HARD QUESTIONS—REAL ANSWERS

In 2003, William Lane Craig wrote a book entitled “Hard Questions, Real Answers”. I am using the title of his book to talk about four hard questions that I often hear people ask. This Sunday we will start with “How can I know the will of God?” In Ephesians 5:17 the Apostle Paul encourages us to “understand what the Lord’s will is.” Knowing God’s will is a spiritual discipline we want to develop. The Word of God will give us direction.

Perhaps you have asked, privately or publicly, “How long should I keep praying?’. Is there a time limit to how long you keep going before the Lord with the same request? In Ephesians 6:18 Paul says we are to “stay alert and be persistent in your prayers.” Jesus Himself showed us that “we should always pray and not give up.” But how long do we keep praying and what do we do while we are waiting?

The third hard question is one that should interest many of us. This one asks the question “How can I stop worrying?” I sometimes will try to relabel my worrying as “just being very concerned”. Yeah, it is still worrying. I do agree with the old wag who said “Worrying must be good luck…nothing I ever worry about actually happens!” The Bible, as in so many things, has a great answer for those of us who might tend to “just be very, very concerned”…otherwise known as worry.

Here is one I believe every believer has asked at one time or the other. “Why do I do what I don’t want to do?” Been there done that and have a drawer full of t-shirts to testify. Perhaps one of the most interesting and intriguing chapters in the Bible is Romans 7. Paul gives us the Word of God that helps us understand the spiritual war going on inside our lives.

Maybe you will find something to relate to in the brief series. At least you should be able to find some truths and principles to help those who would look to you to give real answers to tough questions.

See you Sunday, D.V.

Pastor Tom

I like the sound of that!

Here is a week filled with exciting events., I know we cannot make all of them, but we do want you to know about them. On Wednesday, August 19 we have 11 signed up for Beach Baptism. We have a wonderful mix of children, youth and adults. It will be at the Folly Beach Charleston County Park at the very end. Go to Folly and turn right, go to the end. There is usually an entrance fee. Tell them you are there for the baptism…maybe, just maybe they will bless you??? Baptism time will be between 6:30 and 7:00.

Then Kat Cumberledge will lead us in a Bible and Brushes painting experience. Janie and I are signed up. If I am signed up, you know two things. I think it is fun and you don’t have to know how to paint to be a part of this! The cost is $25 and all proceeds will go to buying medical supplies for Steven’s mission trip to Jordan. Call the church office to sign up. If you want to go but don’t have the extra cash right now, contact me. We have some scholarship money!

Sunday, we have scheduled a Parent-Child Dedication Service celebrating the birth of Heidi Leigh Dorton. Let’s celebrate with Will and Allison this great gift from God. The Lord adds to His Church!

Then, Wednesday night, August 26 we will have our Quarterly Ministry Conference/Ministry Management Team meeting. We will have a meal served at 6:00 and the meeting will start at 6:30. It is just another way we have of keeping our church family informed. Remember the old saying “You heard it here first!”. That is exactly how we feel about these meetings. You get to be the first to hear what is coming soon. The meal is optional. You do not have to eat to attend the meeting. You do have to let us know you are coming if you want to eat! Call the church office to make your dinner reservation.

The month concludes with Pastor Logan presenting “Next Generation Parenting…Technology”. He is bringing in the expert. Do you have preschooler, children or youth in your life.? You will want to attend this seminar. Sunday night, August 30, 6:00 in the Youth Room. To sign up for this valuable seminar, text TECHNOLOGY to 843-762-0244.

Yep, I like the sound of that: equipping, evangelizing, supporting mission, celebrating next steps. It’s all good.

Pastor Tom

THE THREE P’S

Have you ever heard of the 3 P’s? It is an old but good business model. It refers to People, Process and Product. Get the right people on your team; have an efficient process; have a product you believe in. That is not too shabby of a game plan. Ok, my 3P’s for today are slightly different.

The three P’s for JIBC today include Prayer, Paint and Participate. Let’s start with PRAYER. This Sunday, August 16 we will conclude our sermon series on the Book of James. It will come from James 5:13-20. James has inspiring and convicting words about prayer. I hope you will be there to join us.

The second P is PAINT! On Saturday, August 22, from 10:00 am to noon, Steven and Kat Cumberledge will host a “Bibles and Brushes” fundraising event for Steven’s upcoming mission trip to Jordan. The funds raised will help purchase medical supplies. I love the idea of involving passion and mission. There is a $25 charge for this event and it is limited to 30 people. Please contact the church office at 843-762-0244 to register. “If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent Van Gogh.

The third P is PARTICIPATE. You have two really good events in which you can be a participant. First, there is the Beach Baptism on Wednesday, August 19 at the Folly Beach/Charleston County Park. We will gather around 6:30 in front of the main buildings at the park. So far, we have 8 to be baptized. There is room for more. Participate by attending and cheering these on or participate by being baptized as a follower of Jesus Christ.

You may also want to participate in the Quarterly Ministry conference/Ministry Management Team meeting on Wednesday, August 26. A meal will be served at 6:00 and the meeting will start at 6:30. Everyone can attend. Please make a reservation by contacting the church office if you would like to eat with us!

THREE P’S…not bad right? We have the right people, the JIBC family. We have the right process... go and make disciples. We have the greatest product ever—the Gospel story about our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Pastor Tom

I TRIPPED OVER A PUN!

Last week, in an effort to be humorous, I tripped over a pun. I said “I tripped over the bathroom tile Monday. I am fine, but it is safe to say “I got floored!” I did not really trip; I was just putting together all my favorite “tile” puns since the workers were tiling the bathrooms. I thought someone would say “I saw what you pun there…it was a bit pun-derwhelming! “

FUN AND SUPPORTING MISSIONS: Best of both worlds when you can have fun and raise prayer and financial support for missions. JIBC and Steven and Kat Cumberledge are sponsoring a Bibles and Brushes Art event on Saturday, August 22, 10 AM until Noon. Limited to 30 people and Janie and I have already signed up! Now, room for 28. Fun, inspirational, fellowship…and take home your own masterpiece! Call the church office to make your reservation: 843-762-0244.

OVER 100 BOOKBAGS FILLED WITH SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Thank you all for your generous gift of time, love and finances to put together over 100 Bookbags! These will so help the underserved and those on tight budgets. Imagine having three children and each need $50.00 worth of school supplies. What a gift of love from you all. We will have enough left over to donate to another area elementary school. The teachers supply closets will begin the year well stocked!

JUST A REMINDER about Beach Baptism. We have 7 signed up so far. We will meet at the James Island County Park, look for the crowd and the church flags! We will start gathering around 6 PM and plan to baptize around 6:45 PM.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, we will have a Quarterly Ministry Conference/Ministry Management Team gathering on Wednesday, August 26. A free meal will be provided but we do ask that you make a reservation. Please call the church office at 843-762-0244 or email neale@jamesislandbaptist.com. Meal served at 6 PM and the meeting starts at 6:30 PM.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing! DV

Pastor Tom

Want to hear music to my ear?

“Hammer, hammer, hammer, saw, saw, saw, big thump, big thump”. Doesn’t sound like music you would like? It is the music of the two main church restrooms being renovated this week. The space was stripped bare, now the workers are getting ready to put the tile in. Somebody say “Amen!”

By the way, I tripped over the bathroom tile Monday. I am fine, but it is safe to say “I got floored!” Let me give some Biblical Construction World advice: Don’t be in too big of a hurry, take one tile at a time. Remember, Rome was not tiled in a day! I tried—I really tried to ignore the tile jokes…but they kept resurfacing!

Back to School Supplies Giveaway. We still have a little over a week to donate to the community wide back to school give away. There are five church families, each setting a goal of 100 filled book bags. In addition, World Vision will be bringing two 18-wheeler trucks filled with household goods, diapers, food, clothes, personal care items, bed linens, etc. There will be an estimated 40,000 pounds of product given away.

We are looking for volunteers that can help in one of the areas: serving hotdogs, giving out book bags, using muscle to unload the pallets of household goods. Pray for this event that the Gospel will be clearly proclaimed, people would be and feel deeply loved, and volunteers would be abundant!

I saw a piece of tile leaning up against the wall. He could not walk very well…he had square feet!

Love you all,

Pastor Tom

BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!

Janie and I were gone for a couple of weeks. We went by to visit with former members, Martin and Lori Lechler. Then we headed to Nashville, Tennessee to attend a Celebrate Recovery Summit. After the first day of the conference, my sister called to tell me my brother passed away earlier that morning. So, we left the conference and headed to Newport/Havelock, North Carolina. Rest in peace Bubba, rest in peace. Janie and I were so thankful we had gone up a month ago to spend a few days with him and Kathie. He was, at that point, able to talk, laugh, visit and eat. My sister, Martha, was with him when he passed. God works all things together for the good. He died at home just as he wanted.

We still have to go back for probate to settle the rest of his affairs. We do not have a date for services at this time. It will be a graveside service at Carolina Memorial most likely a few weeks from now.

Until then…I am back in the saddle. So, let’s do what we do best. Let’s work on filling 100 bookbags with “Back to School Supplies”. I believe Pastor Josh said there will be 5 or 6 churches each trying to fill 100 book bags with school supplies! In addition, there will be two 18-wheeler trucks with house and home supplies to be given out. There will be multiple opportunities to volunteer: serving hotdogs, registering people, distributing back packs, giving directions, etc. We will need the muscle and still nimble group to help unload the two truckloads of items! This will be a big community “give back” day of service. Did I mention the word BIG. Really BIG.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8 FROM NOON UNTIL 4 PM. Volunteer for some of it, or all of it, every bit of help will be welcomed. If they have too many volunteers, Pastor Logan is buying everyone slushies at the Sonic!

Back in the saddle, doing missions…now that is my church family!

Pastor Tom

How do I love thee?

Do you remember the old poem from high school by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, How do I love thee? “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways” May I paraphrase that just a little? What mission projects do you do well? Let me count the ways. There are really so many.

This summer we are partnering again with Rev. Doctor Brandon Sweeper, pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church on Folly Road. We just received the notification that this project, the school supply drive, was going to take place again this year. Every year we have attempted this school supply drive project you have met and exceeded the wildest expectations.

Hopefully, we will have the list available in our worship bulletins, in the weekly messenger and online. Then the rush will be on to Walmart, 5 BELOW, Dollar Tree or your other favorite shopping stores. There are so many ways to participate. If you physically cannot go, you can give financially and we will find shoppers for you! There are those people who absolutely love going after the best bargain available. Parents can take their kids, let them help and see a mission project in action. We will start bringing the supplies to the worship center. By the way, you do not have to purchase everything on the list, Anything you buy will help fill one of the school book bags.

The day of the giveaway will be Saturday, August 8. Times to be announced later. The last day to get your donations in will be Sunday, August 2.

Part of the fun for this mission project is being present on the give-away day. You are more than welcomed to join us on Saturday, August 8 at Emmanuel Baptist Church on Folly Road. You will meet some very happy parents and grandparents.

We are blessing local schools who serve local families. This will be a big relief to their back-to-school costs.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… new pencils, erasers, bottles of glue, etc!

See you soon,

Pastor Tom

ONE OF THE THINGS I REALLY LOVE!

There are a lot of things I really enjoy and a lot of things I really love. I love watching my children raise their children. I love going to their games and recitals. I love our church family. I love singing praise songs, baptizing new believers.

One thing I really love is going to the Celebrate Recovery Summit. Each year Celebrate Recovery offers two conferences. One is on the west coast in California and the other is in Nashville, Tennessee. Janie and I have been blessed to attend both of them several times. This year, if fact, later this week, Janie and I will leave to go to Nashville for the Celebrate Recovery East Coast! What I really love about this conference is the 2000, give or take a few hundred, recovering believers who worship together. At that event, you are in the presence of God along with over 2000 people who know they have been rescued, forgiven, born again, changed and set free. There is a deep sense of God’s grace and mercy.

I would agree with anyone who said “All believers should feel that way and all worship should be fueled by such joy.” That certainly should be the case.

So, we look forward to a time of training, a time of refreshing, a time of healing and a time of “recovery fellowship”! By the way, one of the most often misunderstood aspects of Celebrate Recovery is who is CR for? The overwhelming majority of people who attend Celebrate Recovery are not there for alcohol or drug abuse. Many of us attend for past trauma, co-dependency, mental health issues, grief, etc. Substance Use Disorder is certainly a part of CR but not the only part.



The Celebrate Recovery Ministry of JIBC has diminished in size over the past two years. The need for recovery has certainly not diminished. If anything, it has greatly increased. A fellow pastor in West Ashley said as they surveyed their community for felt needs, recovery issues were among the highest on the list. Pray for Celebrate Recovery, for our leaders, for our outreach, promotion in the community, our volunteers. It is a real need!

See you soon,

Pastor Tom

NEED A HELPING HAND?

Do you ever need a helping hand? We all do at one time or another. Like the Beatles would sing “I’ll get by with a little help from my friends” So, here is the story. We were blessed by a family member who offered us their place in Costa Rica for a week. My daughter Brook and her kids went and my youngest daughter Erin and her family met us there mid-week.

This place is ruggedly beautiful. One excursion involved going through a preserve with a guide. Great! At any moment I expected to see jaguars, snakes or crocodiles. That matters because I can no longer outrun any member of my family but Janie!

With no advance warning, we come to a swamp crossing made up of old tree stumps. We have to walk across 20 stumps of various sizes and heights. All my kids crossed that so fast you would think they were auditioning for American Ninja Warriors. Did I mention the little stumps were all wet and muddy? I am wondering why we paid good money to put my life at risk. I was already planning if I would fall into the mangrove root system or into the green murky swamp water. Five stumps in and I was stuck. I mean froze up, scared, not going forward and can’t go backwards. I started shouting out instructions on how to get me to the nearest hospital!

Then came the helping hand. My grandson, Noah, walked right through the swamp to come and rescue me with a helping hand. Maybe in the day I could have crossed the swamp with grace and confidence. Now, I humbled myself and took my grandson’s hand and made it to the other side. He went back to get Grandma too!

That’s life. Sometimes we all need a helping hand. There is no shame in the game when we have to ask for a helping hand, a hand up or a steady hand for balance. You can’t lift it, ask for help. You can’t figure it out? There are wise people around you willing to help you. Spiritually, we all needed a helping hand when it came to being made right with God. That helping hand just happened to be nail scarred. Jesus’ helping hands healed, they blessed children, broke bread, were often raised in prayer. We all need His helping hand.

From time to time, we all need a helping hand. My guess is more often than not you are offering a helping hand. Thank you. By God’s grace, we can get by with a little help from a friend. See you

Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

GONE AGAIN, HOME AGAIN

Janie and I just returned from a vacation with part of our family. Brook and her three kids along with Erin, Trey and Wyatt joined us in a trip to Nosara, Costa Rica. Yeah, I did not know where it was either. Some would ask us “What part of Costa Rica are you going to?” I showed my geographical ignorance…I did not know where we were going or that there were parts! Turns out we were on the West Coast, right where the beautiful mountains and the jungle meets the Pacific Ocean. Like always, it was a joy to be there and to enjoy another part of God’s beautiful creation. But it is twice the joy to be back home! Thank you to all who make this kind of a trip possible by covering all the bases while we are gone.

The week before we left for vacation, my brother called to tell us he was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer and that it had metastasized to other parts of his body. The outlook is not good. If the doctors are right, he has 4 to 6 months to live. If Kathie is right, maybe not quite that long. So, Janie and I met my sister and went to spend some time with Bubba and Kathie. They live in Newport, NC. We hoped to bring some sort of positive to a negative situation. My sweet Janie was so very helpful in helping them work through all their legal issues like wills, power of attorney, medical POA, etc. By the way, do you have a will, a Power of Attorney, a Healthcare POA? If not, do yourself and your family a favor and have them drawn up. The truth is that we all have an ending date, all of us have an appointed day to die. We choose to live our lives not looking at death but rather looking at life. But the date will come, unless Jesus returns first.

One day, there will be no more death, no more sorrow, no more tears. Until then, we deal with the penalty and consequence of sin, death. Our hearts cry in times of sorrow is like a call for that day when death will be no more. Until then, “The Lord is my Shepherd…”

See you this Sunday, Good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

PART TWO: PRAY CHARLESTON 2026

Many of you will remember that JIBC joined dozens of other churches from a variety of denominations to “Pray Charleston 2025”. The goal was to have every day, of every week of every month for the 2025 Calendar Year covered in prayer. The focus was on Charleston, hence the name “Pray Charleston 2025. We chose the 10th of every month from January to December. On the 10th, we had 168 volunteers to pray in 15-minute segments and we covered the entire 24 hours of the 10th of every month. Well done, JIBC, well done.

This year, we changed the pace a little. We are still involved and partners in “Pray Charleston 2026”. We are just expanding or deepening our prayer ministry. We are no longer praying just on the 10th of every month. We are asking our IBC family and friends to include a Pray Charleston topic every day you have your quiet time. The first 6 weeks we prayed for Charleston leaders, first responders, school administration, etc. This next 6 weeks, we will pray for JIBC Missions and Ministries. Our Youth Pastor, Logan Duvall, put this one together for us. He gives us just a brief prayer suggestion and scripture for Monday through Sunday. This guide leads us to pray for many of the ministries of JIBC: evangelism, missions, children’s ministries, Connection Groups, Student Ministry, Volunteers, Worship, preaching and teaching, etc.

He gives some very helpful suggestions and the QR codes that will take you to more resources about prayer. Let’s Pray Charleston 2026! And while we are at it lets Pray JIBC 2026.

VBS is two weeks away! Here we go, Evangelism and Mission, priority one. Thank you for your prayers and volunteer hours. To God be the Glory.

Pastor Tom

THE FAVOR OF THE LORD

There are times when some things go wrong. It happens. There are also times when somethings go wrong but most things go right. As one philosopher said “It’s not all good, but it’s not all bad either”. Then, there ae those wonderful times when there are so many things going well one might describe it as “the favor of the Lord”. It is a time of unearned grace, approval and tangible blessings of the Lord.

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”

Luke 2:52

This year’s Awana ministry seems to have found the favor of the Lord. Each year we have been blessed with an amazing number of children coming to learn God’s Word. Some age groups actually reached the limit of how many children they can accommodate. Together, the Awana Ministry brought and donated over 950 jars of jelly. Their year end Awards Banquet filled up the house of the Lord and the Children’s program was outstanding as the Gospel was told through the words and action of the children, led by their dedicated leaders. Well done everyone involved!

We celebrated the season’s last Wednesday night supper with a free meal. We did say donations to James Island Outreach would be accepted for that night. Turns out we will be able to give James Island Outreach and additional $473. It is the favor of the Lord.

The Kitchen Renovation, a project years in the making, finally has happened. There is a relatively small punch list to be completed. I would say it is about 99% complete. It did not keep our Kitchen Krew from presenting their amazing signature dish of fried chicken, Mac-n-Cheese and banana pudding! Wow. Thank you for a great year of serving!

Last, but in no way least, the favor of the Lord is upon us in calling our new staff member, Josh Sorrow and his sweet family. It seemed like our Father in Heaven just kept leading and affirming every step of the process.

I pray that in our individual lives and in the life of our families, we will continue to experience the wonderful favor of the Lord. Blessings to you.

Pastor Tom

HE KNEW HE WAS LOST…

Janie and I often go for evening walks in our neighborhood. They are usually totally uneventful. Just two old people getting in their steps. Then it happened. “Look Janie, that is not right”. A two year old toddler with no adult in sight. It happened to be a beautiful African American baby boy. I suggested following him at a close distance to not scare him and to see if he knew where his home was. The next two left turns assured me he was lost and he knew he was lost. A bouncy ball in one hand a truck in the other and a pacifier in his mouth. He would look at us, grin and run. Thankyou Jesus he was two and not four. I can still outrun a 2 year old. We talked, laughed, played ball, all to get him to trust us. Not so much. Two old white people trying to take my bouncy ball. He wasn’t having it. So, we made the call to 911 and reported who we were, where we were and that we had a very lost 2-year-old infant. We were able to guide him to the field at Epworth Methodist Church. More running. It took a while for the cops to show up. Runaway infant being chased by old white people is not a high on the emergency list…except to the old people doing the chasing! The officer that arrived was like an angel from heaven, a beautiful black female officer angel. That little infant opened his little arms and went straight to the officer. The officer said “You two have just made one grandmother very happy.” Apparently, he had gotten away from grandma, made one wrong turn and was lost. With every wrong turn the little guy got more and more lost.

Kind of a picture of life isn’t it. We could be safe at home with our Heavenly Father. Then we take a wrong turn or two and find ourselves lost. Each wrong turn, each wrong decision takes us away from His shelter, His provision. Not away from His love but away from a relationship He wants us to have with Him. We have our version of a bouncy ball, our toy car and our pacifier. What more do we need? His presence. His watch care. His Shepherding. If you made a wrong turn stop, ask Him, He will lead you home and be so glad to see you back. If you won’t stop, don’t be surprised if He sends two old white people to help you or better yet, one beautiful angel officer!

"Dear Father, help us to enjoy what you give us but to never think those things are what we need to be happy. Please place in our lives people who will help us find our way back home. Forgive us our wrong turns. When we have lost our ways, grant us the ability to know we are lost and to quit running. Protect us from dangers we may never see coming. Amen"

Pastor Tom

IT’S GETTING REAL UP IN HERE!

Remember what it was like to be a kid waiting on Christmas…it would never get here fast enough. Compare that to remembering the joy of having the summer off with no school but knowing that September would be here before you knew it!

The Kitchen Renovation is about to be complete and baptized with its first function. It is not “complete complete” but it is functional and ready to go. Just a few more things to do. This week will be given to moving things back into the kitchen into their brand spanking new home! There will be one “soft-opening” to make sure everything is up to snuff and ready to go. The big celebration will be Wednesday, May 27 from 5:00 to 6:15. By God’s good grace, we will be serving the #1 meal featuring fried chicken, mac and cheese and all the fixin’s. I believe there will be banana pudding for dessert. My eating plan takes a holiday that night!

By the way, what better timing than to celebrate the renovation with the Awana Awards night! Our JIBC kids and friends will get their well-deserved recognition for all the hard work they did. Awana leaders will get to celebrate the fruit of their loving labor. Teaching children the Word of God…well done.

Then, the welcoming of our new staff member, Josh Sorrow along with his wife, Laura and their three children. We are so happy to have them on the team. Saturday, May 30 we will have a drop in at JIBC for leaders to come by and say hello. Sunday will be the formal introduction and a commissioning. All adult Bible Study Connection Groups are invited to a Meet and Greet Sunday from 10:00 to 10:40. We will have Josh share some and maybe do a question-and-answer time.

As I said, “IT’S GETTING REAL UP IN HERE.” Kind of like aging…it was slow at first and then it picked up a lot of speed! Love you all.

Pastor Tom

The Invitation Has Been Extended!

All things being equal, James Island Baptist Church has extended a call to Josh Sorrow and his family. We are inviting them to join the JIBC family and staff where Josh will serve as Pastor of Administration and Small Groups/Discipleship. Josh is coming to us from Somerset, Kentucky. He grew up in Summerville where his father served for years as the Associate Pastor of Administration and Small Groups at Old Fort Baptist Church. Josh is a graduate of Charleston Southern University and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. In the past Josh has served as Minister to Students as well as Pastor of Administration and Discipleship. Fun fact: some of you may remember Scott Miller who served at Clearview Baptist/New Beginnings Church here on James Island. Scott went to southern Indiana as Pastor of Graceland Baptist Church (yes, named after that Graceland). Josh served as a Student Intern under Scott Miller. He could not have had a better pastor/leader/mentor than Scott.

From our first contact with Josh, which was with his resume, we felt like he was a perfect match for what we are looking for. His experience, his spiritual gifts, his passions are lined up great with the mission and ministry of JIBC. This is the first “public” announcement we are making. We will start planning the details of his move in the days ahead. Oh, by the way, Josh is married; he and Laura have three children, a daughter and two sons! If you are on Facebook, look him up and send him a friend request! I look forward to having Josh and his family as a staff member and as a part of the JIBC family!

PS: Josh is coming to join us in what we sometimes refer to as “Second Chair”. He is coming as the Associate Pastor. He is not coming as the replacement of the old guy that currently sits in the Pastor’s Office. Sorry to mention that but curious minds will want to know.

Matters Closer to Home

As I am typing, the Kitchen cabinets and shelves are being put in! They look awesome! Somebody say “Mac-n-Cheese, please!” It looks like our first meal served in the renovated kitchen will be Wednesday, May 20…even though it may technically be “finished” by May 13.

Love you all,

Pastor Tom

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

Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC

Good to be back home! Janie and I had a wonderful week away on vacation. We returned late Sunday night and are both back in our offices ready for a new week! My thanks for our staff and leaders. I can be away knowing that I leave everything in good hands.

Class 101: Discovering Membership…a new twist! We are trying to make Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC more user and family friendly. We have changed the four hour format to a two- hour seminar. How can we do that? We have the first two sessions on line and available for you to work through them at your own pace. Then you join me for Sessions Three: Our Strategy and Session 4: Our Structure. We have put Session One: Our Salvation—Discovering what God has done for us and Session Two: Our Statement—Why we exist as a church on line. So, the entire Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC is still available, just is a more user-friendly version. We will still do a quick review of Session 1 and 2.

So, this Sunday, March 22 will be our first time using this new format. Join me from 4—6 PM and let’s see if JIBC may be the church family for you. You can view Class 101 sessions 1 and 2 at Right Now Media. You sign up for a free account and can search for Class 101 and look for my smiling face! LOL. If you would like to attend and have not already signed up, please call the church office at 843-762-0244.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance!”. W have had quite a few deaths in our church family this past month. I had two funerals this week…a time to weep and a time to mourn. Mainly the weeping is for us because we say goodbye to someone we love. We rejoice when there is no more pain and suffering, no more tears, no more fear. In heaven, there will be a time of great joy, laughter, dancing and celebrating. Until then, we say goodbye for now to our friends.

I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we begin an emphasis on “PRAY CHARLESTON”. Our two verses will be Jeremiah 29:7 and 2 Timothy 2:1-2. Until then, blessings and love.

Pastor Tom

 

PRAYING FOR MISSIONS

You may have heard it said many times: “What do missionaries request more than any other thing?” You are right if you said PRAYER! Interceding for anyone is a great gift. Praying for those in a mission setting can be like breathing in fresh air. Knowing someone cares enough to pray, believes that God hears our prayers and that God in His grace answers prayers. What a gift!

This month you can pick up a North American Missions Prayer Guide at JIBC. They are located just outside the doors entering the Worship Center. North America has a population of 386 million people; 378 languages; an estimated 291 million who are spiritually lost; and an unbelievable 161 Unreached People Groups. That is a lot to say grace over!

Each day of the Prayer Guide will give you a very brief description of one of the missionaries we support through the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. You will read some of the most interesting stories about unique and creative ways of reaching North America. If you cannot pick up a prayer guide, perhaps you can check them out online at www.AnnieArmstrong.com.

“Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us-to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

CLASS 101: DISCOVERING CHURCH MEMEBERSHIP-SOMETHING NEW

We are introducing a new idea to the Class 101: Discovering Membership at JIBC. We are putting “Session One” and “Session Two” online. Big advantages for you: cuts the class time down from 4 hours to 2; allows you to do the first two sessions on your schedule; gives you a little more time to read the material and prepare questions. The key to getting the most out of Class 101 will be doing the first two sessions ahead of time. We wont “check them” to see if you completed them, but we will ask! We hope this opens the door for those who would like to take the next step toward becoming a member at JIBC! I hope you will sign up and join us. You can check it out on RightNow Media. If you already have an account, just login and search for CLASS 101. If you don’t have an account, now’s a great time to sign up. It’s completely free and has a lot of great content. 

To sign up for your free account, simply follow this link: https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/jamesisland.


Pastor Tom

Well Jane, it just goes to show you

I cannot help but to show my age anymore, so here goes another reveal. The year was 1977 and the bright shining star was Gilda Radner. Her unforgettable character was Roseanne Roseannadanna. Her famous line was: “Well Jane, it just goes to show you, it’s always something. If it is not one thing, it is another!” No truer words have ever been spoken.

On buildings as old as the JIBC buildings, “it’s always something. If it is not one thing, it is another.” We have more than a few building projects going on. I thought it might be helpful to give an update on a few of them. In no particular order.

• There was a major issue with one of the restrooms in the front of the Worship Center. One of the restrooms is connected straight to the city sewage and one is still on a septic tank. Want to guess which one is the problem? So, that restroom will be out of order for a little while. Thank you, Jesus, we still have the other one!

• The installation of the long awaited awnings over the side entrances has begun. Of course, when you tear into, add to, take from an old building, you always will be blessed with unforeseen surprises. They found a few, but progress is being made!

• The Kitchen Renovation is getting closer. If I were guessing, I would say maybe April. There will be a time when we will not be able to use the kitchen for anything until renovations are complete. That will be a sweet day!

• The two restrooms in the hallway leading to the Fellowship Hall are also on the docket. They will most likely be addressed after the Kitchen project.

• The Ministry Center where the Hispanics meet for worship is still on our agenda but it is way down the list. The Hispanic Church is able to meet but with a much more limited space. They will be looking for a new home in the near future.

• The stage in our Worship Center has some safety issues and some aesthetic concerns. The safety issues will be addressed first and probably sooner rather than later.

“Well Jane, it just goes to show you. It’s always something. If it is not one thing, it is another.” Praise God from whom all blessings flow. He has provided all we have needed; the finances, the right team, the right leaders, the right time. Maybe we could paraphrase Roseanne’s words: “If it is not one blessing from God, is it another!”

As we often say, God is good all the time and all the time, God is good!

Pastor Tom

KINGDOM PARTNERS

Thank the goodness of God we are not in this alone! Any part of the mission and ministry of the church would be immeasurably more difficult if we had to do it all by ourselves. We are blessed to have what I call Kingdom Partners. That can be churches, institutions or ministries whose mission intersects with ours. For instance, Charleston Baptist Association is a collection of over 70 churches in the greater Charleston County area. We partner with them to do things like strengthen churches, strengthen leaders and start new churches. Another ministry would be the Lowcountry Pregnancy Center. We love their mission and find ways to partner with them. There are several others but the one I am highlighting today is the James Island Outreach.

The James Island Outreach is committed to helping our under served neighbors. In 2025 JIO distributed over 370,000 pounds of food to 903 households. They provided financial assistance to 117 clients. They offered Financial Resource Workshops on developing a Personal Financial Plan. They do a whole lot more but I think you get the idea. This is a Kingdom Mission Partner we really love.

James Island Baptist Church, by God’s good grace and blessings, gave $11,4425 to James Island Outreach. In addition, we gave 3,749 pounds of food donations…mostly jelly and pancake syrup! Occasionally we throw in some green beans and other vegetables! You also gave 657 volunteer hours, mostly with face- to- face interactions with our neighbors. That is a little more than 4 months of 40 hour a week volunteering.

Now, what can we do? Would you be willing to volunteer some time? Better yet, could you get your Connection Group, family or friends, to make a “Pantry Team”? Only thing better than doing mission work is doing it together. Why? Because we are…c’mon, you can hear Logan say it…WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER! Of course, keep on, all year long, picking up a jar of jelly or a bottle of pancake syrup…and anything else you might see on sale or BOGO. Do you like construction work: painting, basic carpentry work, sweat equity kind of work? Then Jeff Gordon, the other Jeff Gordon, is your man. Check them out at www.jioutreach.org.

Thanks for being Kingdom minded followers of Jesus. See you Sunday, good Lord willing!

Pastor Tom

“Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!”

Our thanks to the Holy Spirit and the Apostle Paul for such a heartfelt reminder to rejoice in our precious Lord. And in case we missed it, he says it again…”again I say rejoice”. I know you join me in rejoicing in the blessings of God upon our JIBC family. As we like to say, God is good all the time and all the time God is good.

I want to invite you to and encourage you to attend, our upcoming Ministry Management Team/Quarterly Ministry Conference. It will be held on Wednesday, February 25 at 6:30 in the Fellowship Hall. The meal is on us, so come on a little early if you can and enjoy the meal.

We have several mission and ministry items on our agenda. They will include, but not be limited to: the financial statement (spoiler alert, 2025 was the best year ever!); a construction plan update on the awnings, the bathrooms and the kitchen; and an update on the Associate Pastor position. The primary Mission/Ministry is to present the “Pray Charleston 2026” plan. We had a successful Pray Charleston 24/7 where JIBC and friends joined together to pry on the 10th of every month. That ended on December 10, 2025. Our prayers for Charleston have not ended. It is my desire to lead our church family and friends to pray on a regular basis for our beloved city. To that end, we will be providing our church family with the needed tools to become intercessors on behalf of the greater Charleston area. As a Shepherd/Pastor, I am pretty excited about this.

For those who cannot attend, we will try to have an on- line video that will bring you up to speed. Believe it or not, the launch date I have chosen is Easter Sunday! Why not present this when we have the most people present?

Let’s do it again: “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice!”

Love you all,

Pastor Tom

I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER

Last year you may remember that JIBC took on another Giant, removing the stigma of mental health and raising awareness of mental health issues and addictions. It was big, really big. We had dozens of community “mental health vendors” . The attendance was a little below what we had hoped for, but the event could not have gone better. People came and met needed resources; health professionals made significant networks connections; conversations were had about mental health issues; and on and on.

Now, what could be better? NAMI, the National Alliance of Mental Illness attended the Festival of Hope. They liked it so much, they decided to “sponsor” the entire event this year. It is tentatively scheduled for July 2026! They have a grant to help pay for the event. They are currently seeking a place that would allow the event to be held indoors and avoid the potential weather cancellations. Did you see that? What could be better than hosting the Festival of Hope? Having someone else host and allowing JIBC to have input on creativity and connection. I absolutely love how this worked out! JIBC can still have a booth for our church and a booth for Celebrate Recovery. As we get closer to the event, we will certainly let you know the details. To God be the glory! We know that God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His good purpose.

Mental health is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all. Mental Health needs more sunlight, more candor and more unashamed conversation. Thank you JIBC family for helping to get that conversation started! Just reason number 789 why I love our church family so much!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

I CONSIDER IT A PRIVILEGE

Each year for around the last 20 years, I have been invited to participate in “The Four Chaplains Service”. The American Legion, Post 147, on Folly Road, invites me along with a few other Pastors, Priests and Rabbis to participate in the reading of the story. This Sunday, February1st at 2:00 will be the time of the meeting. If you have never seen the service, I invite you to join us. It is an inspirational story of faith and bravery.

On February 3rd, 1943, a German submarine sank the USS Dorchester, a transport ship with 902 souls on board. With total chaos and panic of the explosion, smoke and fire many were killed and many were terrible wounded. In the midst of such pandemonium, the four Chaplains on board joined together to bring hope and comfort. They offered prayers and help to those disoriented. They also offered their own life jackets giving hope to soldiers but sealing their own fate. They never asked are you Protestant, Catholic or Jew. They were an inspiring example of their faith, courage and selflessness. Only 230 of the men on board survived. All four of the Chaplains perished. Almost 82 years later, their story is still told and their names are read with gratitude: Lt. Rev. George L. Fox; Lt. Rabbi Alexander Goode; Lt. Priest John Washington; Lt. Rev Clark Poling. They were posthumously awarded The Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart.

Our thanks to the many men and women who serve and have served our beloved country. We pray God’s protection on all who serve. May you all come home safe to your homes and your families. May we remember those who did not.

God bless America,

Pastor Tom Brown

 

DON’T YOU HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS?

This past Sunday I read to the church family, the resignation letter of our Associate Pastor, Kyle Hooss. As I said Sunday, no one could have been more surprised than me. It has been a joy to work with Kyle. I have been blessed by his friendship and greatly helped by his giftedness. We were in one of those times when the staff seemed to be working together on all cylinders as the old saying goes.

Kyle and his sweet family felt called to a small church in Hartsville, South Carolina. He will be the “Campus Pastor” for up to three years while he learns the spiritual DNA of the sending church, Cornerstone Baptist Church located in the Florence/Darlington area. After 3 years, with the Lord’s blessing, they would be launched as an autonomous church and Kyle would be the Pastor. There is no doubt that he will do a great job. He is as talented and dedicated as anyone I have worked with in that position. Like you, I wish him and Melissa the very best. We say to Kyle what we say every Sunday about prayer: “If you write it down, we will lift it up”. We will pray with him for favor with God and man.

Kyle’s last Sunday with us is February 8 and his last day is Wednesday, February 11. Until then, you will find him working as hard as he always has. Make sure you speak to him and bless him.

Now, our journey begins. We will pray, seeking God’s guidance, do some reviewing to see where we are and what we need to do next. Pray for us as we begin the “Mystery of the Hunt!” As you can figure out, the way this process often works is we will likely be talking with someone, who like Kyle, is serving another church but is open to a move. And there will be another church like JIBC who will miss the departing staff member. It is not the best system, but it is one of the main ways this process is worked out!

We love the Hooss family and will miss them. See you this Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO PRAY CHARLESTON 24/7?

I have been thrilled that for the last year few had 168 of our JIBC family and friends praying for our beloved city, Charleston. We were a part of a multi-denominational, city-wide effort to cover Charleston in prayer every hour of every day for one entire year. Well done thou good and faithful servants, well done.

So, do we just quit praying now that the year is over? As the Apostle Paul says “May it never be!” Now we pray differently, with a little different schedule. You are, of course, welcome to continue to pray at your selected time slot on the 10th of every month. That would be fantastic. Or…you might “expand” your selected time to include a moment or two of every day you have your own personal time with God.

Pastor Kyle will continue to send out a monthly reminder to pray for the greater Charleston area. The exact details will be fleshed out as we go along. Until then, how does this sound? What if every Sunday we offered prayers for local Pastor’s and Spiritual Leaders in Charleston. Praying that the Gospel would be preached and lives would be changed. Perhaps on Mondays we would pray for local Law Enforcement Offices (LEO’s), National Guard and ICE-AGENTS. Tuesdays we could lift up the mayors of our surrounding cities, our police chiefs and fire chiefs and their teams. Wednesdays, let’s make it a point to pray for the churches we pass on our way to work, shop or play. See if you can find out the name of their pastor and pray for that pastor by name. Thursdays, be in prayer for our educational institutions: schools, colleges, teachers, professors. Pray for students. Fridays could be praying for political issues: racial reconciliation, President Trump, politicians at any level. And Saturday could be your day to pray for Christian ministries like James Island Outreach, Lowcountry Pregnancy, Charleston Baptist Association, etc.

All I wanted to do here is give you an idea, an example, of how we can continue, grow and expand the wonderful idea of Pray Charleston. We are not stopping our prayer for Charleston, we are expanding it…every day, 7 days a week to intercede for our beloved city! I love you all so much.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing.

Pastor Tom

 

FINDING THINGS STORED AWAY

It is the time of the year when Janie and I will start “de-decorating” our home. I have loved the Christmas decorations, all the Nativity scenes, and especially the Christmas Tree with all of the lights. But for us, it is time to put them away. So, this Friday and Saturday we will start packing the decorations and start putting them away.

Now, there is a hidden bonus in this “storing things away chore”. Every now and then, we come across something that has been “missing” only to find it was not missing. It was only resting safely where we last put it! When you find something that has been missing, it is like getting a gift.

I hope these next five weeks will find us excitedly finding some spiritual gifts, some spiritual disciplines, that have been stored away for a while. Let’s discover them together as we unpack some of these gifts. It could very well be that for you, these gifts, these spiritual disciplines have never gone missing. I really do believe many of our church family and friends practice these spiritual habits on a regular basis. For others, it may require dusting off a little and finding a place in our lives for these missing treasures. Some may have forgotten what the Bible says about some of these disciplines and habits. For the next five weeks, let’s celebrate them together. These gifts of spiritual disciplines help us strengthen our inner man and outer lives. Perhaps they can help reshape us back into a deeper maturity to live the life of abundance Jesus’ spoke of in John 10:10! There are inward disciplines like prayer and Bible reading and mediation. There are also outward disciplines like rest, sabbath, solitude and service. The end result we are aiming for is to bring us closer to God and to one another.

A popular TV add as the questions: “What is in your wallet?” I modify the question to ask : “What is in your stored away box?” Let’s take some things out and see. Let’s start with Prayer. As we finish up the PRAY CHARLESTON 24/7/365, let’s see how we can continue praying for Charleston. Someone said “to pray is to change”. OK, then let’s make 2026 about prayer…and about change!

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom