A good friend of mine pastors a church in New York City. He says that he hears people say all the time, “New Yorkers are rude!” His response, “No, we’re just in a hurry.” Haha – I’m not sure if either statement is completely accurate, but I do know this – rudeness and meanness are definitely on the rise today. You see examples of that everywhere – people losing it on airplanes, cursing outbursts in grocery stores, fights at school board meetings, and the utter nastiness all over social media. I mean people are more abusive of each other, physically and verbally, than at any other time before. It just seems like people are on edge, ready to go off at any moment. What we used to know as common courtesy is just not so common anymore. Obviously, people are in a hurry today, but I think it’s more than that. I think being self-absorbed is probably the #1 reason we aren’t kind anymore. We are thinking about ourselves so much that we just don’t notice the opportunities we have all around us to show God’s love through kindness.
But we can’t let that happen. And here’s why. Because God gives us divine moments every day. Moments where God orchestrates encounters between us and another person so that we can show them kindness in a way that might change their life, that might show them God’s love! Kindness is so much more than just being nice or agreeable. It’s not just NOT hurting someone else. It’s love in action! Kindness looks for a way to improve somebody’s life. Kindness builds people up. Again it’s LOVE IN ACTION.
And that’s what we’ll be talking about on Sunday as we continue our series on the Fruit of the Spirit. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. . .” Out of all of the fruit listed in Galatians 5, kindness may be one of the most underrated fruits on the stand and yet the most needed today. The famous Quaker missionary, Stephen Grellet, once said, “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” He’s right. We only have one life to live. I pray that God would open our eyes and our hearts to see all the opportunities for kindness around us and that we would actually DO them – love in action. I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! And I can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!
BE KIND!
Pastor Chris
- One of our favorite missions that we support here at Coastal is Operation Christmas Child (OCC) – sharing the love of Jesus and the Good News of the Gospel through gifts & supplies in a simple shoebox. What we are asking our church (YOU) is to simply pray and ask God how many shoeboxes He wants you to fill, take home the shoeboxes we provide, pack them as a family, and then bring back your completed boxes to the church between now and Sunday, November 14th. Our kiosk in the Welcome Center will be filled with shoeboxes ready to take home each Sunday. This would be a GREAT opportunity for you to teach your children about generosity, the true meaning of Christmas, and the love of Jesus. This year, you can also build and send these boxes directly through OCC’s website without even leaving your home! Go to Coastal’s Build a Shoebox Online Challenge Page and for only $25 you can build shoesboxes that are used to reach “the ends of the earth – hard to reach places” by abiding by strict custom regulations. Heres the link https://sampur.se/3Ao3bXv. Through this link, you will also see a running total of how many online boxes are built and credited to Coastal’s count for this year. Help us reach our goal of packing over 1000 shoeboxes this year and share the love of Jesus with children all around the world! Pray about how many boxes your family would be willing to pack, step out in faith, grab a few shoeboxes on Sunday, and help us do just that!
- Young Adults (18-25 years old) join us for Passion Conference in Atlanta, GA on Jan. 2-4! Join 40,000+ other 18-25 year olds while being challenged by God’s Word to be a movement of His love to this world with amazing speakers, artists, & musicians. You will worship, celebrate, grow in your faith, & build new friendships. Cost is $225 due by Nov. 30th. See more details and signup at www.coastalcommunitychurch.org/passion-conference/
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate – We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Patriot Villas, Wednesday, October 20th, 6pm-8:15pm.
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, October 22nd, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Tricounty Family Ministries – We will be assisting with their Emergency Grocery Distribution, Wednesday, October 27th, 9:45am-12:30pm. Meet at: 2105 Cosgrove Ave. North Charleston.
Clothing Team – Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes on Friday, October 29h, 9:30am-11:30am.
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’re serving our community by rolling up our sleeves – literally! As part of our November 6th Saturday Serve, Coastal is hosting a Blood Drive from 8:30am-12:30pm at the church. Every donor will receive a $10 gift card. You can use that gift card to meet your own needs or you can donate the gift card back to the church where we’ll use it to help struggling neighbors in our community. Let’s come together as a church and donate life! You can easily sign up for a convenient time slot by clicking here: https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/179413.
- Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Saturday morning, November 13th, 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.
- Two of our Support Groups – Grief Share & Divorce Care – are both having a “Surviving the Holidays” seminar. Grief Share’s seminar will be Thursday night, November 4th, 6:30pm-8:30pm. To RSVP or for more information on Grief Share contact Sue Muoio at s.muoio@outlook.com or register at www.griefshare.org. Divorce Care’s seminar will be Thursday night, November 16th, 6:30pm-8:30pm. To RSVP or for more information on Divorce Care contact Tracy Trunkle at tandttrunkle@aol.com or register at www.divorcecare.org/holidays. Both of these events will help you discover how to deal with emotions, give helpful tips on how to survive holiday social events, and discover hope for the future. Spread the word – both of these Groups and this event are open to the public!
P.S. Mark your calendars now! Coastal will be hosting a night of praise and worship on Friday night, November 19th, from 7-8:30pm. Invite your friends and family to join us for an evening of worship, prayer, and encouragement. Childcare will be provided.
