We give and God gives back greater

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly,

or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:7

Think of the beauty of that verse: God loves a cheerful giver. I can remember a time when giving was reluctantly and under compulsion. I tried to give out of obedience to God recognizing the truth that everything I owned belonged to Him and that I was his steward/manager. That is not a bad place to be or to begin when it comes to giving. It is however, a very different place than giving cheerfully, gladly, joyfully, expectantly. Janie and I have lived long enough to have seen God give generously in every area of our lives. We give back and He still gives. Our church family often sees that very thing. We give and the Lord gives back. We give $15,000 to a mission cause and the next week there is a $15,000 gift that comes into the offering. Thanks to our Father, the Giver of every good and perfect gift.

One of the wonderful achievements accomplished by your cheerful giving is the “construction and reconstruction” projects that are finished or very close to being finished. The Kitchen is all but buttoned up and looking great! The main hallway restrooms look like they belong in a hotel lobby. They turned out great! You have to come to worship when it is pouring down rain to appreciate the new “Lisa Alderman Awnings”. Currently we are remodeling the 1957 baptismal rooms. These are the two rooms where baptismal candidates change and get ready for baptism. This area was greatly in need of being “baptized” into the 21st Century. I say this Thanksgiving, we need to find a special way to celebrate these wonderful projects. Our thanks to Wilson Walpole and Don Houghton. They did these projects because they love Jesus and His family! Well done, gentlemen, well done.

We are currently working and praying to help the Hispanic Church, Luz Y Verdad, find a new church home. We have housed them free, because of your cheerful and generous giving, for just over 24 years. We have never had to charge them rent. The same was true of the Chinese Church that met with us for over 10 years and the Slavic Church that meets with us now. That is not the case in many places where rent and utilities are charged. We give and God gives back greater. We have seen perhaps hundreds of Chinese and Hispanics come to Christ through these missions. We give…God gives back greater! Let us continue to be cheerful and generous givers to Kingdom work!

Blessings,

Pastor Tom

FAILING DOES NOT MEAN FAILURE

It surprises some to know that a professional baseball player, if he bats 10 times, strikes out 7 times and only gets three hits…he is one of the best ever. Striking out 7 times or more is not the goal. But it is the reality. There are over 1,200 big league players hitting under .300. That means they make 8 or 9 outs for every 1 or 2 hits they get. Yet, they are in the major leagues. As of today, only 7 players hit 3 or more times for every 10 at bats. They are superstars. So, failing is not the same as failure.

Failure is not as much about messing up as it is giving up. We all fail and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) It may be truer than we think that people fail all the time. Hopefully, we can make a mistake and learn from it. The famous line “Well I won’t do that again!” We try, we fail and we grow. Part of the human process.

I like the way one person put it: “Failure IS an option here. If you are not failing, you are not trying very hard.” Another person said “Failure is not fatal but failing to keep trying might be.”

Try not to worry about the critics. Let me close with this quote from Theodore Roosevelt. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood…”

See you soon, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

“Time to Say Goodbye”

One of my favorite songs is sung by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. It is called “Time to Say Goodbye”. He is starting on a new journey with a loved one, heading into unknown and uncharted waters.

Our Hispanic Church, Luz Y Verdad, may be feeling a little of those emotions. We have given Pastor Claudio and the Luz Y Verdad family, the final word of their time to say goodbye. Their last Sunday on the JIBC campus will be this coming November 29. We have concluded that the building we refer to as the Ministry Center is not safe for use. We gave the Hispanic Ministry over a year to find a new place to gather. It was hard because everywhere wanted to charge them commercial prices. For over 24 years, JIBC was so blessed that we never needed to charge them anything. For 24 years they only paid for their electricity. No rent, no water, no sewage, no insurance, nada. It was a part of our mission purpose and mission strategy to partner with Great Commission believers to reach a significant part of our community. Their leadership totally understands and has expressed only gratitude toward JIBC for their 24 years of support.

William Shakespeare wrote the famous line in Romeo and Juliet: “Parting is such sweet sorrow”. There is always sadness in saying goodbye to the ones you love. You may remember we did a similar thing with the Chinese congregation when they outgrew our facility. One day, we will likely do the same, say goodbye, to the Ukrainian Church that meets on the JIBC campus as they outgrow our facilities. “Parting is such sweet sorrow”.

Acts 20:36-38 records the church leaders from Ephesus gathering to say goodbye to the Apostle Paul. Paul knew they would likely never see him again. So, like Paul and the Ephesian leaders, let us kneel and pray with Pastor Claudio and Luz Y Verdad. “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you, the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace. Amen”

By God’s grace, mercy and timing, I have a coffee meeting with a pastor from West Ashley that is interested in having a conversation about Luz Y Verdad. Could it be that before they leave, the LORD has provided? Once we stepped into the Jordan with the decision, the waters parted? That would be just like our Great and Good God.

Pastor Tom

THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER

Way back in 2025 our JIBC family and friends joined in a city -wide prayer ministry. We joined literally thousands of other Jesus followers from dozens of denominations to “PRAY CHARLESTON, 2025” The goal was ambitious but attainable: to pray for the Holy City every minute of every day for the entire year of 2025. You may remember that our JIBC family took the 10th of every month as our day to provide 24-hour prayer coverage. I think the final number was 168 of us covering the tenth of all 12 months. Every minute of every hour of the 10th of every month was covered. We provided equipping sermons, videos of prayer basics and helps for anyone willing but not sure what to do. By the way, those prayer videos can still be seen on our web site.

When 2025 ended, we did not want to end our city- wide prayer ministry. So, we took the prayer ministry in a different direction. Instead of praying on the 19th of every month, we asked if you would include a “Pray Charleston” time in your regular time alone with God.

The first major prayer emphasis was for Charleston’s leadership. We prayed for mayors, police chiefs, fire chiefs, first responders. Anyone serving the public and potentially in harms way. We prayed for them. I received the most interesting comments like “Why would I pray for a politician I did not vote for and do not care for?” My answer…then you should pray twice for that one!

The next area of focused prayer was the church. We prayed to evangelize the lost, make disciples, strengthen families, grow healthy Connection Groups, prayers for students and their friendships and for those who volunteer and serve. We always try to include ”Who is your one?” The one person close to you but far from God.

Now, this past Sunday, September 6, we introduced another prayer focus. A prayer brochure has been prepared to help us focus on praying for our schools. We will pray for students, teachers, administrators, our homes, homeschoolers, the classrooms, the campuses and our universities. We asked that you particularly pray for the schools where you children attend and the schools you pass every day. The brochures were handed out on Sunday, September 6. They will be available for several months to come. It is always a good time to pray for our schools, public, private and home!

Thank you for being a praying church. It is a ministry and mission we can all participate in and one we are all called to do.

See you Sunday, Good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

Nickles and Noses

In times gone by, Pastors would start conversations with other pastors by asking “How are your nickels and noses?” It was a way of asking how is your church doing, how is your church health? The nickels, of course, referred to the offerings. How is the financial health of the church? The noses referred to people. They were asking how is your attendance, how many do you have in Sunday School or Connection Groups? How are your nickels and noses? Most of the time they would not be that straight forward. They might word it a little more delicately. Reality is that attendance and offerings are indicators of health but not the only indicators.

Over the past 6 years JIBC has been blessed with over 90 baptisms. What a blessing to “average” 15 baptisms a year for the past 6 years. Our last baptism had 7 adults, 3 teens and 4 children. That is a good indicator of health.

Our offerings have grown from $707,474 in 2021 to $1,041,615 in 2025. That means we gave more to missions than ever before. JIBC underwrites the Hispanic Church, Luz Y Verdad and the Slavic Church, Zion. Spiritual health is seen in the increase of our weekly tithes and offerings but also in the many missions we support. We are blessed to be a blessing.

Our attendance has been around 200 in worship services every week. This past Sunday we had 267 in worship. That includes 29 we had in Children’s Worship. I must admit it is very encouraging to see the attendance numbers go up. But more encouraging is the number we see going out…out into the community as volunteers at places like James Island Outreach, VBS, Awanas, etc. Spiritual Health is better seen in how many we send than how many we seat! But let’s keep working on both of them.

There are a lot of other ways to measure church health. Some might be a little harder to track. How many hugs are given out each week? How much laughter do we hear in the building? How many meals are shared? How many eat at JIBC on Wednesday nights and how many meals are sent out to the sick, the homebound and the local fire stations? How many people were invited to JIBC this past year? These would all be indicators of church health. What would you list as an indicator of church health? I would be interested in knowing.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

HARD QUESTIONS—REAL ANSWERS

In 2003, William Lane Craig wrote a book entitled “Hard Questions, Real Answers”. I am using the title of his book to talk about four hard questions that I often hear people ask. This Sunday we will start with “How can I know the will of God?” In Ephesians 5:17 the Apostle Paul encourages us to “understand what the Lord’s will is.” Knowing God’s will is a spiritual discipline we want to develop. The Word of God will give us direction.

Perhaps you have asked, privately or publicly, “How long should I keep praying?’. Is there a time limit to how long you keep going before the Lord with the same request? In Ephesians 6:18 Paul says we are to “stay alert and be persistent in your prayers.” Jesus Himself showed us that “we should always pray and not give up.” But how long do we keep praying and what do we do while we are waiting?

The third hard question is one that should interest many of us. This one asks the question “How can I stop worrying?” I sometimes will try to relabel my worrying as “just being very concerned”. Yeah, it is still worrying. I do agree with the old wag who said “Worrying must be good luck…nothing I ever worry about actually happens!” The Bible, as in so many things, has a great answer for those of us who might tend to “just be very, very concerned”…otherwise known as worry.

Here is one I believe every believer has asked at one time or the other. “Why do I do what I don’t want to do?” Been there done that and have a drawer full of t-shirts to testify. Perhaps one of the most interesting and intriguing chapters in the Bible is Romans 7. Paul gives us the Word of God that helps us understand the spiritual war going on inside our lives.

Maybe you will find something to relate to in the brief series. At least you should be able to find some truths and principles to help those who would look to you to give real answers to tough questions.

See you Sunday, D.V.

Pastor Tom

I like the sound of that!

Here is a week filled with exciting events., I know we cannot make all of them, but we do want you to know about them. On Wednesday, August 19 we have 11 signed up for Beach Baptism. We have a wonderful mix of children, youth and adults. It will be at the Folly Beach Charleston County Park at the very end. Go to Folly and turn right, go to the end. There is usually an entrance fee. Tell them you are there for the baptism…maybe, just maybe they will bless you??? Baptism time will be between 6:30 and 7:00.

Then Kat Cumberledge will lead us in a Bible and Brushes painting experience. Janie and I are signed up. If I am signed up, you know two things. I think it is fun and you don’t have to know how to paint to be a part of this! The cost is $25 and all proceeds will go to buying medical supplies for Steven’s mission trip to Jordan. Call the church office to sign up. If you want to go but don’t have the extra cash right now, contact me. We have some scholarship money!

Sunday, we have scheduled a Parent-Child Dedication Service celebrating the birth of Heidi Leigh Dorton. Let’s celebrate with Will and Allison this great gift from God. The Lord adds to His Church!

Then, Wednesday night, August 26 we will have our Quarterly Ministry Conference/Ministry Management Team meeting. We will have a meal served at 6:00 and the meeting will start at 6:30. It is just another way we have of keeping our church family informed. Remember the old saying “You heard it here first!”. That is exactly how we feel about these meetings. You get to be the first to hear what is coming soon. The meal is optional. You do not have to eat to attend the meeting. You do have to let us know you are coming if you want to eat! Call the church office to make your dinner reservation.

The month concludes with Pastor Logan presenting “Next Generation Parenting…Technology”. He is bringing in the expert. Do you have preschooler, children or youth in your life.? You will want to attend this seminar. Sunday night, August 30, 6:00 in the Youth Room. To sign up for this valuable seminar, text TECHNOLOGY to 843-762-0244.

Yep, I like the sound of that: equipping, evangelizing, supporting mission, celebrating next steps. It’s all good.

Pastor Tom