It’s hard to believe that Easter weekend is just ONE WEEK AWAY! For the first time ever, all of our services will only be online! Never did we imagine just one month ago that these would be our circumstances. But that’s okay, God wasn’t caught off guard! What the enemy meant for evil, our God has the amazing ability to use for our good and His glory. Even though church buildings will be empty, guess what? The tomb is also still empty and Jesus is alive! And so instead of having 7 services on our campus, we’re going to have 19 services Friday-Sunday! Take that Satan! So you’ll have plenty of opportunities to invite your friends and celebrate!
Our Easter Theme this year is “Welcome Home”, which now is somewhat ironic BECAUSE EVERYONE IS STUCK AT HOME!! And the graphic (see above) is pictures of people hugging and embracing after coming home, AND NOW WE’RE NOT ALLOWED TO HUG EACH OTHER! I know what you’re thinking, “Wow, y’all really blew that one.” I don’t think so. You see, “Welcome Home” is not about a place, anymore than church is about a building. It’s all about the fact that you can come home to God, that He is ready and waiting to embrace you and welcome you home no matter who you are, where you’ve been, or what you’ve done. And that’s a message worth sharing! So do your part and Invite your friends to join you online for Easter @ Coastal this year! 19 services over 3 days – Friday, April 10th: 7pm; Saturday, April 11th: 9am, 10:30am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm, 3pm, 4:30pm, 6pm, 7:30pm, 9pm; Sunday, April 12th: 7am, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm, 5:30pm, 7pm. Make sure you reach out and invite your friends to watch (emails, texts, phone calls), check-in each time you watch a service, share our social media posts leading up to Easter and over the Easter weekend.
And speaking of “online church”, let me give you a few tips to get the most out of your online worship experience:
- Make a literal appointment to attend a Coastal Online service each Sunday. Decide which service you will attend in advance (9:30am, 11:15am, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm), put that time in your calendar and don’t miss it!
- Log into https://coastalcommchurch.churchonline.org (it’s the best platform to watch the service) on your computer, tablet or phone 5 minutes before the service begins to check that your connection is working correctly and get into the right mindset to worship God.
- Get dressed – haha! We joke about worshipping in your pj’s and honestly there’s nothing wrong with that. However, for some of you that extra step of getting a shower, putting yourself together a little bit, and grabbing your morning coffee might help in being fully alert and prepared for worship.
- There can be a lot of distractions when you’re attending Church Online, so turn off notifications on your phone and tune out all distractions so you can tune into God’s message to you.
- Make sure you check out the message outline and take notes. You can copy and paste your notes directly into a document and save it to your computer. Or, print out the outline and take notes by hand.
- Fill out your online Connect Card every week. It lets us know you are there, you can take spiritual next steps, and it allows us to keep you updated on what’s happening at Coastal.
- Give online or by text (843-277-8337) during the service. It’s so important to remain faithful in this area – especially as the ministry of our church continues even while we’re not able to meet in person each week.
- Worship, don’t just watch. When attending Church Online, it might feel like you’re just watching. But worship isn’t a spectator sport, so sing along with the music, read verses aloud, and pray with me too. Interact with each other and the staff in the comment section. Let it be a worshipful experience where you learn, grow, and really connect with God.
- If you have kids – click on the “Coastal Kidz Online” tab for a great age-appropriate Bible lessons, worship, and weekly activities. And if you have 6th-12th Grade Students, make sure they’re following wavesstudentministry on Instagram to stay up to date with all the online activities and groups!
Know that we care about you and your spiritual growth. And even though we are separated physically – we can still grow together spiritually!
If you have a specific prayer request, please respond to this email or email me directly at pastorchris@coastalcommunitychurch.org. We are here for you, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
- It’s hard to believe, but our 100 Day Challenge is just about over (today is day 94)! Over the last 3 1/2 months we’re read through the 4 Gospels together. Well, how would you like to continue to read through the New Testament for the rest of the year? We’ve provided a weekly reading schedule to do just that (see above)! Today’s reading is John 16 and this week’s verse has been John 14:6.
- Operation Christmas Child has grown so much at Coastal that it is now a YEARLONG Mission of our church! Each month we will feature a “donation of the month” to help us better prepare for the thousands of boxes we will pack and wrap in the Fall. This month (April) we are encouraging everyone to bring stuffed animals that will fit in a shoebox. Even though our Sunday morning Services are online right now, you can still drop off OCC items during the week at the church. If you have any questions, please reach out to Teresa Spell.
- All of our LIFE Groups have now gone online! Join a Group and experience community, connection, and prayer each week. You can go to our website and sign up today! If you might be willing to start/lead a new online Group, please respond to this email or reach out to Pastor Scott. Let us equip you to help keep our church connected.
- Did you know that we have 5 Blessing Boxes in the community! Consider choosing a Blessing Box as a family and restock it with non-perishable food, toiletries, and even notes & cards of encouragement. This can be done by going directly to the Blessing Box. Here are the addresses to our Boxes:
413 Geddes Avenue, Charleston
928 Savage Road, Charleston
2758 East Surrey Drive, North Charleston
1998 Hugo Avenue, North Charleston
1050 St. Andrews Blvd., Charleston - Don’t forget to take advantage of your FREE membership to RightNow Media! It is an amazing resource that Coastal pays for everyone to have access to. You can watch some amazing Bible study videos, devotionals, etc. by just searching the topic you’re interested in. There’s great stuff for kids too! It might give you some great stuff to watch while you’re stuck at home “social distancing!” Here is the link: https://www.rightnowmedia.org/Account/Invite/COASTALSC.
P.S. For those of you who normally give to Coastal on Sunday mornings by check, cash, or card swiping, we want to help you to continue to be faithful with your generosity. If you would like us to mail you offering envelopes or step you through online giving, please respond to this email or call the church office (843-571-1777). Your weekly gifts are a vital resource that allows us to continue the work that God has called us to do. When you continue to give during this crisis, your gifts allow us to maintain critical ministries that many depend on. Thank you so much for your faithfulness!
