First of all, I want to give everyone an update on my Mom. To say that it’s been a wild and crazy week is quite the understatement. Between VBS and everything that’s happened to my Mom and pretty much staying at the hospital, we’ve lost all sense of time. But a lot has happened in a short period of time, and it’s nothing short of miraculous! In fact, it was one week ago, Friday night at midnight, that they were putting her on life support, telling us that in 3 days we might be facing some difficult decisions. Well, in 3 days, things did change, but for the better! As Christians, we’re kind of used to 3 day miracles from Friday to Sunday, aren’t we? Well, for my mom the miracle was that her oxygen levels kept improving, blood pressure was looking good, kidneys were functioning and flushing out fluids – so much so that on Wednesday they were able to take her off of life support and remove the breathing tube. Again, it was a miracle! Her talking is still a faint, raspy whisper at best, but all in all she is improving. In fact, on Thursday (as I write this), they are moving her out of the CVICU and into a room! She still has a long road of recovery ahead, but we are thankful for every step in this direction. Again, thank you for all the prayers, love, and support! It means so much to my Mom and to me and Janet! We love you!
This Sunday, July 21st, I’ll be kicking off another favorite Summer Sermon Series tradition here at Coastal –“Summer Reading”! That’s right, I’ll be preaching! Typically, over the Summer I kick off both of our series – “At the Movies” and “Summer Reading” and then our other 4 Pastors get a chance to preach. It’s good for me, good for them, and good for you, our church. And at Coastal we happened to be blessed with 4 other great communicators! So I’ll kick off the series this Sunday and then I’ll get another little bit of a preaching break with each of the other Pastors taking one of the books. But don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of me in the Fall when we start preaching through the New Testament book of Ephesians (I’m real excited about that). My message for this Sunday has been done for a while now, and truthfully, it will be good for me to be “back in the saddle” so to speak. I love preaching God’s Word, and I miss it when I’m not. But as I said before, a preaching break is also good for me. And this next break, after this Sunday, comes at a good time for me personally as we figure out my Mom’s recovery and next steps for her.
Now, for those of you who are brand new to Coastal, let me explain this next series. “Summer Reading” is where we pick a group of books for you to read over the Summer, and then the subject matter of each of those books becomes the sermon topic for that particular Sunday. Now before some of you freak out, thinking that we’ve gone heretical, thrown out the Bible, and we’re now preaching from other books instead of the Bible, throw away your email and simmer down. That’s not what we’re doing. We’re not preaching from the books themselves. If anything, I think you’ll discover that during this series you will find yourself compelled to go to Scripture as we point people to the truth of His Word and a deeper relationship with God.
Here is the Book List and the order in which we will be using them:
Lit Up With Love by Dr. Erwin Gray
Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney
Blessed Are the Spiraling by Levi Lusko
Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper
Every Thought Captive by Kyle Idleman
The Benefit of Doubt by Craig Groeschel
A Million Little Miracles by Mark Batterson
So, I hope you’ll pick up one or two or all of them and read them over the Summer. After all: Leaders are what? Readers! Retired Admiral James Stavridis of the US Navy once said this, “The single best way a leader can learn and grow is through reading. So many of our best leaders develop and enhance their ability to lead through endless contact with books.”
One last thing, please keep our Peru Missions Team (28 people) in your prayers! They leave tomorrow morning and will return next Friday night at midnight. Pray for them and the people of Peru they will be serving. I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I truly can’t thank you enough for all the love shown to my family this week!
Much Love & Gratitude!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: TODAY, Friday, July 18th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
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 TODAY, Friday, July 18th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
JFM Fellowship Activity & Devotion: A fun project for kids! We’ll serve at Joseph Floyd Manor (JFM), a public housing facility in Downtown Charleston, playing BINGO with the residents. Monday, July 21st; Monday, July 28th, 1pm-2:30pm. Meet at JFM.
Brighton Place Fellowship Activity & Devotion: This project will allow us to spend some time with the residents and get to know them better through a lively game of Chair Volleyball, a meal, and devotion. Kid Friendly! Tuesday, July 22nd, 1:30pm-3:30pm. Meet at: Brighton Place, 1429 Orleans Road.
Brighton Place Tailgate: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Brighton Place community (here in West Ashley – near Citadel Mall) on Wednesday, July 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, July 24th, 11:30am-1pm.
Downtown Charleston “Hotdog Ministry”: We will be grilling and serving hotdogs to the homeless and hungry downtown! Friday, July 25th, 4-6:30pm. Meet at Coastal.
Ronald McDonald House Meals that Heal – Breakfast: Saturday, July 26th, 7:30am-9:15am. The Meals that Heal program provides a much-needed support service to families taking care of their sick children. Meet at 81 Gadsen St. downtown. Sign up online to provide ingredients needed to cook the meal.
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. - We are in the planning stages for our FALL LIFE GROUPS! LIFE Groups are the primary vehicle at Coastal for community – learning, friendships, fellowship, and care. We typically have all different types of Groups – Bible studies, book studies, activity groups, active groups, support groups, men’s/women’s groups. Would you possibly be interested in leading, assisting, or hosting a LIFE Group this Fall? The Fall Semester begins in September and depending on the Group, lasts for 8-12 weeks. Sign up on your Connect Card or contact Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org if you are interested in leading a Group.
- Newcomer’s Reception: 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, August 17th, in our Chapel immediately following the 11:30am service (at approximately 12:45pm). You can sign up on our website today.
- We are planning our 2nd BEACH BAPTISM of the Summer out at Folly Beach County Park on Sunday, August 10th, 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.
- Coastal Young Adults (20’s & Early 30’s): Did you know that the Coastal Young Adult Ministry has just exploded? They are regularly seeing 40+ at their regular weekly meeting called, “The Porch.” They meet Monday nights in the Chapel, 6:30pm-8:30pm for worship, relevant teaching, small groups, and fellowship. Here are a couple upcoming events/activities:
– Grillin’ & Games TONIGHT, 6pm-8pm on the front lawn at Coastal! There will be music, yard games, and burgers!
– TACO TUESDAY, July 22nd, 7pm-8:30pm at the Coastal Cafe. Sign up online to bring a side!
P.S. Attention all Middle & High School Students & Parents: CSM is hosting a lunch for Students and their families next Sunday, July 27th, 1pm-2pm in the Coastal Chapel. Lunch and Childcare provided.. You’ll hear about the upcoming year at CSM and get a chance to meet other families and your student’s CSM Adult Leaders. Click on this link to register online.
