IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM IT MIGHT AS WELL BE A GOOD ONE, RIGHT?

Just recently a visitor commented that they loved the worship experience at JIBC but they had a hard time finding a parking space. Don’t think of this from our perspective. We members know the ins and outs of where to park. But as a guest, as far as they know, JIBC folk can only park on JIBC property. IF that were the case, we really would be in a parking jam. Don’t get me wrong. I would much rather have a problem finding parking than having so many empty spaces you could park anywhere. So, let me share part of the answer to this challenge.

First, we have a “collaborative” relationship with all the businesses around JIBC. I use the word collaborative intentionally. The County loves when businesses share space in what they call a collaborative relationship. Some of our relationships are very formal with signed agreements and some are based on a verbal agreement. That means they use our parking space during the week and we use their parking space on Sundays. Winner, winner chicken dinner.

Second, here is the challenge. You may not have known our parking arrangements with our business neighbors. It is very likely that our guests would have no way to know. So how can we accommodate those who are guests, those who have babies/children and those who are Senior Adults? Join me and some of our leaders by choosing the off campus parking spaces across the street. You can park in front of the flower shop (Keepsakes) or in front of Brysons Garage, etc. You may also park in front of any of Sifly Homes Building businesses on Plymouth. For those with trucks, we also have permission to park in the undeveloped lot across from our campus on Plymouth. Really, you may park where you like. We can make parking for guests, parents with babies and small children and Seniors a little easier. The only place we encourage you not to park is in the lot behind the church off of Maybank Highway. That is the space we designate for Luz Y Verdad, the Hispanic Church. If you park there and get blocked in, just remember they get out of worship around 1:00 or 1:30. Choose wisely! Lol.

So, I repeat, if you have to have a problem it might as well be a good one. Needing parking is a good one. The down side is they are not making any more real estate!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing. Remember, with all the sickness going around…wash your hands often, get rest and drink fluids.

Pastor Tom

Things aren’t like they used to be!

Things aren’t like they used to be! I can tell I am getting older when I hear myself saying this so often. Things aren’t like they use to be. Or as Bob Dylan puts it “the times they are a changing”. We are just finishing up our regularly scheduled staff meeting. Because it was a National Holiday, we had the entire staff present…that was great.

It dawned on me how different things are today though. We talked about our Safety Team and made some plans to help train and equip them to help protect the church family. The Charleston Baptist Association now offers training for all churches. When I began ministry back in 1975, this kind of ministry was almost completely unheard of. No one thought of active shooters in a sanctuary. The very word “sanctuary” implies a safe zone, off limits to certain activities and attacks. Evil has translated the word sanctuary to mean soft target, unprotected, easy access. Recent horrific events remind us things aren’t like they use to be and therefore, we need to be ready for how they are today! So we talk about the police officer we hire to be on campus with us Sunday morning. He is more than an onsite officer, he has become our friend and has occasionally brought his family with him to worship. We have a team who monitors the video cameras that are placed around the church and walk the campus on a regular basis. We review our procedures for checking preschoolers and children in and out of their classes. There is really much more we talked about that does not need to be shared here. We are working and praying about doing our best to provide safety. And that is a conversation and activity that we were not having back in 1975! It is, however, a conversation every church and school should be having today. Let me say thank you to our safety team and to our onsite police officer. May the Good Lord bless us to never need our team to respond to danger. On the other hand, I am thankful they are here and ready to do just that! By the way, they are also here to help respond to medical emergencies should the need arise.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

Spiritual Disciplines

Spiritual Disciplines. The very words sound like something comparable to gym workouts. In some ways that is not a bad comparison. Why would someone go to a gym or try to exercise? You want to get healthy or stay healthy. Janie and I try to exercise 5 times a week. We have a routine that we follow that includes getting our heart rates up, lifting light weights and stretching. Some of the exercise is to correct problems we already have and others are to prevent issues in the future. So Monday through Friday we try to start our day with “physical discipline”. We also start the day with “spiritual disciplines”. We begin our day with Bible Study and prayer. We do it for some of the same reasons we do physical exercise: we are trying to correct some problems and trying to improve in other ways.

My current Sunday morning teaching series comes under the category of “Spiritual Disciplines”. In Matthew 7:24 Jesus said “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” How do we build our lives, our families and our connection group and even our church on a solid foundation? We have talked about how living in the word and living the word brings blessing. This past week we looked at how we can learn to pray in faith. If you missed these and would care to hear them you can go to the podcast at the church website.

This coming Sunday we will be talking about the spiritual discipline of living in community. We really are better together. I have found one of the greatest sources of strength in my life comes from the small group I do life with. I am blessed with a great wife who is a source of spiritual encouragement. I love my family and all the joy they bring. I am also blessed beyond what my words can express for the small group that I meet with every week. These guys bless me, challenge me, encourage me, push me as we walk together. I am, without a doubt, a better husband, a better dad, a better pastor because of the time invested with these guys.

You know, walking on a treadmill or working on the elliptical may not seem all that effective. But it helps. We stay with the discipline of working out regularly. It helps. We need to fellowship together because it helps. It does make us better and helps us to grow and individuals and as believers. Need help connecting with a group? God has supplied us with a pastor whose full time job is to help you get connected. Call Pastor Scott at the office, 843-762-0244 or send him an email. He will be committed to help you connect.

I love being pastor of the church family known as James Island Baptist.

Pastor Tom

Beautiful Ending and a Wonderful Beginning

When I think back at the end of the JIBC church year, I think it was absolutely beautiful. For the first time in my 34 years at JIBC we had two Christmas Eve services. Our thanks to our staff for encouraging me to double the blessing and add a second Christmas Eve Worship opportunity. What a great decision. We had a very full 4:00 service and a nicely attended 6:00 service. Combined, we had just over 500 people at both services. And what a fantastic job our Worship and Praise Teams did. Thanks to all the teams who served at one or at both of the services. We could not pull that off without your help! Now here is some extra good news. We had been promoting the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. The total offering going to the Lottie Moon Offering will be $10,000! The Christmas Eve Offering enabled us to give extra to Lottie Moon, the Southern Baptist offering, to help support 3,700 full time International missionaries. We also will be able to do more and will see that amount go to almost $14,000 going to international missions. I have always liked being able to send an offering to the churches where Mark Livengood serves in Ukraine and where Cheryl Parish serves in Romania. Your generosity literally goes around the world. By the way, as soon as we hear the final results, we will tell you how much food was donated to James Island Outreach and Backpack Buddies as well as how many diapers went to the Low Country Pregnancy Center. What a beautiful ending to 2019!

Then the first Sunday of 2020 was one of the best attended in recent days. It was encouraging to see the worship center “comfortably full” again. The two screens in the balcony make viewing so much better. We started a new teaching series I am calling “Foundations: Building Better Believers”. For five weeks we will be looking at spiritual disciplines and habits that are needed to build solid believers. I am praying that they will help you on your spiritual journey. Make sure you check in with Pastor Scott about his recommendation for reading the Bible through in 2020. It is not too late to start or catch up. Bottom line for reading the Bible through in a year is to read 3 chapters a day. The plan Scott is recommending gives you a different approach than starting with Genesis and plowing through to Revelation. Feel free to join us on Wednesday nights as we continue our Introduction to the Old Testament. We will finish with the Minor Prophets and then will begin with the New Testament later this spring. Come for a great meal and fellowship at 5:30 and stay for Bible Study or a Connection Group at 6:15. What a beautiful ending to 2019 and a wonderful beginning for 2020.

Pastor Tom

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It sounds a little like a broken record, but can you believe how fast this year has passed? I can remember as a child thinking there was 3,650,000 days between one Christmas and the next. Now, it feels like there is about 35 days between the Holy Holidays. It seems like Janie and I just got the Christmas decorations up and now we are planning the day when they will come down. It is the same way in the worship center here at JIBC. I love the way our church looks at Christmas, so lighted and festive. The decorations are beautiful. I also love the food and diapers for missions under the trees and around the stage. That looks outstanding! My guess is there is about 2,000 pounds of food on the stage in the worship center. To God be the glory. Back pack buddies and the James Island Outreach will receive a whole bunch of Christmas love to the underserved in our community. You are the best!

Now, we are looking at 2020 as another year of blessing and opportunity. When I think of how God has blessed JIBC in 2019, I rejoice and give thanks. The addition of two new staff members has been outstanding. Everyone has immediately grown to love our Associate Pastor Scott Blasingame and our Worship Pastor David Martin. Wow, what a blessing they have been. Scott is on board with us full time. David, right now is only able to be with us part time, but what a wonderful part time he is giving. The new members God has added to the church family have already been such a blessing. What a thrill to help them find their place of service and mission in JIBC and the community. Again, to God be the glory.

This Sunday, December 29 is the Sunday we vote on the 2020 Church Mission and Ministry Budget. While it is basically a formality, it is a formality we must attend. While a local church is not strictly a “business” it must do many things every business must do: pay utilities, insurance, cleaning, materials, staff, provide for safety, maintain buildings, etc. In addition, we provide discipleship materials to all ages, support missions here on James Island, in Charleston, around North America, around the world, support a Hispanic Congregation, support one of the only Transition Houses in Charleston that provides for women coming out of the Charleston Center who have infants and are on step down medications. You support one of the strongest Celebrate Recoveries in Charleston, combating one of the greatest areas of darkness…addiction! You help provide a full time missionary to the student population on James Island. Many churches have gone away from trying to reach youth. JIBC has doubled down on the conviction we can reach them before we have to rescue them. Thank you for being a generous giving church family. I hope you are seeing the results.

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones!

Pastor Tom  

WE ARE ON COUNTDOWN!

Christmas is only 9 days away as I write this article. Hard to imagine there is only one Friday, one Saturday and one Sunday until Christmas. I can’t help it…MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE. I love hearing the stories of family traditions for the Christmas season. If you don’t have any why not start and make some. Here are a few you might consider.

First, giving is a major part of the Christmas season. As God has blessed and you are able, be a generous giver. For instance, the Advent Mission focuses on diapers for Lowcountry Pregnancy Center, jelly and food items for James Island Outreach, and food for the “back pack buddies” at our local schools. All three can be picked up as you do your regular Christmas shopping. I wish you could all see some of the hilarious video of our church families making shopping a family sport! I absolutely love it. Janie and I make the first gift of Christmas the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. One of the coolest things about this offering…100% goes to the missionaries work. Not one penny is used for publicity or fundraising. It is perhaps the biggest bang you can get for your buck. Please consider a gift to Lottie Moon.

Second, don’t forget to worship this Christmas season. Beside your daily opportunity to worship, you have one more Sunday of Advent and, of course, the Christmas Eve service. You have probably heard…we are having two Christmas Eve services this year. The first one is at 4:00. It will be exactly like the 6:00 service except for the baptism. You will love the beautiful worship planned for this year’s service. And, we have three very special children’s features in this year’s service. Seriously, you do not want to miss this year’s Christmas Eve service. By the way, this Sunday you will receive another invite card to give to family and friends. We are praying for God’s blessing on every invitation extended.

Third, we love Christmas cards. Starting January 1, Janie and I take our Christmas cards one a day until they run out and we pray for the family that sent the card to us. It extends the Christmas spirit, Christmas Bible verses and beauty well into the New Year. I pray for them one day and then put them out for Janie to pray for the next day. It makes the most wonderful time of the year last a little longer.

See you this Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Advent. We will light the candle of love as we remember God’s great love for us. Hope, Peace, Joy and Love to you all,

Pastor Tom

A HEALTHY APPROACH TO THE CHRISTMAS SEASON

Last Week I saw a great advertisement about Christmas. It had 5 traditional activities families did during Christmas. And then through each one there was a strike out with an alternative suggestion.
It may lose a little in my non-graphic skills, but I think you will get the point. #1. Instead of “Buy” Presents, try to “BE” Present. #2. Wrap “Gifts” became Wrap “SOMEONE IN HUGS”. #3. Send Gifts became Send “PEACE”. #4. “Shop” for food became “DONATE” food. #5. “See” the Lights became “Be” the LIGHT. That sounds like a pretty healthy approach to Christmas: be present, wrap someone in a hug, send peace, donate food and be the Light. In fact, it sounds like James Island Baptist Church during the Advent Season.

I encourage you to “be present”. When asked what I want for Christmas, my answer is usually something like this: I want all my children sitting at my table enjoying each other and a meal together. Being present is a valuable gift! Go with us Christmas Caroling on Wednesday, December 18. You will be able to wrap a lot of people in hugs as we go to The Savannah House and to some of our homebound members. No special training needed for hugging! Sending peace is easy using the Lottie Moon International Prayer guides. You can support missionaries around the world through your prayers and your financial gifts. Donating food is our specialty. This Christmas I predict that the JIBC family will give 2,000 pounds of food…again! This food goes to help the underserved and to help back pack buddies, school children who may not eat over the weekends. We are carrying out the command of Jesus and the work of God as we do these things. You can indeed be the light for someone living in darkness. This past Sunday, you received invite cards to give to your family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, etc. This year we will have TWO CHRISTMAS EVE services. We will be presenting the Gospel Story of what God has done for us by sending His Son to us. We will conclude the “What A Wonderful Name It Is” Advent Celebration. The traditional Christmas Carols, Communion and Candlelight service will be beautiful as always…and we will do it twice!

This Sunday, we will be reminded of Christmas Joy. What a wide variety of emotions to be experienced during Christmas. No emotion should be greater than the joy of knowing our Father in Heaven sent His one and only Son so those who are lost could be found, those who are spiritually dead could be made alive and those who are blind can see. Join us this Sunday.

What a Beautiful Name It Is…the Name of Jesus!

Pastor Tom