WHAT A WONDERFUL WEEK

Well, the 2023 Vacation Bible School, Twist and Turns has come and gone for our JIBC family and friends. I think I am pretty close when I say that this was the 74th Vacation Bible School in our church history. It would have been the 75th except for the Covid year. Our thanks to Kat Cumberledge, Joanne Brown and their amazing teams of volunteers. You all did a wonderful job. Until you volunteer at a VBS, it is hard to realize the stamina it takes to work all day and then come and love on kids for 3 solid hours. Well done, good and faithful servants.

Let me give you a few VBS numbers to rejoice over. We had 73 kids who attended. That may seem down from previous years. This year we did not have the three year olds or the teenagers. So, the number of children was just about the same as last year. We had 35 volunteers who helped make the VBS happen. Truly, we could not offer a VBS without the volunteers. Well done! I hope you all got a nap Saturday and Sunday. We had 13 children who were asking questions about becoming a follower of Jesus. We had three that made professions of faith and 1 that requested baptism. We had another one who immediately started working on the children’s discipleship guide.

The VBS offering given by the children and adults was around $333.00. All of that will go to help buy school supplies for underserved children. For the last two years, JIBC has partnered with Emmanuel Baptist Church on Folly road to host a “Back To School Cookout” at the EME Apartments on Central Park Road. We help sponsor a cookout, music, games, speakers and then give out school supplies for the coming year. The end result is that we have children reaching children and churches reaching children. I love that we can do some cross cultural mission work right here in our own backyard. To God be the glory.

One more cool thing about VBS. All the VBS decorations that you saw and enjoyed have been passed on to a sister church for their VBS. I love that…recycle for the Kingdom. And any that survive their VBS will be passed on to yet another church family.

Your tithes and offerings make VBS a reality. We can purchase what we need and use it to share the Good News of what God has done for us... Your prayers help to make this possible. Thank you all.

It was a great 2023 Vacation Bible School. Take a deep breath…2024 VBS will be here before we know it!

Pastor Tom

YOU CAN TOUCH THE WORLD

It is simply amazing that a church as small as JIBC can touch the world. We sometimes might be tempted to think that only the big churches can send missionaries across the street, across the river and across the ocean. The secret is not in the big church, the secret is THE BIG GOD! We can touch the world in Jerusalem (our local area), Judea (still in South Carolina and the south east) Samaria (we cross boundaries and not just geographical) and the world (places like Ukraine, Romania, and now, let’s add Slovakia.

Mark Livengood is following his passion to reach Ukraine with the Gospel. Now that there is a war going on, he has to take another approach. So, it is official, he is going to Slovakia August 17-28. He will be teaching English to over 100 students. He will be working with some of the “grown” students he has taught in the past. Pray that the Holy Spirit will prepare the hearts of the students and the protection of Mark’s family when he is gone. Amen.

Now, let’s touch the world across the street. Vacation Bible School is an outstanding opportunity to impact children in our community. Bible stories will be told, the Gospel will be shared and lives will be changed. VBS starts this Monday, June 19. Pray for the stamina of all our volunteers. Sometimes we go into the entire world and sometimes all the world comes to us!

This Sunday, June 18 Celebrate Recovery will host a Mental Health Awareness Night. We have two counselors coming in as presenters. Darryl has arranged for a local caterer to prepare the meal that will be served from 5:30-6:30. You do not have to enjoy the meal in order to attend the service at 6:30. If you do want to attend the meal, you do need to make a reservation through the church office.

Sometimes we touch the world through our prayers; other times through our offerings and support; and sometimes we touch the world with our hands and feet as we “go”. I rejoice at how JIBC is becoming outwardly focused and outwardly aware. To God be the Glory.

See you this Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

Mental Health Awareness Night

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS NIGHT

SUNDAY, JUNE 18, 6:30-8:00 PM

Celebrate Recovery is sponsoring a Mental Health Awareness Night for our church family and friends. Darryl Young has invited two counselors that he knows to speak to us about Mental Health concerns.

This is really a topic that touches us all one way or the other. It is estimated that 1 out of 4 adults in the United States experience some form of mental illness each year. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, social and spiritual well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act as we cope with life. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life.

Mental illnesses are serious disorders which can affect your thinking, mood or behavior. There are many causes of mental health disorders: family genes, family history, your life experiences, stress or abuse as well as biological influences.

The Good News is there is hope. When you want to give up there is hope. When you think you don’t fit in, there is hope. When you think you are alone, there is hope. Just for your information, the new Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is 988. Just text 988 and you will be connected to a 24/7 hotline with volunteer crisis counselors. You could also find help on line at the national Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at www.nami.org/help

You have heard me say before that we cannot do everything, but we can do something. Let’s start by removing the stigma of mental health disorders. Second, let’s know at least one resource we could use for ourselves or for someone we love or know.

This Mental Health Awareness Night is a good place to start. Why not put it on your calendar and plan to attend.

See you there, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

THREE ITEMS TO SHARE

FIRST, MOM’S BIBLE STUDY THIS SUNDAY, JUNE 4 at 10:00 AM. What a great opportunity to meet with Moms who are believers. It will be a time of encouragement and inspiration. New to JIBC? What a great way to meet someone you already have a lot in common with. If you do not know Kat and Ashley, you will love them. This group will meet in Room 207, upstairs, main building all the way back to the Student Ministry area. Text MOMS to 843-762-0244 to register.

SECOND, VBS TWISTS AND TURNS IS ON THE WAY! Mark your calendars for June 19-23 for our annual VBS Mission opportunity. To attend VBS you must have completed 4K. VBS this year is for 4k through the 5th Grade. You can register on line: Just text VBS23 to 843-762-0244. Or, you can register when you arrive! Just remember…you drop them off AND pick them back up each night. LOL

Is VBS worth the effort? Every year Southern Baptists have 2.5 Million Children in VBS; resulting in over 70,000 professions of faith; discovering over 155,000 prospects; teaching 15 hours of discipleship equal to 7 months of ministry; and lots of singing, fun, and food. Oh yeah, it is worth it. Hard, long, exhausting but so, so worth it all.

THIRD, HOLY LAND HERE WE COME. I have been completely surprised by the strong interest in going to the Holy Land. We almost immediately had 40 people interested and now we have over 50. That creates an interesting situation since our tour bus only holds 50! We have 22 who have paid their deposits. I encourage those who are interested to go ahead and make a decision. In just a few weeks, we will open the trip up to some of our friends from a sister church. Janie and I will host another informational this Sunday, June 4th, at 6:30 PM. We will meet upstairs in Room 201, where Janie Brown’s Connection Group meets. It is an open meeting. You are welcome to attend just to hear about the trip!

Check the trip out at https://questtravelgroup.com/pastortombrown

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom