I love the little chorus that says: “God is so good, God is so good, God is so good He’s so good to me” Another verse says “He answers prayer”. God is so good and He has indeed answered prayer for Scott and Lori Blasingame. For over 5 months now, Scott has been seeking the Lord and trusting that our good and gracious Heavenly Father would open up an opportunity for Scott to be a Senior Pastor. The answer to that 5 month long prayer came this past Sunday. Scott and Lori have officially been called and have accepted the position as Senior Pastor of the Woodhaven Baptist Church in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Such a mix of emotions: So happy for Scott to pursue his desire to be a Senior Pastor and so sad for us to say goodbye to a friend and such a wonderful and talented staff person. He will indeed be missed.
Over the next few weeks, Scott will be wrapping up his duties and responsibilities here at James Island Baptist and beginning his new work at Woodhaven. We will look forward to having a celebration with them on Wednesday night, February 22. You can drop in any time from 5:30 -7:30. Please be in prayer for some of their biggest concerns: the sale of their house and the purchase of a new one; and a new teaching job for Lori. I have no doubt that our good and gracious Heavenly Father will meet those needs.
Looking ahead, we became aware that Scott was looking for a Senior Staff position 5 months ago. So, we began our search for a new Associate Pastor back in October, 2022. We have looked at maybe two dozen resumes and have had first interviews with five prospects. We have narrowed it down to three that we are setting up meetings with. The position we are looking for is an Associate Pastor of Discipleship, Small Groups and Administration. At this time, there is no plan for this person to be considered for the next Senior Pastor of JIBC. The position will be for a person that wants to be an Associate Pastor in Discipleship, Small Groups and Administration. No doubt, like Scott, they will fall in love with JIBC and that might lead them to want to lead a church like JIBC. But that is not in the plan. I have been asked more than once if the next Associate will be my replacement. The answer is I do not think so. That is not in the plans at this time.
“God is so good, He is so good to us”
See you Sunday,
Pastor Tom
