Yes, sir miss Herbert Here dr. Bustle here mr. Brennan president mr. McDowell. Yes, mr.  Logan Smith and I go That's all right You go Well, thank y'all for being here. Thanks for Reverend McDowell will you mind starting us with invocation? I'll tell you after that after that pledge I don't know whether or not I can pray after that Logan and great and thank you great. Thank you all so much for being here Thank you for having a good handshake After a councilwoman Brussels Greeted you all I want to make my way over there just to say hello to this family Thank you all for being here and may his grace and mercy Shower each one of you. Thank you. Let us bow our heads creator and protective God For your grace and mercy But the abundance of love and yet the sensitivity that Arouses itself within each of us Touch us in a way that we might Do the things that are necessary and needful for the city of ours Let your spirit touch us individually and yet collectively Allow the promise of your presence to always be with us and among us We ask it and reclaim it in his name. Amen At this time we will ask for public input related to the items on the agenda as outlined Mayor no one has signed up at this time Seeing none mayor recommend we ask for counsel to adopt the agenda. So move We have a motion. Is there a second? Motion a second any discussion concerns questions Hearing non-seeing none madam clerk. Could you read the roll? Herbert Dr. Bussells I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall mayor recommend. I thank you Council is asked to approve the February 7th 2023 council meeting minutes Motion to approve so got a motion. Is there a second any corrections questions or concerns? Hearing seeing none madam clerk. Could you read the roll? It's Herbert. Hi dr. Bussell. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell Yes, mr. Duvall. Hi mayor recommend. Hi Item number two is our presentation this afternoon the bleeding disorder awareness month Proclamation the honorable Daniel J. Rickman mayor Who's gonna be here that? Loving and grading and everybody if y'all y'all want to come up as a group I'm gonna read the proclamation and then we'll present it to everybody and give you an opportunity to speak as well Okay But whereas I Daniel J. Rickman the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina Are proud to commemorate March 23rd is bleeding disorders awareness month in the state of South Carolina This designation will formalize and expand upon the federal designation 36 years ago in March of 1986 And in 2016 where the entirety of bleeding disorders community came together and compass all bleeding disorders The federal Department of Health and Human Services designated March 16 is the national bleeding disorders month Whereas bleeding disorders would share the inability to form a proper blood clot are characterized by extended bleeding after injury surgery trauma or menstruation can lead to significant more mortality and can be Not treated effectively Many individuals with hemophilia became infected with HIV and hepatitis C in the 80s due to the contamination of blood supply and blood Products this awareness month in Columbia will generate a greater awareness and understanding not only of hemophilia that all inheritable Bleeding disorders including will brand disease and rare bleeding disorders, which affects millions of individuals around the world This awareness month will foster a greater sense of community shared purpose among individuals and Inheritably bleeding disorders the where miss month will elevate the awareness of an engagement and herald bleeding disorders journey beyond our community to the general public and a enabling The prevention of illness and unnecessary procedures and disability So therefore I Daniel Rickman mayor of Columbia along with city council do hereby proclaim the month of March 2023 as bleeding disorders awareness month in the city of Columbia Y'all want to go ahead and say a few words and then what we'll we'll present y'all with the proclamation Thank you Mayor recommend my name is James Whitmire, and I'm part of this beating disorder community Probably one of the oldest in the state at this point Here they they also affected by hemophilia as well Thank y'all for proclamation our executive director soup miss Sue Martin This is something that she Advocates And throughout the state of South Carolina, we are certainly trying to bring more awareness to the bleeding disorder community Whatever that that might be and that's hemophilia bun Willis Moran Other bleeding orders that exist in state of South Carolina. We do thank you for this for this proclamation Thank you for the support Service to this community Want to say a few words? Mr. Whitmire's comments found through research with our organization. There are 28 families Recognizing Well, if there's anything else that we can do to bring awareness help help promote make sure people know about what resources are available And and how how to discover if they have issues or where they can go Please let us know we'd like to use our our Social media or any of our media outlets to make sure that message gets out Yeah, I want to thank y'all for keeping Keeping this awareness of I have bond welder and I wasn't diagnosed to in my 30s So it's kind of I guess it was good not to know but I'm amazed Imagine there's several people who don't know potentially that they have these disorders until it's really problematic so continue to Notify people in the way make sure that they're aware of it. It could be a pretty scary situation sometimes Association of South Carolina I think she got ball untold Thank you all again I This time we will entertain the consent agenda items three through nine So move There's a motion second Any questions concerns comments on any item for us hearing non-scene now madam Clark that means let's read the role All right, miss Herbert. Hi dr. Bussos. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. DeWall. I may recommend. I thank you Ordinance is second reading item 10 ordinance number 2023 030 consenting to the conclusion into the inclusion of property in a multi-polling industrial There's a motion in a second any comments concerns Hearing non-seeing them madam clerk. Did you read the role miss Herbert? Dr. Bustle. Hi mr. Brennan. No mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. I may recommend. Hi Ordinance is first reading item 11 ordinance number 2023 038 consenting to the inclusion of property in a multi-county industrial business part project sequinoe Richland count in Richland County. This was Referred out of the economic and community development committee with approval. I think both of those projects were Is there a motion? Move approval. Is there a second? second Motion in a second any comments concerns Hearing non-seeing them madam clerk. Ms. Herbert. Hi dr. Bussos. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall I may recommend. Hi. Thank you Beginning a public hearing and first reading of zoning and planning matters item 12 an annexation future land use map amendment and zoning map amendment for 5900 indian mound road and i'm sure miss Hampton can assist with any of these items As Ms. Wilson indicated your first item is an annexation. It's a single family residential parcel on Indian mound road. We have No video Just bear with us for a minute. We got a little technical difficulty on our end Thank you so annexation of 5900 Indian mound road a request to annex the property assign a land use classification of urban edge residential large lot and a zoning of single family residential large lot Is there anybody here to speak for against this item? Yes. No, it's a mr. Brennan. This is your district motion to approve So a motion is there a second? Okay a motion and a second um Not hearing any discussion or seeing any madam clerk. Could you read the roll? Ms. Herbert. Hi dr. Bussos. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. I may recommend. Yes If council chooses you can take 13 and 14 together. They both relate to 1008 south aught road It's a future land use map amendment and zoning map amendment for previously annexed land It's a request to confirm the future land use classification of urban core residential small lot And confirm the zoning of rm1 in the floodplain overlay So 13 and 14 out together Yes, so they concern the same parcel if you wish to take them together you could Is there anybody here to speak for against this item? hearing seeing none Once again, mr. Brennan. This is your district. Thank you, sir. Motion to approve We've got a motion. Is there a second? Second A motion and a second any discussion questions hearing none seeing none. Madam clerk. That'd be item 13 and 14 Ms. Herbert. Hi dr. Bussos. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. Hi mayor recommend. Hi. Thank you Your final item is an amendment to the unified development ordinance This is known as a text amendment a request to amend the ordinance concerning ddrc That's design development review commission membership to add an individual with demonstrated preservation experience as one of the professional qualifications to move Is there anybody here to to speak for against this item? This is a public hearing We've got a whole bunch of people signed up. Is anyone on any of these issues? Okay Is there a motion Second second motion and a second any discussion Hearing none seeing none. Madam clerk. Could you read the roll? Ms. Herbert. Hi dr. Bussos. Hi mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. Hi mayor recommend. Hi. Thank you That concludes your zoning public hearing Thank you. Krista 16 is a public hearing an ordinance first reading Ordinance number 2020 3037 amending the 1998 code of ordinances of the city of columbia, south carolina chapter five buildings and buildings Regulations to add article nine short term rentals And the the public hearing today around the short term today is around the fee structure Is there anything that we need to add to that? Madam city attorney Mr. Hatcher Mayor members of council and miss wilson For those that don't know my name is david hatcher. I'm the house official for the city of columbia in charge of the code enforcement division I'm not sure. Do you want me to do like a full presentation and just give you like a Meat potatoes of it or I think the meat and potatoes Skip to dessert I think we've cooked this goose a few times. Yeah Um, well, essentially we've modeled a lot of things that we could after the current Existing rental ordinance that we have The major difference with the short term in ordinances. We're going to require a business license We're to require with our long terminals that they have to meet all city codes We are requiring that a safety inspection needs to be available upon request if we have a problem property. We need to see We're asking that they maintain records for the past two years They don't have to provide those to us unless we ask for them, but they do need to maintain the records Um, they must provide a 24 hour contact who's willing to take phone calls day or night Um, permit numbers must be included in all the advertisements when they when they publish on these websites I need to make sure they include our permit number that we provide Um, they must they must designate at least two parking spaces There's a maximum occupancy of two adults per bedroom. Um, plus two additional adults Identity verification. Um, we ask that the Um, the owners or are are confirming that whoever they rent to whoever books online are the people that are actually staying at the at the residents Um, and then neighborhood notification whenever there's a new str. We're asking that you notify the adjacent, uh, Residences of what location the str is and provide your contact information Um, the ordinance we're we're uh, given 120 days after the passage of the ordinance to Um To actually get your permit We are gonna have a 30 day there is a proposed a 30 day window before it actually goes live to make sure we have time to get our processes in place So I guess effectively 150 days everybody would have to to get registered and and that's all dependent on us Being prepared I believe that 30 day will move as we get prepared I believe that 30 day window will give us time the good news is we've already kind of been through this with the Renewal ordinance, so we're literally going to take a lot of what we've done with that and copy it Copy those systems and use it for this short term like the short term ordinance We also are requiring a local registered agent if they're outside of the 45 mile radius of the city And it is one permit per unit just like the rental ordinance They'll be renewed the permit will be renewed annually on july 1st every year The fees there are some annual fees the There's a $50 application fee There's a hundred dollar registration fee for the Owner-occupied short terminals a 250 dollar registration fee for the non owner occupied short terminals And there's a hundred dollar fee for late registrations Anybody after july 1st? Similarly to the rental ordinance we're going to have a point system set up It's we've modeled it just right after that it's 15 points on the long-term rental ordinance It's gonna be 15 points for the short term in ordinance same process First offensive of a city violation is One point second offense is five points and each offense. They're after it's five points With a maximum of 15 points if you get to the 15 points and you go through the revocation process They're really identical to the rental ordinance that we currently have in place. It's kind of in a nutshell It's good to know true. Thank you David. Any questions or give more detail? I think we'll be opening it up. Do we have a list, ma'am? Okay, mayor, we have about seven individuals who have signed up to speak We would like to remind all speakers that the time limit is three minutes. There's a timer when it turns yellow They have 30 seconds remaining when it beeps. We act said they conclude their comments So at the time we would ask miss. Amy Clifford to come forward Today having attended several of the working group sessions of the city council Unfortunately, I was not aware of the change in the shift of this proposed ordinance until right before the last session of the subcommittee I did submit a letter to them, but it was last a minute Today, I want to emphasize some of the comments I submitted to you my January 8th letter That was that was emailed to each of you as well as the city clerk and the city attorney I speak in opposition to allowing STRs in residential areas I think the primary problem with that is it going to change it's going to change the character of our neighborhoods a city of neighborhoods We know our neighbors Where there are rentals even some of the long-term rentals we've had issues The chandon area particularly has had issues with their long-term rentals Short-term rentals are going to cause even more problems Because they will be changing the character of our neighborhood from a residential area to a commercial area It will be like living next door to a hotel You could possibly have your house next door Rented out to different people each night of the week If it's a five bedroom house, they can have 12 people in that house Those 12 people can drive 12 cars So they could park the driveway because they have to have at least two parking lots But then they could park on the street There's not going to be any limitation of that That's going to increase the traffic in our neighborhoods where we have young children and others who are not only walking But walking in neighborhoods where we don't necessarily have sidewalks. So they have to walk on the the edge of the street I would point out that under our home occupation ordinance You require that any home occupation Minimize the impact of that traffic on the neighborhood But yet those same requirements are not being put in for short-term rentals I'm also concerned because you have not taken into account the possibility That you could have someone who's required to be on a sex offender registry Stay in a house Under state law and city ordinance If you are required to register on the sex offender registry in our state or another state You can't live in south carolina within a thousand feet. You can't reside within a thousand feet of a recreational facility for children a daycare center a school or park a public playground Yet there's nothing in this ordinance to prevent those people from staying right next door to one of those locations I would also encourage you to consider decreasing the number of permits savanna only allows six percent short-term rentals and residential areas Other cities don't allow any green Other cities like dallas are going to make it make it be a referendum for their community So they can decide what they want to have in their cities Thank you Mr. Elvin A lot of good things about to say about South Carolina and colombia i'm here Because the meeting of erby and b I've been doing erby and b for more than 10 years almost from the beginning in florida and now here I own my home and The rental of my guest room Have brought me extremely good experience. I can only say great experience. I don't rent my all home All I just ran the guest room and he's had to help me in financially In many ways I can only say good good things about erby and b and the experience of meeting people all over the world Sharing the economic these people bring They can bring a little hassle in some houses when there's a kind of not controllers But they also bring a lot of Income to the towns because they rent cars. They They go to a restaurant. They really spend um a lot of people I have they come to the Um graduations of the four jackson many people cannot afford hotel prices So that brings a lot of economic and we pay taxes because that's an income or in my case It's had tremendous help me because I am a retired person or um For recent health issues. I have to retire and my income is not enough So erby and me have really helped me tremendously That's all I can say. Thank you for being here. I'm sorry. I'm not dressed well. I compare with a lot of people there Now we appreciate you taking the time It's a little colder than florida today Thank you so much Thank you Matt burris My name is matt burris of the general manager of the double tree hotel here in colombia to just express support for the article as it's written Appreciate As a hotel you're Having a level playing ground with short-term rentals and not at all opposed to short-term rentals And I use them as we travel around to different states and everything but um safety and proper reporting of revenues Ordinances for noise and party houses and Minimum age requirements etc all these things seem to be included in the article Thank you very much for being here Rick lacklin Good afternoon. I'm the director of sales and marketing at the double tree hotel and just wanted to show support for the south Carolina restaurant and lodging association I don't think that we are here to uh Say that we're not We don't want short-term rentals. I think that there just needs to be regulations And uh, so we agree with uh, what the south carolina restaurant Hank davis Hey, good afternoon. Hank davis with the south carolina restaurant and lodging association. I'm also a resident of the heathwood neighborhood And I rise today to encourage counsel to vote yes on the city's proposed short-term rental ordinance While I agree that consumers should have a variety of lodging options from which to choose while traveling I strongly support locally determined common-sense short-term rental regulations which protect traditional neighborhoods And ensure that our critically low supply of affordable housing. It's not further depleted Since short-term rentals are competing for the same guess as traditional lodging establishments Is important that strs compete on a level playing field with lodging properties that have had a positive economic impact on columbia for decades Traditional lodging properties must not only comply with safety standards inspections licenses and other regulations not imposed on strs But they also must provide transparent accountability and payment for all required fees and taxes As i'm sure y'all are very well aware of currently the city of columbia and 15 other municipalities are in an ongoing lawsuit With several of the online booking platforms regarding the collection of remittance of these same fees and taxes No longer the traditional model of sharing part of your home with travelers while making some extra income to help with your mortgage This new and growing investor model for strs has seen an unanticipated and uncontrolled growth in our city Without common-sense strs regulations on the books I fear the unattending consequences should have a net could have a negative impact on the quality of life My family enjoys living in heathwood I applaud city council for working to address this growing dilemma and ask you again to support the str Ordinance which will protect columbia while allowing for str growth where appropriately zoned and compare comparatively regulated to the traditional lodging industry Thank you Samar megar So megar Stopped by today to just, you know, see how it's going on But since you know, uh, actually uh str because um, I believe that it is you know Inviting, you know, um all the people from across the state to our state in columbia or other states It's very important because we have to be inclusive and not exclusive So along with that, I think it's very important that we are local and provide job to the Local people for example cleaner handyman carpeting painters And also we also invest here in locally. So I believe that, you know, um In in that way that we think that it you know, providing a certain rentals in the city Or the pretty pretty of the city is important so that we can increase the revenue for the Pretty as well. Also, they provide the option to the guest Who can choose Whichever way they want to stay whether hotel lodging or, you know, sort of rentals So I believe that, you know, short-term rentals is good. Um in terms of because it is kind of privacy It's one family or people And it's they, you know, in a way that at a home so So that, you know, um, I believe that it is better to Not restrict the short-term rentals So that we have We can provide the necessary Lodging or, you know, accommodations to those people who Choose to leave I think that that's what I'm just want to say. I just happened to come stop by here and You know, come by anytime. Thank you. Thank you David Bergman Many of you know me. My name is David Bergman. I'm the owner of the local Short-term rental property management company named partwood furnished homes My wife can't be here today. Normally she would speak. She's my co-owner But she's taking care of our newborn Congratulations Thank you We personally live in cotton town Our offices are located in elmwood park neighborhood. So this is a very Very close by to here and a lot of our rentals are in that neighborhood We have about 25 employees that work for us in this industry And my wife and I both quit our jobs to start this business. And so this is a really important topic for us We've attended all of the subcommittee meetings and all of the different meetings over the course of the last few years And we've spoken at each of them and we've spoken to Really all of the members of this Oftentimes a great link I do feel the the subcommittee has listened to much of our feedback and Really like to thank the council and the mayor also for taking the time to really understand this issue And to hear from the industry and the neighborhoods The ordinance has come a really long way over that period and a lot of that is due to you guys Initially, the ordinance was proposed to abandon all strs and residential neighborhoods and eliminate it Probably 95 percent of the rentals in columbia The current ordinance before us today takes a much different approach Instead of banning them outright seeks to properly and fairly regulate them so that the bad actors Are eliminated and weeded out and doing so. I really believe that the latest draft Does a good job of allowing columbia to continue to build our tourism industry and support the restaurants and all those other vendors out there Who are part of the industry while also providing legal options for accommodations? Again, the rules I think are good for columbia and for hosts like us who want to be good neighbors in our own city I've considered whether I want to be Next to a short term rental and whether this would allow me to you know have some sort of Recourse of something where to happen next to me that I didn't like and I think it does It has very common sense regulations that help code enforcement to enforce common complaints that we've heard Throughout this process and the point system creates that system of penalties that can result in revocation if there are repeat violations I know a major objective was getting the data This is what this does it gets these permits out there See where these rentals are see if we're having violations and allows us to assess that sometime in the future In shape future policy. So that's a huge step forward I do want to express my support for the ordinance except for the marketing requirements And I look forward to working with code enforcement on getting our permits into passes Thank you. Thank you, David No one else has signed up Everybody else has signed up Mr. Mayor, I move approval on first reading of ordinance 2020 3037, which is the short term rental ordinance second discussion I would like to between now and second reading understand how we address the sex offender piece I think that's something that hasn't been discussed and I know when it is a long-term rental or another there There's a requirement that they register for that, but I'm not sure there is for short term So I ask our legal team to take a look at that So that we could address that before second reading I can't hear you I think that that's one of the differences is that the statute deals with where you reside And the intent is not to reside at an airbnb Yeah, I'm not preempting the legal I'm not gonna debate the legal merits, but I would say that we've had to put restrictions on temporary housing For other instances with that and so I do think there might be something there I just I would prefer that we make sure we look at that before we get final reading And Mr. Mayor could Mr. Mayor yes, could we also I heard the parking dilemma And how that could very well affect I want to take a deeper dive into that if we could Parking till between now and second reading if we could yes Any other comments? Yeah Questions Madam clerk, could you read the roll? Ms. Herbert Dr. Bustle aye, mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, Mr. DeVall. Mayor rickamon. Aye. Thank you Item 17 under resolutions is resolution number r 2023 025 Authorizing the city manager to execute an agreement between Guignard Associates LLC and the city of colombia for acceptance of donated property Identified as portions of the property adjacent to the congery river from the guignard associates LLC for development of the colombia riverfront gateway Mr. Mayor Motion to approve Is there a second second Discussion I got to tell you this is a very important day For the last 15 years. This has been a project that's been talked about Stumbled had some hurdles and we were able to to work Together with the guignard family to get to this point to move forward for the william street extension I want to thank the state House our representatives who helped secure money the penny sales tax that's involved in this Like to thank mr. Brennan for his help Um We were able as a city and a city council to come together and get something done in the last five months And it's the beginning of a new day in the riverfront and very excited With that madam clerk, could you read the roll? Mr. Herbert Dr. Bussells. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor rickamon. Aye Item 18 is a business license revocation hearing Or capital good eats miss kelly l smith business license administrator Good afternoon I'm the business license administrator for the city of columbia and I am proposing a revocation of the business license for capital good eats We learned that there were some fire violations with the building and it was deemed unsafe Therefore we are asking to revoke the license letter was sent to the owner as well as contact via Email and calls and we were unable to get in contact with the owner That letter defined being having the license be suspended So at this time we are asking for a revocation and asking for you guys to grant that We're asking for a revocation of the license Is the owner in the building? Any representation? Clearly they're not interested So with that Second we've got a motion in a second any further discussion With that madam clerk, could you read the roll? Sir miss herbert Aye Dr. Bussells. Aye. Mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. Aye. Mayor rickamon. Aye. Thank you Thank you Other matters item 19 council is asked to approve the updated city of columbia boards and commissions handbook Is there a motion? So move second Motion in a second. I know this has been through committee and has been approved for Approval by council. Is there any further discussion? I just wanted to Raise Councilman McDowell for being so collaborative in this process. We've made some a lot of streamlining and You know been very clear about the ways in which we can get our citizens within the city more involved through boards and commissions and I think that Through our discussions through the administrative policy committee. We have Put this handbook in a really good place It was much needed to revise some of the different guidelines and really make sure that There's consistency across all of the committees. So Well done and thank you to the rest of council for your support Mr. Mayor Just a word of thanks to uh, we started this process several months ago It has taken us an inordinate amount of time to go through this Councilman Taylor of course was a part of this committee Before his passing and of course councilman dr. Bussells was uh Was with us and of course when Joe died our mayor took that place Our staff has been quite helpful within this process We bring this this document For your care and for your consideration Other members of council has had an opportunity to go through this document to make the necessary changes We're done with it. Mr. Mayor. We give it to you for approval Ms. Herbert. Hi dr. Bussells. Hi, mr. Brennan. Mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. Hi, mayor rickamon. Hi Moving into a period of appointments item 20 the mayor pro tem for 2023 Yes Mr. Mayor, I'd like to nominate ed mcdowell to continue for the rest of the year as mayor pro tem. Thank you So we have a motion and in a second. I have a subsequent That I would recommend that we nominate dr. Bussells When we put this together ed had served the year before and had Um, I had asked him to serve one more year. So he's already served two two terms The idea of this is really to get it rotated. Um, and I appreciate all ed's service and he took two years Actually a little more than two years on In that role and I think we need to rotate it So I move for put the nomination of dr. Bussells forward All for the question Is there any other nominations? comments Was your motion seconded mayor? I apologize. Need a second second. Thank you Ms. Herbert We are voting on the substitute motion. Yes You're voting on a name not a yes or no, right? Yes. Yes or no On the substitute motion to appoint dr. Bussells, correct He he nominated another person So we got two nominations. We've got uh, mr. McDowell nominated and dr. Bussells nominated. So you vote on one or the other So we're not doing subsequent motion. We're doing between Give who your nomination is. I believe that's uh, what mr.  So I had to make a substitute motion because you didn't allow for any nominations That is correct. I think that's correct So we are voting on the subsequent motion because there was a second on it And i'm voting against the subsequent motion Bussells Uh, i'm voting for the for the mayor's motion Mr. Brennan Mr. McDowell, no Mr. Duvall, no that brings up the the motion right mayor recommend. I thank you Okay, all right. Now we can return to the main motion the original motion Ms. Herbert. I Dr. Bussells. No, mr. Brennan Mr. McDowell, yes, mr. Duvall. Yes Mayor recommend. No, thank you the uh Original motion passed It did That's why they call it a democracy Item 21 appointments of municipal court judges Mr. Mayor The committee has met for several months now working on the municipal judges and um We have hired We have hired two new and have Judge mangham carried over and we'd like to recommend the hiring for a four-year term of ronate lipscomb For municipal judge position She is currently employed at court's administration and gave an outstanding interview to the committee And I think she will have a great impact on the The court the municipal court I'd move that we approve Renee lipscomb from municipal judge Second second So motion in a second any further discussion And that that's for immediate. Yes. Well as soon as we can get her two weeks She's got to get sworn in and go to go Yes, sir, she'll have to be sworn in and she'd be able to start april 17th Right. What's that date again? It's effective april 1st. Renee Lipson and she's actually here today She's actually here. Renee. You almost Congratulations With that madam clerk, let's make it official. All right Ms. Herbert. Hi, dr. Bussells. Hi, mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Deval. I may recommend. I thank you Do we need to do the last paragraph on that? No We're good So we're in thank you, mr. Mayor. I think it would be good if you would at least extend the term of the one Of judge morgan. I'm sorry. That's morgan. It's the dead term because we terminated the other We have a motion To extend the term of judge morgan We've got a motion a second Madam clerk, could you read the roll? Ms. Herbert. Hi, dr. Bussells. Hi, mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Deval. I may recommend. I and at this time of If there are any city council committee referrals reports a new business to include item 22 the grocery delivery program The honorable daniel j rickham and mayor I'm going to take the grocery delivery program quickly. We want to try a pilot program There are several delivery services that provide probably close to 99 of our community delivery And we we'd like to put some money. We're going after some grant money But we'd like to take some of the resilience funds we have left and to do a pilot program and see what kind of response we get This would allow us to help somebody Through our parks and recs sign up for free delivery. So unlimited free delivery um, and there's a multitude of Retailers who provide that we would pay the fee for that yearly fees to allow them to get free delivery So at least as we continue to build up density And encourage more growth in our community so that we can get a full-time bricks and mortar At least we're trying something to get groceries in people's houses. I think we're going to continue I know mr. Herbert and her committee are working on the rfp for the The fresh mobile the market which will be part of it, but people still need staples They still need items everything from toilet paper to milk to other things that a fresh fruit market can't deliver So we want to try this program and see so hopefully we'll come back and have Completely run out of money and ask for more But there's an opportunity for us to try something in a pilot program and at least know that people can get fresh Uh groceries delivered to their home without having to take a bus or anything else and try to take that inconvenience out Um, so we'll be working on this pilot program. I'd like to put it on the agenda In april at the appropriate time when the city manager And that we'll have out out exactly how the program will work how you sign up and how we'll do the pilot But I just wanted to bring it forth so that we could move it to the agenda in april And that's with a specific dollar amount. Yeah, we want to do a pilot program at ten thousand dollars We want to see what kind of sign up and turnout we get But we are in the process of filing for a grant as well To further that program because the idea is that hopefully as people Begin to learn about the option Have the ability to do it and see the ease of it that it grows so that people do have an option You know, we talk a lot about food deserts and some of our Disparities out there, but if we got a delivery service and we can help this is the quickest way We can do something to try to make a difference. So I think it's worth the try Who we need Do we need to confer with food policy? Um, I don't think so. Should there be some interaction then Well, we're gonna have to run it through our best point of of Of getting it to people's through our parks and recs. And so I think we want to utilize that system We're going to auction. Okay, sir. We're gonna work with our parks and recs foundation to make this happen Can you mayor can you mention again what you said about how this aligns with the mobile market? Well, one of the things of the mobile market if you remember in it There's there's a lot to deal with small farmers working with Different fresh vegetables and fruits, but the staples is what people talk about needing the other They still gotta go to the grocery store They still have to get the items that are needed And so if we can make sure that they can get their meats and fishes and every and get everything else They can on top of that at no cost and a way to get it to them. I think it's worth trying I really do There any other committee reports? Mr. Mayor, I'd like to refer To the administrative committee The section 2-7 dealing with the election of the mayor pro tem when we redid the ordinances in 2016 I think we did not look at this close enough our intention was that the Organizational meeting of the of the council would be held at the first meeting in january following a general election And this says that the mayor pro tem will be elected at the first meeting in january But to serve for a term of one year I think we should change that one year to serve for a term of two years so that it would be The mayor pro tem would be elected at each organizational meeting every two years as the council elects And appoints the committees that will be In place for the two year 20 general elections, so I'd like to refer section 2-7 2-7 to the administrative committee for review I think that's appropriate. I will tell you after serving multiple terms that here at the city That our attempt to rotate it on an annual basis was so that we could get more people involved and share the role Which is what I think is the purpose of our job And not trying to put people into two-year periods and I hope that the committee will come back With with that support because I do would like to see everybody rotate through And I think it gives an opportunity to make sure that that all voices are heard Not just the the person that a few people want Mr. Mayor, uh, mr. Brennan Uh, I'd like to call meeting in april for the arts historic and philanthropy committee For an annual update from our local arts agency partner one columbia You have a day in We said it initially didn't we will I think we miss ham and we are April 4th april 4th any other referrals new business Mr. Brennan's committee will meet april 4th at one o'clock What time one o'clock Is there any new business any other business? But just in public input All right, mayor recommend we have mr. Donovan davis Signed up to speak. Good afternoon. My name is donovan davis. I'm actually a Retired veteran there for us. I in my family. We just moved here from New Jersey about a year and a half ago Mainly because my best friend is from South Carolina And he said this is one of the best places in the world for retire veterans to come to and So far I have to say that I agree with just about everything that he said However There's one thing that I've noticed that I can't really explain That I wanted to share with everybody today um So I'll just get right into the quick story three days ago Well, let me back up I take my daughter to school every morning and we travel through our neighborhood out of our red team out of our neighborhood and we see litter We see trash. We see garbage Scattered across the roads scattered on the shoulders and um, it's It's there and then a few days later. It's gone Somebody comes and picks it up. I guess it's the city um, and then a week or so later Here it is again litter trash diapers beer cans whatever In some of the similar locations it has happened repeatedly over the past year and a half that I've witnessed the other day my daughter and I were coming home from school and We noticed a car driving out of a apartment complex And the car had bags of garbage trash bags on top of its hood And as it turned And went down the road and sped up and was getting ready to get on interstate The trash bags fell on the ground and fell on the roadways and another car slammed into it Well, you got trash everywhere And I was like wow so I stopped Took some pictures That's all what it was You know putting baby poop on my hands and um I went to the apartment complex and I said hey, I just saw this thing happen Can you all Let your folks know that that's not okay. That's not fair to the rest of the community for them to be doing that And they tried to explain that um, okay, some people do it and they forget. I said, okay. Well, it's not okay not okay, and so I Went on the block. I went to next door And I was you know a little passionate about this and I shared it with the community and I got 4 000 hits 50 or so comments of people who have the same experience and who have the same concerns that this is not okay for our community and so um into the story is that Beautiful city beautiful people most people want to do the right thing But we this is not okay And we need to find a solution to To curb this behavior It's it's it's illegal as far as I know And it's it's the meaning and it's bullying and it's intimidating some of the community members to the point that they want to leave You know a lot of the comments I got so you know what, you know, let's go to our room. Let's go to Lake Murray You know, this is not what we signed up for so Um, I'm here today to share this with you all and hopefully we can come to come up with some solutions To fix this. I have a cup. It may or may not make sense quickly We need to put some signs up. Please don't litter How about putting some cameras up? You're okay. If you do it, there should be some consequences And also how about these complexes being held accountable for their residents who are doing this? Let them know that you're gonna You're going to be held accountable for some of this some of the fees that we incur because somebody has to clean this up So those are my comments. I appreciate your time.  So It makes me I ride around every day and and it turns my stomach because I go to the same places where people dump And uh, well two things I'll let you know, we're gonna have a massive cleanup here We're announcing on the 30th Throughout the city and trying to get every business every neighbor everybody engaged To really have a one-time cleanup. The other thing we're doing is we're we're working with a legislature We need them to give us the ability to up the fines So that we can go after because we start giving out $1,500 tickets It'll curve a lot of that And and I get it but any information anything you see please share it with us because we want to address it Because it is a problem. It is a problem throughout and and to be honest Since the pandemic is when we've seen this increase And and we've got to curb it But we have a lot of people Illegal dumping people throwing stuff in the back of their truck not realizing and some people who just simply don't care And throw it down So we're gonna continue to do everything we can but we're gonna have to work with our communities together But hopefully the cleanup will get it in and hopefully we'll get some ability to raise the fines to go after this But Unfortunately, you're not the only one who's experiencing that and I wish we had a better way to to stomp it out right away But we're going to continue to work together and thank you for taking the time Because I do think it's important for people to hear it from other people than just us but It's it's a problem and it's not who we are Dropping me nuts Thank you. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time Dr. Jamon Miller known as mama g mama g has signed up to speak It's been a while Good afternoon Three administrations. I feel really good. I've survived long I'm 70 years old now and it's a privilege and an honor to still be able to serve the city of columbia Presently I have Desmond davis rich mentor One of our rich mentors Top level and I want to make a very quick statement that mr. Simons Is so supportive of mama g's creativity Mr. Davis, I thank everybody in the city of columbia because We would not have a state resolution given by South carolina Representative heather davis. I got to stand there and You know, it was really exciting But it would not have happened without My community So I thank you very very much for all your support for the rich program We will continue to serve our young people, especially in anti violence We serve as the Community service location for young people for the courts In your bag is a quick little outline and That way I can still save my time and not go over get the red button I I just don't have words for this But I have heartfelt a lot of elders Don't get that opportunity to see something like this Are there any quick questions about rich or kuru or We we've been around now just thank you for what you do And you continue to do it. You never you keep going. It's Congratulations on your honor from the legislature. It's well deserved. Thank you. We appreciate what you do in our community And city manager. Thank you very much for all your support and miss erika We do travel now throughout the state Serving elders In what is called self preservation to be aware Of things especially in regard to anti violence We just came back from augusta and we go to akon tomorrow to serve Mama you you are a legend in our community and I am grateful for that I'm glad you're here today without your swords I've seen an exhibit and It's a kill shot every time you swing that sword. Well, I'm here to serve. I'm here. I'm I'm the city of columbia bodyguard Thank you. So thank you so very much. Thank you very much the time you've spent in parks and wrecks Thank you so much and you're not 70 years old You're 70 years young See, I appreciate the lord ain't through with you yet. Thank you mama j Thank you, sir. Yes, ma'am. I went out to signed up. Is there anyone else that like to speak? Going once going twice Uh, I'll entertain a non debatable emotion. So we adjourn another record. Miss Herbert Dr. Bustle's I mr. Brennan. Yes, mr. McDowell. Yes, mr. Duvall. Mayor rickamon. I


Well good morning guys, it's great to be with you this morning. If you have your Bibles, you would open up with me to 2 Timothy chapter 4. 2 Timothy chapter 4, and I want to draw your attention this morning to the first five verses. And the Apostle Paul writes, I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom. Reach the word, be ready in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and teaching, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. But according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers. And they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. But you, be watchful in all things, endure affliction, do the work of an evangelist and fulfill your ministry. The book of 2 Timothy is believed to be the final letter written by the Apostle Paul just before his martyrdom, where he was beheaded for his faith. At that time when this letter was written, the church was in the midst of mounting persecution under the wicked Roman emperor whose name was Caesar Nero. Nero had a desire to rebuild Rome, but first he had a political priority of tearing it apart. And so he set the city on fire. When he needed a scapegoat for his criminal acts, history tells us that he blamed the fires on a growing number of people known as Christians. And at that time many believers in Jesus Christ died for their faith. Some were crucified, others were clothed in animal skins and thrown into the arena while wild animals would tear apart their defenseless bodies for the enjoyment of the crowds. Still others were placed in Nero's garden where he would use their bodies as human torches and he would ride through his garden screaming light of the world. It was during this persecution that the Apostle Paul was identified as a leader within the church and was arrested. He was then placed in a Roman dungeon waiting his execution. All those who had formally stood with Paul were nowhere to be found. Many of his enemies now sought to take advantage of the fact that he was in prison and began to corrupt the churches that he had planted. However in the midst of what appeared to be the darkest circumstances of life and one of the most difficult times in that known world, Paul's final words shine with powerful truth that consume the darkness. This is not a letter of defeat but rather of victory. One man called it the exultant cry of a dying conqueror. Men, we are living in dark days. Everywhere you look around the world politically, economically, globally, there seems to be one crisis after another and the sign of the return of Jesus are increasing with frequency and intensity. Jesus told us, as it was in the days of Noah, so also shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Jesus exorted us to work while it is day for night is coming when no man can work. The question then becomes for us this morning, how are we to live in light of these days? What are men of God to be doing at the present time to make a difference within this world? And what is to be the motivation for that kind of living? The Apostle Paul begins by exhorting Timothy in verse one and he gives him a charge concerning his calling. He says, I charge you before God. When Paul charges Timothy, it is a military term that he uses. It is as if Paul were the commanding general and Timothy, his chief officer of battle operations. Paul is seeking Timothy's undivided attention to the priority at hand. It was Timothy's responsibility. It was his calling. It was a mandate as it were that was being placed upon him, a mantle that he had to pick up and we know from both letters that Paul wrote to Timothy that he was not a man that was naturally courageous. And so on more than one occasion, Paul would use strong words of exhortation. He told him to stir up the gift of God that was within him. He told him to be strong in the grace of God. He told him to be diligent to present himself a worker unto God. He told him to confront those who preached a false gospel and he said, let no one despise your youth. There was a charge given to this man and for some of you here this morning, this conference is about a charge being given to you. Perhaps you have become passive instead of passionate about your walk with Jesus. Maybe you have been tripped up where you were supposed to be standing fast. And now is the time. If ever there was a time, now is the time to heed the charge of Almighty God. We are in a spiritual battle and we do not have the time, nor do we have the liberty to entangle ourselves with the things of this world that will bring us to certain ruin and defeat. We can't afford to be divided in our hearts. Rather we must be determined in our will and fully dedicated to live our lives completely for Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen. If we are going to be men that march under the banner of the cross, if we are going to be men that name the name of Christ, we must depart from iniquity, we must lay aside carnality and walk in full commitment to Jesus Christ. Now is the time to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might, to cast off the works of darkness, to walk in the Spirit and not according to the flesh. It's time to reckon the old life dead to sin but alive to God and Christ Jesus our Lord that by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left that we might fight the good fight of faith. It's time for men to pour it out and pour it on in the last days. Paul reminded Timothy of his calling and he gives him a sense of urgency. What is the reason that he should be so urgent to fulfill this calling? The respond to this charge, Paul says very clearly he said the Lord Jesus Christ is going to judge the living and the dead at his appearing and at his kingdom. The Bible is clear that one day Christ Jesus will come again. Within his first coming he came as a savior to the world but in his second coming he comes as a judge to the world. And we believe that the Lord Jesus will come for his church in the rapture before the ultimate judgment falls upon a Christ rejecting world. But make no mistake the Bible also says the day of the Lord will come. Peter told us clearly in his second epistle the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with a fervent heat both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore since all of these things he said will be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in holy conduct and godliness looking for and the hastening of the coming day of God because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire and the elements melt with a fervent heat. This is not a popular message today. This is not a topic that many like to consider nor proclaim but the truth of the coming judgment of God must be declared and that truth must be shared in love. The Bible says when we share this truth that we are sharing it in such a way as though God himself were pleading through us for men to be reconciled to God. There is a coming judgment for believers where every person is going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ not to be judged for our sins but to receive rewards. There is a coming judgment for the nations Jesus said where he will take the sheep and the goats and divide them. There is a great white throne judgment where the non-believer will stand before God and if his name is not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life he will be cast into outer darkness in a place called hell for all eternity. And I think to myself should not the reality of the coming judgment upon a Christ rejecting world light a fire in my heart that will consume my indifference toward people who are lost. I believe as the church there is the need to repent of apathy and to have it replaced with urgency and with the Lord to break our hearts for people that are going to hell and judgment is their future. We need to ask God to forgive us. Someone said quote we live in the shadow of Christ's return and our lives should be governed by an attitude of anticipation. The man, the man who is gripped by this perspective finds it difficult to squander the precious hours on earthly trinkets while millions of eternal souls lie in the balance. It was Robert Moffat who said this we have all eternity to celebrate our victories but we have one short hour before sunset in which to win them. Paul said Timothy heed this charge judgment is coming the living and the dead are going to stand before Almighty God and a kingdom will come. I can only imagine when Timothy read this letter from Paul the ideas the thoughts that were being conveyed must have seemed overwhelming to him. Paul had told him earlier perilous times were coming men are going to be lovers of self and a pleasure and haters of God, unloving, unforgiving, brutal, headstrong, lovers of sin. He wrote of a false religious system and ideologies that would increase with more and more imposters. Men would rise up having a form of godliness and they would deny the power thereof. False teachers would take advantage of the weak and the unsuspecting. Furthermore persecution was coming to all those who desired to live godly and as Paul lists these things in his day we see the scope of evil and the momentum in our day as it surges with speed like a runaway train that can't be stopped and wrecks everything in its path and we say to ourselves what are we to do? What can we do? Is there anything that can hold back this flood tide of evil that is seeking to presently drown humanity and the answer is yes. What are we to do? Paul tells us, he told Timothy in verse two, preach the word. Men this is the answer. This has always been the answer. We must preach the word of God. We must echo the words of the apostles in the book of Acts when they said we cannot help but speak the things which we have seen and heard. We must preach the word. The word preach means to proclaim. It means to speak like one who has a voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord and we're not to preach just any message nor we to soften the message to make it more palatable to the masses. There is only one message that has the power to change a life and that is the life giving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not called in this day in which we're living to preach psychology. It does nothing for man. We are not called to preach self-help and personal reformation in order to discover our best life today. Nor are we called to preach politics. We are called to preach Jesus and Him crucified and risen again from the dead. The amazing thing to me is that in light of the current situation that Paul was in and the political climate that the church had to deal with at that time, Paul was preaching nothing else but the gospel of Jesus. Paul was unwilling himself or an instructing Timothy to exchange the purpose of the church which was to make disciples and to glorify God for some other message that would make an attempt to moralize a godless culture. There is no legislation that can be lobbied that can change the hearts of men and women only the gospel has that power. Within the book of Acts, the apostles turned their world, the Bible says, upside down because they were preaching and teaching the Word of God anointed by the Spirit of God. And when they were told you can no longer preach in that name, in this place, they did it anyway. They did it anyway. Paul said, I am under compulsion in 1 Corinthians. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. J.C. Ryle said this, quote, the brightest days of the church have been those when preaching has been honored and the darkest days of the church have been when those who are treated preaching as something that was unimportant. Listen men, the task has always been and the task will always be till Jesus comes again to preach the Word, period. That's what we're to be doing at the present time in which we are living, preaching the Word. Amen. And if we're going to preach the Word, we need to live the Word and we need to know the Word. Timothy was exhorted earlier in this letter to be diligent to present himself, a worker unto God who didn't need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. Peter said in 1 Peter chapter 3 that we are to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts and always be ready to give a defense and apologetic to everyone who asks for the reason for the hope that is in us with meekness and in fear. And in the midst of this exhortation to Timothy to preach the Word, Paul then gives to him some of the elements that were to be found within his preaching. He says for one thing you are verse 2 to convince the people that you're preaching to. The word convince is also translated reproved. It is a word meaning to present the truth in such a way that those who are listening are compelled to see and to admit the error of their ways to confess their sin. It's a proclamation that brings to light the hidden things of darkness which will result in the conviction of sin and the repentance of sin. The Bible tells us in the book of Acts chapter 24 when Paul stood before Felix and his wife Drusilla that he reasoned convincingly about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. There are some places sadly where the life giving message of the gospel is being watered down. There is no offense of the cross. There is no talk of the effects of sin or coming judgment.  But the Bible reveals that when preaching is anointed by the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit is the one who will bring conviction of sin and righteousness and judgment to come. And if the message that we are proclaiming today is all comfort and no conviction, then what are we really preaching? We're not preaching the gospel. We're not giving people the whole story. It's not so much what people, what they are preaching but what they're not preaching, what they're not telling you. And we are accountable for the whole truth, the entire truth of the gospel message. Paul said there has to be convincing. He said also an element of this preaching is rebuke. This is not necessarily one of the highlights of the enjoyable task of preaching, but nonetheless there are times when correction is necessary. It was Charles Spurgeon that said, quote, give the ungodly no rest in their sins. There is rebuke, there is convincing, there is also exhortation. A time to encourage those who are broken down, a time to lift them up, strengthening the hands that are weak. At other times it is pleading with people and whether we are convincing, rebuking or exhorting, it is all to be carried out, Paul said, with long suffering and with teaching, with patience. We are told by Paul the reason that such is necessary. This kind of preaching we're brought to an awareness of why it is so critical. Look at what he says in verse three. He tells us very clearly that the time will come when men will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. If ever there was a time when people are turning away from the truth, not listening nor enduring sound doctrine, it's right now, it is right now. Biblical illiteracy has become an epidemic and the Bible has been replaced with stories and anecdotes, worse than that, it's been replaced with a new spirituality in various forms coming from the East here to the West and what has been classified as Western theology or Western spiritual kind of ideas and ideologies. It came from the East but it has been embraced within the West and people are buying into it. Paul says they are turning away from the truth and here's why they have itching ears. To have itching ears simply means that people are looking for that which appeals to the fleshly carnal nature of man, wanting to listen to something that will tickle their ears, not make them feel uncomfortable but comfortable. Something that isn't challenging but something that is soothing, something that appeals and pacifies the sinful nature and doesn't challenge me to walk with God wholeheartedly. They wanna hear things that appeal to their own felt needs and desires as opposed to God's word and his desire. Warren Wearsby said it so well and we are seeing this today. He said, quote, there are those who want religious entertainment from Christian performers who will tickle their ears and the man who simply opens his Bible is rejected while the religious entertainer is a celebrity. The church doesn't need entertainers guys. The church needs men of God who will proclaim the word of God anointed by the spirit of God, living it out in this day and age. It says they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. Paul is saying that not only do they turn their ears away from the truth but in addition, they make it a point to keep their ears away from the contact of the truth and ignorance of the scripture becomes the root of all error in view of this tragic condition that we're facing right now. Paul once again exhorts Timothy, here's what I want you to do as you preach the word. Here's what you're to be about. He says in verse five, I want you to be watchful in all things, number one. It means to have your eyes open. Another translation says to be sober, literally to abstain from wine. Of course here metaphorically meaning to be free from every kind of mental or spiritual drunkenness from excess passion and rashness and confusion. It means to be well balanced and self-controlled. It means guys, we need to be vigilant as we've been saying up to this point and awake not falling asleep as it were in the days that we are living. Not only are we to have our eyes open but Paul secondly says here, we are to endure affliction. Eyes to be open but also endure affliction. The word for endurance here is the figurative idea of enduring under discomfort to hold out in spite of persecution, threats, injury, indifference or complaints and not to retaliate. It conveys a sense of putting up with others, exercising self-restraint even in the midst of trials. There is no doubt that there are men here today that are going through difficult times. There are some men battling cancer here in this place today. We heard one man preaching the gospel, our first speaker today, battling cancer and yet standing and enduring. There are other men going through all kinds of hardships in the home, prodigal children walking away from God and the list goes on. What are we supposed to do in this day? Here it says we must endure. We must endure. The writer of Hebrews said in chapter 10, you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. Guys, we gotta hold on. We gotta endure. We can't stop now. We're getting closer to the return of Jesus.  This is the time to be active in the kingdom of God. We have to endure these afflictions because the glory that is coming, guys, the glory that we get to share with Jesus throughout all of eternity, it can't be compared to these light afflictions that are but for a moment, the Bible says. If we only knew how glorious heaven was going to be, if we only knew how wonderful eternity is going to be, I do not believe that we would be giving in or giving over, we would be enduring. May God give us endurance. Furthermore, Paul says not only have your eyes open and do afflictions, but in these last days, evangelize. Do the work, he said, of an evangelist. Some are planting, some are watering, some are harvesting, but now is the time for evangelism. Speaking the word of God, presenting the gospel. Listen, people are giving way, even Christians, giving into the privatization of Christianity. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to offend anybody. I don't want to do anything that would cause them not to like me. And I don't want to give something off at the office or share the gospel because it might hinder me from progressing further in the company. Does that really matter? What really matters? What matters are people's souls. What matters is where they're going to spend eternity. Paul says it's time to evangelize, not fossilize. Furthermore, he said, Timothy, you need to fulfill your ministry. Timothy was to carry out his ministry to the end. He was to finish well. He was to finish strong. I believe that we are living in a day and age when men of God are to be men of God. This is our time to live for Jesus. This is our season. Guys, I don't know if you understand this, but church history is still being written right now at this moment. It's being written. We look back and see what God did in the past and we marvel at the revivals and we marvel at how God worked in the Welsh revival and all the rest of the revivals that you can study about. But what about now? We can go back and observe even in our own movement that we've had the pleasure of being a part of the movement of Jesus moving and people coming to Christ. And we look back and we see all of the things in the past. We have these wonderful stones of remembrance, but those aren't to be worshiped. We are not to worship the stones of remembrance. We are to look back and be reminded of the faithfulness of God and see what does God want to do in this day and age? Is there not, is this not a time for one more great outpouring of the spirit, one more revival in this day? Don't you want to be a part of it? I love what God did, but I want to be what God, what are you doing? What are you doing right now? I want to see revival in my generation. I want to see revival in this day and age. I don't want to just look back. I want to look right now. God, would you please, would there be one more outpouring of the Holy spirit in this country, in this world, one final harvest before Jesus returns? Lord, we just want to see it. We just want to be a part of it. Would you light us on fire, God, for you? Someone says if you get on fire for Jesus, everybody will come and watch you burn. May it be so amongst the men gathered here today. May there be a fire that can't be quenched. Men, God loves you. He has proved his love for you and for me, when he gave his only son, and he is coming again, and he is going to receive us unto himself in light of that fact. I am humbled, I am honored, but I am also compelled to live for Jesus. Not through my own strength, but through the power of the Holy spirit. Amen. Finally, look what Paul said here, guys. If you look down in verse six, he said, I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I fought the good fight. I finished the race. I've kept the faith. And finally, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing. Guys, we want to be able to say, with absolute confidence, that we fought the fight, that we've finished the race, that we kept the faith, so that we may one day receive our crown. I want to close with this story. It ministered to me, and it was this. On April 21st, in the year of 1519, the Spanish explorer, whose name was Hernando Cortez, he sailed into the harbor of Veracruz, Mexico, and he brought with him only about 600 men. And over the next two years, his vastly outnumbered forces were able to defeat Montezuma and all the Aztec warriors in that empire, making Cortez, interesting, the conqueror of all of Mexico. And the difference for Cortez, he had gone and failed twice already, up to this point. He had failed twice, but the difference on this particular day, as he had faced incredible odds, is he knew the road before them would be dangerous and difficult, and he knew that his men would be tempted to abandon their quest and return to Spain. And soon, as Cortez and his men had come ashore, what they did is they unloaded all their provisions and he ordered the entire fleet of the 11 ships burned, destroyed. And all of his men, they stood and they looked from the shore and they watched their only possible way of retreat being burned and sank into the sea. And from that point on, they knew there was no return, there was no turning back, nothing lay behind them, but an empty ocean, there is only one option. And that is to go forward to conquer or die. That's the kind of commitment that we need in this day. I wonder, men, have you burned the ships? Have you burned the ships? You still looking for a way out?  No, that's not the time for that. This is time when men are fully, completely committed to Jesus Christ, preaching the word, living the word, anointed by the spirit of God. May God bring revival in our day and age, in Jesus' name, amen. God bless you guys.