FINALLY, THE BEGINNING IS IN SIGHT!

There is an old song that says: “It’s been a long time coming, but I know a change is gonna to come”. We are finally at the time and place where we can say our new Associate Pastor and his sweet family will soon be here. All God’s children said “AMEN!” It has been a long time coming…but I know a change is gonna come.

We went through a very thorough process and interviews and meetings with a lot of prospective staff members. Some we liked, some we did not care for and some we loved. Kyle and Melissa were at the very top of the list of the ones we loved. We are so happy their arrival date is within sight. They are scheduled to move in on October 23rd. They will be living at the Forest at Fenwick just over the bridge on Johns Island. Kyle’s first day will be Monday, October 30…JUST IN TIME FOR THE FALL FESTIVAL! Perfect timing.

We will be sending out a brochure to introduce Kyle and his family to you. I think you will quickly see why we think he is the right person to join our staff and the JIBC family. We will be working with Kyle to get him introduced to as many people, as many Connection Groups and as many Ministry and Mission Teams as we can and as quickly as we can. We want him to know the JIBC we love and the JIBC that will love him and his family.

TWO BIG EVENTS COMING UP

We have two big events happening real soon. The first is outward focused: THE ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL. This is an annual all hands on deck event. We need as many volunteers as we can get. This is easily the numerically largest event of the year for JIBC. We will likely have over 1000 people on our campus on October 31. We design the Fall Festival to be a positive, family friendly, alternative to the traditional trick or treat. Kids will have a blast and gather all the candy their parental units will allow them to consume. And if all goes well, we will feature Mark Livengood presenting the Gospel story. How can you help? First, consider volunteering for a 2 hour shift…or more. Second, pick up a big bag of deliciousness and drop it by one of the collection bins. Third, pray that the love of God will be effectively communicated to our community. Thank you.

The second big event is A TASTE OF JAMES ISLAND BAPTIST . We are planning a church wide fellowship on Sunday, November 12. It will be held right after our 11:00 service, out under the oaks. We are inviting every Connection Group and every Ministry Team to put up a tent and serve up some of your favorite foods. Not only will this be fun, but it is a great way to get to know more of our church family and to see the ministry needs. More information to come!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12!

We are in the very first stage of planning “A Taste of James Island Baptist”. Right now we don’t have a lot of details, but we do have a date, Sunday, November 12. We will ask our Connection Groups and Ministry Teams to cook up their favorite dishes for this event. It will be right after the 11:00 Worship Service and will be held right here at JIBC under the Oaks. Music, food, fellowship, mission and ministry! What is not to love? More details to come.

Speaking of save the date, don’t forget about our biggest attended event of the year, The Fall Festival. It is always held on October 31 no matter which day of the week it lands on. We will have all the people our church campus can handle. We offer a positive, safe, family friendly alternative to the traditional Halloween. We will have the “Candy Boxes” out for donations. Remember when you go shopping; grab a bag or two of candy. For those who are new to JIBC, there is a place for everyone to volunteer. Everything is free and we give out a ton of candy! One of the best comments I have ever heard was from a member who came for the very first time. They said “I had no idea how big and how well done this event is. This is great!” I agree. Felecia Hebert and her team will do a great job as they always do! Just a little over 1 month away.

Follow up on Beach Baptism
We are planning to “debut” the new video of the beach baptism on Sunday, October 15 at worship services, 9 and 11. We have a beautiful photo of the event for those who were baptized. You can pick them up at the beginning or the ending of either worship service. Our thanks to David Martin, Jr and his crew for making this happen. To God be the glory.

Don’t hold me to these exact numbers, but Awana has 84 children enrolled and over 70 attending! Way to go Commander ReRe and Team! Let’s reach them before we have to rescue them, amen?

Pastor Tom

 

CLOSE BUT NOT YET

That is how I am describing our relationship with our prospective Associate Pastor Kyle Hooss. I know it has seemed like a long time since we started a relationship with Kyle. At first, everything was going according to plan. Our leadership believed Kyle and Melissa are a good match for us at JIBC. On their side, they felt the same way. Now, let’s make it interesting. They were pregnant expecting twins! So that rightfully slowed everything down for a minute. But now…babies are here! Kyle and Melissa are the proud parents of twin daughters, River and Ember Hooss. As of now, they are all well and getting adjusted to having two beautiful human beings added to their family mix! Congratulations to all of you. Well done Melissa, you go girl!

So, once the twins arrived and once resignation letters and matters were handled, they are ready to start planning for the move to Charleston! Plans are for them to arrive mid-October…just in time to help with the Fall Festival! They still have to find a place to rent or by God’s grace, to buy. By the way, if you happen to know of an affordable rental in the area, please let us know. They would like to rent for the first year here. It would relieve so much stress for them knowing they had a place to stay.

Now, not to “jinx” the process, but I describe this as being “close but not yet”. I compare it to catching a fish. You have the fish on the line but you don’t have the fish the boat. Melissa and Kyle are praying and planning just like us. We expect everything to go great. The reality is we have the fish on the line but not in the boat…if you know what I mean. I have every reason to believe the Good Lord will continue to bless this process as He has done every step of the way. But continued prayers for all the little details would be much appreciated.

I want to thank our staff again for picking up a lot of the things our former Associate was doing. In many areas, we have not missed a beat because of our great staff. Thank you one and all!

By the first of October, we will send out a more formal announcement about Kyle and his sweet family. Until then…we are close, but not yet. That phrase reminds me of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus. I believe it is close but it is not yet.

See you Sunday when we celebrate believer’s baptism again!

Pastor Tom

JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN

In Matthew 19:14 Jesus said “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” It might not surprise you but it might surprise some people…Jesus loves the little children. Think about the context for that Bible verse. The people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Then Jesus said this to them: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” The people somehow knew that Jesus loved the little children, all the children of the world, red and yellow black and white! He loved them. Maybe they observed him playing with the kids at some point? Perhaps they were just desperate to have someone bless their children for the hard life that was ahead of them? Somehow, they knew.

Our church family has an opportunity to continue the legacy Jesus left concerning children. We can love the little children; welcome them with love and acceptance. We can teach them about God the Father and our Lord Jesus while we still have the opportunity. We do some of that each week. When you might ask, when do we ever do that? When you provide for children’s ministries like Awana, Sunday Connection Groups (Sunday School), Vacation Bible School, children’s camps, etc. I see every one of these children’s ministries as Jesus opening His arms to welcome them and to love them.

We have had the privilege of baptizing quite a few children over this past month or two. To me, baptizing children is the ultimate example of mixed emotions. I am thrilled when any child and their parent announce the great news “My child has made a profession of faith!” And now they inquire about baptism. We do all we can to make sure children are ready for believers baptism. We hear from the parent, the Sunday School teacher and our children’s staff member. We also give them a first step disciple children’s workbook. We want to do all we can to encourage them as followers of Jesus. We also want to have the attitude of Jesus when he said “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

I have this thought in the back of my head: if the fallen broken world can come after our children to teach them all kinds of evil, then we need to go after them to teach them about Jesus. Let’s reach them before we have to rescue them. After all….Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world!

By the way, the next baptism is scheduled for Sunday, September 17.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

BACK TO BASICS

For the last 5 weeks I have been teaching a series of messages I called “Back to Basics”. My hope and desire has been to remind of us a few of the foundational doctrines, beliefs and practices that help us to become more and more like Jesus. The bottom line is not so much what you believe but what you do. We may say what we are thinking but we do what we believe. Let’s take another look at the basics I chose.

First, there was grace, the amazing grace of God. I chose that to be first for a reason. It is easy to think we are made and kept right with God by our own efforts as if God was pleased with us based on our accomplishments. What a gift when we understand God’s undeserved favor and love. It is indeed Amazing Grace.

Second, we took a look at the Biblical teaching on being connected. Beginning in Genesis God stated it was not good for us to be alone. To meet that need, He made His people, the Church, to be a body. We are better together working as a body, with different parts, yet as one body. It can be hard to say but I need you…and you need me.

Third, we looked at how to work with God to leverage our talents, gifts and abilities for His Kingdom work. Every one of us has these God given gifts, talents and abilities. We are to use them in the church to help build a stronger church and in the community to draw people to our Father. Don’t let the devil tell you that you have no talent, gifts or abilities. God says different!



Fourth, we looked at our Life Mission...to invite others to be a part of God’s family. It was the message of the Great Commission to go into all the world and make disciples. It is an awe inspiring thought to believe God could use us to reach the world starting with those across the street, across the river and then across the ocean. He is doing that very thing.

And then last Sunday we examined Worship. In some ways, I think worship empowers all that we do. Worship motivates and inspires. It gives us vision and courage. It helps us focus upward on God, inward on our own hearts and outward to a lost and broken world.

This Sunday, we will build the service around yet one more basic, The Lord’s Supper. We will observe one of the two ordinances given to us in God’s Holy Word. Take a moment sometime this week or weekend to go back over the basics. How are you doing in living these out in your daily life? Such a time of reflection would be a good way t o examine our hearts before observing The Lord’s Supper.

Back to Basics…it is always good to review. See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom