What was Noah’s greatest fear? A pair of termites. Get the hint where this is going yet? I will try another: What do termites like on their toast? Window Jamb. OK, one more: What did the termite say to the JIBC stained glassed window? It was nice gnawing on you!
Ok, whether you put it together or not here is the scoop. A few weeks back we discovered one of the windows in the church worship center had termites.
We called the termite company and they came to inspect it. Thank you Jesus, it did seem limited to that one window and it did not look like the termites were active. So far, part of that last sentence seems to be true. It does seem limited to one window but they were still active. So, we have the right people on the job. They had to take down the entire window frame and remove the stain glass window completely from the window. Incredible what skilled people can do! We have one crew from Auburn AV installing sound treatment panels and one crew from Axis Construction (Wilson Walpole) taking care of the window. We are grateful for both teams skillfully doing their jobs. I am also thankful for our church being so blessed with generous givers that this can be taken care of without upsetting or straining the church budget. Many of us remember the days when that was not the case. Thank you Father, the Giver of every good and perfect gift. We will keep you in the loop as progress is being made.
I cannot say for sure, but I thought I heard the termites singing “Shall we gather by the window?” When I went closer to see what was going on, I saw a little cowboy termite. He said his name was Clint…Clint Eatswood. It was the last termite I talked to that really made me mad. I asked him what he was doing here. He said he first went to the Sports Bar across the street. He asked the termite next to him “Where is the bar tender?” The other termite said “No where here, you might find something at the Baptist Church across the street!” I do not want to hear them quoting Psalm 122:1.
Please, don’t hold it against me. It helps to laugh a little. And this is about as little as you are going to laugh.
Pastor Tom
For me, the worst part of Christmas is when it is over. And just like that it was over. Our Orthodox friends get to stretch it out to January 6. I might end up adopting that tradition!
Remember the Advent season for us is the frame work we use to Focus our Worship on Our Heavenly Father and out Lord Jesus; it is the opportunity we have to give generously to our Mission Partners like Low Country Pregnancy, James Island Outreach, Helene Recovery and Lottie Moon International Missions offering; and third, it is an opportunity to celebrate! We sing great music, hear great stories, enjoy special meals, see friends and family, etc. To me Christmas is a great big birthday party celebrating the birth of our Savior.
This Christmas season you were so generous in your giving. You gave over 220 jars of jelly and over 120 bottles of pancake syrup! James Island Outreach has already come to pick that up and give it out! You gave a small mountain of diapers and baby wipes for the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. These will make such a significant difference to those who receive them. You went over the top by giving just over $4000 worth of gift cards going to Western Carolina families. The Cowboy Church we worked with will be distributing these cards to families in need. You also gave a wonderfully generous gift to The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions supporting over 3, 500 full time missionaries around the world. As of this writing, the total amount given is $12,400. You supported missions across the street, across the state line and across the oceans! Yay God. And last but not least, the Christmas Eve offering was $4,375 that will also go to missions. We are trying to find out what it will cost to “upfit” the mini homes the Mennonites are building for Hurricane Helene victims in WNC. I think we will use this amount to help purchase a few heaters, a mini-refrigerators and cots! Our friend Charles Dillion is checking on that for us. (Btw, please pray for Judy dealing with a kidney issue. They are traveling to Alabama to meet with her doctors).
Well, just like that, Christmas 2024 is over. Already looking forward to Christmas 2025!
Love you all,
Pastor Tom
