I KNOW, I KNOW IT IS EARLY

I am writing this article about Christmas Missions and we have not even finished the Fall Festival or Thanksgiving! This is kind of a pre-Christmas announcement and alert. This past week I received a call from our missionaries Charles and Judy Dillon. They are currently living in a camp ground in Park City, Kentucky. He is serving as the volunteer Chaplain there. He is still in touch and working with the ministries from Greenville, Tennessee that are reaching out to Western North Carolina. The ministry Charles is working with is called “Hunger First Tri-Cities” Kingsport, Tennessee. They have a Facebook page if you want to see some of their mission work.

So, here is the BIG ASK. This ministry called Charles to see if he could help them provide Christmas for 300 children from Birth to Age 14 and for Elderly people. Three Hundred children! Sounds like a gigantic ASK doesn’t it? It is. But no more than 2000 pounds of Venison and 300 winter coats that God enabled us to donate to them. This sounds just like a JIBC Mission project. So, let me share the first details so we can start praying about how we can bless 300 Children and their families.

First, the 300 children live in Western North Carolina. Many will be the same families we blessed with food and winter coats. The toys can be “gently used” or new toys. We would include the toys as a part of our Advent Giving this year. Because of the volume, we would promote collecting toys for Western North Carolina, Jelly for James Island Outreach and a mission offering for International Missions. The hard date for having the toy to us would be December 7. We would pack them on Monday, December 8 and drive them to Greenville, Tennessee. They will distribute the toys collected on Friday, December 19. Now, that is the basics. What do you think? Can we do it?

You know me. I can’t leave that alone. I want to know if a couple of our JIBC folks could come up on December 19 and help distribute the toys. Is there a way we can come up and have a Christmas party with them? Those are my ideas not theirs so we will wait and see. By the way, Charles and Judy will dress up like Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus. You know that Santa will be preaching the Gospel about Jesus.

I will start with the details in November so we can take advantage of Black Friday sales! Question: Does anyone have a real solid hook up for someone who sells footballs, basketballs and soccer balls? Let me know please.

See you Sunday for the conclusion to “The Scariest Words in the Bible”.

Love you all,

Pastor Tom

MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR

We are heading into my favorite time of the year. Once we have the Fall Festival Community Outreach behind us, we dive into November and December, my most favorite time of the year. Once we turn the calendar over to November, it is full on Thanksgiving Season. I am liking anything that helps me to take a pause to be thankful, be appreciative, and to give thanks to God from whom all blessings flow. I never want to fall into the pit of ingratitude. Gratitude can turn everyday into Thanksgiving and change everyday opportunities into blessings. He is the Giver of every good and perfect gift.

I usually do a sermon series on Thanksgiving. We will have four Sundays before Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27. Among the reasons I love this time of the year is my weddings anniversary. This year, November 29, Janie and I will celebrate 50 years of marriage. Thanksgiving Day with family and two days later we celebrate our marriage. God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

It is not too early to at least mention the other reason why I love this time of the year…the entire Christmas Season. I look at lights, every song, every gift, every special meal as a part of celebrating Jesus’ birth. This year we will have opportunity to bless because we have been blessed, to give because much has been given, to be thankful for family and friends.

Question for you: What are your all-time two favorite Christmas songs? One can be a hymn and one not a hymn. I would like to put together a Christmas tunes play list. Text me or pm me on Facebook or drop it in the offering plate. Follow up question: would you mind if I shared your two songs? I think there are others who would love to see what your favorite is.

Ok, I will wait until the Fall Festival, October 31. After that…IT IS THANKSGIVING TIME!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

THE FALL FESTIVAL 2025!

It is hard to believe that we have been doing the Fall Festival for 40 years. The only year we missed, I think, was a Covid year. When we started, it was so small we held it in the Fellowship Hall. We had booths, games, food and a reptile room! Yep, a reptile room.

Over the years the Fall Festival has grown to encompass the entire side of our Plymouth Avenue parking areas. Although the Festival has grown, our purpose has remained the same. We want to go head-to-head with the traditional Halloween events and offer a safe, family friendly, fun event. Kids still get so much candy we should be sponsored by all local dentists! It is a free event…even the food. To get a free food voucher, all they have to do is register.

I especially love the Fall Festival when it gets dark and the lights are on. Now it looks like a party. The best band on James Island is playing all our favorite songs, people are laughing and enjoying themselves, are we are rubbing shoulders with people we might not get to meet otherwise. This is a BIG event and it shows a lot of love to our community. Did you know we added a “Prayer Booth”? Stop by and write down a prayer or ask for prayer right then and there. How about this…we offer a “Free Hug” booth. Just about everyone needs a good hug from a grandma or granddad figure! I am not sure if he will make it, but we also had Beauregard, the “pet me for some therapy” dog! He was a big hit and I am sure he was sore the next day from so many hugs. Mark Livengood has been great about having a booth, whether using science or drama, to share the Gospel.

Just a reminder about costumes. We absolutely love the creativity and the “good taste” shown by those who show up in costume. No bloody characters or sexy French Maids. Think “G” rated for families with preschoolers. There has even been a rumor that the “Punk Monk” may make a return this year. He was on special assignment the last few years.

Pray for the event. (Dear Jesus, may everyone who attends feel your love and be drawn to you. Bless us with safety as well as fun. Amen) Bring some candy. We will need a few thousand pieces to give away. Then, consider volunteering for one of the booths. Some are amazingly simple while others require more interaction with our guest. Your choice. (Big hint: Get 3 friends to sign up with you. Then 2 work the first half of the event, the other two work the next half. Winner winner) We have safety teams, registration tables, cooks, servers, booth hosts, etc. A place for everyone.

Here we go, Fall Festival number 40…OK, 39 because of Covid!

Love to all,

Pastor Tom

CHARLIE KIRK’S TRAGIC DEATH

The day before Janie and I went out of the county, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. He was and actually still is a strong voice for Biblical principles and conservative view points. Along with the evil in the murderer’s heart, Charlie Kirk was killed for his view points.


HOW DO WE RESOND TO SUCH A HORRIFIC EVENT? I suggest we do what we should always do and look to Jesus. What would/did Jesus say in such a time? We do not decide what to do or say based on the latest TV Preacher or radio personality. It is radical, but let’s do what Jesus did.

John the Baptist was Jesus’ cousin. Jesus called him the greatest man ever born to a woman. He was the Elijah of Jesus’ day preparing the way of the Lord and calling us to repentance. He had his head cut off by Herod as though Herod was a member of modern day Hamas. Matthew 14 tells the story of Johns murder and Jesus’ response. WWJD?

First he grieved and mourned. He went away by himself to seek the comfort and perspective of His Father, Abba. Blessed are those who mourn, they will be comforted. He mourned. Second, when the crowds found Him, Jesus had compassion on them and healed the sick. He continued on with the very work God sent Him to do. Perhaps a mourning heart can be helped by meeting the needs of others. At least we know that is what Jesus did. Third, He had compassion on the large crowd and performed the miracle of feeding 5,000 men with 5 loaves and a few fishes. He was not ignoring or denying John’s death. He was continuing the very work John the Baptist announced Jesus was coming to do. Jesus’ agenda was not set by politics, fundamentalist preachers or emotions pushed to the brink. He prayed as he taught us to pray “Thy Kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

SO WHAT DO YOU DO IN FACE OF SUCH HORRIFIC NEWS? I usually have three responses. First, PRAY MORE. We pray, seeking God’s perspective. Matthew 7:7 says “Ask and it will be given, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened”. So, let’s ask, seek and knock. Pray more and grumble less. Second, PRAISE MORE. Do not underestimate the power that comes from exalting and focusing on the Goodness of God vs the wickedness of man. Praise celebrates who God is, His nature, His character. It lifts our eyes to the Father and our Lord Jesus. Paul and Silas were in prison for preaching the Gospel. What did they do? Prayed and praised. What did God do? He opened the prison doors. Third, SERVE MORE. Jesus healed the sick and fed 5,000 immediately after learning of Johns death. He saw this tragic event as the occasion to do what God sent Him to do: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor; He sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:16-19)

Charlie Kirk’s memorial, so far, has been seen by over 20 million people. Twenty Million hearing the clear Gospel of Jesus presented. The cowardly assassin unknowingly awakened a sleeping spiritual giant. Millions are rallying to pray, praise and carry on the Gospel work God has called us to. To God be the glory and our prayers and love to Erica Kirk and her two beloved children.

Pastor Tom