Dear Coastal,

I’m excited about this Sunday!  We kick off a new series on the book/life of Job!  I’m excited for several reasons:  one, in 25 years of ministry I’ve never preached a series on Job;  two, Job suffered greatly and there are a lot of people who come to Coastal in great pain;  three, God blessed the second half of Job’s life more than the first and God is not done with YOU!

This Sunday is also Time Change Sunday – so you get an extra hour of sleep!  No one should be late!  And we have a small gift for everyone at Coastal this Sunday – an early Christmas present of sorts – a NEW COASTAL T-SHIRT!  If you’re around the church today (Friday) feel free to pick yours up!  It’s a new “I Love My Church” shirt!

Here are 5 Things I want you to make note of:

1. This is the last week to bring gifts for “Operation Christmas Child”!  Bring toys and other items to fill a shoebox. Our wrapping & packing party will be Saturday morning, November 8th, 10am-Noon.
2. Interested in formalizing your commitment to Coastal?  Want to officially join the Coastal family?  Make plans to attend our next Membership Class on Monday night, November 3rd, from 6pm-9pm.  Childcare and refreshments provided.  You can sign up on our website or on your Connect Card.
3. We’re having an “All In” Meeting/Pizza Party on Friday night, November 7th, 6:30pm-8:30pm specifically for new people who have not yet participated in “All In” and would like to learn more about what we’re doing and how you can help.  You can sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.
4. If you are interested in possibly Leading, Assisting, or Hosting a LIFE Group in the 2015 Winter/Spring Semester, please join us for an Oyster Roast/Info Meeting on Friday Night, November 14th, 6:30pm-8:30pm.
5. My Wednesday Morning Men’s Group is pressure washing the outside of our building on Saturday morning (tomorrow – weather permitting) at 8am.  Love for you to join us, especially if you have a sprayer or a pressure washing machine!

Have a great weekend!  Can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!

Pastor Chris (PC)

P.S.  TEXT Giving is an safe, secure, and simple way to consistently give to Coastal!  It takes one simple step to sign up.  Give it a try today!  Text any amount to 843-277-8337 and get started!

Pastor Chris’ Morning Men’s Group is heading up pressure washing the outside of our building – Saturday morning, November 1st, 8am-10am.  If you have a pressure washing machine or would like to come help, come and join us!

Dear Coastal,

This past Sunday was AWESOME!  Nothing like seeing people take next steps in baptism!  We ended up baptising 16 people.  That means that we have baptized close to 40 people this year!  Some churches don’t see that in a life time.  We also had 460 people in attendance (I think we’ve busted through 400 now) and the largest 2nd service we’ve ever had!  In fact, I know this sounds crazy, but it was too large.  What I mean by that is that is it was too large to sustain.  It’s exciting for a service, but people won’t return long term if they can’t find a place to sit.  We literally had to bring out more chairs and people were still standing.  We’re working on a longer term solution (new building), but we definitely need people to consider coming to the 1st or 3rd service.  Truthfully, with the 1st & 3rd service, we still have room to break 500 in attendance.

Happy Anniversary!  That’s right, it’s been 1 year since we started our “All In” Giving Campaign!  We’re getting so close to breaking ground and seeing your faith become a reality – a new building to reach more people for Jesus!  So keep giving!  Every gift above and beyond your regular giving counts and matters!  Remember, not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice.  If you give using PayPal from our website, you can designate your giving in the “Purpose” line.  Simply designate the amount toward “All In”.  If you give using texting, you can also give to “All In”.  Simply text the amount to 843-277-8337 (a space) and then text the key word “building” or “AllIn” (no spaces).  It’s that simple.  Your giving is very important, especially in the 1st phase of construction (site work, foundation, concrete, downpayment on metal building), as we rely on those funds before we take our first draw from our loan.

We’re having an “All In” Meeting/Pizza Party on Friday night, November 7th, 6:30pm-8:30pm specifically for new people who have not yet participated in “All In” and would like to learn more about what we’re doing and how you can help.  You can sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.

Here are 5 Things I want you to make note of:

1. We begin a new series on November 2nd on the book/life of Job!  I’ve never preached on the life of Job, so I’m excited about this series.  I also think that there are a lot of great principles and themes that directly speak to us today in this book.  The tag line for the series is, “Trusting God’s Heart, When You Can Not See His Hand.”
2. The month of October is “Operation Christmas Child” month at Coastal!  Bring shoeboxes, toys, and other items to fill those shoeboxes to church. Our wrapping & packing party will be Saturday morning, November 8th, 10am-Noon.  For more information about the ministry & mission of Operation Christmas Child, please check out their website.
3. If you have any smart phone (iPhone, Android, or Windows), ipad, or tablet, download the new Coastal App!  Simply go to your App Store and search for Coastal Community Church!  It’s FREE!  The App is a great way to spread the Gospel and keep up with all things Coastal!  Make sure you enable push notifications so we can periodically send out important text notices.
4. Interested in formalizing your commitment to Coastal?  Want to officially join the Coastal family?  Make plans to attend our next Membership Class on Monday night, November 3rd, from 6pm-9pm.  Childcare and light refreshments provided.  You can sign up on our website or on your Connect Card.
5. Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, November 2nd at 2am.  Your clocks “fall back” 1 hour.

Have a great weekend!  Can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!

Happy Anniversary!

Pastor Chris (PC)

P.S.  A $75 non-refundable deposit for the Student Winter Retreat is due by November 5th.  See Pastor Scott for more info.

Dear Coastal,

Happy Anniversary!  What Anniversary am I referring too?  It has been exactly 1 year since we kicked off our “All In” Campaign!  In fact, here is a quote from an email I sent out 1 year ago about “All In” Commitment Sunday:

“October 20th, 2013 will go down as one of those historic days in the life of our church family!  Because many of you stepped out in faith, because many of you went “All In”, you helped to insure that our church will continue to grow and reach people for Jesus for generations to come.  Our children’s children will talk about this weekend and your faith in our great God!  And I love you for it!”

One week later, Sunday, October 27th, 2013, we made the announcement of what we gave.  Here is an excerpt from the email I sent out afterwards:

“In one of the most difficult and unstable economies and smack dab in the middle of a government shutdown no less, our church gave the largest single Sunday offering in the history of our church for our “All In” Campaign – over $55,000 in cash and over $326,000 in 2 year commitments (for a grand total over $380,000)! Families and children gave over 300lbs. in change! In fact, people are still turning in money and Commitment Cards! What a GREAT GOD we serve!  I am so proud of you Coastal!  2Corinthians 8:3, “For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will.”

It’s been quite a year.  No, we haven’t broken ground yet, but we are very, very close.  We secured a loan for the project.  We’ve been through the painstakingly slow process of Technical Review with the City of Charleston and have submitted for permit.  We have contractors and subcontractors lined up and ready to go.  All of that has happened because of the faithful generosity of those of you who have given toward the new building project – our “All In” Campaign!

Our church has also continued to grow in the past year.  In fact, there are many of you who are reading this email who have never given toward our “AlI In” Campaign – simply because you’re new and don’t know what it’s all about.

If that’s you and you’re interested in learning more about what we’re building and how you can help, this invitation is for you!  On Friday night, November 7th, 6:30pm-8:30pm we are having an “All In” Meeting/Pizza Party at the church and I want to personally invite you to come.  I want to give you the opportunity to be a part of what we are doing – what God is doing through Coastal.  We will feed you dinner, provide childcare, and I will explain in detail what we’re doing, how we’re doing it, and how you can help.  Plus you will get to see the latest plans and hear all the most up to date information of where we are at in the process.

To RSVP, simply respond to this email or you can sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.  I hope you can come!  These are exciting times at Coastal and we want you to be a part of it!  For those of you who know all about “All IN” and have been giving – thank you!  We would not be where we are at today without you!  Continue in your faithful giving!  Remember, every gift/commitment matters!  Every gift/commitment counts!  What made “All In” so successful was not the “big” giving of a few, but the consistent sacrifice of so many!

Happy Anniversary!

Pastor Chris

Dear Coastal,

I want to give you a little bit of a head’s up on our next series.  As always, I’m very excited about it.  In fact, I’ve never preached on it before.  I’m going to preach a 4 week series on the book/character of Job.  Most people have heard about Job and know something about his story.  You’ve probably heard the phrase, “The patience of Job.” Many people refer to Job when answering the age old question:  why do bad things happen to good people?  Job is all about the sovereignty of God and remaining faithful in the midst of great pain and suffering.  The reality is that life is hard and many of you have experienced great pain.  Well, where is God is all of that and how do we remain faithful?  I’ll kick of the series on Sunday, November 2nd.  The tagline for the series is:  “Trusting God’s heart when you can’t trace His hand.”

Here are 5 Things I want you to make note of:

1. The month of October is “Operation Christmas Child” month at Coastal!  Bring shoeboxes, toys, and other items to fill those shoeboxes to church. Our wrapping & packing party will be Saturday morning, November 8th, 10am-Noon.  For more information about the ministry & mission of Operation Christmas Child, please check out their website.
2. We’re having a Baptism Service in all 3 services this Sunday!  Right now we have 18 people getting baptized!  If you are interested in getting baptized, simply respond to this email or sign up on our website!  We’d love for you to join us!
3. If you have any smart phone (iPhone, Android, or Windows), ipad, or tablet, download the new Coastal App!  Simply go to your App Store and search for Coastal Community Church!  It’s FREE!  The App is a great way to spread the Gospel and keep up with all things Coastal!  Make sure you enable push notifications so we can periodically send out important text notices.
4. Interested in going on a Missions Trip to Peru?  There is an informational meeting this Sunday, October 19th, at 6:30pm at Coastal.  See Pastor Scott Huff for more information.
5. Interested in formalizing your commitment to Coastal?  Want to officially join the Coastal family?  Make plans to attend our next Membership Class on Monday night, November 3rd, from 6pm-9pm.  Childcare and light refreshments provided.  You can sign up on our website or on your Connect Card.

Have a great Saturday!  Can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!

Forever & Always ALL IN!

Pastor Chris (PC)

P.S.  A $75 non-refundable deposit for the Student Winter Retreat is due by November 5th.  See Pastor Scott for more info.

Parents, it’s that time of year again. What am I talking about? Sports! But let’s be honest and admit the obvious, between Fall Ball, Winter Ball, Spring Ball, Travel Teams, and Tournaments, it’s now year round and never ending. And for many parents, striking a balance is a real struggle. I want to share a great blog post by Pastor James Emery White:
http://www.churchandculture.org/Blog.asp?ID=4219
and a recent article from the N.Y. Times of all places:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/fashion/team-sports-are-taking-over-kids-lives.html?ref=fashion

Dear Coastal,

It is truly amazing what God is doing at Coastal right now!  In fact, it’s not normal!  Most churches today have either plateaued or are in decline.  I was hoping the kick-off of “The Story of My Life” would finally push us through the 400 barrier and boy did it!  For the kick-off we had 477 and since then we have had 425 and 432!  I’d say we’ve broken through 400 and are heading fast and furious toward 500!  In fact, we have had more guests in this little stretch than we have ever had in the history of our church.  Keep inviting!  Keep reaching out!  Keep sharing!  Let’s work like it all depends on us and then let’s pray like it all depends on God.  Then we’ll walk by faith and trust God with the results!

To quote one of my favorite movies, “I think we need a bigger boat!”  Well, we’re working on it.  We’re getting closer and closer to getting our permit and getting started on our new building.  In the meantime, if possible, come to the 1st or 3rd service.  If you’re in the 2nd service, sit to the front (I promise I don’t bite) and center of each section to make room for more people.

Here are 5 Things I want you to make note of:

1. The month of October is “Operation Christmas Child” month at Coastal!  Bring shoeboxes, toys, and other items to fill those shoeboxes to church. Our wrapping & packing party will be Saturday morning, November 8th, 10am-Noon.  For more information about the ministry & mission of Operation Christmas Child, please check out their website.
2. This Sunday, October 12th, immediately following the 11:45am service we’re having a Newcomer’s Lunch.  Newcomer’s Lunch is a great way for new people to learn more about Coastal, meet other new people and our staff, enjoy a great meal, and discover possible next steps.  You can sign up here on our website.
3. We’re having a Baptism Service in all 3 services on Sunday, October 19th!  If you are interested in getting Baptized, simply respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday!
4. If you have any smart phone (iPhone, Android, or Windows), ipad, or tablet, please download the new Coastal App!  Simply go to your App Store and search for Coastal Community Church!  It’s FREE!  The App is a great way to spread the Gospel and keep up with all things Coastal!
5. Interested in going on a Missions Trip to Peru?  There is an informational meeting on Sunday, October 19th, at 6:30pm at Coastal.  See Pastor Scott Huff for more information.

Have a great Saturday!  Can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!

Forever & Always ALL IN!

Pastor Chris (PC)

P.S.  Not only is October, “Operation Christmas Child” month, but we’re also collecting slightly used shoes to help provide water for Kenya.  Simply tie the shoes together and place them in the barrels at church.

Kenneth Hahn, our church counselor, came to our Men’s Group this morning and afterwards shared with me how much he enjoyed it. He also said this, “There’s just something powerful about a group of Men getting together to share and pray together.” I think he’s right! I look forward to every Wednesday morning.  It’s one of my favorite times of the week.  We just have so much fun together!  We laugh so hard every week.  But it’s so much more than that.  Sure, we talk about the weather and work and sports, but we also talk about marriage and raising children and finances and relationships and every day struggles.  I’ve seen men find jobs through our group.  I’ve seen men share money with other hurting families through our group.

Right now we’re reading through 1 Timothy together.  This morning we read the end of chapter one where Paul talks about how he hunted down Christians and that he was the “worst of all sinners.”  But God had mercy on him and used that as an example of His great patience with “even the worst sinners.”  We talked about how our lives are testimonies of God’s patience – if He can save me, He can save anybody.  We also spent some time talking about vs. 19, “Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear.”  What can we do to “cling tightly” to our faith?  And then we pray together.  The group is short, sweet, and to the point.

Men, if you’re simply looking for some other guys to do life with and grow in your faith with, you can find that here at Coastal. My group meets at 7am on Wednesdays and we have another group that Rudy Polito leads on Thursday nights at 6:30pm at his home in West Ashley. Our groups are made up of real men with real struggles seeking to depend on a real God in the context of relationships. Love for you to join us!

Dear Coastal,

If you had any difficulty getting in touch with me or any of our Coastal Staff this past week, I apologize.  We were all out of town together at a church leadership conference in Atlanta.  We just got back late last night.  We had a blast!  It was a great time of learning, laughter, worship, and so much more for all of us! We’ve all really been going at it pretty hard for a while now, without much of a break.  Conferences really aren’t a break or a vacation (many times they requre more work on both ends), but it was just what we all needed.  It will take some time for all of us to process everything we experienced, but one thing that I know for sure is that I am so very grateful for our Staff – Julie Kelly, Scott Huff, Michael Wright, and my wife Janet (first time Janet has ever got to go to a conference with me)!  Coastal, we are so blessed!

We stayed right around the corner from the conference with one of my life long friends, Leslie & Bo Scrivener.  To say that they treated us like we were staying at a 5 Star Resort would be an understatement!  When talking to Leslie about her hospitality, she humbly said it’s something she got from her mom.  She also said something I won’t forget, “Entertainment is all about you – showing off, making yourself or your home look good for your guests.  Hospitality is all about your guests – making them feel good, taking care of them.”  Oh, one more thing about my friends, Leslie & Bo have been blessed (their own heartfelt words) with twin boys with severe autism.  The boys are now 19.  To watch the servant, agape love they show in their home is truly inspirational.  Like I said, the conference was great and we learned a lot!

Don’t miss tomorrow!  Really loving this new series, “The Story of My Life!”  Hope you are too!  The past two weeks we’ve had almost 50 1st & 2nd time guest Connect Cards filled out!  50!  WOW!  Keep it up Coastal!  Thank you Jesus!  We beg You to continue to use Coastal to draw people to Yourself!

Here are 5 Things I want you to make note of:

1. The month of October is “Operation Christmas Child” month at Coastal!  Bring shoeboxes, toys, and other items to fill those shoeboxes to church. Our wrapping & packing party will be Saturday morning, November 8th, 10am-Noon.  For more information about the ministry & mission of Operation Christmas Child, please check out their website.
2. It’s still not too late to join a LIFE Group!  If you haven’t signed up yet, you can sign up at church on Sunday or right now on our website.
3. We’re having a Baptism Service in all 3 services on Sunday, October 19th!  If you are interested in getting Baptized, simply respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday!
4. If you have any smart phone (iPhone, Android, or Windows), ipad, or tablet, please download the new Coastal App!  Simply go to your App Store and search for Coastal Community Church!  It’s FREE!  The App will be a great way to spread the Gospel and keep up with all things Coastal!
5. On Sunday, October 12th, immediately following the 11:45am service we’re having our next Newcomer’s Lunch.  Newcomer’s Lunch is a great way for new people to learn more about Coastal, meet other new people and our staff, enjoy a great meal, and discover possible next steps.  You can sign up here on our website or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.

Have a great Saturday!  Can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!

Forever & Always ALL IN!

Pastor Chris (PC)

P.S.  I want to thank those of you who consistently give electronically to our church: by automatic Bill Pay through your bank, PayPal through our website, or TEXTing 843-277-8337 (give TEXT giving a try if you haven’t done it yet).  No one might see it on Sunday mornings, but God sees it and we are thankful!