WOW! WOW! WOW! I can not say enough great things about VBS this week! First of all, we saw 362 children (our largest ever) and had approximately 200 volunteers! And speaking of volunteers, I know I say this all the time, but we really do have the best volunteers on the planet! We could not do all that our church does without you! And you’ve done so much this week with excellence, joy, and enthusiasm! I am proud to be your Pastor! And most importantly, I’ve just loved hearing all the stories this week of children learning about and loving Jesus. That’s why we do what we do! By the way, this is also why we give sacrificially here at our church. And this is why we’ll continue to walk by faith and trust God for big things – so that we can reach the next generation for Jesus!
Speaking of giving sacrificially, right now (not counting tonight’s offering or anything you’d like to give on Sunday) our VBS offering is $20,469.42! That means we are well on our way to paying in full for all the Shanty Homes, flooring, bunkbeds, food, blankets, and supplies for Peru (our goal is $25,000)! If you’d like to give, the easiest way is to text “VBS” to 843-571-1777. Every gift counts, every gift matters!
But remember, VBS is not quite over yet! Tonight is our Party and Closing Program! From 6pm-7pm (weather permitting) we’ll be outside for hotdogs, Kona Ice, and jump castles. And then at 7pm we’ll come inside for songs and a slide show! It’s all FREE, and you’re invited to join us!
One last thing about VBS. To pull off a week long event of this magnitude, with this many moving parts, this many kids, and this many volunteers, it requires great leadership. Aly Huggins has done a great job officially overseeing her first VBS as our Children’s Director. Like all great leaders at Coastal, she is quick to defer and point to all of her leaders and volunteers.
On a personal note I wanted to let you know about something going on with my family – specifically, my mom. Many of you might not even know that my mom has been a part of our church from the very beginning. Well, you probably have seen her, you just didn’t know she was my mom. Most people know her by “Miss Nancy” – Nancy Rankin. My Dad passed away years ago and then my mom remarried.
Anyway, long story short, I took my mom to Roper Hospital downtown on Wednesday for a Heart Cath procedure. She had been having some issues recently and they wanted to see what was going on. They discovered that a stent they had put in about 7 years ago was closing up and in layman’s terms needed to be “cleaned out and opened up.” Everything went well and in fact they sent her home. About 8pm that night she was having difficulty breathing and was rushed to the ER. They admitted her to the Cardiac ICU with an infection, pneumonia, and fluid in her body. They have been flushing out the fluids and treating the infection. Janet and I have been up here in the ICU with her. She’s doing better and hopefully will be downgraded, sent to a regular room, and can go home soon.
We can’t thank you enough for all the prayers and kindness. It means the world to my mom and to me and Janet! But even through it all we’ve been able to see God’s hand. On Wednesday while I was in the waiting room, Megan Shinners from our church “just happened” to walk by. She’s like, “PC, what are you doing here?” I gave her the run down, and then, come to find out she “just happens” to be the head nurse in charge of the whole Cardiac floor at Roper! To say that she has been a Godsend and helpful throughout all of this is an understatement! What do they say? Sometimes Angels wear scrubs! Oh, and then while we were talking, another couple from our church just happened to walk by! And get this, Megan and this other couple have all been volunteering at VBS this week! This will definitely be a VBS I will not soon forget! I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! I love my mom! And yes, I love VBS!
Much Love & Gratitude!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team: TODAY, Friday, July 11th; Monday, July 14th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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 11th; Friday, July 18th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
2nd Meal: TOMORROW, Saturday, July 12th, 9am-11am. 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!
Double Tailgate Day – Meeting Street & Joseph Floyd Manor: TOMORROW, Saturday, July 12th, 10:30am-1:30pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
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 14th, 1pm-2:30pm. Meet at JFM.
Hope Center Tailgate: The Hope Center, managed by the city of Charleston, serves as a one-stop shop in downtown Charleston to assist those who are homeless or who are at-risk of being homeless. We’re sending a Tailgate Team to serve dinner to anyone who is hungry. Meet at Coastal on Tuesday, July 15th, 12pm-3pm.
VA Hospitality Project: This team serves at the VA Hospital in Charleston by providing a hospitality cart, greeting incoming patients and employees, visiting patients, and helping Volunteer Services with small sorting projects. Wednesday, July 16th, 8:30am-11:30am. 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 17th, 11:30am-1pm.
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, July 17th, 6-8pm. Meet at Coastal.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Friday, July 18th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
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.
- Membership Class: Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is THIS Sunday, July 13th, from 5pm-8pm, 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) on Sunday. Dinner & childcare provided!
P.S. Next Sunday, July 20th, Pastor Chris will be kicking off another favorite Summer Sermon Series tradition here at Coastal – “Summer Reading”! “Summer Reading” is where we pick a group of books (see book list and schedule above) 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. We’re not preaching from the books themselves. If anything, 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. We hope you’ll pick up one or two or all of the books and read them over the Summer. After all. . . leaders are what? Readers!