We had an amazing kickoff to the new year this past Sunday at Coastal! We had 1172 people in attendance and another 905 online. Most importantly we had our first baptism of the new year! This past year we baptized 171 people! Our goal for 2025 is 200 – 1 down 199 to go! I preached a message on finances and it must have struck a chord because we had 17 people sign up for Financial Peace University through our website and we had 14 first time givers on Sunday!
Speaking of our attendance – the 10am service was PACKED! We even had to bring in extra chairs! Truthfully, we had seats available in the room, we’ve just got to do a better job of filling in those seats and not leaving open seats between you and someone else. If not, once the service starts and people are standing and singing, it’s hard to find empty seats. In fact, we’re going to start training our Ushers to seat people as they come in the 10am service, filling in all available seats. Please help us make this happen. We never want to turn anyone away because we couldn’t find seats. In fact, if you see that happening, especially with someone new, be willing to give up your seat. As always, if you are able, please consider coming to the 8:30am or 11:30am service. This definitely helps. These are good problems to have. Problems are simply opportunities to test our willingness to do whatever it takes to reach people.
This Sunday is my annual, “The Year In Review/Year Ahead” message – kind of a “State of the Church” address. Don’t miss it! Our natural tendency, is to dwell in the past, to live in the past, to get stuck in the past. And all that does is keep us from experiencing all that God has in store for us today and where He is leading us tomorrow. Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Sunday will be an opportunity to celebrate God’s faithfulness and what He did through Coastal this past year. And it will be an opportunity to expand our vision for the new year. I’m asking God to help us see something more, something that challenges us as a church. I’m asking the Lord to give us a glimpse of what Coastal could do and become. I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love what we get to do together! And I can’t with to see you on Sunday!
In His Service & Yours!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, TODAY, Friday, January 10th; Monday, January 13th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: TODAY, Friday, January 10th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Double Tailgate Day: Meeting Street & Joseph Floyd Manor: Saturday, January 11th, 10:30am-1:30pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
2nd Saturday/2nd Meal: Saturday, January 11th, 9am-12noon. 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!
Soldier’s Angels: We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, January 14th, 8am-12:30pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
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, January 15th, 8:30am-12pm. 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, January 16th, 11:30am-1pm.
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, January 16th, 6-8:30pm. 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, Friday, January 17th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
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. We meet at Coastal on Tuesday, January 21st, 12noon-3pm.
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. - As we begin 2025, we are having a Coastal Kidz Volunteer Training for all Coastal Kidz adult and student volunteers. We are offering the training twice: THIS Sunday, January 12th, 12:45PM (lunch & childcare provided) OR Saturday, January 25th, 9AM (childcare provided). You only need to attend one. CLICK HERE to register for the Coastal Kidz Volunteer Training. You can also text the word “training” to 843-571-1777. Childcare is available by REGISTERING HERE or texting “trainingchildcare” to 843-571-1777.
- Training for new Spring Life Group Leaders will be offered in-person on Saturday, 1/18 from 9-10:30am. OR Tuesday, 1/21 from 6:30-8pm. Returning leaders’ training will be online on Thursday, 1/23 from 8-9pm. All leaders only need to attend one session. RSVP on your Connect Card this Sunday. Contact Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org if you have any questions or are interested in leading a Group.
- THIS Sunday, January 12th is the LAST DAY to give to our 2024 Annual Christmas Offering! With the offering so far we’ve already purchased both the new box truck and a 15 passenger van (we’re just waiting to wrap both of them)! We’ve also sent $10,000 to the New Life Children’s Home in Peru! And we’ve given Soldier’s Angels $20,000 to pay for half of the food distributions for the year! There is still much left to be done, but none of this would be possible without your generosity! Every gift counts, every gift matters. To give, all you have to do is designate your gift “Christmas” on your check, offering envelope, online, or TEXTing (843-571-1777). You can give your gift any time until January 12th at any of our regular Sunday morning services, or anytime through TEXTing or our website.
- Coastal Young Adults Weekly Streaming of “The Porch!” If you are in your 20’s or early 30’s you are invited to our NEW weekly gathering to stream “The Porch” including small group discussion! Every Monday night, 6:30pm-8:30pm in the Coastal Chapel, beginning Monday night, January 27th! For more information, please contact Pastor Scott Huff.
P.S. What’s your Next Step at Coastal? Here are two possible next steps:
– 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, February 9th, in our Chapel immediately following the 11:30am service (at approximately 12:45pm). You can sign up on our website today.
– Membership Class: Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Saturday, February 15th, 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) on Sunday. Breakfast & childcare provided!
