I hope you and your family are having a great Friday! As you read this email a group of 32 of us from Coastal are up in Swannanoa, NC (a little town west of Asheville), serving and loving the people in that area. As I write this email (Wednesday morning) I wish I could tell you exactly what we’ll be doing, but as I’m sure you can imagine, the jobs and needs change every day. Honestly, we might not know until we arrive (Thursday morning). But what we do know is that we’re going to serve and work, doing whatever they need. That’s what I love about our church – our flexibility and willingness to serve and adapt. But I will give you a report over the weekend on what we saw and did. One thing that I do know we’ll be doing while we’re there is directly and individually giving away another $20,000 to families in need! Coastal, all of this is only made possible by your consistent generosity. We will only be collecting supplies for another week, so I want to encourage anyone who is going to any area affected by the recent storms to come by the church and pick up supplies (many have already done so). But please don’t forget the we as a church are ALWAYS in need of food for our Community Food Bank. We feed A LOT of people in our community!
You should have received your 3rd Quarter Giving Statement this week by email. This helps our Finance and Admin Team stay on top of any changes or corrections before the end of the year, AND it gives me a chance as your Pastor to say “Thank You!” The best way to make sure your information is current and correct in our database is to TEXT the keyword ME to 843-571-1777. There you can view and update your contact information, manage your giving, access your giving statement, and more!
Guess what? ALL of the Oakland Gift Tags and ALL of the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes have been taken! Now they just need to be returned. Return the Oakland gift items tagged (but not wrapped) by Sunday, October 27th. Return the OCC Shoeboxes to the church filled with toys and gifts by Sunday, November 17th.
Make sure you take a moment to watch the short Baptism video above. It’s a simple collection of a bunch of Baptisms here at Coastal. But each one of those individuals getting Baptized has a story, a testimony. Their story consists of 3 parts – what their life looked like before they met Jesus, how they met and gave their life to Jesus, and now, what a difference Jesus has made in their life, how He’s changed them. And Baptism is a public testimony of all of that. It’s a way of “going public” with your faith. It’s a way of personally identifying with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and the washing away of your sins. Well, on Sunday, October 27th, we’re having Baptism Sunday at Coastal! “But Pastor Chris, I thought at Coastal, we’re ready to Baptize people any Sunday, any service?” Yes, we are! But Baptism Sunday is simply a way to encourage those who are ready to take this next step, to do so. So if that’s you, consider this a “nudge” from me to get Baptized on the 27th of this month. Jesus did it, He commanded it – what are you waiting for? Go to our website and sign up today!
On a personal note, I wanted to let you know about something I’m very excited about. I’ve been a part of a Pastor’s Coaching Group for about 14 years now. I meet with a group of about 20 Pastors from around the country for 2 days, 5 times a year. Most of the time, we’ve met in Florida for our meetings. But this past year we’ve moved some of our meetings to the churches of the Pastors in our Group. And this week, Tuesday & Wednesday, we’re meeting here at Coastal! Being a part of this Group has been one of the most impactful things I’ve ever done over the years for our church and for me personally. I love these men, many of whom have become some of my best friends. Most of them feel like they already know you because of all the things I’ve shared over the years, because many of them follow us on social media, but mostly because of all the prayers they have prayed for me and for you! So in true Coastal style, we’re going to roll out the red carpet next week for these Pastors! We’ve got special gifts and LOTS of food (something we do well) for them! There might even be a few of them who come in to town early and join us for church this Sunday. So pray for them and for our time together here at Coastal this week. I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love what we get to do together!
Much, Much Love!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: TODAY, Friday, October 18th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Hollywood Free Laundry Day: Saturday, October 19th, 6:45am-10:15am join us out at “We Fold It” Laundromat as we provide FREE laundry service for the residents of Hollywood! Meet at Coastal.
Brighton Place Tailgate: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Brighton Place community (here in West Ashley – near Citadel Mall) on Wednesday, October 23rd, 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, October 25th; Friday, November 1st, 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! Friday, October 25th, 4-6:30pm. 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, October 31st, 11:30am-1pm.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Friday, November 1st, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, Friday, November 1st, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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. - Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Saturday, October 26th, 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!
- YOUNG ADULTS social at the Charleston Battery game on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 7pm. The cost is $20 which includes a ticket to the Ultra Lounge private deck, soft drinks, & snacks. Parking is not included in the cost of the ticket. Sign up on your Connect Card or on this link to reserve your spot today! Email Pastor Scott with any questions scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- Grieving? Know someone who is? Join GriefShare’s free, one time event on Monday, November 4th at 2pm or 6pm that will help participants prepare for difficult emotions this holiday season and discover hope for the future. Contact Sue (616-443-6553) with questions or register today at www.griefshare.org.
- Sunday, October 27th is BAPTISM SUNDAY at Coastal – all 3 services, 8:30am, 10am, and 11:30am! The only requirement for Baptism is that you have personally given your life to Jesus. Baptism is a public profession of your faith, and it’s a great celebration! It beautifully illustrates Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. If Baptism is your next step, sign up online today!
P.S. 2025 PERU MISSION TRIP INFO MEETING! There will be informational meetings with Q&A between the 1st and 2nd services and between the 2nd & 3rd services in the Coastal Chapel on Sunday, Nov. 17th. Please stop by to meet with Pastor Scott and hear about the trip, cost, and dates for our Peru Mission Trip in 2025!
P.S.S. There will be an important Safety & Security Team Meeting for all current members and those interested in joining the Team TOMORROW, Saturday, October 19th, 9am, in the auditorium. Come at 8am if you want to help with Chair Set-Up!
