Monthly Archives
Over the years we have been so very blessed at Coastal with an AMAZING Worship Team! Worship is one of the essentials to our weekly experiences at Coastal and we are always looking for gifted vocalists, musicians, and worship leaders to add to our ever-growing worship team! So, if that describes you (or someone you know), if you love to worship and enjoy being a part of a team that grows together in their faith while leading others to worship, then we want to hear from you! Sometimes I think people mistakenly think that a certain ministry is “full” or doesn’t need anyone else. That is not true of any of our ministries at Coastal – especially our Worship Team! Please email our band director Christopher Rollins at chris@coastalcommunitychurch.org with your interest and any info that would be helpful for us to know about you and your talents. Christopher will respond with the audition process and all the information you will need!
You should be receiving your 2020 Giving Statement from our church this week. If you have any questions about your statement, please contact the office (843-571-1777) and speak with Ashley Hojnacki. If you consider Coastal your church home or if you have been blessed by the ministry of our church, we want to encourage you to continue to be faithful with your generosity. Whether you are worshipping online or in-person, you can give through our website, our App, or TEXT any amount to 843-277-8337. It’s simple, safe, secure, and convenient! Your generous consistent giving allows us to “share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world!” Thank you so much for your faithfulness!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
I personally gave my life to Jesus on June 11th, 1981. I was 13 years old, getting ready to turn 14. It was a Thursday night at Senior Week of Camp at Camp Edisto in Branchville, SC. This Summer I will have been a Christian for 40 years! One of the many things I’ve been thankful for over the years are all the teachers, preachers, and mature Christians that God put in my life who taught and discipled me. One of the things I was taught early on is to pray for those who are in positions of authority – government leaders, the President, Senators, members of Congress, Judges, Mayors, City Council, Police, etc. Even if I disagreed with their politics or policies, I was taught to pray for them and to honor the position. Why? Because in God’s word, 1 Timothy 2:1-3, it says this, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.”
What’s interesting is that Paul links praying for our leaders to our mission of sharing the good news of the Gospel. In the past 40 years of being a Christian I have now had the honor of praying specifically for 6 Presidents and their families – Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. I have not always agreed with each of their policies or politics, but I have honored the position and prayed for the person and their families. This past Wednesday, January 20th I began praying for my 7th President as a Christian – President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (the first woman – and woman of color – to hold this position). I simply ask you to join me in continuing to pray for our leaders and our country. Why? Because God tells us to “so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” And because God “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” And NOTHING is more important than that!
Right or Left, Conservative or Liberal, don’t ever let your politics and/or your passions supersede following God’s Word and living out the priority of sharing the Gospel. If you do, you have allowed something in your life to become an idol. And for those of you, every 4 years, who shout, “Not my President,” when your candidate loses, I’m pretty sure that Jesus also said that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. You see, either way, PRAY!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
DON’T MISS THIS SUNDAY! Online or in-person, you are not going to want to miss everything that is gong to be happening at Coastal! First of all, we’re going to be unveiling OUR BRAND NEW BOX TRUCK! And let me tell you this, it is AWESOME! We can’t wait to start using it in the community! It’s going to be parked outside in front of our building AND for those of you watching online, don’t worry, I’m going to be doing my “pre-service show” from outside in front of the truck (plus we’ll show a picture of it during my sermon)! That way everyone will be able to see it! So make sure that if you’re watching online that you tune in 10 minutes before the service begins. We would not have been able to purchase the truck without your generous giving toward our Christmas Offering. And that’s another thing that’s happening this Sunday – at the beginning of my sermon, I’m going to announce our Christmas Offering total! I can’t wait to share with you what God did through our church!!
And if all of that were not enough, OUR NEW 2021 WINTER/SPRING LIFE GROUP CATALOG IS NOW AVAILABLE!! As always, there are 3 ways to sign up for a LIFE Group, but you only have to sign up one time/one way. You can sign up online from our website, on your Connect Card (in-person or online), or at the LIFE Group Tables/Sign-up sheets in the back of the auditorium. We have 23 different LIFE Groups this semester – online and/or in-person Groups, activity Groups, study Groups, and more! There is something for EVERYONE! Make sure you check out our catalog and start signing up today! Unless otherwise indicated in the catalog, all of our Groups begin the week of February 14th. We were created for community, to do LIFE together! We need this – YOU need this!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
First of all, let me just say that I am deeply troubled by what we’re all seeing unfold in our nation. Honestly, I’m still processing it all, but my heart is broken. I ask you to join me in praying for our nation. But while I am troubled, I am not surprised, and more importantly, I am not without hope. Why? Because Romans 5:20 says, “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant.” You see, I still believe that the light shines brightest in the darkness. And if we are going to heal, if we are going to overcome the divisive spirit in our land, I believe that we as followers of Jesus have to lead the way. I’ve said it for years, and I believe it now more than ever, Jesus truly is the ONLY hope of this world – not a President, not a political party, not any policies. This world is not our home and ultimately our only allegiance is to Jesus and His Kingdom. Our collective mission is still the same – to share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world! That’s all that matters, and that is what’s needed now more than ever before.
This Sunday, January 10th, we’re kicking off a new sermon series called, “This Is My Year.” Each week we’re going to look at a different area of your life where if you will make a commitment to follow through, it will make a huge impact. And this first area I want us to talk about is the most important one. It’s the most important one because it affects every other area of your life – your health, your relationships, your finances, your family, everything. We’re going to talk about your personal relationship with God, your spiritual life. This is the foundation. If this is out of whack, if this is out of alignment, nothing else in your life will line up or be all that it could be. Everything else flows through this. So, “2021, this is my year to take my next step spiritually.” We talk a lot about next steps here at Coastal. Why? Because everyone has one. No one has fully arrived. No one is a finished product. We all have next steps to take. So come this Sunday as we talk about what that looks like in your spiritual life. And don’t forget that this Sunday we’re back to our 2 regular in-person services at 9:30am & 11:15am. And as always, all of our services are available online. If you are online don’t forget to jump on about 10 minutes earlier for our little “pre-show.”
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Happy New Year everyone! 2021 is finally here! But guess what? Jesus is still on the throne, God is still in control, and our mission is still the same – “to share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world!”
I sincerely hope you and your family have had a wonderful Christmas! And let me say how awesome Christmas Eve was at Coastal, both in-person and online! I want to thank all of our volunteers who served so joyfully! We could not do what we do without you! I especially want to thank all of our Tech Team & Worship Team who came very early and were here for all 3 services! There was just something extra special this year, lighting candles and singing together.
For those of you who have had some time off from work this week, I hope you’ve been able to rest, refresh and enjoy spending time with family. This is a great time of the year to reflect on 2020 (the good and the bad) and dream about 2021. I’m sure many of you have a love/hate relationships with resolutions. I get it. I prefer the word goals. Over the next several days, I would encourage you to set some goals for 2021 and share them with someone. There is tremendous power in simply writing them down and then sharing them with someone else. Categorize your goals – Faith, Family, Fitness, Finances, Friends. Maybe you like these categories better: Spiritual, Intellectual, Emotional, Physical, Marital, Parental, Social, Financial, Vocational. I truly believe that 2021 is going to be a great year at Coastal!
Well, to help us start off 2021 in the right way, on Sunday, January 10th, we’re kicking off a new sermon series called, “This Is My Year to. . .” We already have a direction for the series, but I would love to hear how you would respond. You know, “This is my year to get out of debt. This is my year to grow spiritually. This is my year to forgive. This is my year to lose weight/get healthy.” You get the idea. So, if you don’t mind, reply to this email and let me know how you would respond.
And as you’re praying about goals and changes you want to make in 2021, can I encourage you to include making Coastal a priority? “This is my year to fall in love again with the local church!” 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 (especially if you’re trying to stay engaged online). So, my advice, make a commitment and push through. If it’s been a while, get back in the habit this Sunday. If you already attend regularly, maybe it’s time you started serving. This Saturday, tomorrow at 8:30am, is the first Saturday Serve of the New Year! I can’t think of a better way to start serving and to kick off the New Year than to come to Saturday Serve (see below). Maybe this is the semester that you join a LIFE Group. How does your giving reflect your commitment to the church? Is it consistent? Generous? Maybe this is the year you officially become a Member of Coastal. Our next Membership Class is Monday night, January 25th, 6-8:30pm. And how about this – invite and bring someone with you to church (again, in-person OR online)! You never know the power of a simple invitation.
Don’t forget that we’re only having ONE IN-PERSON SERVICE this Sunday, January 3rd at 9:30am (no 11:15am in-person service)! However, as always, you can watch all of our services (9:30am, 11:15am, and 6pm) on our Facebook page, our YouTube channel, or at https://coastalcommchurch.churchonline.org.
Happy New Year!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
SUNDAYS
8:30am, 10:00am, 11:30am
460 Arlington Drive,
Charleston, SC 29414
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