When I think back at the end of the JIBC church year, I think it was absolutely beautiful. For the first time in my 34 years at JIBC we had two Christmas Eve services. Our thanks to our staff for encouraging me to double the blessing and add a second Christmas Eve Worship opportunity. What a great decision. We had a very full 4:00 service and a nicely attended 6:00 service. Combined, we had just over 500 people at both services. And what a fantastic job our Worship and Praise Teams did. Thanks to all the teams who served at one or at both of the services. We could not pull that off without your help! Now here is some extra good news. We had been promoting the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions. The total offering going to the Lottie Moon Offering will be $10,000! The Christmas Eve Offering enabled us to give extra to Lottie Moon, the Southern Baptist offering, to help support 3,700 full time International missionaries. We also will be able to do more and will see that amount go to almost $14,000 going to international missions. I have always liked being able to send an offering to the churches where Mark Livengood serves in Ukraine and where Cheryl Parish serves in Romania. Your generosity literally goes around the world. By the way, as soon as we hear the final results, we will tell you how much food was donated to James Island Outreach and Backpack Buddies as well as how many diapers went to the Low Country Pregnancy Center. What a beautiful ending to 2019!
Then the first Sunday of 2020 was one of the best attended in recent days. It was encouraging to see the worship center “comfortably full” again. The two screens in the balcony make viewing so much better. We started a new teaching series I am calling “Foundations: Building Better Believers”. For five weeks we will be looking at spiritual disciplines and habits that are needed to build solid believers. I am praying that they will help you on your spiritual journey. Make sure you check in with Pastor Scott about his recommendation for reading the Bible through in 2020. It is not too late to start or catch up. Bottom line for reading the Bible through in a year is to read 3 chapters a day. The plan Scott is recommending gives you a different approach than starting with Genesis and plowing through to Revelation. Feel free to join us on Wednesday nights as we continue our Introduction to the Old Testament. We will finish with the Minor Prophets and then will begin with the New Testament later this spring. Come for a great meal and fellowship at 5:30 and stay for Bible Study or a Connection Group at 6:15. What a beautiful ending to 2019 and a wonderful beginning for 2020.
Pastor Tom
