This year is a very special milestone at Coastal for two of our Pastors. Both Pastor Ryan Spell and Pastor Scott Huff are marking ten years of ministry on our staff! As I reflected on that this week, I was reminded what an incredible blessing that is—not only for them, but for our entire church family. In today’s ministry world, long-term staff stability is becoming increasingly rare. Yet for ten years these two men have faithfully served, led, invested in people, and helped carry the mission of Coastal forward. Their gifts are different, their personalities are different, and their ministry journeys are different, but they share the same commitment to Christ, His Church, and the people of Coastal.
Pastor Ryan has faithfully served our students, our worship ministry, and our production teams with excellence, humility, and a heart for Jesus. Pastor Scott has invested in countless students, families, leaders, and ministries, always willing to step into whatever role is needed to help move our church forward.
I honestly believe one of the reasons God has blessed Coastal through the years is the strength, health, and stability of our Staff Team. Healthy churches are built by faithful people serving faithfully over time, and we have been blessed with leaders who have done exactly that.
I also want to express our gratitude to their wives, Lori Huff and Gracie Spell. Ministry is never a solo calling. So much of what happens on a church staff is only possible because of the sacrifices, encouragement, flexibility, and support of spouses who often serve behind the scenes without recognition. We are deeply grateful for the ways they have invested in our church family through the years.
The church will be honoring Pastor Ryan and Pastor Scott with a gift. But I hope you’ll take a moment to thank them personally and let them know how God has used their ministry to impact your life and the lives of countless others over the years – Pastor Ryan Spell / Pastor Scott Huff.
Most of all, let’s thank God for His faithfulness. Ten years is a wonderful milestone, but I truly believe the best is yet to come. God continues to open new doors, create new opportunities, and expand our influence for His Kingdom. I’m grateful for where we’ve been, excited about where we are, and filled with anticipation for where God is leading us next. I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love the Pastors, Staff, and Volunteer Team that we get to do LIFE with here at Coastal! And I can’t wait to see you on Sunday for the kick-off of “At the Movies” and our Beach Baptism!
With Much Love & Gratitude!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
NHC Fellowship & Hospitality Project: Those in skilled-nursing centers are arguably some of the most neglected people in our society. The hope of this project is to send a reminder to the residents of the facility, in which we are serving, that they are not alone. This kid-friendly project will consist of loving on the staff and residents through words of encouragement, quality time and snacks and more! TODAY, Friday, June 5th, 10am-12noon. Meet at: NHC Skilled Nursing Facility, 2230 Ashley Crossing Dr, Charleston, SC 29414.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Join the team as we travel over to Patriot Villas, a veterans housing facility in North Charleston, to provide encouragement in the form of a fresh hot cup of Coastal coffee, a Krispy Kreme donut and community. We’ll spend the morning serving the veterans, fellowshipping, building relationships and thanking them for their service! TODAY, Friday, June 5th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Come help sort & organize all the clothes we distribute! TODAY, Friday, June 5th; Monday, June 8th, Friday, June 12th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
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 TOMORROW, Saturday, June 6th. We meet in the Auditorium at 8:30am, Project Leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we go out and serve!
Beach Baptism: Come out and help serve those who are getting baptized by hosting, welcoming, and signing in those who are participating. Sunday, June 7th, 3:30pm-6pm, Folly Beach County Park. Look for the Coastal Box Truck!
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, June 8th, 2pm-3:30pm. 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, June 9th, 1:30pm-3pm. Meet at: Brighton Place, 1429 Orleans Road.
Soldier’s Angels: We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, June 9th, 8am-12pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
The Market Sort & Stock at The Outpost: Coastal feeds an enormous amount of people. Come to the Outpost (1050 St. Andrews Blvd.) and help keep our Food Pantry organized (and have a lot of fun while you’re at it)! Wednesday, June 10th, 11:30am-1pm.
Sewing Project: Sewing experience not required! Come and acquire a new skill while helping others in the community. This team of volunteers will work on zippered pouches, lap quilts, and blankets. Meet at Coastal on Wednesday, June 10th, 5pm-8pm.
Charleston Vets Tailgate: Charleston Vets is home to 35 struggling, local veterans who have sacrificed so much in service to our nation. Join us as we head out to connect with these veterans, share an evening meal, laugh alongside them, play some lively rounds of Bingo and share a devotion to help them grow closer to the Lord! Wednesday, June 10th, 6pm-8:30pm. Meet at Coastal.
Sleep In Heavenly Peace Bed Delivery Project: This team from Coastal will help to deliver beds, alongside brand-new linens, to well deserving but underserved children all over Charleston. There will be some light lifting and assembly required but will be heavy on both love and encouragement. We’ll bring comfort, love, and encouragement to the families we serve. Meet at Coastal on Wednesday, June 10th, 6pm-8:30pm.
Serve at Lowcountry Food Bank: Come spend a couple of hours with us as we serve in the LCFB warehouse! Wednesday, June 10th, 9am-12noon. Meet at: Lowcountry Food Bank, 2864 Azalea Dr, North Charleston, SC 29405.
Brighton Place Grocery Distribution Set-Up: Come unload, sort, and stage supplies for our distribution the following day! Wednesday, June 10th, 9:30am-12noon. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
Brighton Place Grocery Distribution: Come help residents of Brighton Place shop for their grocery needs! Thursday, June 11th, 10:15am-12:15pm. Meet at Brighton Place.
Serving in the Market at The Outpost: Coastal feeds an enormous amount of people. Come to The Outpost and help keep the Market stocked and organized (and have a lot of fun while you’re at it)! Thursday, June 11th, 11:30am-1pm. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
Serving in the Boutique at The Outpost: Coastal clothes an enormous amount of people. This team receives, inspects, sorts, and prepares thousands of items of donated clothing every single month to ensure our outreach teams are ready to assist those in need in our community. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd., Thursday, June 11th, 11:30am-1pm
Kid Friendly Market Team: Children get the opportunity to sort and organize and serve in our Market Ministry. Thursday, June 11th, 6pm-7:30pm. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
Picnic Table Build at Charleston Vets: Calling all “Handymen & Handywomen. Come help build and assemble picnic tables for our Veterans at Charleston Vets. Meet at Charleston Vets – 8102 Millstone Dr., North Charleston. Thursday, June 11th, 6pm-8pm.
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. - Mark your calendars now – Coastal’s VBS is July 13th-17th, 6-8:15pm for children 4 years old – 5th Grade. This year’s theme is, “Rainforest Falls – Exploring the Nature of God!” Registration for Volunteers and children is open! Go to our website and register today!
- What’s your Next Step at Coastal? Here’s a great one for those of you who are new:
– 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, June 14th, in our Chapel immediately following the 11:30am service (at approximately 12:45pm). You can sign up on our website today. - 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. Check out all the projects next week listed above! All the projects are loaded on our website and you can start signing up TODAY!
- THIS Sunday, June 7th, we kick off one of our favorite sermon series traditions here at Coastal – “AT THE MOVIES”! In fact, this is our 17th year doing the series! If you’re new to Coastal, don’t worry. We’re not preaching from the movies themselves. We simply use them as a hook to talk about spiritual truth straight from God’s Word. As always, there will be popcorn, movie trailers, and cool giveaways! Make sure you pick up the microwave popcorn invite tool this weekend to invite your friends to the series. ALL 1st Time Guests (and the person who invited them – YOU) will receive a FREE Movie Ticket to Citadel Mall Theater throughout the entire series! So mark Sunday, June 7th, on your calendar, and start praying about who you will be inviting and bringing to church during the series! We’ll also be taking the kids (and anyone who wants to come) to a FREE movie (Toy Story 5) on Tuesday, June 23rd at 10am at Citadel Mall Theater (doors open at 9:30am)!
P.S. We are planning our Annual BEACH BAPTISM out at Folly Beach County Park THIS Sunday, June 7th, at 5pm. In fact, we now have 86 people signed up to get Baptized!! 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.S. Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21st! As always, it’s going to be a great celebration at Coastal with a gift for all the men, grilled WINGS outside under a tent, fun giveaways at the end of each of our services, FREE Kona Ice for everyone, a Family Photo Booth, and Baby & Child Dedication during all 3 services! If you would like your family to participate in the Baby & Child Dedication, sign up on your Connect Card this weekend or right now online. Include your child’s full name and the service you will be attending. Baby/Child Dedication is a special time for parents to commit their children to the Lord and to renew their commitment as parents to raise their children in a Christ centered home.
