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