23 units of blood given
We are thankful for Candy Oliver and our friends at the American Red Cross for arranging a blood drive at JIBC. We had a strong response with 23 units of blood given. Several others came out to give but were unable. Thank you for your support. Each unit of blood helps 3 more people. That means 69 people were helped by your donations. I am grateful that Janie and I are both able to give. As you know, our family has been on the receiving end of the blessing! Thanks to all of you who give, whether here at JIBC or at other collection sites. Thanks to all who came out and tried to give. We even had some cheerleaders on hand to encourage everyone who came!
Luz y Verdad New Room Dedication
Our Hispanic Church family, Luz Y Verdad, has seen wonderful growth over the last few months. They are almost as large in size as the average Southern Baptist Church in South Carolina. Because of your faithful tithes and offerings, we were able to give them another room for their expansion. We do not have to charge them rent or any expenses. Even though we no longer rent these rooms out, God has continued to provide. Thank you for giving so generously. They currently meet for worship in the room formerly known as the Café. It is almost entirely dedicated to the use of Luz Y Verdad now. They also have a small room between them and Barry’s Kitchen , that they use for a nursery. They have 2 small rooms they use for their food ministry and outreach ministries. Now, they have the room next door for their children and youth meetings. They need it. Yesterday, they had at least 60 adults, maybe 6 or 7 teens, around 12 children and quite a few babies. It was a beautiful sight! We arrived in time for their final two praise songs. Their band and singers sounded great and the people were engaged in celebration. We had a ribbon cutting and prayers of dedication. Pastor Sean prayed a blessing over their new Youth and Children’s Team and committed to taking one of their leaders, at our expense, to the next Youth Training event.
Worship: It’s More than a song
This week we will conclude the series on worship we are calling MORE THAN A SONG. I hope you have been blessed and challenged as we looked at ways to expand our worship, deepen our devotion and fan our emotions. This week our plan, good Lord willing, is to conclude this series with Communion and a greater time of worship and celebration. Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday: The Lord’s people, gathered on the Lord’s day, reading the Lord’s Word in His House. Indeed, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go to the House of the Lord.
Pastor Tom
