Take a good look at the picture above and just let it sink in. If that’s not a beautiful, God glorifying picture of life change, then I don’t know what is! It’s Pastor Jacob after he has just baptized ANOTHER one of his Students from CSM (Coastal Student Ministry). Jacob and his entire Team are doing an amazing job! If your Student (6th-12th Grade) is not involved in CSM, why not?! Jacob and many of our Students will be out of town this weekend for a Disciple Now event in the upstate, but next Sunday night, 5:30pm-7pm, do your part and get your Students to Coastal!
And speaking of Baptism, we have yet another Baptism this Sunday during the 3rd service. This Baptism is for a slightly younger Student, a 5th Grade girl who has given her life to Jesus. This young girl has been loved, served, and discipled here at Coastal through things like VBS and Coastal Kidz. Just another example of the emphasis we place on reaching the next generation for Jesus. And yes, if you’re a parent of a young child, how could you ever let anything get in the way of making sure your child is regularly, consistently involved in Coastal Kidz. I can’t say enough good things about Aly, her co-ordinators, and all our Volunteers! They are some of the Super Heroes of Coastal! And if you are interested in joining their life changing Team, reach out to Aly, or sign up on our online Connect Card (select the drop down menu, “Sign Up To Serve On A LIFE Team” and select Coastal Kidz) and Aly will follow up with you.
One last thing, I want to personally invite you to sign up for our “Making An IMPACT” Evangelism Seminar on Sunday, March 16th, 5pm-8pm, in the Coastal Chapel – childcare and dinner provided. I’ll be honest with you, I hate including the word “Evangelism” in any kind of announcement about a training or seminar, not because I don’t believe in evangelism, but because of all the images and fear it sparks in people’s minds. So let me be clear, this is NOT about knocking on doors and asking people you don’t know, if they died tonight would they go to heaven or hell. This is not about standing on a street corner and preaching.
It’s about learning to share your own personal story and sharing your faith (how you became a Christian) with the people God puts in your life, where you live, work, parent, and play. It’s about learning the power of a simple invitation to a church that promises to partner with you and share the Good News of the Gospel. We simply believe that every Christian should have the confindence to do these things. And over time, if you’ve earned the right, built a relationship, prayed for the open door, all of us will have an opportunity to do just that. We just want you to feel empowered and confident to do so when the time arrives. That’s what this Seminar is all about.
And if you’ve taken it before, there’s nothing wrong with a little refresher. Plus, at Coastal, you know we’re going to have fun and feed you well while doing it! I hope you’ll sign up! This is a great way to prepare our hearts and minds for Easter! You can sign up on your Connect Card this Sunday or go to this link and sign up today. I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love being a witness and a participant of what God is doing in our midst! Can’t wait to see you over the weekend!
Much, Much Love!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, TODAY, Friday, March 7th; Monday, March 10th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: TODAY, Friday, March 7th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Double Tailgate Day: Meeting Street & Joseph Floyd Manor: TOMORROW, Saturday, March 8th, 10:30am-1:30pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
2nd Saturday/2nd Meal: TOMORROW, Saturday, March 8th, 9am-12noon. Come serve with us as we prepare a hot meal in the Coastal kitchen and then deliver those meals to one of our awesome ministry partners – organizations like Charleston Vets, S.C. Strong, Brighton Place, Joseph Floyd Manor and more!
Soldier’s Angels: We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, March 11th, 8am-12:30pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
Food Pantry Sort & Stock: Coastal feeds an enormous amount of people. Come to the church and help keep our Food Pantry organized (and have a lot of fun while you’re at it)! Thursday, March 13th, 11:30am-1pm.
Lowcountry Orphan Relief: Lowcountry Orphan Relief provides support services and aid to meet the needs of Lowcountry children identified as at-risk or suffering from abandonment, abuse and/or neglect. Coastal will be serving there, Friday March 14th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
As always, if you are interested in serving in any of these projects, you can sign up on your Connect Card this Sunday or sign up now on our website. If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Chris Jones. - Coastal’s Annual 40 Day Easter Fast begins THIS Monday, March 10th, and goes through Friday, April 18th! Start thinking now about what you’re going to give up to help prepare yourself and our church spiritually for Easter. Sign up on your Connect Card this Sunday, or sign up now on our online Connect Card (it’s on the drop down menu on “My Next Steps”).
- Easter – mark your calendars now, Coastal will be having 7 Easter Services over 3 days: Friday, April 18th, 7pm; Saturday, April 19th, 4:30pm, 6pm; Sunday, April 20th, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am, 1pm. Remember it’s all hands on deck! Sign up now to serve in multiple services!
- Coastal’s Young Adults (20’s & early 30’s) are having a Pickleball Night on Friday night March 21st, 6-9pm, in the Coastal Auditorium. Scan the QR code above or go to this link to sign up! Dinner provided! If you have any questions, reach out to Morgan Rainey.
- If you’re fairly new to Coastal, a great next step is our 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. Our next Newcomers Reception is Sunday, April 6th, in our Chapel immediately following the 11:30am service (at approximately 12:45pm). You can sign up on our website today or on your Connect Card on Sunday!
P.S. Coastal Community Church’s Internship Program is an eight-week, Summer Ministry experience designed to give participants a glimpse into life in ministry. Passionate & gifted participants will gain valuable experience while working alongside Coastal staff members in areas of Administration, Outreach, Worship Arts, Production & Communications, Children’s, or Student Ministries. We will accept mature, older High School Students, but we are mainly looking for College Students and/or young adults. If you’re interested in providing housing for out of state interns, please reach out to rachel@coastalcommunitychurch.org. Find out more and apply by visiting our internship program page at coastalcommunitychurch.org/connect/internships. Also, if you know anyone who might be interested, please feel free to share!
