Not to rub it in, but as you read my email this morning, Janet and I are in the mountains (no cell phone, no internet), on a lake, and I’m either reading a book or fishing on that lake. Janet is probably sleeping in, after staying up late sewing (yes, she brings her sewing machine on vacation), dreaming about what she’s going to sew today! We’re on vacation and enjoying every minute of it!
I want to share something with you that, at first glance, might seem like it’s all about me. But it’s really not. It’s about a loving, faithful, gracious God, and it’s about you. Last week, we took our Staff to a “Church System’s Boot Camp” Conference in Orlando, Florida. It’s a part of the Pastor’s Coaching Network that I’ve been a part of for the past 12 years. We all stayed together in a house near the conference, ate together, had fun together, and yes, took a deep dive into the systems of our church and learned and grew together. Well, at the Conference, I was awarded the 2022 Renegade Pastors Icon Award. It’s a Lifetime Achievement Award that honors Pastors and Leaders for excellence in abandoning average in life and ministry. Honestly, when I first found out, my initial thought was, “Why me?” My second thought was, “Do you know something I don’t know?” You see, I usually associate Lifetime Achievement Awards with people who have finished their life’s work and by God’s grace I’ve still got a lot of life to live and a lot left to do here at Coastal.
But the real humbling honor of this award was that I was asked to share our story at the Conference – the Coastal story. Our story is not normal. And for a lot of Pastors around the country and a lot of churches, it is a story of great, great hope. You see, our church was a very small church for a very long time. Not only were we portable, setting up and breaking down, every week for 14 years, but for almost 20 years, we were a church of no more than about 100 people. Now, that is in no way meant to demean or diminish those first 20 years of our church or other small churches. Those were some of the best years of my life and I always believed that we were doing great Kingdom things. While we have this obsession in our country with fast and big and celebrity Pastors and mega churches, most churches in America are under 200 and are doing great things. Today’s church planters are told that if their church doesn’t break the 200 barrier in the first 2 years, it’s likely they never will.
Well, don’t tell that to our God and don’t tell that to Coastal! In the last 12 years our church has grown from a church of around 100 people, to a church of over 1200 people in-person and online, from a church with me and occasionally a Youth Pastor or an intern as the only Staff, to a church with 5 full time Pastors and multiple other Staff members. This past Easter we had 6 services over 3 days and saw over 2800 people in-person and online! And we’re just getting started! Together we’re going to beat down the gates of Hell and rescue people, one life at a time! We’re going to love and serve and share and feed and clothe and invite and pray and teach and give until we have nothing left and there is no one left to reach! And by God’s grace, I’m going to lead the way, until He calls me home or comes again! Coastal, I hope you’ll join me – the best is yet to come! After the conference was over, I had a publisher come up to me and give me his card. He said that our story is one worth writing down and sharing and he’d love to help me make that happen. Who knows? I might just do that. But here’s what I want you to hear loud and clear – YOU are the Coastal story, God’s redemptive story. I’m just humbled and honored to be a part of it. I love you Coastal, I love what we get to do together, and I love being your Pastor! See you when we get back!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team – Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes TODAY, Friday, August 5th (and again August 12th), 9am-11am. 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, August 6th. We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe at 8:30am, project leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we serve!
Chair Set-Up – Come early tomorrow to Saturday Serve – 7:30am – help set up all the chairs in the auditorium.
Soldier’s Angels – We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, August 9th, 8am-1pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
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, Friday, August 12th. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
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. - We are planning another BEACH BAPTISM out at Folly Beach County Park on Sunday, August 14th, 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. At Coastal we call it “going public,” 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.
- We are planning another BEACH BAPTISM out at Folly Beach County Park on Sunday, August 14th, 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. At Coastal we call it “going public,” 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.
- Training for new Fall Life Group Leaders will be offered on Monday, August 15th, 6:30-8pm or Saturday, August 20th, 9-10:30am. Returning leader’s training will be online on Thursday, August 11th, 8-8:30pm. All leaders only need to attend one session. Sign up on your Connect Card to RSVP. Life Group Sunday will be September 11th and Fall Life Groups will begin the week of September 18th! Contact Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org if you have any questions.
- Have you signed up for a LIFE Team yet? Our LIFE Teams are the volunteers who carry out the mission of Coastal (Coastal Kidz, 1st Impressions, Cafe, Security, Tech, Worship, Prayer, Office, Students, Online Engagement, CARE Team). If you call Coastal your home, ask yourself this question – what is my ministry and where am I serving on Sunday mornings? For the month of August, as we move into the Fall, we’re focusing on everyone who calls Coastal home, finding a place to serve on Sunday mornings. Simply put – there is a place for you at Coastal! Sunday morning is still the primary way in which new guests get connected to our church. And to create an environment where those people feel like our welcomed, expected guests in our home, it requires a large and growing volunteer army. Are you in that army? This Sunday, you’ll get a LIFE Team Catalog with all the different opportunities to serve. There will also be signs and sign up lists on our Kiosk for you to check out and sign up. But why wait? You can go to our website, check out all the different opportunities to serve, and sign up today!
P.S. Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Saturday morning, August 27th, 9-11:30am. You can respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday. You can join us either in-person or online through Zoom.
