The story goes that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec and to wait for the British land forces to arrive so he could support them when they attacked the city. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints on the towers of a nearby cathedral, and so he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. When the signal was finally given to attack, the admiral was helpless because he had used up all his ammunition shooting at the “saints.”
Unfortunately, the same could be said about a lot Christians today. God calls on us to do something great for Him, but often we have nothing left to give because we’ve used up all our energy attacking each other. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 5:15, “But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.”
Don’t miss this Sunday as I’ll be wrapping up Romans 14, where the Apostle Paul addresses how Christians relate to each other when it comes to non-essential, debatable issues. Romans 14:13, “So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.” The message here is clear: love will not put a stumbling block in our brother or sister’s path. That’s the whole point of this passage. It all comes down to whether or not we are acting in love. I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love what we get to do together! See you Sunday!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas – Today, Friday, October 27th, 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, October 27th, 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! Today, Friday, October 27th, 4-6pm. Meet at Coastal.
Chair Set-Up: Come and help set up our chairs in the auditorium, TOMORROW, Saturday, October 28th, 8pm. Many hands make for quick and light work! Usually Chair Set-Up is in the morning, but because of the CSM Conference it’s in the evening this week – 8pm.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, Friday, November 3rd, 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, November 4th. We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe at 8:30am, project leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we serve!
Blood Drive: On Saturday, November 4th, 8:30am-1:30pm (during Saturday Serve), our church is hosting a Blood Drive! The Blood Connection mobile truck will be in our parking lot. Check out the insert in your bulletin on Sunday and use the QR Code to schedule an appointment! Let’s help our community!
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 at 843-870-4613. - Operation Christmas Child (OCC) – sharing the love of Jesus and the Good News of the Gospel through gifts & supplies in a simple shoebox for children in troubled countries/areas all around the world! You guys are AMAZING! We had 1000 shoeboxes that we were handing out – and they are ALL gone! So now we’re simply asking you to fill the boxes you took home and then bring them back to the church between now and Sunday, November 12th. Way to go Coastal!
- Mark your calendar for our next Coastal Night of Worship – Wednesday night, November 8th, 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.
- The Way Young Adult Gathering – All young adults (college to 30ish) are invited to join us this Wednesday night in the Chapel at 6:30pm. There will be dinner along with worship, a message, and table discussions with other young adults. Invite a friend and come hang out with us!
- Oakland Elementary School Teacher Classroom Wishlist Tags! ALL 150 tags have been taken. So now, simply purchase the items, return them to the church (tagged, but not wrapped) by Sunday, November 19th. Questions? Contact Rachel at rachel@coastalcommunitychurch.org. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
P.S. Grief Share will be hosting a free, one night event on Monday, November 6th, at 2pm or 6pm, called, “Surviving the Holidays.” This event will help you discover how to deal with the difficult emotions of the holiday season, give helpful tips on how to survive social events, and discover hope for the future. Contact Sue Muoio at s.muoio@outlook.com with questions or register at www.griefshare.org.
