Monthly Archives

November 2016

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Coastal Friends & Family,

I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!  Words can not express the deep gratitude I feel for you!  It is an honor to be your Pastor.  Janet and I are in North Georgia, spending a few days with Janet’s mom and family.  It’s our first Thanksgiving since Janet’s Dad passed away in July.

Heavenly Father thank You for loving me and saving me in spite of who I am!  Thank You for Jesus!  Thank You for Your grace and patience.  Thank You for the best life I could ever imagine.  Thank You for my beautiful wife Janet.  She is my best friend.  She is the best wife and mother I could ever imagine.  In her, You gave me more than I could ever ask, dream, or imagine.  Father, thank You for Lydia and Christopher.  Seeing them grow to know and love You and others is the joy of my life.  I am so proud of who they are and who they are becoming.  And this year, thank you for Lizzie, my new daughter-in-law!  Thank you for my health and renewed energy and all those who have encouraged me along this journey.  Thank You for some of the best friends a guy could or should ever have – friends that I could call at 3 in the morning and they would drop everything and be here.  Thank You for Coastal Community Church – my church family!  It has been the adventure of a lifetime and I truly believe the best is yet to come!  Thank You for allowing me to preach Your Word, shepherd Your flock, lead and serve Your people!  I am Your unworthy servant.  Thank You for the hope of heaven.  With each year and loved one passing, it gets sweeter and sweeter.  I can’t wait for the day when You call me home or when the sky splits, the trumpet sounds, I bow my knee, cry out, “Jesus is Lord,” and get to see Jesus face to face!  And thank You that in the meantime You allow me to share Jesus with the world around me!  I am truly a blessed man!

If you and your family are in town, we would love to see you at Coastal on Sunday!  This is a great time of the year to come back to church!  On Sunday, December 4th, we kick off our Christmas series, “Misfits.”  Take advantage of this season and this series and invite your friends to church!

I love you and thank God for you every day!

Pastor Chris

P.S.  Go online, to our App, or TEXT any amount to 843-277-8337 and to our Annual Christmas Offering!  Use the keyword “Christmas.”

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Friday’s Five – 11-18-16

Dear Coastal,

I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already here next week.  Before you know it, Christmas will come and go and it will be 2017.  It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the cares and concerns of this world and forget all that we have to be grateful for, to forget Paul’s simple instruction for life found in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

I have so much to be thankful for – more than I could ever list – my wife, my children, my new daughter (December 16th!), my health, and somewhere near the top of that list is YOU, my Coastal family!  I mean that.  I am truly a blessed man.  I love what I do and more importantly I love who I get to do it with.  We’re not perfect, but we’re FAMILY!  We’re becoming, day by day, moment by moment, more and more like God already sees us in Christ Jesus – perfect!  And together we get to bring glory to God, exalt His Son Jesus, and by the very power of the Holy Spirit, beat down the gates of Hell, kick Satan in the teeth, and rescue this world one life at a time.  We get do that by loving, serving, giving, sharing, and being the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus to a hurting, hopeless, and dying world.  It doesn’t get any better than that!  Thank you Jesus!

This Sunday is the first week to give to our Annual Christmas Offering! Simply designate your gift with the word “Christmas”.  Our Christmas Offering is our chance to sacrificially give above and beyond our regular offering so that we can fully fund some exciting Kingdom Initiatives.  Our BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) is $50,000!  Pray about your gift.  Talk to your family and see how your whole family can get involved in sacrificing together.  You can give any time between this Sunday and Sunday, January 1st.

I begin a new Christmas sermon series beginning December 4th called, “Misfits.”  The series is all about how God uses the most unlikely of characters and circumstances to do extraordinary things.  You can see that loud and clear in the Christmas story!  You can also see that every day in you and me.  In many ways, we’re “Misfits” – damaged, broken, discarded human beings, but made beautiful, useful and wanted in God’s Kingdom.  Don’t miss this series!  And as always, invite and bring a friend!

Friday’s 5:

  1. Tonight is House Party for our WAVES Student Minstry and they are taking it to the MOVIES!! They are going to see the 6:45pm showing of “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!”  It is opening night in the IMAX at Citadel Mall for the movie so be there by 6:15pm so they can get seats. The church has already purchased the tickets and we are covering the cost of them. All you need to bring is a FRIEND and some money for snacks!!!  Email ryan@coastalcommunitychurch.org if your Student and any friends are going.
  2. We are having a church wide Wedding Shower for Christopher Rollins (my son and Coastal’s Band Director) & Elizabeth “Lizzy” Willingham on Sunday, December 4th, 5pm at the church.  Everyone is invited.  There will be plenty of food, fun, and CAKE!  They are registered at Target, Amazon, and Zola.
  3. Do you play an instrument?  Can you sing?  We are looking to expand our Worship Team at Coastal!  Auditions will be held on Thursday, December 1st, at 7pm.  If you are interested in auditioning as a vocalist or instrumentalist, please contact our Band Director, Christopher Rollins at chrisrollinsjr@gmail.com, 843-822-0301, or respond to this email.
  4. We’re in the planning stages of our Spring Semester (February-May) of LIFE Groups.  If you are intersted in leading, assisting, or hosting a group, please let us know on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  5. Make your plans now to attend one of our 2 Christmas Eve Services, Saturday, December 24th, 5:30pm & 7pm.  There will be no services on Sunday morning, December 25th.  There will only be one service on Sunday morning, January 1st, 9:30am.

UNSHAKABLE

Pastor Chris

P.S.  There will be a Visitation at the West Ashley Stuhrs off of the Glen McConnell, this Sunday, November 20th, from 4-6pm, for Hank Lane. The Funeral Service will be at Coastal on Monday at 11am with a Graveside immediately following the service at Live Oak on Hwy. 61. There will be a reception for Family and Friends back at Coastal immediately following the Graveside.

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Friday’s Five – 11-11-16

Dear Coastal,

Well, the election is finally over and our nation has a new President-elect in Donald Trump.  Regardless of how you voted this past Tuesday, I bet no one would have thought that statement was possible 5 years ago.  But it is a fact.  The truth is, our mission as followers of Jesus hasn’t changed.  It’s the same as it was on Monday, the day before the election, and it’s the same as it is today, after the election.  It’s the same as it was during the Bush Administration as it is during the Obama Administration and it will be the same during the Trump Administration.

Our mission is to seek and save the lost – to do anything short of sin to see people come to Jesus!  Our job is to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a hurting world.  This is not our home.  We are simply passing through.  We are citizens of another Kingdom.  “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”  (Philippians 3:20-21)

Our hope is not in this world, a political party, or a president.  It’s in Christ and and Christ alone.  How you respond during times like these and how you treat people who think differently than you, says a lot about who you are and who you truly put your hope in.  If this election and these times have taught us anything, it’s that people are searching for help and hope.  The GOOD NEWS is that we have the answer!  His name is JESUS!  So let’s rise up and truly be the church to the world around us!  And don’t forget, the Bible is crystal clear that our responsibility is to pray for those in authority.

I hope you are as excited as I am about our Annual Christmas Offering!  Our Christmas Offering is our chance to sacrificially give above and beyond our regular offering so that we can fully fund some exciting Kingdom Initiatives.  Our BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) is $50,000!  You can start giving toward the Christmas Offering beginning next Sunday, November 20th – simply designate your gift with the word “Christmas.”

Speaking of Christmas – TODAY IS OUR OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD WRAPPING/PACKING PARTY!  Bring your whole family to Coastal at 6:30pm and get into the true spirit of Christmas by preparing boxes of Christ’s love to be sent to hurting/needy children around the world!  It really is a great way to kick off the Holidays

Friday’s 5:

  1. New to Coastal?  Interested in learning more our our church?  Like to meet our staff and key ministry leaders, other new people, and discover possible next steps?  Sign up and come to our next Newcomer’s Lunch on Sunday, November 13th, immediately following the 11:15am service.  Respond to this email, sign up online, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  2. We are having a church wide Wedding Shower for Christopher Rollins (my son and Coastal’s Band Director) & Elizabeth “Lizzy” Willingham on Sunday, December 4th, 5pm at the church.  Everyone is invited.  There will be plenty of food, fun, and CAKE!  They are registered at Target, Amazon, and Zola.
  3. Do you play an instrument?  Can you sing?  We are looking to expand our Worship Team at Coastal!  Auditions will be held on Thursday, December 1st, at 7pm.  If you are interested in auditioning as a vocalist or instrumentalist, please contact our Band Director, Christopher Rollins at chrisrollinsjr@gmail.com, 843-822-0301, or respond to this email.
  4. Did you know that Coastal has a group of volunteers who help to ensure that our campus, our services, and our children are safe and secure each and every Sunday?  We do!  They’re called the Security Team! If you are interested in joining our Security Team respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  5. We’re in the planning stages of our Spring Semester (February-May) of LIFE Groups.  If you are intersted in leading, assisting, or hosting a group, please let us know on your Connect Card on Sunday.

UNSHAKABLE

Pastor Chris

P.S.  The Memorial Service for Taylor Stewart’s (our drummer) mom is this Sunday at 5pm at Coastal.

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Christmas Offering

Dear Coastal Family,

I am so excited to share with you our plans for our 5th Annual Christmas Offering!  Historically, this offering has made a huge impact on our ministry!  Last year, for example, the Christmas Offering enabled us to help dig a well for a community in Haiti, totally remodel our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry as we moved into the new building, and help fund (over $17,000) a home renovation for a family on Wadmalaw Island!  God used our church and the Christmas Offering to do all of that!   Well, beginning Sunday, November 20th, through the first Sunday of the New Year, January 1st (7 weeks), we are encouraging our entire Coastal family to give above and beyond their regular tithes and offering to this year’s special Christmas Offering.

To give, all you have to do is designate your gift “Christmas” on your check, offering envelope, card swiping receipt, pay pal, or TEXT (keyword “Christmas”).  You can give your gift during those 7 weeks (Nov. 20th – Jan. 1st) at any of our regular Sunday morning services or anytime through TEXTing or PayPal.  You might also consider giving it all at once during one of our 2 Christmas Eve Services (Saturday, December 24th, 5:30pm & 7pm).  Our entire Christmas Eve offering will go toward our Annual Christmas Offering.

Why a Special Offering?  It’s a way for us to grow in our faith and to prepare us for what God wants to do through our church in a bigger way in 2017.  It’s a way for us to sacrifice together as a church family and give generously.  This offering is not because we are behind on budget, but rather it is to position us to make a greater impact in our community and in our church in 2017.  Christmas is all about giving.  Many people, during this time of year, are in fact looking for charitable opportunities to give.

What is our goal and where is the money going?  Our overall goal is $50,000!  Is that a big goal?  Yes!  Can we reach it?  Absolutely!  In fact, we gave just over $50,000 last year toward the Christmas Offering.  As always, I am very excited about where this year’s money will be going and the potential Kingdom impact.  The money will be used for Haiti, Student Ministry, Children’s Ministry, our Food Pantry & our Community Partnership.  We feel like these ministries give our church the greatest opportunity to make an eternal impact in the lives of children and families internationally, locally, and at home.

Let me explain each:  Last year a portion of our offering went to dig a well in Haiti.  It ended up being a little bigger of a project than originally anticipated because of the depth they had to drill.  Because of the scope of the project we are now going to help fund a solar energy power source for the well and look into the possibility of helpting the church in Haiti buy the land that the well is on (right now, it’s under a long term lease).  Haiti is one of the poorest countries on the planet.  This is a tangible way to make a lasting impact for generations to come.

Our Student Minstry and Children’s Minstry really need no explanation.  Children and Students are not the church of tomorrow.  They are the church of today.  When a church stops reaching the next generation for Christ, that church dies.  Specifically, we hope that this offering will help cut down the costs of Summer Camp and fully fund VBS.

Throughout the year Coastal does a lot to feed & help hurting families in our community through our Food Bank.  We house our Food Bank in a “make shift” pantry/closet in our old kitchen in the old facility.  Truthfully, the old kitchen is the one room in our old building that we have never remodeled or even touched – calling it dilapidated is being kind.  If we’re going to continue to feed & help people in our community, we’ve got to get this room upgraded and more fully functioning.

And then finally, we want to continue to fund our Community Partnership with Oakland Elementary School.  This past year, for example we gave them $1000 for books/supplies, bought school uniforms, and purchased Christmas gifts for needy families.  Not only do we bring teachers doughnuts and coffee every week, but we paid for the Christian Juggler to perform 4 shows at their school, the Friday before Children’s Day this year.  We want to continue to be known as a generous church in our community.

How much should you give?  Prayerfully consider giving a gift that will stretch your faith and include your whole family.  For some people, coming up with “extra” money is difficult.  We’ve learned that as we give, God provides.  Maybe you decide to give up eating out or buying coffee for 7 weeks and give that money to the Christmas Offering.  Maybe you sell something or have a yard sale.  For some people $1000 above your regular giving is a huge sacrifice.  For others, it’s not.  Maybe there is someone who might be willing to give a large matching gift.  Just like our “All In” Giving Campaign that enabled us to build our new building, we can’t all give the same amount, but TOGETHER, we can all make a similar sacrifice.

Remember, this offering should be over and above what you regularly give.  If you’re not regularly giving, use this time of year to start.  If you’re not tithing (10% of your gross income), step out in faith and start tithing.  Reaching this goal will be a celebration of what God can do through us as together we stretch our faith.

Merry Christmas!

Pastor Chris Rollins

PS – If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

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Friday’s Five – 11-4-16

Dear Coastal,

Okay let me get this reminder out of the way – this Sunday is TIME CHANGE SUNDAY!  Your clocks will FALL BACK one hour on Saturday night.  In other words, you get an extra hour of sleep!  So. . . no one has an excuse to miss church if you’re in town or be late this Sunday.

Now, on to more important things.  I told you that Children’s Day would be a lot of fun!  It was a great opportunity for us to highlight our AWESOME Children’s Ministry – Coastal Kidz!  If you’re looking for a fruitful & fulfilling place to serve at Coastal, look no further than our Coastal Kidz!  They are always in need of volunteers.  But don’t serve in Coastal Kidz just because of need.  Serve because you’re looking for place to make an eternal difference!  Serve because you want to change the world!  Whether it’s teaching, assisting, cleaning, holding babies, escorting parents, checking children in, or running a DVD player/computer, there is a place for you in Coastal Kidz!  Respond to this email or contact Janet Rollins directly at janet@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8299.  We WILL follow up with you!

Next week I’ll be sending out an email to annouce our Annual Christmas Offering!  Our Christmas Offering is our chance to sacrificially give above and beyond our regular offering so that we can fully fund some exciting Kingdom Initiatives.  Be on the lookout for it!

On a very sad note, I want all of you to be praying for Taylor Stewart, our drummer.  Taylor found out this past week that his mom died.  We will be having a Memorial Service for Taylor’s family at Coastal on Sunday, November 13th, probably at 5pm (I’ll confirm that later).  Taylor is not just our drummer – he’s a part of our Coastal family.

Friday’s 5:

  1. There is an important Security Team Meeting TOMORROW Saturday, November 5th, at 9am.  This meeting is for all current Security Team members and anyone interested in serving and learning more about this Ministry.
  2. This is the LAST SUNDAY to bring toys, games, supplies, and shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child!  There is a collection box in the Welcome Center and a table in Child Check-In.  You can also drop off supplies/toys next week at the church office, but the sooner you bring them before our Packing/Wrapping Party on Friday, the better.  Our Packing Party will be at the church on Friday, November 11th, 6:30pm.
  3. New to Coastal?  Interested in learning more our our church?  Like to meet our staff and key ministry leaders, other new people, and discover possible next steps?  Sign up and come to our next Newcomer’s Lunch on Sunday, November 13th, immediately following the 11:15am service.  Respond to this email, sign up online, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  4. Panera Bread is BACK!  And we need volunteers to join the team that picks up the bread each Sunday morning.  If you are interested or would like more information, respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  5. Do you play an instrument?  Can you sing?  We are looking to expand our Worship Team at Coastal!  Auditions will be held on Thursday, December 1st, at 7pm.  If you are interested in auditioning as a vocalist or instrumentalist, please contact our Band Director, Christopher Rollins at chrisrollinsjr@gmail.com, 843-822-0301, or respond to this email.

Rocking the Beat!

Your JAM PASTOR

P.S. If you are interested in sponsoring a full or partial scholarship for a Student for their Winter Retreat (January 13-16), please see our Youth Pastor, Ryan Spell.  The cost of the retreat is $225.

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Operation Christmas Child

Dear Coastal,

This Sunday is your last Sunday to bring items to church for Operation Christmas Child before our Packing/Wrapping Party on Friday, November 11th, 6:30pm.  You can also drop off gifts at the church office any time this week or next, Monday-Friday, 9am-4pm, but the earlier you bring your toys/supplies, the more it helps us prepare.

Here are some ideas for gifts:
Hot Wheel cars, children’s jewelry, coloring books and crayons, small balls, stuffed animals, books, noise makers, yo-yo’s, slinky’s, travel size games, cards, flashlights with batteries, school supplies (pens, pencils, stickers), t-shirts, socks, head bands, brushes, combs, toothbrushes, candy (nothing that could melt).

Donations can be anything a child (ages 2-13) would like that can fit in a shoe box (no perishables, liquids, used items, breakable items, medicines of any kind, or toys that are associated with war or fighting).  We also need large shoe boxes!

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.  Christmas is all about sharing the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, with the world.  We have the opportunity of sharing Christ with needy children in troubled countries by using a simple shoe box filled with gifts of God’s love.  For more information about Operation Christmas Child, check out their website.

We will have several tables set up in the Auditorium and one in Child Check-In for everyone to bring their toys/gifts this Sunday.  Let’s see those tables overflowing with gifts!

Pastor Chris

P.S. Tomorrow would be a great time to pick up candy on sale (nothing that can melt)!

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Online Connect Card

  • If this is your 1st or 2nd time joining us, we'd love to mail you a little more information about Coastal along with a thank you for tuning in today.