Woohoo! It’s finally here! The first of our 7 services, over the next 3 days, BEGINS TONIGHT! I can’t wait to celebrate with you and your friends & family! Our service times are: Friday (TONIGHT), April 18th, 7pm; Saturday (TOMORROW), April 19th, 4:30pm, 6pm; Sunday, April 20th, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am, 1pm. It’s still looking like our Saturday at 6pm service and Sunday at 1pm service are going to be the least crowded services of the seven if you want to avoid the crowds. So, one last time, if you haven’t done so yet, please go to our website and let us know which service you and your guests will be attending. Historically, our Sunday, 10am service is PACKED! We will be adding extra chairs, and we will have our Chapel open and set up for overflow. So, I need our regular Coastal folks to be prepared to move over to overflow to help make room if necessary. Remember, it’s not about you. We’re willing to do whatever it takes to reach as many people as possible.
But most importantly, it’s still not too late to make that call, send that email or text, walk across the street or the office, and invite someone to church this weekend! You never know the power of a simple invitation. 44 years ago a friend from school invited me to church. One week later, I ended up giving my life to Jesus and committing to full-time Christian ministry! Simply put, it changed my life! Who do you know that needs Jesus?
A few other quick reminders about Easter at Coastal: Parking & Seatingreally is important on Big Days like Easter, especially Sunday morning. Please, please park as far away as possible (at Oakland Elementary School – the first right immediately past the Greenway) and sit to the front and center of each section. And this is important – COME EARLY, especially if you or your guests have children to check in! With more guests on our campus, make sure you’re even MORE gracious, kind, loving, and helpful to everyone! Again, it’s not about you.
PRAY! Pray for everyone who has received an invitation to come to church. Pray that not only will they say yes, but that their hearts will be open and receptive to the Gospel. Pray for me, my voice, my energy, and my message. Pray for our Worship/Tech Team. Pray for Coastal Kidz and all the children they will see over the weekend. Pray for all of our Volunteers that they will be ambassadors for Jesus and His church this weekend and all of our Guests will feel like our welcome, expected Guests in our home. And speaking of Guests, make sure you escort yours to Guest Services to receive their free gift. Fill out a Connect Card (yes – there will be giveaways at the end of each service) and encourage your Guests to do the same. As a Staff and as a church, we started working on and planning for Easter back in January. Yes, there is still time to invite people, but for the most part the work has been done. Now, we continue to pray like it all depends on God. We walk by faith and trust Him. And then we celebrate the results!
One more thing – with Easter being so late this year, Mother’s Day is just around the corner, May 11th! As always, it’s going to be a great celebration at Coastal with a gift for all the women, fun giveaways at the end of each of our 4 services (there will be another 1pm service on Mother’s Day), FREE Kona Ice for everyone, a Family Photo Booth, and Baby & Child Dedication during all 4 services! If you would like your family to participate in the Baby & Child Dedication, sign up on your Connect Card this weekend. Include your child’s full name and the service you will be attending. I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I can’t wait to celebrate this weekend with you!
He Is Not Here! He Is Risen!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: TODAY, Friday, April 18th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Brighton Place Tailgate: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Brighton Place community (here in West Ashley – near Citadel Mall) on Wednesday, April 23rd, 6-8:30pm. Meet at Coastal.
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, April 24th; Thursday, May 1st, 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 April 25th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Downtown Charleston “Hotdog Ministry”: We will be grilling and serving hotdogs to the homeless and hungry downtown! Friday, April 25th, 4-6:30pm. Meet at Coastal.
Ronald McDonald House Meals that Heal Breakfast: We will be preparing meals for the residents of the Ronald McDonald House. Saturday, April 26th, 7:30am-9:15am. Meet at Coastal.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Friday, May 2nd, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, Friday, May 2nd, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
Saturday Serve: The foundation of all of our serving opportunities at Coastal really starts with Saturday Serve – the first Saturday of every month. The next Saturday Serve is Saturday, May 3rd. We meet in the Auditorium at 8:30am, Project Leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we go out and serve!
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. - One of the ways our church marks the beginning of Summer every year is through something called Summer of IMPACT! If you are fairly new to Coastal, Summer of IMPACT is a month-long effort (the entire month of June) where we as a church saturate our community with the love of Jesus through simple acts of service. It’s basically what we normally do all throughout the year, but MULTIPLIED during the month of June! In fact, there are over 70 projects this year and there is something for everyone. You simply sign-up and then show-up. It’s that easy. Every project has a leader and every project is well-organized. You’ll be able to see a calendar of all the projects this weekend at Coastal and all the projects are loaded on our website and you can start signing up TODAY!
- Coastal Day at the Riverdogs! Join us on Sunday, May 18th, at 5pm at the Charleston Riverdogs baseball game! Reserve your FREE tickets by texting TICKETS to 843-571-1777. Literally text the word “TICKETS” and then hit send. If you text anything else it will not work. You will then be sent a link to fill out your information for your ticket request. Tickets will be distributed digitally to your email. We bought 1000 tickets to give away and after 2 weeks we’ve only got approximately 200 left! A member of our Worship Team will be singing the National Anthem. And our very own Children’s Director, Aly Huggins will be throwing out the first pitch! Don’t miss this fun day with your Coastal family!
- Are you grieving the loss of a spouse or do you know someone who is? Join one of the FREE special GriefShare sessions on Monday, May 19th at 2pm or 6pm at Coastal to discover practical advice from others who’ve been there. Learn what to expect in your grief, find how to cope with life without your spouse, and more. Register at www.GriefShare.org or contact Freeda (540-903-5030) or Sue (616-443-6553).
- We are planning our Annual BEACH BAPTISM out at Folly Beach County Park on Sunday, June 8th, at 5pm. You can sign up for it on our website. The only requirement for Baptism is that you have personally given your life to Jesus. Baptism is a public profession of your faith, and it’s a great celebration! It beautifully illustrates Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. If you’re unable to participate in our Beach Baptism, remember at Coastal we’re ready for you to get Baptized any service, any Sunday. If you are interested in getting Baptized, simply respond to this email, sign up on your Connect Card, or sign up on our website.
P.S. Mark your calendars now – Coastal’s VBS is July 7th-11th, 6-8:15pm for children 4 years old – 5th Grade. This year’s theme is, “True North – Trusting Jesus in a Wild World!” Registration for Volunteers and children is now open! Go to our website and register today!
P.S.S. Mark your calendar for our next Coastal Night of Worship – Wednesday night, May 28th, 6:30-8pm! Invite your friends and family to join us for a night of prayer, worship, and encouragement. RSVP now for childcare (birth-kindergarten) on your Connect Card.
