This past Sunday night, 119 Middle and High School Students showed up for the kickoff of Coastal Student Ministry! 119! I absolutely LOVE that! And as we walk through this season of THRIVE, I can’t help but think about something you’ve heard me say over and over again: Healthy things grow. They THRIVE! And one of the clearest signs of a healthy, thriving church is that it is always reaching the next generation for Jesus!
Think about it. The Church is always just one generation away from extinction. If we ever stop reaching children and students, if we stop investing in them, loving them, teaching them God’s Word, and helping them build a faith of their own – eventually, we die. That’s why what happened Sunday night matters so much. Our students live in a world that is constantly discipling them. Every day, they’re being told what to believe, what to value, where to find their identity, and what will make them happy. Social media is discipling them. Their friends are discipling them. Our culture is discipling them. The question isn’t whether our students are being influenced. The question is who is influencing them.
That’s why they need the Church! They need a place where they can laugh and have fun, but also a place where they can worship. They need a place where they can hear God’s Word and ask honest questions. They need godly adults who know their names and care about their lives. And they desperately need other students around them who are also learning what it means to follow Jesus.
That’s what CSM (Coastal Student Ministry) is all about! Every Sunday night, our 6th–12th graders gather from 5:30–7pm (doors open at 5pm). They’ll play games, worship together, hear a message from our Youth Pastor, Jacob. They will also break into small groups where they can talk, share, ask questions, pray, and grow together.
Jacob sent me this after Sunday’s kickoff, “Best part of the night was when we paused to pray. Saw a few students leading their group in prayer. Four of our students also shared with the whole group why they love CSM.” THAT’S what gets me excited! Yes, I’m thrilled that 119 students showed up. I look forward to seeing 150 and then 200! Healthy things grow! But ultimately, we’re not just trying to grow a crowd. We’re trying to grow disciples. We’re praying for students who know Jesus, love Jesus, serve Jesus, invite their friends to know Jesus, and aren’t ashamed to live for Jesus!
So parents, let me encourage you: make CSM a priority for your student. I know schedules are crazy. I know there are practices, games, homework, jobs, family commitments, and a thousand other things competing for their time. But there are very few investments you can make in your son or daughter that are more important than putting them in an environment where their faith can grow and where they can build friendships with other students who are growing in theirs.
They may tell you they don’t know anybody. Bring them anyway. They may tell you they’re tired. Bring them anyway. They may tell you they’d rather stay home. Bring them anyway. Because someday, they may just thank you for it. Coastal, this is why we THRIVE. This is why we keep growing. This is why we keep making room. This is why we keep reaching. Because there is another 6th grader who needs a place to belong. Another high school student who needs someone to pray with them. Another teenager who needs to hear that their identity isn’t found in what the world says about them, but in what Jesus says about them. And there is always ONE MORE student who needs Jesus! Let’s keep making room for them. Let’s THRIVE!
Thriving Together!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Downtown Charleston “Hotdog Ministry”: We will be grilling and serving hotdogs to the homeless and hungry downtown! Friday, August 28th, 4pm-6:30pm. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
The Boutique Sort & Stock: Come help sort & organize all the clothes we distribute! Monday August 31st; Friday, September 4th, 10:30am-12:30pm. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
Sweat & Serve: Come help unload the Coastal Box Truck filled with our weekly food pickup! Heavy lifting required (40+lbs). Wednesday, September 2nd, 9:30am-12noon. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd..
The Market Organize & Prep: Come to The Outpost and help keep the Market stocked and organized (and have a lot of fun while you’re at it)! Wednesday, September 2nd, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
Serving in the Market & the Boutique at The Outpost: Coastal feeds and clothes an enormous amount of people. Come to The Outpost and help serve our community (and have a lot of fun while you’re at it)! Thursday, September 3rd, 11am-1:30pm. Meet at The Outpost – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd.
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 Thursday, September 3rd, 6pm-8pm.
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! Friday, September 4th, 8:30am-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 NEXT Saturday, September 5th. 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. - So, have you signed up for a LIFE Group yet? If you haven’t heard, we just unveiled our 2026 Fall Semester LIFE Group Catalog! And just like college, your preferred classes (LIFE Groups) will fill up fast! So, go to our website right now, check out all the different Groups and sign up today. Most of our Groups start the week of September 13th.
- Don’t miss Saturday Serve! Want to get involved in all the Outreach here at Coastal! The best place to start and see an overview of what we do is SATURDAY SERVE! Saturday Serve meets the first Saturday of every month. The next Saturday Serve is Saturday, September 5th. We meet in the Auditorium at 8:30am, Project Leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we go out and serve! Go to our website and sign up today!
- THIS Sunday, August 30th, is LIFE Group Sunday! Before and after each service you’ll be able to visit a table/booth representing each one of our 81 different LIFE Groups (kind of like a Job/College Fair, but for Groups)! You’ll be able to meet other people checking out all the Groups, meet the different Group Leaders, enjoy some fun snacks, ask any questions you might have, and most importantly, sign up for a LIFE Group! I promise it will be a great day and a lot of fun!
- Membership Class: Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Saturday, September 26th, from 9am-12noon, in the Chapel. You can respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card (let us know if you need childcare). Breakfast & childcare provided!
P.S. If you haven’t already done so, please sign up to attend one of our 5 remaining Thrive Campaign Information Meetings. To make it easy for everyone who calls Coastal home to attend one of these meetings, Pastor Chris is leading 12 different meetings (with childcare and refreshments), over the course of 2 weeks, at different times. Pastor Chris will share:
– Why we’re launching THRIVE.
– The vision God has placed on our hearts.
– What we’re planning to build and why.
– How much it is expected to cost.
– How we believe God will provide.
– And he’ll answer any questions you may have.
No one will be asked to make a financial commitment at these meetings. You’ll simply have the opportunity to hear the vision and discover how you can be a part of it.
Here is a list of those 12 meetings. Sign up online, or sign up on your Card on Sunday. Just pick one! Click the link below and sign up today.
8 – Saturday, August 29th, 10am-11:30am, Auditorium (childcare – refreshments)
9 – Sunday, August 30th, 5:30pm-7pm, Chapel (childcare – pizza)
10 – Young Adults, Monday, August 31st, 6:30pm-8pm, Chapel (no childcare – refreshments)
11 – Tuesday, September 1st, 12pm-1:30pm, Chapel (no childcare – lunch)
12 – Wednesday, September 2nd, 6:30pm-8pm, Chapel (childcare – refreshments)
