grandson Noah. I was in the birthing room as Brook’s birthing coach when Noah was born. I literally cut the cord as we welcomed him to our family. It has been a beautiful season…17 years worth. This past Sunday Brook, Janie and I went with Noah to get him all squared away in his dorm. As we drove away, I felt like I was cutting the cord again! This is a season of abundance!

To God be the glory and may we trust Him during every season of life.

Pastor Tom

After Recent Circumstances…

This past Friday, while our church teams were cooking hamburgers and hotdogs, giving out backpacks filled with school supplies to the students at the EME Apartments on Central Park Road, I was conducting a funeral. You may have read or heard about this on the news. A young man, 23 years old, died in a tragic accidental shooting. According to the report it was his friend who fired the fatal shot. It was accidental but still tragic and beyond sad. I asked myself what can I do in such circumstances? This may not be much but here is my effort to honor and remember those who have lost their lives. Given the prevalence of guns in our society, I thought this would be timely and hopefully, helpful. Kind of like a pastoral public service announcement.

There are Four Basic Gun Safety Rules. Four basic, easy to memorize, easy to implement, easy to learn and teach rules. All four are important and all four could potentially save lives. You cannot get a concealed weapons permit without knowing these four gun safety rules. In my way of thinking, no one should have access to owning or even holding a gun without knowing these four safety rules. My wife, Janie, does not own a gun nor does she want to own or shoot a gun. I still make sure she knows these rules because we have a gun in our house. It is a very common saying that there are no “accidental” gun discharges, only negligent. My goal here is not to point a finger at anyone. My hope is to raise our level of awareness, the need for training and accountability that would lower or even remove the risk of accidental shootings.

Here are the four basic safety rules. #1. Always treat a gun as if it is loaded. Always. You assume it is loaded and never takes someone’s word that it is or is not loaded. I have a friend who talks our loud saying “I am handing you an empty gun, I have checked it but you should check it too. #2. Never point the muzzle of a gun at something you are not willing to kill or destroy. Never in play or in jest. Never. The safe direction for the muzzle may be up, down or downrange. But never at something you are not willing to destroy. #3. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot. That means keeping your finger away from the trigger while loading, unloading or even handling. #4. Always be sure of your target and what is behind or beyond your target. Some bullets can travel for 3 miles; shotgun pellets can travel the length of 2 football fields.

It would not be asking too much to commit to repeating these 4 gun safety rules every time we touch our guns. If you own a gun, make sure you know these 4 safety rules and teach them to anyone else in your home.

The young man will be remembered and he will be missed. I thought I could honor him and his memory by knowing, practicing and sharing these 4 gun safety rules.

Blessings,

Pastor Tom

IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMIN’

On Wednesday, August 17 we will have a combined Ministry Management Team Meeting and our Quarterly Ministry Conference. Two birds with one stone, so to speak. We will also be providing a meal at 6:30 and care for preschool and children. Because Chef Barry is making a delicious meal, we will need to have a head count. You can sign up the next two Sundays on the Communication Sheet in the worship bulletin or call Neale at 843-762-0244. For those who are new to our church family, the Ministry management Team consists of our staff, elders and the team leaders of the various teams in the church. For this meeting, we are also inviting Connection Group Leaders and all our deacons.

We will have an opportunity for any of our Ministry Teams to share a praise and prayer report of their ministry area. Each one could take up to 5 minutes. Our primary item of ministry is our 75th Church Anniversary. We are really planning for this to be a big celebration. SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 and ask your team to save the date too. We will have one combined worship service at 11:00 and then gather at James Island county Park at the Edisto Hall for a meal catered by Home Team BBQ. There will be inflatables and other games for the kids, music provided by Wildflower Station, great food and fellowship.

I think my favorite part of this 75th JIBC Anniversary is the goal to find 75 ways to bless our community in 75 days. JIBC has long used the motto “We are blessed to be a blessing.” I think finding 75 ways to share the blessing would honor our Father, keep faith with those who founded JIBC and served so faithfully for years and be in keeping with our values. I am asking all of our Team Leaders and Staff to ask our Father to reveal multiple ways your teams could bless the community.

Anyone is, of course, welcome to attend this combined Quarterly Ministry conference/Ministry Management Team gathering. Just make sure you sign up for the meal. There should be some celebration going on in His house!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE?

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a lovely little poem entitled “How Do I Love Thee?” “How do I love thee, let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach when feeling out of sight for the ends of being and ideal grace.”

I have always thought that was a wonderful way to state one’s love. Not to be too sappy, but it is easy to say “How do I love thee JIBC?” Two Sundays ago, I was dealing with vertigo. I made it to worship that morning and prepared Communion. Then I made the call…I am out and Scott is in! I hated to make such a last minute change. I am thankful for Scott’s willingness and ability to step in literally minutes before it was time for the service. Last week I had 2 bad days and four good days. That is good progress. Just to be safe, I asked our Youth Director, Logan to preach for me this past Sunday morning. I did not want to make another last minute call.

By Sunday night, I felt the goodness of God had allowed me to start feeling “normal”…whatever that is, right? So, back to the sonnet, I love the team that I have the privilege of working with each week.

I also love that almost everything we are promoting lately is related to outreach and mission. Several children were introduced to Christ at Kids Camp, we have a sports camp going on as I type this article. I went out to see them Monday morning, it they had 37 children in the sports camp. 25 of them report that they do not have a church home! In a week, on Friday, August 5, we will provide over 100 book bags filled with school supplies for the children at the EME Apartments on Central Park Road. We are doing this in partnership with a sister church, Emmanuel Baptist Church. The apartment complex management has not given us a time for the Back To School Party. When they do, you are invited to join us in the fun. The school supplies will be such a relief for single moms and underserved families. When it is all said and done, we expect to full 140 book bags. We hear a lot about Critical Race Theory…which I reject. I am busy promoting Kingdom Race Theory. It is based on an old song “Red and Yellow, Black and White, they are precious in His sight” and a wonderful Word from God found in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

How do I love thee JIBC…let me count the ways. And a whole lot of ways are related to how you continue to be outward focused. You still have time to bring some school supplies by the office or to worship Sunday. You don’t have to buy everything on the list…every little bit will help.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing and the little calcium crystals in my ears don’t rise!

Pastor Tom

Blessed to be a blessing!

One of my favorite sayings at JIBC is “Blessed to be a blessing”. It has so many applications. Why would Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth bother to bless us? I think answer numero uno is because He is a Good and Great God. It is His nature to bless and to give. Secondly, I think it is part of His plan and strategy to love the world. He blesses us so we may bless others.

James Island Baptist Church is joining again with Emmanuel Baptist Church on James Island, to provide a “Back To School” party for the children at the EME Apartments on Central Park Road. Many of you have met and know their Pastor, Rev. George Kugblenu. I have worked with Pastor George on many occasions. He loves the Lord and he loves people. Put that together with heart of JIBC “Blessed to be a blessing” and we have a winning combo! So, for the second year, we are partnering with a sister church, an African American Church, to bless our community. I love all parts of this.

Please see the front of The Messenger to see the supply list. I love it when the Lord lays really big goals on our hearts. Imagine, filling 144 backpacks full of school supplies. The kids may not realize what a blessing that is, but I betcha the parents and grandparents will! We were blessed to be a blessing. Sending kids to school with a new backpack and all the supplies they need is a BIG blessing. Thank you for responding so generously. I have absolutely no doubt we will fill every one of the 144 book bags. What that means is 144 times you were a blessing to someone in need. Thank you all. There will be three collection boxes out this Sunday. Let’s see what we can do about filling them up.

Once again, thank you, Scott. This past Sunday I had another bout with vertigo. I had a sinus infection that triggered it this time. The medical term for it is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). These little tiny calcium particles fall out of their God appointed place in the inner ear and create havoc on the body’s balancing system. This time was much less severe than my last experience. I actually made it to worship at 9 in time to set up the Lord’s Supper for worship. After that, I knew I was going to have issues so I asked Scott to step in. It was as last minute as it could be. I am so thankful that Scott was there, willing and ready to step in. I regret not being present for the “wrap up” service of our series on Worship.

I look forward, good Lord willing, to seeing you this Sunday. Blessed to be a blessing. Doesn’t that sound great?

Pastor Tom

JIBC 75th ANNIVERSARY

For years we celebrated the church anniversary on the second Sunday of July. This past Sunday would have been the Sunday we had a church wide meal, recognition of any charter members and other Anniversary events. We did not forget the day or the date. We did, however, move the date to September. We are planning a big event…or two!

Join me in prayer and thought about this idea. How could we make this 75th Anniversary really different? What could we do that would be in keeping with who we are, what we value and what we see God doing here? How about this: To celebrate our 75 years as a church family, we find 75 Ways to Bless the Community in 75 days. If we start the first day of September, that would take us to November 14. I know some of you are thinking that 75 is too small a number. It will be quite ok if we happen to find 100 ways to bless the community in 75 days! Right?

I would really love to see us make a statement like this: we celebrate 75 years by focusing outward instead of inward. We are not forgetting about our church family. We are planning a church-wide fellowship meal at the Charleston County Park here on James Island. It will be big, really big! How many times do you get to celebrate 75 years?

I am so looking forward to how we can respond to such an Anniversary Challenge. Start praying and thinking…what are 75 ways we could bless the community? I can’t wait to hear the ideas and all the stories.

By the way, didn’t you love hearing Logan tell us about the wonderful Student Mission trip? Wow, solid work, great group, no drama…just loving Jesus and loving people. Thank you Father for your watch care and blessings.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Tom

RICK WARREN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

You may have heard that Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life announced his retirement almost a year ago. Saddleback Church, a Southern Baptist Church, has already called their next pastor. How would you like to try to fill those shoes? You know that Warren has been my mentor for years. I have never met him. Yet, God has used him to influence my spiritual life and growth. Let me share with you why I have loved watching God use Rick and Kay Warren.

Warren serves and lives in Orange County California. The Orange County Association has 149 churches. Saddleback Church, by God’s grace, started 90 of those churches. They have started many more; those are just the ones in their own association. Rick is a 4th generation pastor. His great grandfather was led to the lord by Charles Spurgeon. His own father was a bi-vocational pastor all of his life. That helps explain why Warren donated all the proceeds from the best selling church growth book, The Purpose Driven Church, to bi-vocational pastors.

When Warren was a teenager, he was mentored by Billy Graham. At age 16 he was hired by the California Baptist convention to preach crusades as an evangelist. He had preached 120 crusades by the time he was 20 years old.

He has served one church his entire 42 year career as a Pastor. That church, of course, is Saddleback. Guided by the Holy Spirit of God, Rick and his wife Kay started the church from zero. God has grown the church to 78,179 members. All of them came through the 4 hour long Class 101: Membership Class. By the way, Saddleback Church had 10,000 members before they purchased any property or built their first building. They rented out stadiums and other venues until they felt God leading them to the right place to purchase property and build. The church has 9,173 home Bible Study groups. Led by our Lord Jesus, the church has baptized 56,631 new believers. In obedience to the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, the church has sent 26,896 members on international mission trips to 197 nations. Their first goal was to take the Gospel to every nation. Done! Now they are praying that God would allow them to take the Gospel to every people group. The church works hand in hand with our International Mission Board.

He has trained over 1.1 Million pastors over the years. That is more than all 5 of our Southern Baptist Seminaries put together. He has often been recruited to be the president of one of our seminaries. His reply has always been the same: I am called to be the pastor of Saddleback Church.

He drives an old pickup truck, wears Hawaiian shirts and looks and acts like he is your favorite uncle at your family reunions. God has so protected Rick and Kay Warren from scandal. He has not kept the critics away. While the critics’ blast away, Warren leads his church family to feed the poor, help the broken, care for the widows and orphans. I almost forgot, Celebrate Recovery is a Saddleback Ministry. It is in more prisons around the world than any other prison ministry.

I suspect we have not heard the last from Rick Warren or Saddleback Church. Look what God has done. The boast is not about Rick Warren but about the miraculous work God has done using Rick and Kay Warren. In some ways, to not share this story would be to rob God of His glory. Rick Warren could not do these things. Only God could do such miracles. I pray our Father will continue to do it again and again until the entire world knows the Great Name of Jesus.

Thanks for reading this,

Pastor Tom

Worship: You were Created to Praise!

This past Sunday I started a new teaching series entitled “WORSHIP: YOU WERE CREATED TO PRAISE”. My goal is visit some of the premier passages in God’s Word about Worship. Worship is one of the five purposes of JIBC. Using the familiar baseball diamond you might remember: Membership/Fellowship is FIRST BASE; Discipleship/Maturity is SECOND BASE; Service/Ministry is THIRD BASE; Outreach/Mission is HOME PLATE; Worship/Magnify is at the pitcher’s mound right in the center of it all.

So, for the next several weeks we will be looking at what God’s Word has to say to us about Worship. Sunday we read the magnificent Psalm 100. There are so many things to learn and practice. High on the list was the place of joy and gladness in our worship. Worship is celebration. We have been forgiven, set free, filled with the Holy Spirit, given the Bible as God’s printed Word, our guilt has been removed, and we have been placed in the family of God. There is great cause for joy and gladness. No one can do your worship for you. Worship is designed to be a participation event, not a spectator event.

Join us when you can, as often as you can to worship Him together. Feeling great…then worship Him with praise and thanksgiving. Feeling bad…then worship Him with praise and thanksgiving. He is worthy of our worship and we are in need of worshipping Him.

CODEPENDENCY CLASS COMING SOON. Starting Sunday night, July 10, I plan to begin a short 4 week course on Codependency. If you are interested, you can join us on Sunday nights. The full schedule will be: 5:30 Fellowship Meal; 6:30 Celebrate Recovery Worship Celebration; 7:00 Codependency Class. The Class Room will be announced later.

THANK YOU VBS VOLUNTEERS. What a great VBS! Thank you to all the volunteers that made this a great week. May your tribe increase.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

READY OR NOT, HERE COMES VBS!

By the time you read this article, Vacation Bible School (VBS) will almost be a memory. I love VBS and I want to say thank you to all the parents for bringing their children to VBS. They could not be here without the effort of the parents. Thank you. Secondly, I want to thank all the volunteers. Many of you put in a full day at work or a double full time at home and THEN you come to pour into the hearts and lives of these beautiful children. And thank you for to the staff for the leadership and direction you give to make this happen. Well done, everyone, well done!

Some might be tempted to ask “Is it worth it? Is VBS worth all the effort, time and resources? YES, YES AND ANOTHER HARD YES! Think about the following for a moment: there were over 2.5 Million Children in VBS last year; there were 70,135 professions of faith (I say let’s reach them before we have to rescue them); churches discovered 155,344 prospects (people who do not attend church anywhere); kids get 15 hours of intense discipleship and Bible Study; and they get great snacks…don’t forget the snacks!

And watch this…there was over $6,500,000 given to mission causes through VBS! Is it worth it? Again, that would be a hard yes! For many churches, Vacation Bible School is the single largest evangelistic effort of the year. Let’s pray that as the Gospel is shared that lives would be transformed. Vacation Bible School is just one of the ways we carry out the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go into all the world and make disciples baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Let’s love some kids, teach God’s Word, make some disciples and have fun doing it all!

COMING SOON TO A CELEBRATE RECOVERY NEAR YOU Starting July 10, I will be teaching a four week course on codependency. It is open to anyone, no book required, just a heart willing to learn. You can just attend the class from 7 to 8. Or, you can come for the fellowship meal between 5:30-6:15, join us for Celebrate Recovery Worship from 6:30 to 7 and then come to the class at 7. Hope you will join us.

By the way, I would encourage everyone to come to Celebrate Recovery a time or two. Not just because you might have hurts, hang-ups and habits to work on, but because you know so many people who do. Nothing “sells” a product better than word of mouth. If you tell someone you attended and can explain to them what goes on, it greatly increases the odds that they would agree to attend. Just a thought!

Blessings,

Pastor Tom

Thankful for God’s Provisions

We have been blessed in so many ways. Today, I give thanks for just one of those ways. Janie and I were scheduled to be a part of two weddings, two weekends in a row. The first one was a family member in the upstate. It did require that we be gone on a Sunday. No problem, the Lord provided JIBC with very competent staff. So, we planned to go. The second wedding is this coming weekend. It is out of state in Illinois. Many of you will remember the Koch family. At one time or another, all of them served on the JIBC staff. It is hard to believe, but little Caroline grew up and is getting married this weekend. We are honored that they would ask Janie and me to perform their wedding ceremony. That, however, means we will be gone a second Sunday. The Koch family is living in Petersburg, Illinois. It will be good to see some of the old JIBC family again.

So, let’s talk about God’s provision. I am able to leave and know that JIBC is in good hands. Scott is more than competent to lead and keep things rolling. Our Youth Director, Logan Duvall, is a very good speaker. I always receive great feedback on his speaking. He will be speaking again this Sunday. Neale, like me, has been around forever and will be able to handle any situation that comes up.

Now, back to the weddings we had on the calendar. The first wedding we were scheduled to attend was cancelled. I know, right? Heartbreak for all involved. Since we already had the time set aside, Janie and I went to visit my brother-in-law in Surfside and my brother in Newport, NC. They both looked great and both were experiencing the blessings of God. My brother looks as good as I have seen him since his kidney transplant.

On the way home, Janie and I listened to the Livestream of this past Sunday’s worship service. Wow! If you had seen the old Livestream we started with, you will be amazed at the improvement that has been made. To Pastor David, Allan Knapp, David Jr and your whole team, job well done. If you find yourself away on a Sunday, I really encourage you to find the livestream of the JIBC Worship. Of course, it is not as good as being present…but it is a wonderfully clear, has pleasing sound and a crystal clear picture.

“Now, something entirely different”. Starting July 10, I will be teaching a four week course on codependency. It is open to anyone, no book required, just a heart willing to learn. You can just attend the class from 7 to 8 pm. Or, you can come for the fellowship meal between 5:30-6:15 pm, join us for Celebrate Recovery Worship from 6:30 to 7 pmand then come to the class at 7 pm. Hope you will join us.

Blessings,

Pastor Tom

A Little Codependency in Most of Us

Codependency is a word that gets thrown around a lot. To complicate matters, defining codependency can be difficult because it is such a big and broad concept. Let’s take a shot at a few workable definitions. Codependency is often called “relationship addiction”. It is an emotional and behavioral way of thinking and acting that makes it hard to have a healthy mutually satisfying relationship. People who are codependent usually are in relationships that are one-sided, emotionally destructive and dysfunctional.

(What is Codependency, by Heather Jones)
Codependency may have started in connection with families of alcoholics. It quickly became clear that we can have codependent relationships in marriages, with our children, with our parents, with our co-workers, etc. In codependent relationships, one person is usually taking advantage of the other person in some way, maybe emotionally or financially. The one being taken advantage of may be described as enabling. Enabling behavior is seldom seen in healthy relationships.

I liked the way; one person described codependency: “…a circular relationship in which one person needs the other person, who in turn, needs to be needed.”

I can at times be a little codependent…sometimes more than a little. It often does not feel like I am being codependent…it feels similar to just helping someone who is in need and is stuck. My actions can seem like love and all I am trying to do is to get them unstuck…whether they want to get unstuck or not! Oops…there it is.

Well, in July, as a part of Celebrate Recovery, I will be leading a seminar on Codependency. Anyone can sign up and join in. It will be more like an introduction. You can join us for the 5:30 Fellowship Meal. We will meet at 6:30 in the Worship Center for our Worship Celebration. Then we will break up into groups and those coming for the Codependency Group will join me. It should be informative, maybe interesting, and a bit entertaining as we look at ourselves and those we love.

Pastor Tom

WHAT IF HELP WAS AVAILABLE?

It is bad enough to struggle and hurt when there seems to be absolutely no help available. But what if there was a way to get help? Today I am writing about a source of pain that many of us deal with…codependency. One of the downsides to codependency is that we don’t want anyone to know we are codependent or we ourselves don’t know we are codependent. Sometimes everyone around us knows we are codependent except us!

Let’s start with the basics: what is codependency? You can find a dozen definitions that try to define or describe codependency. Here is my attempt to define and describe it. Codependency refers to the mental, emotional, physical and/or spiritual reliance on a partner, friend or family member. True, we all rely on others and that can be a good thing. That is not what we are talking about here.

Codependency is usually a learned behavior that is passed down from generation to generation. Some people call it “relationship addiction”. The term codependency is often used to describe a relationship where a person is needy or dependent on another person. The codependent can fall into a pattern of planning their entire life around pleasing the other person or being an enabler. Codependency makes it difficult to have a healthy, satisfying relationship where both people are equally and mutually committed to one another. Often your mood, happiness and even your identity are defined by the other person and your codependent relationship.

So why write about this? First, I want to plant the seed that help is available. That alone can be difficult because it is hard to help someone who does not know or realize they need help. Second, I want to help us see the additional value of Celebrate Recovery. Too often we hear the response that Celebrate Recovery is for people with alcohol or drug issues. It is, of course, for them but it is also for a whole host of other hurts, hang-ups and habits. Living with an addict or an abusive person has its own set of challenges. To face them alone make the journey even more difficult. There is help available. Many of us that attend Celebrate Recovery do so not because of alcohol or drugs, but because we struggle with other issues like codependency. My walk with Jesus has so helped me but I can still fall into the old habits of the flesh and trying to do it on my own. I have to remember there is help: spiritual help through daily prayer, Bible study, meditation; emotional help through sharing with those on a similar journey; physical help through exercise; and mental help through professional counselors.

What if help was available? It is, by God’s good grace, it is. My plans are to teach a 4 week course on Codependency on Sunday nights in July. I will write a few more articles about codependency. Whether you are codependent or want to know more about codependency, these four weeks might be helpful to you. Help is available!

Pastor Tom

The Son of Man Came to Serve

I have been asking for our church family to memorize one verse and one passage of Scripture. The first one is Mark 10:45. If Jesus had a “life verse” I think this would be it. Find a 3x5 card, copy the verse and carry it with you for a week. The second is a passage, Philippians 2:5-11. It is perhaps my favorite passage about Jesus. One of the most neglected spiritual disciplines is memorizing Bible verses. There are lots of great reasons to give it a try. I hope you will. Remember the three keys to memorizing Bible verses is to review, review and review!

Thank you for serving the underserved. We partner with James Island Outreach, led by Scott Graule and a wonderful host of volunteers. We have been designated as the Jelly Church. You do a great job of keeping the Outreach supplied. As I type this article, we have exactly 150 jars of jelly waiting to fly from our stage to the shelves of JIO and into the homes of our fellow James Island Residents. We will now resume our collecting jelly each week and putting the jars in the collection bins outside the church office. Thank you for serving in your generosity.

One more celebration: Joanne Brown has been leading a group of JIBC volunteers to help with Back Pack Buddies. Again, we partner with JI Outreach and local schools to help provide meals for underserved kids in our community. About every other week, our volunteers go to pack the snacks and food. If I am remembering correctly, Joanne said our volunteers pack 174 bags each week. When you add up all the backpacks, I think she said the number was 6,000 total backpacks packed! How many backpacks could backpackers pack if backpackers would pack backpacks? Apparently the number is somewhere around 6,000. Unto the least of them says Matthew s25. Well done, well done.

The Charleston County Department of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (The Charleston Center) has started allowing their patients to come to Celebrate Recovery. We had 9 from the Center this past Sunday Night. Our CR family, including our Kitchen Krew, was so excited to see them. These patients are struggling between life and death, bondage or freedom, hope or despair. Thank you JIBC for being willing to take on the giants. By the way, Celebrate Recovery is not just for substance abuse. We deal with food issues, codependency, gambling, sexual addictions, anger, mental health issues, etc. In a few weeks, I will advertise a course I will be teaching on codependency. Everyone and anyone is welcome to sit in. it will most likely be a 4 week study offered on Sunday Nights. The schedule: Free meal at 5:30; Celebration Worship at 6:30; Small Groups/Codependency from 7 to 8.

I love our church! See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

BTW, we will observe the Lord’s Supper on this Memorial Day Weekend. Hope you can be there to join us in remembering the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and the men and women who paid the ultimate price.

WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE?

Perhaps you have had the experience of being in a new place and not knowing exactly where you were going. Now days with a variety of GPS devices, it is a little harder, but not impossible, to get lost. On those rare occasions when I am “momentarily not sure of where I am (lost), I will stop and ask for clarification. The worst answer we can ever receive is such circumstance is “You can’t get there from here!” Really, there is no way? Of course there is a way. It might just be a little complicated.

Where do you go from here when it comes to life at James Island Baptist? We don’t want anyone to feel lost on the way to becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ. So we start you out with a welcome to JIBC. We love guest and are thankful that someone would come by to check us out. We love it even more when they like us enough to stay. But eventually, we want to offer you the opportunity to find a church home. We offer Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC. It is the way to join the church. Basically, it is a seminar I teach about who we are, our mission and purpose. It is the best way I know to find out about the church family and to hear your Pastor’s heart beat. We offer Class 101 four or five times a year.

The next directions we give relate to Maturity and Discipleship. We invite you to take the next Class, Class 201: Discovering Maturity at JIBC. Here we will teach you the four spiritual disciplines every believer needs to know in order to grow and become more like Jesus. Many of our new members are already well on their way to maturity and so this will seem like a review for them.

The next turn in the driving directions is called Class 301: Discovering Ministry at JIBC. Our goal here is to help you look at things you are passionate about, help you discover how God gifted you and how your personality style fits into ministry opportunities.

Now that is a pretty good start in giving spiritual directional help. The Good News is I believe you can get there from here…or wherever you are. I believe with all my heart it is God’s will for all of us to belong to a church family, to grow daily in becoming more like Jesus and to find our place to serve in the Body of Christ known as James Island Baptist. Let’s go on this trip together.

Pastor Tom

SERVE

Start with some sad news.

Our Office Manager, Neale Young, lost her father this week. John went home to be with His Lord on Monday, May 9. Some of the old timers, like me, will remember when Neale’s mom and dad were members of JIBC. John served faithfully as our Sunday School Secretary for years. Their membership and service go all the way back to when Pastor Oscar Holland served here at JIBC. John was faithful to his Lord, his family, his church, and his country. He now enjoys the rewards of a faithful life. Our prayers and love to Neale, her mother and her family. Rest in peace.

Another Note for Prayer.

One of our Church Elders, Frank O Hunt, had an accident that landed him in the ICU in Augusta. I know they would appreciate your prayers and love. We are hoping he will soon be able to be transferred back home or back to Charleston. Frank O is about as tough as they come. Praying for his best in this recovery.

SERVE

This past Sunday, I started a new series I am calling “Serve”. It is based on the verse from our Lord that almost sounds like it could be Jesus’ “life verse”. “For even the son of Man did not come to the served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 See the word? Serve. That is the title of this month’s teaching series. It is from the mouth and the heart of our Lord Jesus. It is what he did, it is who he is, and it is what he taught…serve! If you missed Sunday’s service, I would encourage you to take a moment…or two…and listen to it. It sets the pace for the rest of the messages we will hear this month. By the way, could I challenge you to memorize Mark 10:45? It is really a good verse to know.

Now for those of you who are eager beavers, this week’s passage is another one to try to memorize. Yep, the whole passage, not just one verse. Take a look at Philippians 2:5-11. It is a premier passage to about our Lord Jesus Christ. Your time will not be wasted in trying to memorize and become familiar with this grand passage.

Do you like Bob Dylan? Check out his song… “You got to serve somebody”. It is not related to what we are talking about…it is just a cool song. See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

We’re Back!

Janie and I were able to get away for a vacay this past week. But we are back and looking forward to being with our church family again. We love getting away but we love it twice as much coming home. This trip, we spent time in a part of Georgia we had not previously visited. We stayed in a little town called Cartersville. It is about 15 miles from Helen, Georgia. Our goal when we go to the mountains is to chase waterfalls. We were able to visit 8 or 9 waterfalls. We pack our lunch; plenty of water, first aid kit and binoculars and off we go! Janie and I love to sit near the falls, listen to the waterfall sounds and feel the spray of water.

On this trip we were able to visit with some former JIBC members. Pat and Sue Warren live in Hayesville, N.C. We had a lovely visit with them. God has blessed them so with a picturesque home on a quiet little creek. We also had a visit with a former Worship Leader, Teddy Baker. He was playing at a nearby vineyard. Janie and I were able to visit with him and enjoy him and his music again. Teddy had Covid last year and was hospitalized. That rascal wrote a song about being in the hospital and it was a great song! It was good to see Teddy again.

We took one day to visit Toccoa, Georgia. Our friend, Eric Luh, had highly recommended visiting the Currahee Military Museum. If you have seen the series “Band of Brothers” you are familiar with this inspiring story. We have not seen the mini series, so now watching it is on our to do list.

While we were away on vacation, we joined JIBC in worship on both Sundays. If you have not visited the livestream of our worship service lately, you will be pleasantly surprised. Our teams have done a great job of greatly improving the quality of the livestream Worship. They cleaned up the sound, music, picture….wow, job well done. We heard both sermons that Logan preached. What a gifted young man. Good job, Logan.

Good Lord willing, I will see you this Sunday. I am looking forward to being with my forever family again!

Pastor Tom

Out of the mouths of babes!

Have you ever heard that phrase “out of the mouths of babes”? It is the Bible version of the old television show “Kids Say The Darndest Things”. Well, here is my story. I was taking my 7 year old grandson to school one morning. He can go from completely silent saying nothing at all to being so chatty I can’t keep up with the conversation. This one was a bombshell delivered by an angelic little face. “Granddad, what do you do with all the money you get on Sundays?” I stalled by saying “Pardon me, what did you say?” He repeated the question. Nope, it did not change at all: What do you do with all the money you get on Sunday’s? Ok, keep it simple, he is a seven year old. “Well, like in your home, we pay for electricity, water” and before I could finish with all the things “I” do with the money, the little inquisitor jumps in again… “You mean you just pay bills with it? Don’t you help the homeless?” I literally turned to look in my back seat to make sure it was my grandson and not some angelic manifestation of the Holy Spirit coming to speak to me. OK, I got him to wait until I could finish my answer. I told him of the money to Ukraine, to Romania, the Transition House, Connection Groups…but by now, the little messenger from Heaven had delivered his message and had gone back to whatever Pokémon character he was obsessed with.

I dropped my grandson off at school, but I carried his question with me for the rest of the week. I also carried my question with me: Was that the Holy Spirit speaking to me? What do I do with the money we get on Sunday or pay day or any day? Do I just pay bills? What if God asked me that very same question? In fact, I think He did.

My goal is to be a good manager of all God gives me. It is not mine but He has entrusted it to me. How do I spend the monies He gives me, whether we are talking JIBC offerings or the paychecks I receive? Of course we give tithes and offerings. That is our first step in acknowledging that all we have is from our Father in Heaven. Then we try to give generously. By God’s grace, we have been able to be out of debt for a while. Our only debt is Janie’s car. That frees us up to be generous givers above our tithes and offerings. Our old friend, Boyce Smith, helped teach us Biblical Financial Principles years ago. His investment of time has been blessed many times over in an untold number of lives. Thank you Boyce Smith and Dave Ramsey and Solomon and Jesus!

Pastor Tom

“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “’From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

Matthew 21:16

OH WHAT AN AMAZING, GLORIOUS DAY

 

What a great Resurrection Sunday we enjoyed! I know it is hard to be objective, but this may have been one of the best Easter services we have had in my 37 years at JIBC. Here is a list of things that made it such a wonder full day.

First, it was Resurrection Sunday. Every Sunday reminds us of Resurrection Sunday. In fact, that seems to be why we switched from worshipping on the Sabbath (Sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday). Jesus arose on the Lord’s Day, Sunday. His early appearances all seem to be on Sundays. This is the day the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it. We celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with great joy!

Second, the Praise Team and Production Team did an outstanding job. We are right at the end of the new installation of all kinds of upgraded equipment. I would have been pleased just to know they were making progress…but they raised the bar and burned the candle at both ends to introduce us to the new technology on Easter Sunday! Wow, Pastor David and David Jr., Thank you for your outstanding effort to get things ready for the biggest day of worship of the year.

Third, who doesn’t love a packed church? The devil that is who! Everyone else loves to see the church packed. Thank you for bringing family and friends; thnak you for the extra effort to attend; thank you, thank you and thank you. It was absolutely wonderful to see everyone gathered. I think the numbers were 150 at the 9:00 service, plus nursery and 250 at the 11:00 service, plus 21 at Children’s Church, plus nursery and 166 on-line viewers.

Fourth, but first in my heart…did I tell you I baptized my grandson, Wyatt Wilkins? Oh yeah, and I did it without tears of joy.

Thank you to all the staff, the group leaders, nursery volunteers, greeters, safety team, tech team, praise team, etc, etc. You made this an amazing, glorious day. I love you all.

He is risen…He is risen indeed.

Pastor Tom

RISEN!

RISEN! The one word that described the one event that changed the world. The one word that fulfilled biblical prophecy and fulfilled God’s plan to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world. The one word that describes conquering death and the grave, providing life abundant and life eternal. Risen! He is risen…He is risen indeed.

The name of our April teaching series is RISEN! It is the story of Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday, reflecting on Good Friday and celebrating on Resurrection Sunday! If Christ is not risen, then our hope is in vain. The old hymn helps us put our emotions into words: “I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today, I know that He is living, whatever men may say, I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him He is always near. He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today, He walks with me and He talks with me along life’s narrow ways. He lives, he lives salvation to impart. You ask me how I know He lives…He lives within my heart!” Amen and Hallelujah.

FLOWERING THE CROSS: This Sunday I hope you will plan to join us for our Easter Sunday worship experiences. We have two services, one at 9:00 and one at 11:00. We will be “flowering the cross”, so please feel free to bring flowers from your yard, or your neighbors, to put on the cross. My azaleas are just about all gone but my roses are making up for them! For those who are new to JIBC, we have a special cross made to hold flowers. The old rugged cross is transformed to a beautiful display reminding us of the new and beautiful life given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember that Christmas and Easter are two Sundays when our unchurched family and friends are likely to attend. They are twice as likely to attend if we invite them to be our guest and to join us for lunch afterwards. Oh what a glorious day!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom