Monthly Archives

January 2019

""/

Friday’s 5 – 1-25-19

Woohoo!  This coming Sunday is probably one of my favorite Sundays of the year!  IT’S LIFE GROUP SUNDAY!  For those of you who have never been to LIFE Group Sunday, let me explain.  Both Sunday morning services are pretty much the same, just a little shorter.  We make them shorter to give everyone more time to go out to the LIFE Group Tent on our front lawn after each service.  Underneath the tent will be tables representing all the different LIFE Groups this semester.  At those tables you’ll be able to meet the leaders, learn more about each Group, meet other people, enjoy some great snacks, AND SIGN UP FOR A LIFE GROUP!  Our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry will have their regular classes and will be ready for pick up at their normal time.  We will make an announcement in the tent when it’s time to pick them up.  There are 3 different ways to sign up for Group at Coastal, but you only have to sign up one time/one way.  You can sign up on your Connect Card, online from our website, or at one of the LIFE Group Tables.  Go to our website, check out the catalog, and sign up for a LIFE Group today!  By the way, our LIFE Groups are for everyone – whether you’re a member of our church, an occasional attender, or even if you’ve never attended on a Sunday.   We’re called Coastal COMMUNITY Church and you (and your friends and family) are a part of our community.  So spread the word and invite someone to join you!

I’ve got some more exciting news to share with you – the best kind of news!  20 Students gave their life to Jesus at the Winter Retreat last weekend!  Let that sink in – 20 STUDENTS GAVE THEIR LIFE TO JESUS!  Coastal, that’s why we do what we do – that’s what it’s all about!!  I met with Pastor Ryan and Ashley Hojnacki (our Office Manager & one of our Student Ministry Leaders) this week to talk about their goals and plans.  Let me just say that I’m so excited about what they have planned for Student Ministry this semester!  God is going to continue to do some amazing things with our Students!  Parents, GET YOUR STUDENTS (6th-12th Grade) TO WAVES WEDNESDAYS!  It kicks off this Wednesday night 6-8:15pm for the New Year! 

I want to let you know and get you excited about a new series that will kick off on Sunday, February 10th.  It’s going to be a Marriage/Relationship series called, “The VOW.”  Whether you hope to get married someday or you’ve already tied “the knot”, I promise you’ll get something out of this series.  The week before the series begins, we’ll be mailing out a large postcard to all of West Ashley inviting people to attend.  So, I want to challenge you to pull out all the stops and invite your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to be your guest.  And then as a part of the series, we’re having our Marriage Conference, February 22nd & 23rd and a special service on Sunday, February 24th, where we will give all married couples during both services an opportunity to renew their wedding vows.  And then, immediately after both services that Sunday we’re going to have our version of a “wedding reception” outside underneath a tent complete with cake, food, pictures, and music!  It’s going to be quite a Sunday to remember!  The whole series is going to be awesome!  Start praying, planning, and preparing now for the people you will be inviting!

I want to thank those of you who took a “Fish” from our “Wish Fish” Table for Oakland Elementary School last Sunday!  ALL OF THEM were taken!  You can drop off your items at the church any time between now and Sunday, February 10th!  As always, thank you for your generosity and making an IMPACT in our community!

LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:

1. Coastal has a large, growing, active, and life changing Ministry called MOPS.  MOPS stands for Mother’s of Preschoolers.  They meet at the church on the 2nd & 4th Wednesday every month during the school year.  They have a huge need that you might be interested in meeting or know someone who would.  They are looking for people interested in helping with childcare.  The childcare workers serve from 9:15am to 11:30am and are paid $20.  If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Carol Wessell at 843-725-8670 or carolwessel@hotmail.com.

2. Our next Saturday Serve is Saturday, February 2nd!  We will meet at the church at 8:30am to debrief and then disburse to serve!  Come make an IMPACT in our community by being the hands and feet of Jesus!  There is always something for the whole family!  And PLEASE, invite and bring someone to serve with you!  If you have any questions about Saturday Serve or ideas for future service opportunities, please contact Chris Jones at 843-870-4613 or jonescg73@gmail.com.

3. Start 2019 off right by officially making Coastal Community Church YOUR church family!   The first Membership Class of 2019 is Monday night, February 4th, 6pm-9pm.  Childcare and light refreshments are provided.  You can sign up for the class on our websiteyour Connect Card,or byresponding to this email.

4. New to Coastal?  Join us Sunday, February 10th in the Welcome Center, immediately following the 11:15am service for our next Newcomers Reception.  This is a great way to learn more about Coastal, meet staff and key volunteers, as well as meet some other new people.  Pizza and childcare provided.  RSVP online or on your Connect Card.

5. During our Marriage/Relationship Series starting Sunday, February 10th (“The Vow”), Coastal is hosting a Marriage Conference – Friday & Saturday, February 22nd-23rd.  The cost is $100 per couple/$50 per individual.  Meals and Childcare are included.  The Conference is open to the anyone in the community, so feel free to invite someone to join you!  See our website for schedule and deposit details ($50 deposit due this Sunday, January 27th).  You can sign up on your Connect Card or from our website online!  We already have almost 90 adults signed up!  My goal is to have over 100!  Don’t miss out on this fun, practical and inspirational event!

P.S. So tomorrow, Saturday, January 26th is my wife Janet’s Birthday!  She’s not on social media so feel free to send her a Happy Birthday text or email tomorrow at janet@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8299.  Help me make her Birthday a special one!

Uncategorized
""/

Friday’s 5 – 1-18-19

I’ve got some exciting news to share!  Our Christmas Offering Goal this past year was – $60,000.  Drumroll please. . . this year WE gave $69,108.57!!  Wow!  Just WOW!  Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  Coastal, I know where your heart is!  Together we are making an IMPACT – ONE life at a time!  Some of that money is already being spent – food and supplies for Saturday Serve, t-shirts at Oakland Elementary School, cameras and security equipment for Coastal Kidz, and the Winter Retreat for our Students.  I want to challenge you to continue to give generously to Coastal.  Your consistent, generous giving allows us to do what we do – share and experience the LIFE & LOVE of Jesus in Charleston and the world!

I want to thank those of you who are “making room for Jesus” by coming to the 11:15am service.  It definitely helped this past Sunday!  Our attendance was the exact same as the week before – 629 – but the crowd was more evenly spread, making more room in the 9:30am service.  We are having serious conversations about adding that 3rd service!  It’s possible that when we add services for Easter this year, we will keep 3 of them moving forward.  We will probably do what we did for last Easter – Sunday mornings, 8:30am, 10am, & 11:30am.  More services means more volunteers.  For those of you serving one service/once a month in various ministries, especially Nursery & our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry, will you consider serving at least twice a month?  That one shift alone will make a huge difference and allow us to continue to grow and reach more people.

We had 69 people show up for Darkness to Light’s “Stewards of Children” Training this past Tuesday night!  It was awesome!  We are definitely going to make it a regular part of our ministry here at Coastal.  In fact, we are moving toward making it mandatory for all volunteers working with children & students.  I want to thank those of you who came.  I hope you got as much out of it as I did.

Our WAVES Student Ministry (6th-12th Grade) is leaving today at 3pm to Pigeon Forge, TN with 75 people for their Winter Retreat!  Please keep Pastor Ryan, all of his volunteers, and all of the Students in your prayers.  Pray for safety and protection, pray that they have a blast, but also pray for lives to be forever changed!  They return to the church on Monday at 6pm.

LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris

Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:

1. You’ll get a chance to preview the Spring Semester LIFE Group Catalog this Sunday in your bulletin!   LIFE Group Sunday will be the following Sunday, January 27th and LIFE Groups will begin the week of February 10th.  And here’s a little secret – you can also check them out and go ahead and sign up online!  Our LIFE Group Leader Training for all Leaders & Assistants is either Tuesday, January 22nd, 6:30pm-8:30pm or Saturday, January 26th, 10am-12noon (pick one).

2. Christmas has come and gone, but the Spirit of Giving never stops at Coastal – especially when it concerns our community and Oakland Elementary School! Beginning this Sunday at Coastal, stop by the “Wish Fish” table in the back of our auditorium, pick a “fish”, commit to purchasing those items, and then bring them back to Coastal by Sunday, February 10th. It’s that simple! Items include things like pencils & erasers, hand sanitizer, art supplies, paper, binders, puzzles and more! Let’s help Oakland and its Teachers & Students start 2019 off right and finish the year well.

3. Start 2019 off right by officially making Coastal Community Church YOUR church family!   The first Membership Class of 2019 is Monday night, February 4th, 6pm-9pm.  Childcare and light refreshments are provided.  You can sign up for the class on our website or byresponding to this email.

4. Friday nights from 5pm-7pm (beginning next Friday, January 25th) will be “Spirit Night” for Coastal Community Church at the James Island Chick-fil-a on Folly Road – yes, that’s EVERY Friday night!  All you have to do is tell them that you’re from Coastal and 10-15% of your order will go back to Coastal!  We’re going to use that money for our Missions/Outreach!  So spread the word and pick up some chicken on Friday nights starting next week!  We’re also looking for some volunteers who will hangout at Chick-fil-a during those hours and hand out our invite cards, instructing people to designate their receipt toward that night’s “Spirit Night” (that’s the key).  Respond to this email if you’re interested!

5. During our Marriage Sermon Series in the new year, Coastal will host a Marriage Conference – Friday & Saturday, February 22-23.  Cost $100 per couple/$50 per individual.  Meals and Childcare are included.  Open to the community.  See our website for schedule and deposit details ($50 deposit due January 27th).  You can sign up on your Connect Card or from our website online!

P.S. New to Coastal?  Join us Sunday, February 10th in the Welcome Center, immediately following the 11:15am service for our next Newcomers Reception.  This is a great way to learn more about Coastal, meet staff and key volunteers, as well as meet some other new people.  Pizza and childcare provided.  RSVP online or on your Connect Card.

Uncategorized
""/

Friday’s 5 – 1-11-19

Wow – everyone must have taken to heart my challenge to make church a priority in 2019.  Our attendance was 629 this past Sunday!  We will be adding an extra row of chairs in the auditorium (especially for the 1st service).  You can help us out by coming early and sitting to the front and center of each section of chairs.  If service times don’t matter too much to you, come to the 11:15am service.  It will make more room in the 9:30am service (by far the fuller service).  But most importantly, come to the service that your guests are coming to!  Also, please park over at the school and leave the up front parking for our guests.  And yes, we are in the planning stages now for adding a 3rd service.  We still have room to grow with our 2 services, but we want to be prepared for our continued growth.

I got a lot of feedback from last week’s message as we kicked off, “In the Beginning.”  It’s really hard to answer all of the questions you might have about the Doctrine of Creation in a Sunday morning sermon.  However, a book that I would highly recommend is Lee Strobel’s, The Case for the Creator.  This coming Sunday, I’ll be talking about Adam & Eve, the Fall of Man, and the tactics that Satan uses to lure us into sin.  I think you’ll discover that he still uses the same tactics today.  Don’t miss it!  And as always, invite and bring friends!

This Sunday is the last Sunday to give towards our Annual Christmas Offering! I’m not going to tell you where we are right now – I’ll announce the grand total in next week’s Friday 5 and at church that week.

Make sure you sign up for a couple of events that are coming up here at Coastal:  the Darkness to Light Stewards of Children Training this coming Tuesday and our Marriage Conference that we’re hosting on February 22nd & 23rd.  You’ll see all the info below.  Register today from our website!

LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:

1. We are putting the finishing touches on the Spring Semester of LIFE Groups!   If you ARE leading a Group, we need all of your Group info (Group Name, meeting day & time, location, description) turned in to Pastor Scott NOW.  LIFE Group Sunday will be January 27th and LIFE Groups will begin the week of February 10th.  Our LIFE Group Leader Training for all Leaders & Assistants is either Tuesday, January 22nd, 6:30pm-8:30pm or Saturday, January 26th, 10am-12noon (pick one).

2. Attention all parents and volunteers who work with children or students:  Coastal is hosting “Darkness to Light” and their “Stewards of Children Prevention Training” THIS Tuesday night, January 15th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm at our church.  The training is free (Coastal is picking up the $10 per person fee).  Spread the word and invite anyone in the community.  The training teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.  It is the only nationally distributed, evidence-informed program proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and change child protective behaviors.  Please RSVP on your Connect Card or from our website online.

3. Start 2019 off right by officially making Coastal Community Church YOUR church family!   The first Membership Class of 2019 is Monday night, February 4th, 6pm-9pm.  Childcare and light refreshments are provided.  You can sign up for the class on our website or byresponding to this email.

4. Mark your calendars and make plans NOW!  Starting on Sunday evenings on February 10th, 2019!  Financial Peace University is a proven program that will show you how to master budgeting, pay off debt, build wealth, and give generously!  Indicate your interest on your Connect Card on Sunday or by responding to this email!

5. During our Marriage Sermon Series in the new year, Coastal will host a Marriage Conference – Friday & Saturday, February 22-23.  Cost $100 per couple/$50 per individual.  Meals and Childcare are included.  Open to the community.  See our website for schedule and deposit details ($50 deposit due January 27th).  You can sign up on your Connect Card or from our website online!

P.S. You should be receiving your 2018 Giving Statement from our church sometime next week.  If you have any questions about your statement, please contact the office (843-571-1777) and speak with Ashley Hojnacki.

Uncategorized
""/

Friday’s Five – 1-4-19

I hope you’ve had a great start to 2019!  Don’t forget that we are back to our normal service times this Sunday – two services, 9:30am and 11:15am.  After a couple of weeks of people being out of town, this is the perfect Sunday for everyone to return!  It’s the first Sunday of the New Year AND we’re kicking off a new series called, “In the Beginning.”  It’s basically an overview of the first book of the Bible – Genesis.  Many people start Bible Reading Plans in January and there are a lot important themes in Genesis that apply to our lives today.  Don’t miss it!  

As you’re praying about goals and changes you want to make in 2019, can I encourage you to include making Coastal a priority.  In an interview with Eugene Peterson (the man who wrote the Message paraphrase of the Bible) before his passing, he was asked, “What is the best advice you could give to a person that would assist his/her spiritual growth?”  His answer, “Find a church near your home, go and participate regularly, shut up and like it.”  I don’t think the interviewer was braced for that response.  But as one who serves in ministry, I understand it.  Jesus called the church His Body, His Bride.  Jesus died for the church.  Jesus started the church.  The church is the Family of God and the only thing that will last on into eternity.  The church is the hope of the world and when done right, there is nothing greater or more powerful than the local church.  However, there is no perfect church – because the church is made up of people, you and me, and there are no perfect people.  Church attendance/involvement is just like any other habit – it’s easy to make excuses and get out of the habit.  So, my advice, make a commitment and push through.  If it’s been a while, come this Sunday.  If you already attend regularly, maybe it’s time you started serving.  Maybe this is the semester that you join a LIFE Group.  And how about this – invite and bring someone with you to church.  You never know the power of a simple invitation. 

LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris

Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:

1. We are putting the finishing touches on the Spring Semester of LIFE Groups!   If you are still interested in leading, assisting, or hosting a LIFE Group, we need to know NOW – respond to this email or contact Pastor Scott.  If you ARE leading a Group, we need all of your Group info (Group Name, meeting day & time, location, description) turned in to Pastor Scott this coming week.  LIFE Group Sunday will be January 27th and LIFE Groups will begin the week of February 10th.  Our LIFE Group Leader Training for all Leaders & Assistants is either Tuesday, January 22nd, 6:30pm-8:30pm or Saturday, January 26th, 10am-12noon (pick one).

2. Woohoo!  THIS Saturday, January 5th is Saturday Serve!  We meet at the church at 8:30am to debrief and then disburse to serve our community!  Come make an IMPACT by being the hands and feet of Jesus!  Projects include the Lowcountry Food Bank, preparation of meals in the Coastal kitchen for My Sister’s House and South Carolina Strong, a tailgate meal and fellowship with the community in North Charleston, the creation of crafts for distribution to the elderly, and service to several young women at Jenkins Orphanage. Many opportunities to serve and yes, we NEED YOU!

3. Mark your calendars and make plans NOW!  Starting on Sunday evenings on February 10th, 2019!  Financial Peace University is a proven program that will show you how to master budgeting, pay off debt, build wealth, and give generously!  Indicate your interest on your Connect Card on Sunday or by responding to this email!

4. During our Marriage Sermon Series in the new year, Coastal will host a Marriage Conference – Friday & Saturday, February 22-23.  Cost $100 per couple/$50 per individual.  Meals and Childcare are included.  Open to the community.  See bulletin insert this Sunday for schedule and deposit details.  You can sign up on your Connect Card or from our website online!

5. Attention all parents and volunteers who work with children or students (honestly, attention everyone who cares about this issue and wants to make a difference):  Coastal is hosting “Darkness to Light” and their “Stewards of Children Prevention Training” on Tuesday night, January 15th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm at our church.  The training is free (Coastal is picking up the $10 per person fee).  Spread the word and invite anyone in the community.  The training teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.  It is the only nationally distributed, evidence-informed program proven to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and change child protective behaviors.  Please RSVP on your Connect Card or from our website online.

P.S. I’ve got some good news, we’re getting close to reaching our goal of $60,000 for this year’s Christmas Offering!  We still have 2 weeks left to give (last Sunday is January 13th).  If you haven’t given yet – GIVE.  Simply use the word, “Christmas” to designate your gift.

Uncategorized

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.