Someone asked me Sunday what was next up for the Daring Faith Renovating Believers/Renovating Buildings? We are on the move and had a building team meeting last week.
Let me review the great news. First, the Daring Faith campaign was about Renovating Believers. We had an 8 week emphasis on what the Bible says about faith and how to apply and activate it in our lives. We had a strong biblical series built around the topic of faith; we had 6 Bible verses to memorize; we had 6 great DVD lessons on faith. As a pastor, I could not be more pleased with the opportunity we had as a church family to study the Word together and do missions together. Well done.
The second part of the mission was to raise funds for Daring Faith: Renovating Buildings. No good renovating buildings if our hearts are not first renovated…Amen? We had two financial goals. First, we were believing God would bless JIBC with the largest ever cash offering so we could begin the project. You more than doubled the largest one time gift ($100,00) by giving over $200,000 cash. We are certainly ready to begin. The second goal was to raise in commitments the total amount of $400,000 for the entire project. Again, we met and exceeded that goal. So, when do we start? Already moving!
The first thing to start will be the safety issue protecting the church and church property from cars crashing. We have a beautiful plan that includes the landscaping, the protection, the resurfacing and restriping of the front of the campus (Maybank and Wappoo). The forms are being made now and the plans are to begin in March and be completed by Easter.
The side entrance and elevator are being planned to start sometime after Easter. We did not want to make a construction mess on one of the largest attended days of the year. The renovation of the Fellowship Hall will take place in the summer after we finish with Wednesday night programs. Again, trying to minimize mess and distress!
The ball is rolling. Thank you again for being such a generous church family. We have truly seen God open up the heavens and pour out His blessings.
Pastor Tom
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Wednesday Night Adult Discipleship Options
On Wednesday, January 31 we will begin on of the best discipleship courses that I have ever known. Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby, is one of the tools that God used to help shape my life. We have 8 signed up and only have room for four more. Even if you are not a part of this particular Experiencing God group, would you pray for us? This really has the potential to change the way we look at life and how we see God working. It will be exciting for some to know when God is speaking to them; to recognize God’s activity around them; to learn how to adjust your life to God instead of the other way around. It is a great way to …well, experience God. Pray about being in this group and please pray for this group. It is pretty exciting and I can’t wait to see what He will do.
Janie will be teaching First Place 4 Health on Wednesday nights. It also starts on Wednesday, January 31. This is a Bible Study that addresses the need for a healthy eating plan, an exercise routine and accountability. She absolutely loves the Bible Study for this semester. Come on Wednesday, January 31 to hear the introduction. You will be blessed.
If you come on Wednesday nights and you are not a part of these two Discipleship options, you still have two great choices. One, you could volunteer to help out in the Awana ministry. There are several positions that do not require advance training or preparation. One of my favorites is being a listener. You hold the Bible verse in your hand and help the child to memorize it. Really, you get to hold the Bible verse, you see it, you have it in your hand and then you help the child to review it so they can memorize it. That is a Listener. You could do that. You just need a background check which the church will do for you. If you are interested you can see Pastor Sean or Marie.
The second ministry you could volunteer for is the Kitchen Krew. They always need someone who will wash, wipe off and put away. They might even need a cook from time to time. Talk to Phyllis Croft or James Hines about this ministry.
I hope you will be a part of the Wednesday night ministries. Great food, great fellowship and a great line up of Bible Study and Service.
Pastor Tom
Janie will be teaching First Place 4 Health on Wednesday nights. It also starts on Wednesday, January 31. This is a Bible Study that addresses the need for a healthy eating plan, an exercise routine and accountability. She absolutely loves the Bible Study for this semester. Come on Wednesday, January 31 to hear the introduction. You will be blessed.
If you come on Wednesday nights and you are not a part of these two Discipleship options, you still have two great choices. One, you could volunteer to help out in the Awana ministry. There are several positions that do not require advance training or preparation. One of my favorites is being a listener. You hold the Bible verse in your hand and help the child to memorize it. Really, you get to hold the Bible verse, you see it, you have it in your hand and then you help the child to review it so they can memorize it. That is a Listener. You could do that. You just need a background check which the church will do for you. If you are interested you can see Pastor Sean or Marie.
The second ministry you could volunteer for is the Kitchen Krew. They always need someone who will wash, wipe off and put away. They might even need a cook from time to time. Talk to Phyllis Croft or James Hines about this ministry.
I hope you will be a part of the Wednesday night ministries. Great food, great fellowship and a great line up of Bible Study and Service.
Pastor Tom
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Transition House is full…for the moment! Praise the Lord
For the newer members of the JIBC family, we operate a Transition House for women coming out of the Charleston Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center. We opened it because it was ranked as the number one unmet need in Charleston. We are still the only Transition House in Charleston doing what we do. Hard to believe right?
The very nature of the Transition House Ministry is change. Since JIBC has opened the house, we have had 30 residents come through our ministry. We measure success in two ways. First, we offer opportunity to come to a safe place to work on their sobriety, sanity and serenity. The second way we measure success is by how hard they work on #1. It is after all, their sobriety and their life. We provide opportunity but they have to work their program.
We just welcomed a new resident last week. That fills the house with three women. That is the limit. We have one baby in the house but all three of them have children that will occasionally visit. What a beautiful sight that is! On occasion someone will ask about how the women “get to come to the house”. So, let me share the process.
First, they have to submit an application and then receive the information package about our Program and ministry. Second, they have to successfully finish their time at the Charleston Center and must have earned the status of “Mentor” at the center; showing their willingness, ability and desire to succeed. Third, they must attend Celebrate Recovery a minimum of four times so they can know who we are and we can get to know them. Fourth, they must be recommended to our program by their counselor to be considered. Fifth, our CR small group women’s leader needs to know them and have a positive recommendation. Sixth, they are interviewed, whenever possible, by the current residents since they will be living together. Seventh, if they have successfully completed these first steps, then they have an intensive final interview with me. The Eighth and final step is to do an official SLED background check.
I share this process because from the outside it may look like we just randomly decide who gets in and who does not. It is a very thorough process.
As always, thank you for your prayers and support. Our Celebrate Recovery Ministry is making a difference. By the way, we are looking to furnish the little upstairs apartment. We need sofas chairs, tables, lamps. We have all the bedding we need.
See you Sunday, good Lord willing,
Pastor Tom
The very nature of the Transition House Ministry is change. Since JIBC has opened the house, we have had 30 residents come through our ministry. We measure success in two ways. First, we offer opportunity to come to a safe place to work on their sobriety, sanity and serenity. The second way we measure success is by how hard they work on #1. It is after all, their sobriety and their life. We provide opportunity but they have to work their program.
We just welcomed a new resident last week. That fills the house with three women. That is the limit. We have one baby in the house but all three of them have children that will occasionally visit. What a beautiful sight that is! On occasion someone will ask about how the women “get to come to the house”. So, let me share the process.
First, they have to submit an application and then receive the information package about our Program and ministry. Second, they have to successfully finish their time at the Charleston Center and must have earned the status of “Mentor” at the center; showing their willingness, ability and desire to succeed. Third, they must attend Celebrate Recovery a minimum of four times so they can know who we are and we can get to know them. Fourth, they must be recommended to our program by their counselor to be considered. Fifth, our CR small group women’s leader needs to know them and have a positive recommendation. Sixth, they are interviewed, whenever possible, by the current residents since they will be living together. Seventh, if they have successfully completed these first steps, then they have an intensive final interview with me. The Eighth and final step is to do an official SLED background check.
I share this process because from the outside it may look like we just randomly decide who gets in and who does not. It is a very thorough process.
As always, thank you for your prayers and support. Our Celebrate Recovery Ministry is making a difference. By the way, we are looking to furnish the little upstairs apartment. We need sofas chairs, tables, lamps. We have all the bedding we need.
See you Sunday, good Lord willing,
Pastor Tom
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
Seems like a very long time
We only missed the one Sunday, but it seems like such a long time since our church family has gathered. Let me go back just a few weeks. Marty and the praise team did a great job at our Christmas Eve Carols, Candlelight and Communion Worship Service. Your entire staff did a great job in making sure we had a Christ exalting celebration of God’s goodness and grace. Having the harpist was fabulous.
This past Sunday, January 7 we opted not to ask our church family to venture out on the black ice in the frigid weather. I know that there were some hearty souls who were up to the challenge. In this case, we felt like wisdom was the better part of valor. We heeded the news alerts and advised our church family to stay off the roads whenever possible. We knew the main roads were passable, but many of the side streets were still treacherous. The church parking lot was completely covered; the front porch and the sidewalks were solid sheets of ice. We had two church members that we knew about who had slipped and were injured due to the ice. We heard of one friend who fell and broke both wrists. Not worth it, not gonna do it, nuh uh, no way. We want you and your families safe and sound. It is never an easy call to not have a worship service whether because of snow and ice or tropical winds. Please remember the words of our Lord: “The Sabbath was made for you not you for the Sabbath”. When we made the decision, I told Pastor Sean my only regret was that we did not have a truck to go around spraying some sort of deicer on the drive ways of our members. Anyway, it is over, thank you Lord Jesus, it is over. The snow was beautiful; I thoroughly enjoyed it and am ready to resume our regularly scheduled activities.
This Sunday, I am beginning a series on Christ Alone. My scripture passage will be Acts 4:1-12. The memory verse will be verse 12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Do we really mean Christ Alone? Yes we do. Join us Sunday for Bible Study and Worship.
Pastor Tom
This past Sunday, January 7 we opted not to ask our church family to venture out on the black ice in the frigid weather. I know that there were some hearty souls who were up to the challenge. In this case, we felt like wisdom was the better part of valor. We heeded the news alerts and advised our church family to stay off the roads whenever possible. We knew the main roads were passable, but many of the side streets were still treacherous. The church parking lot was completely covered; the front porch and the sidewalks were solid sheets of ice. We had two church members that we knew about who had slipped and were injured due to the ice. We heard of one friend who fell and broke both wrists. Not worth it, not gonna do it, nuh uh, no way. We want you and your families safe and sound. It is never an easy call to not have a worship service whether because of snow and ice or tropical winds. Please remember the words of our Lord: “The Sabbath was made for you not you for the Sabbath”. When we made the decision, I told Pastor Sean my only regret was that we did not have a truck to go around spraying some sort of deicer on the drive ways of our members. Anyway, it is over, thank you Lord Jesus, it is over. The snow was beautiful; I thoroughly enjoyed it and am ready to resume our regularly scheduled activities.
This Sunday, I am beginning a series on Christ Alone. My scripture passage will be Acts 4:1-12. The memory verse will be verse 12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Do we really mean Christ Alone? Yes we do. Join us Sunday for Bible Study and Worship.
Pastor Tom
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
THE FIVE SOLAS
During the 16th Century, people like Martin Luther and John Calvin led a reformation that literally changed the world of religion. Led by God, they spear headed a reformation to correct the abuses and heresies of the church. They struck a match that still burns brightly today. Their faithfulness and sacrifice led to what we now refer to as the Protestant Reformation. We, as Southern Baptist, are a part of the “protesters” now known as Protestants. God blessed His church greatly by the willing sacrifice of these reformers. Think about this: the Bible up until that time could only be read in Hebrew, Greek, or Latin. There were almost no translations of the Bible in the language of the common, uneducated person. At that time, many priests were not even required to read the Bible to perform their duties. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German, it moved the reformation ahead in a way that could never be stopped. Today, we have the Bible in so many translations, we sometimes make an issue out of which translation is the best. You want to know the absolute best translation of the Bible? It is the one you read, understand and obey. Never forget that all translations of the Bible are translations. Many are great, most are good and even the lesser ones are still used by the Holy Spirit to make Christ known.
I will be bringing biblical messages that will feature, if you will, these Five Solas. The Five Alones are: Christ Alone; Faith Alone; Grace Alone; Scripture Alone; and Glory of God Alone.
I am praying for our church family during this series. May the Spirit of God continue to reform us into the glorious image of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Tom
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