Monthly Archives

March 2017

Friday’s Five – 3-31-17

Dear Coastal,

This Sunday I’ll be talking about Joy through LIFE Change!  One of the great producers of joy in my life is simply knowing that God is not finished with me.  And because I believe in the power of the resurrection, I believe in the power of change.  No one is beyond the power of God for LIFE change!

Now, the question is, how does He do it?  How does God change us?  Is it automatic?  Is it all God?  Do we have a part to play?  Well, when it comes to LIFE change, I believe that the Bible teaches that God has a part and we have a part too.  Philippians 2:12-13 says, “. . .continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.”  According to these verses, we “work out” what God “works in.”  So don’t miss this Sunday as we talk about what tools God uses to work in us and what choices we make to work it out.  Let’s get our work out on!

I hope you’re as excited as I am for Easter this year!  This Easter Sunday also marks our 27th Anniversary as a church!  The time is NOW to start inviting!  Easter is only 2 weeks away!  We’ll be having 3 services on Easter Sunday – 8am (not exactly a “Sunrise Service” – but still pretty early for some of you), 9:30am and 11:15am.  Basically we’re adding the 8am service.  Our mantra, as always, is come to which ever service you have guests coming to.  If it doesn’t matter, come to the 8am or 11:15am.  In fact, to LURE you to the 8am service, we’ll be serving breakfast (shrimp & grits – yes, you read that right!) from 7am-8am.  This Sunday, we’ll have several tools for you to use to invite people and help us spread the word – yard signs, posters, post cards!

Prayerfully consider what you and your family might give as a special offering for Easter Sunday!  Not only do we invest extra money in postage and advertising, but we also try to make sure that we have plenty of resources (Bibles, Next Steps books, etc.) ready for our Guests and those making decisions.  We also try to make small noticeable improvements with our signage and landscaping.  It all works together and it all makes a difference in preparing for growth.  We all can’t give the same amount, but together we can all make the same sacrifice.  And when we prayerfully do that together, that’s when God shows up and does a miracle.  Every gift counts!  Every gift makes a difference!

Friday’s 5:

  1. We’re making plans now for our Summer Semester of LIFE Groups!  The Summer Semester begins the week of June 4th and lasts for 4-6 weeks, right before VBS.  If you are interesed in leading, assisting, or hosting a Summer LIFE Group, the time to let us know is now.  The Summer is a great time for creative, social, or active groups (sports, outdoor fun, cooking, exercise, short studies, dinners, movies, servant evangelism, etc.).  Our Summer Semester helps maintain momentum and connection over the Summer. It’s a great way for people to “try out Groups”.  It’s a great opportunity for new leaders, and it gives our current leaders a much needed rest.  Please respond to this email or let us know on your Connect Card if you have an idea or you’re interested in leading.
  2. Interested in offically making Coastal your church home?  Our next Membership Class is tomorrow, Saturday, April 1st (no fooling), 9am-12noon.  Childcare and refreshments provided.
  3. Coastal is taking a Missions Trip to Peru this Summer, July 31 – August 8, working with New Life Children’s Home, outside of Lima.  There will be a planning meeting for all those interested on Thursday, April 6th, at 6:30pm at the church!  For more information, please see Ryan Spell – ryan@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8985.
  4. Join our Coastal family for “Chairs, Prayer, & Pizza”, Thursday, April 13th, 7pm at the church.  We will be setting up all 500 of our chairs in the auditorium for Easter and most importantly we will be praying!  We will send families and/or small groups of people off together on a guided prayer walk around our facility to pray for our Easter Services, our different ministries, all the people who will be invited, and for people to be saved.  Childcare will not be provided, but if your children are old enough to partcipate, we’d love for you to bring your entire family.  And yes, at the end, we will provide pizza!
  5. Interested in getting Baptized?  Our next Baptism Service will be Sunday, April 23rd (the Sunday after Easter) in both services!  Sign up on your Connect Card or on our website and indicate which service you will attend.   Baptism is a great celebration at Coastal!  Use your Baptism as an opportunity to invite and bring friends, family, neighbors and co-workers!

Filled With JOY!

Pastor Chris

P.S.  For those who are not running/walking in the Bridge Run this Saturday, we sure could use your help with setting up the chairs – Saturday morning, 9am.  We don’t have a t-shirt for you, but we do have a cool Coastal Coffee Mug – actually we’re giving them away on Sunday!

Uncategorized

Friday’s Five – 3-24-17

Dear Coastal,

I hope you’re enjoying this series on “Joy” through the book of Philippians!  For those of you who are fasting, again, you might consider reading through and even memorizing certain verses in Philippians.  This week we’ll be in Philippians 2:1-8.  Paul says, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”  Joy comes from unity.  Yes, we did just get finished with a series on unity, but here again the Bible says that joy coms through unity in relationships.  Don’t miss this Sunday as we talk about how that happens!

Speaking of Sunday, did you notice how many people were in church this past week?  Our attendance was 567!  I think that is our largest “non-special day” (series kick-off, Easter, Christmas, Mother’s Day)!  But then again, every Sunday is special at Coastal!  Easter is going to be CRAZY!  Easter Sunday also marks one year since we moved into our new building!  The time is NOW to start planting seeds and inviting friends, family, and co-workers.  Invite them now and then next week you can follow up with some “invite tools” we’ll have – postcards, posters, yard signs.

I know that I regularly ask you guys to consider volunteering to help set-up our chairs each Saturday morning at 9am (yes – we’d love for YOU to join us tomorrow).  Well, on Thursday, April 13th at 7pm, I want to invite you to something a little different.  We’re calling it, “Chairs, Prayers, & Pizza!”  Yes, we will be setting up the chairs in our auditorium.  Actually, we’ll be bringing in and setting up EXTRA chairs from our container – over 500 chairs for Easter!  And then for those who would like to participate, we want to invite you and your family to walk through our building on a little guided prayer walk.  We’ll be praying over our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry, our staff & volunteers, our outreach, the ONE in our lives that we’re all inviting, and not just for our attendance on Easter but for people to get saved and give their life to Jesus.  Some of you might even consider walking up and down the aisles and praying for those who will be in attendance.  Childcare will not be provided, but if your children are old enough to partcipate, we’d love for you to bring your entire family.  And yes, at the end, we will provide pizza!  It’s our hope that it will be a powerful night of prayer and ministry!

On Big Days like Easter Sunday, we make an intentional investment in marketing and advertising – mailings, yard signs, etc.  Yes, we consider marketing & advertising an investment.  In fact, many of you are at Coastal today because of that investment!  There are only 3 groups of people in any given market.  One – the people currently using your product, going to your restaurant, attending your church, etc.  Two – all the people those people know and interact with.  And three – everybody else!  We use mailings, invite cards, billboards, yard signs, posters, and any other form of adverstising basically for two reasons.  First, to provide “ground cover” and help you reach the people you know (Group 2).  And secondly, to plant a seed and try to reach everyone else (Group 3)!

I share all of that “insider information” with you for a few reasons.  As always, never forget that church is not about you or me. It’s about reaching others!  That’s our mission!  That’s our calling!  And we will do anything short of sin to reach people for Christ.  I also want to remind you to pray!  Don’t just pray for all the people YOU will be inviting to church, pray for EVERYONE who will be getting an invitation!  This Easter we will be mailing out a large postcard to over 67,000 homes!  I also, want to challenge you to give generously and sacrifically.  Each Easter we invest around $10,000 on advertising.  I’m asking you to help pay for that investment in the Kingdom.  Leading up to Easter or on Easter Sunday bring a special Easter Offering above and beyond your regular giving.  You can simply designate your gift, “Easter.”  You can even give to the Easter Offering through TEXTing.  Text any amount (space) and then the word Easter to our giving number (843-277-8337).  One of the 28 lights on our ONE sign is for a man who was origninally invited to our church through our Easter Outreach 4 years ago!  How many seeds will we plant and how many lights will we turn on this Easter?

Friday’s 5:

  1. Easter Sunday is April 16th – just one month away!  We’ll be having 3 services – 8am (not exactly a “Sunrise Service” – but pretty early for some of you), 9:30am and 11:15am.  Basically we’re adding the 8am service.  Our mantra is come to which ever service you have guests coming to.  If it doesn’t matter, come to the 8am or 11:15am.  Start inviting now!  Leading up to Easter, we’ll have several tools for you to use to invite people and help us spread the word – yard signs, posters, invite cards!
  2. New to Coastal?  Want to learn more about the church and find out how to get connected?  Join us this Sunday, March 26th, for the next Newcomer’s Reception, immediately following the 11:15am service in the Welcome Center.  Meet other new people and our staff, enjoy a slice of pizza, and discover possible next steps.  Sign up online or respond to this email.
  3. Interested in offically making Coastal your church home?  Our next Membership Class is next Saturday, April 1st (no fooling), 9am-12noon.  Childcare and refreshments provided.  Sign up online or on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  4. A Missions Trip to Peru is in the planning stages!  Tentative dates are July 31 – August 8.  Please indicate on your Connect Card or respond to this email, if you are interested in going!
  5. Interested in getting Baptized?  Our next Baptism Service will be Sunday, April 23rd (the Sunday after Easter) in both services!  Sign up on your Connect Card or on our website and indicate which service you will attend.   Baptism is a great celebration at Coastal!  Use your Baptism as an opportunity to invite and bring friends, family, neighbors and co-workers!

Filled With JOY!

Pastor Chris

Uncategorized

Friday’s Five – 3-17-17

Dear Coastal,

We had two more people indicate on their Connect Card this past Sunday that they gave their life to Christ!  One was a Student, invited by a friend.  The other was a man who’s family was first invited through their children to the last Egg Drop our church did 4 years ago!  Again, Coastal, I can’t say it enough – you never know the power of a simple invitation!  Pray like it all depends on God; work, love, serve, and invite like it all depends on you;  walk by faith; trust God;  celebrate the results!  We will be lighting 2 more lights (that’s 28 so far this year!) on our ONE sign this Sunday, two more people who have crossed over from death to life!  If you didn’t get ONE this past Sunday, make sure you pick up a ONE lapel pin to serve as a reminder to pray for, love, and reach out to your ONE!

Well, it’s been 17 days, just over 2 weeks since many of you began your Easter Fast.  Honestly, this is a real critical juncture.  It might feel like there is a long way to go until Palm Sunday and yet it also feels like you’ve been in it for a while.  It’s possible Satan has already been whispering in your ear to give up.  Maybe you’ve even had a minor slip or two and Satan was right there to accuse you and tell you to give up, that you’re wasting your time.  Tell Satan to go to Hell (remember, he’s the only one you can tell that to)!  He is the father of lies!  What you are doing has eternal consequences and God is using it to do a work in you.  Don’t give up!  But remember the focus is not on the actual thing you are giving up, it’s to be directed on prayer, your relationship with God, scripture reading, scripture memorization.  And Jesus promised that God will reward you!

Friday’s 5:

  1. Easter Sunday is April 16th – just one month away!  We’ll be having 3 services – 8am (not exactly a “Sunrise Service” – but pretty early for some of you), 9:30am and 11:15am.  Basically we’re adding the 8am service.  Our mantra is come to which ever service you have guests coming to.  If it doesn’t matter, come to the 8am or 11:15am.  Start inviting now!  Leading up to Easter, we’ll have several tools for you to use to invite people and help us spread the word – yard signs, posters, invite cards!
  2. New to Coastal?  Want to learn more about the church and find out how to get connected?  Join us for  the next Newcomer’s Reception, Sunday, March 26th, immediately following the 11:15am service in the Welcome Center.  Meet other new people and our staff, enjoy a slice of pizza, and discover possible next steps.  Sign up online or on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  3. Interested in offically making Coastal your church home?  Our next Membership Class is Saturday, April 1st (no fooling), 9am-12noon.  Childcare and refreshments provided.  Sign up online or on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  4. A Missions Trip to Peru is in the planning stages!  Tentative dates are July 31 – August 8.  Please indicate on your Connect Card or respond to this email, if you are interested in going!
  5. Interested in getting Baptized?  Our next Baptism Service will be Sunday, April 23rd (the Sunday after Easter) in both services!  Sign up on your Connect Card or on our website and indicate which service you will attend.   Baptism is a great celebration at Coastal!  Use your Baptism as an opportunity to invite and bring friends, family, neighbors and co-workers!

Filled With JOY!

Pastor Chris

P.S.  Love to see some new volunteers (with our regulars!) for Chair Set-Up tomorrow morning (Saturday) at 9am.  With just 6 or more people it takes less than 30 minutes, you get to meet other people, have some fun, and serve God by serving others!

Uncategorized

Friday’s Five – 3-10-17

Dear Coastal,

We start a new series this Sunday simply called “Joy.”  My messages will be coming from the book of Philippians.  You might consider reading through the book of Philippians as a part of your 40 Day Fast.  Good thing that joy is NOT dependent on our circumstances, because the temperature drops a little bit this weekend after all this warm weather, it’s supposed to rain, AND it’s Time Change Sunday!  But I know you won’t let any of those circumstances rob you of your joy and keep you from church this Sunday!  By the way, as a little extra treat this Sunday, our Cafe will be serving hot, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies!

Also, on Sunday, a brand new Ministry/Group – “Embrace Grace” – will have a booth set up in the back of our auditorium to answer any questions and to get volunteers.  Embrace Grace provides emotional, practical, and spiritual support for single, young pregnant women who find themselves in an unintended pregnancy.  The primary goal of Embrace Grace is to empower the church to be a safe and non-judging place for the girls to run to when they find out they are pregnant, instead of the last place they are welcomed because of shame and guilt.  So many Christians today claim to be “pro-life” and yet they do very little to help the lives of the hurting all around them.  If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved, please contact Sara Kurzen (doula1335@gmail.com) or Meghan Kane (meghan.kane1419@gmail.com).

Friday’s 5:

  1. Easter Sunday is April 16th!  We’ll be having 3 services – 8am (not exactly a “Sunrise Service” – but pretty early for some of you), 9:30am and 11:15am.  Basically we’re adding the 8am service.  Our mantra is come to which ever service you have guests coming to.  If it doesn’t matter, come to the 8am or 11:15am.  Start inviting now!
  2. New to Coastal?  Want to learn more about the church and find out how to get connected?  Join us for  the next Newcomer’s Reception, Sunday, March 26th, immediately following the 11:15am service in the Welcome Center.  Meet other new people and our staff, enjoy a slice of pizza, and discover possible next steps.  Sign up online or on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  3. Interested in offically making Coastal your church home?  Our next Membership Class is Saturday, April 1st (no fooling), 9am-12noon.  Childcare and refreshments provided.  Sign up online or on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  4. SAVE THE DATE:  June 19th-23rd – Student Life Camp (6th-12th Grade) in Myrtle Beach, SC!  Cost: $250.  10% off of your total cost if you register by 3/15.  Deposit of $125 due by 4/16.
  5. There will be a Memorial Service for Willie West, this Tuesday, March 14th at our church, at 11am.  There will be a reception for everyone immediately follow the Service at the James Island Yacht Club.  Please respond to this email if you would be willing to help with parking or serve as a greeter at the doors for the service.  Both need to be at the church by 10am.

Filled With JOY!

Pastor Chris

P.S.  Don’t forget to “Spring Your Clocks Forward” one hour on Saturday night!  It’s Time Change Weekend!

Uncategorized

Friday’s Five – 3-3-17

Dear Coastal,

I hope you’re having a great day!  I’ve been out of town all this week.  The first part of the week I’ve been in my Pastor’s Coaching meeting and then on Wednesday our staff joined me for a small conference associated with my Coaching.  Approximately 6 times a year (every other month) I meet together with about 25 other Pastors from around the country for time of learning, accountability, and growth.  I very affectionately call it my “Pastoring for Dummies” meetings.  We typically meet in Orlando, but this week we’ve been in Charlotte.  And then usually twice during the year, our staff joins me for a conference at the end of those weeks with other churches.  It’s always a great time of learning, growing, and team building.  We really do have a great staff at Coastal!  They are each very gifted, they love the Lord, they love you, and we love each other!

I’m praying for all of you who are participating in our Easter Fast (March 1st – April 9th-Palm Sunday).  Right now we have over 150 people who are fasting and praying!  I’m so excited to see how God is going to use this time in your life and in the life of our church.  By the way, if you haven’t started yet, don’t think you can’t join in.  Just start today.

One of the things that I definitely want everyone to pray about over these 40 days, whether you’re fasting or not, is Easter Sunday, April 16th and everything that goes along with our Easter Services.  Pray for your ONE, pray for everyone we’ll be inviting, pray that people will get saved and that we’ll turn on many more lights on our ONE sign, pray for our Ministry Leaders, pray for our Volunteers, pray for our Staff, pray for me, pray for my message.  I’ll be starting a new series Easter Sunday on Forgiveness.  I would also encourage you to give a special Easter Offering on Easter Sunday.  Special services require extra expenses.  Marketing, mailings, signage, postage, advertising all cost money.  However at Coastal we consider these investments worth making.  As a part of your Easter Fast, pray about how you might be able to make a financial sacrifice on Easter Sunday.

Last year on Easter Sunday we had our largest attendance in the history of our church – 958.  I believe that this Easter we can break 1000!  Do you?  I believe that God is up to something at our church and that He is using us to draw people to Himself.  The easiest way for our church to break 1000?  Each person at our church invites and brings a friend.  But no matter what our attendance is on Easter Sunday, our attitude is always:  pray like it all depends on God, work and invite like it all depends on us, walk by faith, trust God with the results, and celebrate the outcome!  We’ll be having 3 services on Easter Sunday:  8am, 9:30am, 11:15am.  The rule of thumb is to come to the service that your friends will attend. However, if it doesn’t matter to you, consider coming to the 8am or 11:15am service.  We’ll have the auditorium filled with chairs but the 9:30am service is by far already the fullest service.  So make room for more people and plan on coming to the early or late service.  And plan on volunteering now!  Contact your Ministry Leader and let them know that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to do your part to make Easter a success!

This Sunday is our last Sunday of “UNITED WE STAND.”  So far we’ve talked about unity in our country, in our families, and on Sunday we’ll finish up this series by talking about unity within our church.  On March 12th (Time Change Sunday) we start a series called “Joy.”  My messages will be coming from the book of Philippians.  You might consider reading through the book of Philippians during your 40 Day Fast.

Friday’s 5:

  1. Remember to pray ONCE a day, for ONE minute, at ONEpm, for ONE person – the power of ONE!  If you’re new to Coastal, ONE represents that one person in your life that needs a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  We all have a ONE in our life.  Most of us have many ONE’s – friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, people who aren’t connected to a church family and who don’t know Jesus.
  2. New to Coastal?  Want to learn more about the church and find out how to get connected?  Join us for  the next Newcomer’s Reception, Sunday, March 26th, immediately following the 11:15am service in the Welcome Center.  Meet other new people and our staff, enjoy a slice of pizza, and discover possible next steps.  Sign up online or on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  3. Interested in offically making Coastal your church home?  Our next Membership Class is Saturday, April 1st (no fooling), 9am-12noon.  Childcare and refreshments provided.  Sign up online or on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  4. SAVE THE DATE:  June 19th-23rd – Student Life Camp (6th-12th Grade) in Myrtle Beach, SC!  Cost: $250.  10% off of your total cost if you register by 3/15.  Deposit of $125 due by 4/16.
  5. Go ahead and mark your calendar now, Coastal’s week of VBS will be July 17th-21st, 6pm-8pm!  This year’s theme is, “Maker Fun Factory – Created by God, Built for a Purpose!”  See Janet Rollins if you’re interested in serving – janet@coastalcommunitychurch.org!

UNITED WE STAND!

Pastor Chris

P.S.  As always, Chair Set-Up tomorrow morning at 9am at the church!

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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.