Passion Week

This year’s Passion Week Celebration was one of the best I can remember. While Janie and I were on vacation, we had the opportunity to have an evening meal with a prospective staff member. As we were leaving them he replied “It looks like you all (JIBC) will have a busy week this week.” I thought about my schedule and said “How so?” He had been looking at our Church App and saw the calendar of events for Passion Week. “Oh yes, some of our members and staff will be very busy.” We celebrated Palm Sunday, then we had the Resurrection Party for Children (they were able to “observe” the Passover Seder; then the Good Friday Service; the Saturday Community Easter Egg Hunt; and then Resurrection Sunday Celebration; concluding with Celebrate Recovery Sunday night. Wow, I think he was right, this was a very busy week. A big thanks to all the staff and their teams that made all that happen. Well done, good and faithful servants. It was really a wonderful week. He is risen, He is risen indeed.

By the way, it was a lot of fun having 400 people in worship Sunday. Anyone who was visiting surely went away feeling like they had been in the presence of our Lord. The praise team and our tech team did an outstanding job. Wow and wow again! Well done.

The Search Continues…I mentioned that Janie and I had the opportunity to meet a prospective staff member and his wife. Neale and I have had multiple conversations with people that we think are excellent prospects. We have had several come to visit us here at JIBC and we have a few more coming in the near future. We are feeling very encouraged by the quality of the people we are meeting and interviewing. We do not have anyone that we think is “the one”. We do, however, have several that we think our church family would love.

The process is very slow and deliberate. We are in what I call the dating stage. It may be a few more months before we get to the “engagement” where we bring someone in to meet the staff and leadership in a more formal way. There is an old saying that fits here: “Better to want it and not have it, than to have it and not want it.” Know what I mean? It is better to be slow and deliberate. The staff has given me good counsel to go slow and take our time. As the Word says “He makes all things beautiful in His time”. We feel sure he will do just that.

See you this Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!

I am so looking forward to this year’s Good Friday service and Resurrection Sunday. Good Friday service will be from 6 PM to 7 PM. It will consist of praise and worship songs that focus on the great love of our Heavenly father and our Lord Jesus Christ. There is an old saying “there can never be a feast without a sacrifice”. We have certainly feasted on the riches and glories of our Lord and Savior. Good Friday is an opportunity to focus on the sacrifice that made the feast possible. We will begin the service with the Lord’s Supper and then read the stories about the villains of the passion, concluding our 5 week teachings “Heroes and Villains of the Passion”. I hope you will be able to join us.

Then, “Up from the grave he arose with a mighty triumph over his foes! “ Can you guess which Hero of the Passion we will focus on this Resurrection Sunday? You got it! We will celebrate the Hero of all Eternity, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember, this is a great service to invite a friend, a family member, a co-worker or neighbor. It will be a celebration of God’s great love for us all. I have shared with you before about my own family blessing. The only time I ever remember my family worshipping together was on a Good Friday service here at James Island Baptist Church. I was so happy I asked and even more happy they said yes! You know anyone you invite will here great music celebrating God’s goodness and a message that clearly presents the Gospel of Jesus Christ.


FLOWERING THE CROSS
I know our azaleas bloomed crazy early this year. If you have any flowers left in your yard, or in a nice neighbor’s yard, would you bring a few of them for the flowering of the cross? We have a special old rugged cross that will be transformed into a beautiful reminder of what our Father has done for us! Just bring your flowers to the Worship Center before the 9:00 service and the 11:00 service. Our volunteers will help place them on the cross.

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

HOLY LAND TRIP IS A TRIP OF A LIFETIME

I have been asked a dozen times when we were going to plan another trip to the Holy Land. Well, here it is and we are getting excited. We are planning to go Friday, February 23, 2024 to Sunday, March 3, 2024. You have almost 11 months to get ready and save your money.

We fly out of Charleston to Atlanta and then on to Tel Aviv. After a night of rest, the joy and wonder begins. I can tell you about all the places we will go…but it will take more than this article. In a week or two, I will have up a web page for anyone to visit and take a look. If you are interested, I can send you the itinerary of the 10 days. The cost of the trip will be around $4,700. That includes the RT to and from Charleston to Atlanta and then to Tel Aviv. That includes all hotels, breakfast and evening meals, all tips, taxes, entrance into the sites, all bus transportation. The only thing it does not include is your lunches and your souvenirs. Everyone, if you can, will want to buy an Olive Wood Nativity Set from Bethlehem. They will send it home for you!

When you finish this trip you will have gone to most of the places mentioned in the Gospels. You will read the stories of Jesus in Galilee and think “I have been there!” We will have communion in the Garden close to the tomb and Golgotha. Oh yes, it is really a trip of a life time. You don’t just go and see…you experience. You literally can walk where Jesus walked.

If you want to go or want more information, please let me know. Staci Lindsey is also a great contact person. So far, we have 16 of our JIBC family wanting to go…and what a great group it is!

I have been to Israel 3 times. Janie went with me the last time we went when we just went with our church. It was such a wonderful time of fellowship, discipleship, Bible Study, and worship. We will gladly serve as your host so you can enjoy the trip. We would be honored if you would like to go with us. Just let us know.

Blessings,

Pastor Tom

Heroes or Villains: People of the Passion

This has been the teaching series that will lead us up to Passion Week, one of the most wonderful times of the Christian calendar. Passion Week is generally thought of as starting with Palm Sunday/The Triumphal Entry all the way to Resurrection Sunday/Easter. This year that will be April 2: Palm Sunday; April 7: Good Friday; and April 9: Resurrection Sunday!

Palm Sunday is a day of Celebration welcoming Jesus into our lives. We sing Hosanna and celebrate his triumphal entry. The Good Friday service, on the other hand, is always a reflective, meaningful worship experience centered around the sacrifice and suffering of Christ. And we all look forward to Resurrection Sunday. On Easter Sunday we celebrate “up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph over his foes!” Please don’t miss the opportunity to invite family, friends and neighbors to the Easter Services. Oh what a day.

Let me tell you about a couple of wonderful events for our children and our community children. First, the children from Awana and Kids Worship will join in the singing on Psalm Sunday at the 11:00 Worship service. It will be a cute as it can be.

Second, there will be a “RESURRECTION PARTY” on Wednesday, April 5th. You do not want to miss this event. Please make extra effort to have your children and grandchildren present. This will be a very special night of celebration. We are even having a scaled down version of the Seder meal. There will be special music, crafts and so much more!

Joanne and her team will lead in a Community Wide Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8. Mark Livengood will be on hand to tell the Resurrection Story! This will be an eventful Passion Week. Thank you for your prayers. I hope you and your family will be able to attend some part of the Passion Week Celebration.

By the way, Laura Holmes and her weekday school team will be presenting a Preschool Spring Sing on April 6 at 11:00 a.m. If your cup has not been filled, come and check this out!

He is risen…He is risen indeed. Can’t wait to say that with you over and over on Easter Sunday.

Love you all,

Pastor Tom

ANNIE ARMSTRONG EASTER OFFERING AND WEEK OF PRAYER

 

This past Sunday we distributed the 2023 Prayer Guide for North American Missions. I encourage you to use this prayer guide in your daily quiet time. You will be inspired and your prayers will be greatly appreciated by our missionaries. If you did not get a copy, they will still be available Sunday as you enter the Worship Center. Make sure to pick one up. They do not go out of date and any time is a good time to pray for our missionaries and their Kingdom work.


We will also be collecting a special offering to go to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. We once were asked “Who is this Annie Armstrong and will we ever get her paid off?” One day, when Christ returns, we will not have any more mission offerings. Until then, let’s continue to give generously.

Annie Armstrong was born in 1850 and died in 1938. She provided visionary leadership as she organized women to pray, to give and to meet the needs of those around them. She constantly challenged pastors and churches to action and rallied vital support for missionaries. In 1934, just 4 years before she died, The Southern Baptist Home Mission Board renamed their Home Mission Offering. The new name was The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. She was an inspiration to thousands and she continues to be. Try googling her name and read the inspirational stories and the great accomplishments that came from serving the Lord. You will see why she was chosen. She even helped raise funds that supported Lottie Moon. Lottie Moon is a story we will address in December. Lol

Thank you for doing mission work right here in our community. You are the missionaries for our time and in our places where we live. May we always be aware of our need to be outward focused.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

HEROES OR VILLAINS OF THE PASSION

That is the name of our new teaching series that will lead us up to Resurrection Sunday/Easter! My thoughts are to take a look at the darker side of the story of our Lord’s last week of life before the resurrection. This week is usually referred to as Passion Week. There are four weeks before Palm Sunday so we will be looking at 4 Villains. This past week we started with Judas. From Judas we can learn the value of correcting character flaws early, while they are small and before they grow larger with time. We can learn the difference between remorse (being sorry, sorry we got caught, sorry it didn’t work out like I wanted) and repentance. Repentance is changing the way we think and then changing the way we act. Godly repentance is more than just being sorry. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” For Judas that was exactly what happened.

Over the next three weeks we will be looking at Herod, Barabbas and Pilate. They were all villains of one type or another. Without Christ in us, there would certainly be a little villain in each of us. Let’s make sure we stay close to our Lord. Amen?


UPDATE ON THE SEARCH FOR A NEW ASSOCIATE PASTOR: Over the past few weeks and months, we have gone through dozens of resumes from people looking for church staff positions and/or people specifically interested in the position at JIBC. We have talked with maybe 6 or so. We have done video conference calls with 5. We have followed up with visits with two. Two of the candidates have actually been here to JIBC and joined with us in worship and have met our staff. We have been “turned down” by two. We see that as a good thing even when it is a little disappointing. One decided to stay in Student Ministry and the other said God spoke clearly to him and his wife. That is a part of the process. It is slow and can be a little tedious. I do believe our Gracious Father in Heaven will lead us as we continue to seek Him. Thank you for your ongoing prayers. We will keep you updated when we have news to share.


Hope to see you Sunday,


Pastor Tom

FRUIT THAT REMAINS

 “Jesus said ‘You did not choose me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.’”   John 15:16

That is a good prayer for James Island Baptist Church. May we remember that we have been chosen by God…He wants you on His team! Chosen, not left over; wanted. not stuck with you. We are chosen by God, on purpose, with full knowledge of who we are. Amen and Hallelujah!

Jesus also said that he appointed us to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains. So here is the prayer request. Sunday was a good day at JIBC. Our attendance at the 9:00 worship service was 99 and at the 11:00 service it was 110. We had 209 in attendance and 32 watching on line. Let’s pray for fruit that remains.

Kat Cumberledge did an awesome job in presenting a brand new mission and ministry at JIBC. It is called B45. A special Gospel centered group for 4th and 5th graders that helps bridge the gap between children and youth. Middle School can be a shock to your child’s system. We are helping provide a way to prepare for that experience. You really want to make sure your 4th and 5th grader get in on this particular Bible Study. If you have a 4th or 5th grader, get them in on this age specific learning environment!

Then we capped the night off with Celebrate Recovery. We had 45 in attendance! That means 45 people dealing with their hurts, hang-ups and habits in a Christ centered 12 Step Program. Pastor David and the praise team do a great job setting us up for Celebrating. The Kitchen Kew sets the table...literally...to provide a place for fellowship and acceptance. Our partners at the Charleston Center Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center gladly send their patients to participate in CR. They love it!

Last, we are just now promoting the upcoming Disaster Relief Training. We are so fortunate to have it right here in Charleston. The training will be held on Saturday, April 1 at Northwood Baptist Church. The cost is $55 for new volunteers and $45 for returning. For more information, contact Pastor Tom

You have been appointed to bear fruit…fruit that remains. Let’s keep up the good work, the Kingdom work to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world.

Pastor Tom