IT IS TOO SOON TO GIVE UP

When do you throw in the towel and give up? There may be a time that is right. Too often I think some people throw in the towel and walk away too soon. This past Saturday, May 2 was the 152nd Run for the Roses, the famed Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. What a great lesson to learn. The horse, Golden Tempo, was a long shot with odds 23-1. The race starts and the impressive field runs like the wind, packed together jockeying for that sweet position of getting out early to be number one. It was an impressive field indeed. At the half mile mark not many people had their eye on the horse that was in last place, 19th out of 19! That horse was Golden Tempo. Last…dead last…with 18 proven winners out in front of him. Not last for a second but last for the first half mile of the race. Then the alpha male horse said enough is enough and he turned on the afterburners and closed the distance. From dead last to winning by a neck, winning by less that one second! Golden Tempo, his jockey, Jose Ortiz and his trainer, Cherie DeVaux did not throw in the towel because they were last. They did not quit or give up on their horse. Golden Tempo climbed from last to first. Cherie DeVaux became the first female trainer in Kentucky Derby History to win the most prestigious of all horse races. The reason? They did not quit or give up.

Don’t give up too soon. God may still be working a miracle, He may still be waiting for the moment to bring you from last to first, from the prison cell to freedom, from the whale’s belly to your assignment, from the cross, the grave to the resurrection. Don’t give up too soon. Your Owner sees you, He knows where you are in the race of life. He knows the odds.

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize!” (1 Corinthians 9:24) No matter how far back in this race of life you have fallen, you can, by God’s grace and mercy, make it back to the front! It is too soon to give up.

Love you all,

Pastor Tom

WANT TO SAY THANK YOU?

To paraphrase a tribute to the legendary James Brown, how would you like to say thank you to some of the hardest working people in Hollywood! Except it is not James Brown and it is not Hollywood. It is the school teachers at Johns Island Elementary School. On Wednesday, May 6, we will be serving a delicious Kickin’ Chicken lunch to the staff at Johns Island Elementary. We did this last year and had a great time meeting the teachers and staff. It is an opportunity to meet and greet and to show appreciation. The cost has been taken care of by our “Kickin’ Chicken Benefactor”. All we need are smiling faces to serve and to do some very minor set up. If you would like to go, please let me know ASAP. Some of you may have been praying for this school and now is an opportunity to put some feet…even if they are tiny little chicken feet, to your prayers. We will only have room for about 6 or 7…maybe 8 volunteers. Think Connection Group, families or for you extroverts, a chance to meet people you do not yet know!

HOW IS IT GOING?

How is your Pray Charleston 2026 going? I did send one post card to the mayor to let him know he is being prayed for. I hope there are many, many people praying for him and all of our elected officials. We will try to produce new prayer brochures for every quarter of the year. That way we can be praying for different people, ministries, services, etc. “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7

ROAD TRIP

The plan is that I will leave on Wednesday, April 29 to travel to Somerset, Kentucky to do an onsite visit with a prospective staff member. We are looking for a Pastor of Administration and Small Groups/Connection Groups. We have already had multiple times with this prospect and, at this point, feel like we would like to continue pursing this work relationship. Please keep us in your prayers. I will plan to be back Friday evening, May 1 and will be in church Sunday. By the way, I will say this a bunch of times: this is someone who will be an Associate Pastor. He is not someone to be the next pastor. His gift mix is perfect for a “second chair” leader.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

WITHOUT LEAVING HOME

Many of us like to travel to foreign places. Others, not so much. Most of us would agree that “be it ever so humble there is no place like home.” Well, JIBC found a way for you to do international missions right here at home!

First, how about some “Slavic Outreach”. You may remember that JIBC gives a small gathering of Ukrainians a place to worship every Sunday here at JIBC. The Leadership Team of this Slavic church, Zion Church, is primarily Ukrainian. But they are reaching out to all the Slavic groups in the greater Charleston area. This past Sunday, they hosted a Slavic worship service featuring String Ensembles, a 25-voice choir, multiple concert pianists and multiple readers of the Gospel. I stayed for an hour and ten minutes. I only recognized “Crown Him” and “The Via Dolorosa”. I should say I recognized the tune, not the words. This was a worship service that was designed to touch the heart of those who are connected by linguistic, ethnic and cultural roots. I would guess there were around 70 people present. Well done!

OK, let’s go to the island for some mission work…specifically St Helena Island, South Carolina. The Hispanic Church, Luz Y Verdad, will be going to the migrant camps at St Helena Island to share the gospel. The Migrant Hygiene kits are a practical gift. They usually cookout for them, play music and then preach the Gospel. By the way, you would be welcome to join them for one of these trips. Interested? Let us know. What a great opportunity…international missions right here at home.

Now, how about a little home mission? This will be prefect for some of you. David Miller has offered to sponsor a Teacher Appreciation Lunch for Johns Island Elementary School in May. We are thinking it will be the third week of May. All we need are some volunteers to go and greet the teachers as they come for some deliciousness! Just come and be your regular JIBC friendly. Who knows what mission opportunity a chance encounter might produce. Interested…come with us to thank a teacher!

How about that? Two islands and Eastern Europe and you never left home! Well done.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

Whoohoo! It has begun!

Whoohoo is not as good as “Hallelujah, but it translates pretty close. Whether we use Hallelujah or Whoohoo, let’s get excited. The renovation of the kitchen started Monday, April 13! I find myself going back there every 30 minutes or so just to see the progress. I never knew deconstruction could be so exciting and look so good.

From now until the project is finished, we will probably have the kitchen doors locked off to most of us. There is really not much in there now you can use…it has been emptied out. No ice, no sinks, no pans, no spoons…no nothin’! It is one big beautiful empty box. I get more and more excited with every new thing the construction workers do.

Now for the challenging work. We are trying to continue on with Wednesday Night Dinners. The menu will be basic, but delicious. The Wednesday Night dinners will rotate between hamburgers cooked on the grill, pizza from our two favorite pizza joints, and hotdogs cooked on the grill. Thanks to our Grill Master Todd and our every faithful Kitchen Krew! Again, it will be a basic menu until completion. We are hoping the project will be over on Wednesday, May 13. You know what our welcome back meal will be…oh yeah! Fried Chicken, mac-n-cheese, a great salad and a few other items filled with deliciousness.

This no Kitchen Zone will also affect our Celebrate Recovery Meal on Sunday evenings. They will likewise just work from a very basic menu for a few weeks. It will be worth it all when we get back to our full schedule!

Until then, see you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

PRAY CHARLESTON 2026

“I urge, then, first of all, that petition, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Pray Charleston, 2026 is not just a good idea, it is a “God” idea! The Apostle Paul, moved by the Holy Spirit, records our Father’s heart when it comes to praying for the city where you work, live, play and learn. We waited until Easter Sunday to roll out this prayer mission. It was our hope to present it to as many people as possible and to influence as many as possible to join us in Pray Charleston 2026. We made available prayer materials that will help you know “what and who” to pray for. Of course, you do not have to use these materials. You may already have a plan in place. Great! If you need a little guidance, we have it available. By the way, if you were not here Sunday with the other 414 of us (insert Hallelujah right here!), we do have it available. You can find it right outside the office door. Or text us, and we can make sure you get it. If you are homebound or live away and would like to participate, we will mail it to you and show you where you can get it on line. Anyway we can, we want to lead our church family and friends to Pray for Charleston.

Jeremiah 29:7 says to us, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have called you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” We also have some postcards if you would care to write a note to someone you are praying for. Your first responder might like to hear that someone is praying for them…I suspect their families would be thankful as well. Let your government officials know you are praying for them. (Please, do not use the JIBC post card to write negative comments)

“Who’s your one?” Who is that one person that is near to you but far from God? Would you ask Father to reveal a name to you and then commit to praying for that person. It can be someone who is dear to you or someone who is near to you. They are also dear to God but may not be near to Him. Let’s pray for them this year. Please let us know when your one comes to know Him. We would love to celebrate with you!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

MISSION: PRAY CHARLESTON 2026

Pray Charleston 2026 is really a part two, a follow-up of Pray Charleston 2025. We joined over 60 different church families of various denominations and non-denoms, to cover Charleston in prayer 24 hours a day for the entire year of 2025. This year, JIBC is taking a little different route. We are inviting and equipping our church family to pray for our beloved cities on a regular basis, not just on the 10th of every month. We will have hand-out materials and on=line material to help you have options on who and what to pray for this year. Some will pray daily, some will pray regularly, but maybe not daily. I always thought half a loaf is better than none. So, no matter how often you pray, you are a part of the Mission: Pray Charleston 2026.

Two key Bible Verses to be familiar with. Jeremiah 29:7 says “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

The second verse is 1 Timothy 2:1-2. “I urge you, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers , intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings, and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all goodness and holiness.”

AN ACT OF WORSHIP

Each year we invite our church family and friends to “flower the cross” on Easter Sunday. You may bring flowers from your own yard (or a neighbor’s yard!) or purchase flowers to share. You bring them to the worship center before the 9:00 and the 11:00 services. We will have volunteers there to help place them on the cross. It really is a beautiful way of viewing the old rugged cross. It is transformed into that “wondrous attraction to me”.

AN ACT OF SERVICE

Our JIBC family has several ministries that are in need of volunteer servant and leaders. Would you pray to the Lord of the Harvest that He would send forth workers? (Luke 10:2)

First, we have a wonderful opportunity to reach young adults college and career ages. This demographic is attending JIBC but we do not have a Connection Group for them. Perhaps you are the one. Let’s talk.

Second, our preschool ministry is growing and we need a few extra hands. The particular age group is the 2 and 3 year old classes. Best case scenario involves three people for the 10:00 hour and three people for the 11:00 hour. The current leaders will try to get you on a rotation so you will serve once every month or so. Great opportunity for a Connection Group to serve together.

Third, we need two workers, this one is a paid position, to keep the nursery for Celebrate Recovery. There are many times when there are no children. But when there are, we want to provide for the preschooler so the parent/s can attend Celebrate Recovery.

Fourth, our beloved Kitchen Krew is falling apart! Bless their hearts, they have served faithfully for many years. They hit a streak when all of them were down and out at the same time. The kitchen renovation is coming at a perfect time for the Kitchen Krew to recover. If you have ever thought of helping in the kitchen and literally serving the church family, they could use your help.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

 

 

THE LAST SEVEN DAYS

 

THE LAST SEVEN DAYS

Not all weeks are created equal. We had a seven-day run that was quite challenging. Three funerals, one wedding and welcoming four new members…all in seven days! As a church family we said “good-bye for now” to three of our beloved friends and members. We said “Congratulations” to a beautiful couple who tied the knot with a spectacularly beautiful wedding. We said “Welcome to the family ” to four gifts from God who felt led to join the JIBC family. ( I think a few more will be coming in the weeks ahead.) It is what our Disney friends would call the “Circle of Life.” We consider it an honor to stand with these at such a time in their lives. The Good Lord gives and the Good Lord takes away, blessed be His name. All of these mentioned about would so love your prayers and blessings.

A HOUSE OF PRAYER

Of all the things JIBC is known for, I would like to think that prayer is near the top of the list.

You all did such a wonderful job is the 2025 Pray Charleston mission. We joined around 60 churches from different denominations to attempt having someone praying for Charleston every minute of every hour of every day for the entire year. JIBC met the challenge. We chose to cover the 10th day of every month. We had 168 people involved and had every minute of the 10th day of each month completely covered. Well done.

Pray Charleston 2026 is similar but not the same. We will be rolling out materials that will help our church family take Pray Charleston 2026 to a higher level. We are asking all our church members and friends to join us in praying regularly, if not daily, for our beloved Charleston. We will give you information to help you know who and what to pray for each day you decide to pray. We have written the material so everyone, children, youth and adults could pray for Charleston. Of course, you can add to or take away from the material to make it better suit you. Or, you will have no problem just following the daily prayer prompts. There is a book on prayer that has a great name: “Too Busy Not To Pray”. Amen, I think we all could agree on that.

JUST AROUND THE CORNER

We are only a few weeks away from the beginning oof the JIBC Kitchen Renovation. That will cause a few wrinkles in our programming but only for a short time. Starting April 6 through May 13 there will be no access to the Kitchen…none. No ice machine, no sinks, no nuthin’. We will have quick and easy meals for Wednesday nights and Celebrate Recovery. More on that to come!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom