HOLY LAND TRIP IS A TRIP OF A LIFETIME

I have been asked a dozen times when we were going to plan another trip to the Holy Land. Well, here it is and we are getting excited. We are planning to go Friday, February 23, 2024 to Sunday, March 3, 2024. You have almost 11 months to get ready and save your money.

We fly out of Charleston to Atlanta and then on to Tel Aviv. After a night of rest, the joy and wonder begins. I can tell you about all the places we will go…but it will take more than this article. In a week or two, I will have up a web page for anyone to visit and take a look. If you are interested, I can send you the itinerary of the 10 days. The cost of the trip will be around $4,700. That includes the RT to and from Charleston to Atlanta and then to Tel Aviv. That includes all hotels, breakfast and evening meals, all tips, taxes, entrance into the sites, all bus transportation. The only thing it does not include is your lunches and your souvenirs. Everyone, if you can, will want to buy an Olive Wood Nativity Set from Bethlehem. They will send it home for you!

When you finish this trip you will have gone to most of the places mentioned in the Gospels. You will read the stories of Jesus in Galilee and think “I have been there!” We will have communion in the Garden close to the tomb and Golgotha. Oh yes, it is really a trip of a life time. You don’t just go and see…you experience. You literally can walk where Jesus walked.

If you want to go or want more information, please let me know. Staci Lindsey is also a great contact person. So far, we have 16 of our JIBC family wanting to go…and what a great group it is!

I have been to Israel 3 times. Janie went with me the last time we went when we just went with our church. It was such a wonderful time of fellowship, discipleship, Bible Study, and worship. We will gladly serve as your host so you can enjoy the trip. We would be honored if you would like to go with us. Just let us know.

Blessings,

Pastor Tom

Heroes or Villains: People of the Passion

This has been the teaching series that will lead us up to Passion Week, one of the most wonderful times of the Christian calendar. Passion Week is generally thought of as starting with Palm Sunday/The Triumphal Entry all the way to Resurrection Sunday/Easter. This year that will be April 2: Palm Sunday; April 7: Good Friday; and April 9: Resurrection Sunday!

Palm Sunday is a day of Celebration welcoming Jesus into our lives. We sing Hosanna and celebrate his triumphal entry. The Good Friday service, on the other hand, is always a reflective, meaningful worship experience centered around the sacrifice and suffering of Christ. And we all look forward to Resurrection Sunday. On Easter Sunday we celebrate “up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph over his foes!” Please don’t miss the opportunity to invite family, friends and neighbors to the Easter Services. Oh what a day.

Let me tell you about a couple of wonderful events for our children and our community children. First, the children from Awana and Kids Worship will join in the singing on Psalm Sunday at the 11:00 Worship service. It will be a cute as it can be.

Second, there will be a “RESURRECTION PARTY” on Wednesday, April 5th. You do not want to miss this event. Please make extra effort to have your children and grandchildren present. This will be a very special night of celebration. We are even having a scaled down version of the Seder meal. There will be special music, crafts and so much more!

Joanne and her team will lead in a Community Wide Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8. Mark Livengood will be on hand to tell the Resurrection Story! This will be an eventful Passion Week. Thank you for your prayers. I hope you and your family will be able to attend some part of the Passion Week Celebration.

By the way, Laura Holmes and her weekday school team will be presenting a Preschool Spring Sing on April 6 at 11:00 a.m. If your cup has not been filled, come and check this out!

He is risen…He is risen indeed. Can’t wait to say that with you over and over on Easter Sunday.

Love you all,

Pastor Tom

ANNIE ARMSTRONG EASTER OFFERING AND WEEK OF PRAYER

 

This past Sunday we distributed the 2023 Prayer Guide for North American Missions. I encourage you to use this prayer guide in your daily quiet time. You will be inspired and your prayers will be greatly appreciated by our missionaries. If you did not get a copy, they will still be available Sunday as you enter the Worship Center. Make sure to pick one up. They do not go out of date and any time is a good time to pray for our missionaries and their Kingdom work.


We will also be collecting a special offering to go to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. We once were asked “Who is this Annie Armstrong and will we ever get her paid off?” One day, when Christ returns, we will not have any more mission offerings. Until then, let’s continue to give generously.

Annie Armstrong was born in 1850 and died in 1938. She provided visionary leadership as she organized women to pray, to give and to meet the needs of those around them. She constantly challenged pastors and churches to action and rallied vital support for missionaries. In 1934, just 4 years before she died, The Southern Baptist Home Mission Board renamed their Home Mission Offering. The new name was The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering. She was an inspiration to thousands and she continues to be. Try googling her name and read the inspirational stories and the great accomplishments that came from serving the Lord. You will see why she was chosen. She even helped raise funds that supported Lottie Moon. Lottie Moon is a story we will address in December. Lol

Thank you for doing mission work right here in our community. You are the missionaries for our time and in our places where we live. May we always be aware of our need to be outward focused.

See you Sunday, good Lord willing,

Pastor Tom

HEROES OR VILLAINS OF THE PASSION

That is the name of our new teaching series that will lead us up to Resurrection Sunday/Easter! My thoughts are to take a look at the darker side of the story of our Lord’s last week of life before the resurrection. This week is usually referred to as Passion Week. There are four weeks before Palm Sunday so we will be looking at 4 Villains. This past week we started with Judas. From Judas we can learn the value of correcting character flaws early, while they are small and before they grow larger with time. We can learn the difference between remorse (being sorry, sorry we got caught, sorry it didn’t work out like I wanted) and repentance. Repentance is changing the way we think and then changing the way we act. Godly repentance is more than just being sorry. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” For Judas that was exactly what happened.

Over the next three weeks we will be looking at Herod, Barabbas and Pilate. They were all villains of one type or another. Without Christ in us, there would certainly be a little villain in each of us. Let’s make sure we stay close to our Lord. Amen?


UPDATE ON THE SEARCH FOR A NEW ASSOCIATE PASTOR: Over the past few weeks and months, we have gone through dozens of resumes from people looking for church staff positions and/or people specifically interested in the position at JIBC. We have talked with maybe 6 or so. We have done video conference calls with 5. We have followed up with visits with two. Two of the candidates have actually been here to JIBC and joined with us in worship and have met our staff. We have been “turned down” by two. We see that as a good thing even when it is a little disappointing. One decided to stay in Student Ministry and the other said God spoke clearly to him and his wife. That is a part of the process. It is slow and can be a little tedious. I do believe our Gracious Father in Heaven will lead us as we continue to seek Him. Thank you for your ongoing prayers. We will keep you updated when we have news to share.


Hope to see you Sunday,


Pastor Tom

FRUIT THAT REMAINS

 “Jesus said ‘You did not choose me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.’”   John 15:16

That is a good prayer for James Island Baptist Church. May we remember that we have been chosen by God…He wants you on His team! Chosen, not left over; wanted. not stuck with you. We are chosen by God, on purpose, with full knowledge of who we are. Amen and Hallelujah!

Jesus also said that he appointed us to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains. So here is the prayer request. Sunday was a good day at JIBC. Our attendance at the 9:00 worship service was 99 and at the 11:00 service it was 110. We had 209 in attendance and 32 watching on line. Let’s pray for fruit that remains.

Kat Cumberledge did an awesome job in presenting a brand new mission and ministry at JIBC. It is called B45. A special Gospel centered group for 4th and 5th graders that helps bridge the gap between children and youth. Middle School can be a shock to your child’s system. We are helping provide a way to prepare for that experience. You really want to make sure your 4th and 5th grader get in on this particular Bible Study. If you have a 4th or 5th grader, get them in on this age specific learning environment!

Then we capped the night off with Celebrate Recovery. We had 45 in attendance! That means 45 people dealing with their hurts, hang-ups and habits in a Christ centered 12 Step Program. Pastor David and the praise team do a great job setting us up for Celebrating. The Kitchen Kew sets the table...literally...to provide a place for fellowship and acceptance. Our partners at the Charleston Center Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center gladly send their patients to participate in CR. They love it!

Last, we are just now promoting the upcoming Disaster Relief Training. We are so fortunate to have it right here in Charleston. The training will be held on Saturday, April 1 at Northwood Baptist Church. The cost is $55 for new volunteers and $45 for returning. For more information, contact Pastor Tom

You have been appointed to bear fruit…fruit that remains. Let’s keep up the good work, the Kingdom work to reach, redeem and restore a lost and broken world.

Pastor Tom

“We are just down the road”

Years ago we were blessed with having the Chinese Church of Charleston as a part of our church family. They stared here at JIBC with John and Yi Ling Pittman. YiLing was discipling two Chinese women she had led to the Lord. The group grew from 2 to 6 then 12, then 18. We kept providing them room and resources. That eventually birthed into the Chinese Church of Charleston. They were with us for years, meeting in the Fellowship Hall each week. They cooked lunch for their group every Sunday. We had the best smelling church in all of Charleston! Then, by God’s grace, they outgrew our space. They were having 100 adults, plus their youth, children and preschoolers. So, we help them transition back to our Mother Church, Citadel Square Baptist. They had a small chapel that could seat 200 or so. No surprise that I wept the Sunday they left. One of the Chinese leaders saw my tears and said with compassion “Pastor Tom, we will only be just down the street from you”. He was right, but I still mourned the necessary and positive decision to “send them out” that they could continue growing and reaching the Chinese community.

So, Scott and Lori will begin their new church assignment on Sunday, March 5. I know the Woodhaven Baptist Church will be thrilled for them to begin so soon. My understanding is they have been without a pastor for almost a year and a half. Scott has finished all his work here at JIBC. His last Sunday will be this Sunday, February 26. Three years has zoomed by and the next few days will be even quicker. If you happen to miss speaking to Scott this Sunday, remember the comforting words of my Chinese friends…”they are just down the road”. Ok, a long road, but just down the road none the less.

James Island Baptist Church is a healthy church. It is very unusual in a lot of ways. We have, no doubt, been blessed by Scott’s ministry here at JIBC. From a Pastor’s perspective, Scott has been abundantly blessed by JIBC. There is no doubt in my mind that he has never worked for a church like JIBC. He has had the opportunity to learn a plethora of things from you all. I hope, in the culture of Woodhaven Baptist, he can duplicate the things he saw and learned from you all: deep fellowship, accepting broken people, generous giving, love of people, willingness to risk for the Kingdom, etc.

When we miss someone, I think it is a craving for heaven…where we will never miss anyone again. Until that time, remember, “We are just down the road”.

Pastor Tom

PS. Back in October when we discovered Scott was looking for a Senior Pastor position, we began looking for a new Associate Pastor. We have received dozens of resumes and have talked with 5 that we have liked and are now talking with three that we think are really good prospects for us. Please keep us in your prayers as we seek for the right person to join our JIBC Church family.

God Is So Good

I love the little chorus that says: “God is so good, God is so good, God is so good He’s so good to me” Another verse says “He answers prayer”. God is so good and He has indeed answered prayer for Scott and Lori Blasingame. For over 5 months now, Scott has been seeking the Lord and trusting that our good and gracious Heavenly Father would open up an opportunity for Scott to be a Senior Pastor. The answer to that 5 month long prayer came this past Sunday. Scott and Lori have officially been called and have accepted the position as Senior Pastor of the Woodhaven Baptist Church in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Such a mix of emotions: So happy for Scott to pursue his desire to be a Senior Pastor and so sad for us to say goodbye to a friend and such a wonderful and talented staff person. He will indeed be missed.

Over the next few weeks, Scott will be wrapping up his duties and responsibilities here at James Island Baptist and beginning his new work at Woodhaven. We will look forward to having a celebration with them on Wednesday night, February 22. You can drop in any time from 5:30 -7:30. Please be in prayer for some of their biggest concerns: the sale of their house and the purchase of a new one; and a new teaching job for Lori. I have no doubt that our good and gracious Heavenly Father will meet those needs.

Looking ahead, we became aware that Scott was looking for a Senior Staff position 5 months ago. So, we began our search for a new Associate Pastor back in October, 2022. We have looked at maybe two dozen resumes and have had first interviews with five prospects. We have narrowed it down to three that we are setting up meetings with. The position we are looking for is an Associate Pastor of Discipleship, Small Groups and Administration. At this time, there is no plan for this person to be considered for the next Senior Pastor of JIBC. The position will be for a person that wants to be an Associate Pastor in Discipleship, Small Groups and Administration. No doubt, like Scott, they will fall in love with JIBC and that might lead them to want to lead a church like JIBC. But that is not in the plan. I have been asked more than once if the next Associate will be my replacement. The answer is I do not think so. That is not in the plans at this time.

“God is so good, He is so good to us”

See you Sunday,

Pastor Tom