Many of you probably didn’t know this, but when the sanctuary of our old building was originally built, the wooden ceiling with the large trusses with a cross carved out in the center, that ceiling went from one end of the building to the other end. You just never saw it because it was always closed in. Some of us were aware of it because we’ve been up in the attic. Well, during demolition that beautiful ceiling has once again, after all these years (approximately 70 years), been “uncovered.” In fact, if you look closely in the picture above you can see the large trusses still wrapped in the original brown paper that they were shipped in before construction back in the 1950’s! In our new plans that space is going to be offices. Here’s the exciting news. We’re working with our engineers and builder to leave a large portion of those ceilings open and exposed! What a wonderful tribute to the history of this place!
You know our lives are kind of like that ceiling. Our beauty and potential are sometimes hidden. A few people have a seen a glimpse, but most people are unaware of what lies beneath. But then God does His “demo” work in our hearts through His word, the Holy Spirit, and the Cross of Christ, and what God knew all along is finally revealed for all the world to see. And that’s the journey, becoming more and more everyday as God already sees us and has seen us all along. In fact, this Sunday I’ll be speaking about our true identity in Christ – what God says about us, who we really are. And that’s what we need to be reminded of on a regular basis, especially in seasons of difficulty and pain and in a world of negativity like we all live in. So I hope you’ll join us this Sunday for part 3 of “Hope in the Dark.” Meditate on this verse as you prepare your hearts for Sunday, 1 Peter 2:9-10, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”
Don’t forget that starting this Sunday, both of our in-person services (9:30am & 11:15am) will have Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry! If you are interested in volunteering in Coastal Kidz in any capacity, please respond to this email or reach out to Janet Rollins at 843-442-8299. Just like pre-COVID, our 9:30am service is definitely the larger service. If it doesn’t matter to you which service you attend, would you please consider coming to the 11:15am service. It would help us to continue to spread people out.
I mentioned last week that we now have a Sign Language Interpreter for the deaf and hard of hearing in our 9:30am service, in-person only. Well beginning this Sunday, it will also be available ONLINE during the 9:30am service! If you know of any individuals who would benefit from an interpreter, please help us spread the word!
LIFE & LOVE!
(We exist to share and experience the LIFE & LOVE of Jesus with Charleston & the world!)
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
- Upcoming Outreach Projects:
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 THIS Saturday (tomorrow), October 3rd. We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe, project leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we serve! Come and join us THIS Saturday!
Tricounty Family Ministries – We will be assisting with the Emergency Grocery Distribution THIS Wednesday, October 7th, from 9am until 1pm.
Soldier’s Angels – We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution NEXT Friday (1 week from today), October 9th, 8am-1pm. If you are interested in serving in any of these projects or have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613. - Not only has construction started, but our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry has gone portable! During construction Coastal Kidz will be meeting across the street (where most of you park) at Orange Grove Middle School! We will be setting up Coastal Kidz every Saturday morning at 8:30am. We would LOVE for you to join us! If you are interested in being a part of the Coastal Kidz Set-Up Team, respond to this email or reach out to Janet Rollins at 843-442-8299.
- One of our favorite missions that we support here at Coastal is Operation Christmas Child (OCC). Well, because of COVID-19, OCC is going to look a little different this year at Coastal. We will not be having our big “Wrapping & Packing Party.” Instead our OCC Team here at Coastal and a few other volunteers will pack & wrap boxes with the current gifts/supplies we already have on hand (You can sign up on your Connect Card to be a part of that Team). From this point forward, what we are asking our church is to simply take home the shoeboxes we provide and pack them as a family and then bring back your completed boxes to the church between now and Sunday, November 15th. Weather permitting there will be a table right outside our building 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. You can go to OCC’s website for a great list of suggested gifts/items for the shoeboxes. Different is not bad. We really believe that we still have an opportunity to pack hundreds and hundreds of shoeboxes 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!
- LIFE Groups have started!! But it’s still not too late to join one! Go online right now and check out the Fall Semester LIFE Group Catalogand sign up for a Group today! And yes, you can sign up for multiple groups. There are a variety of groups (both in-person and/or online) on almost every day of the week. YOU NEED THIS! WE NEED THIS! So check them out and join one today!
- As a part of the series (“Hope in the Dark”), we’re providing a daily devotional (5 days a week) and a weekly memory verse for the duration of the series as we read, study, and pray through 1 Peter together as a church. If you haven’t already done so, sign up for the devotional (it will be emailed to you daily)! I really believe this is going to be a great study and a great series for our church and our community! As always, invite and bring a friend to Coastal – either in-person or online.
P.S. Attention Ladies! Have you ever walked through a season where you just felt stuck? You’re invited to an in-person watch party of the “Dare to Be” Women’s Event at the church THIS Sunday, October 4th at 8pm as Charlotte Gambill & Natalie Grant help us discover that God has already given us what we need to MOVE BEYOND! And, guess what? Our church has paid the ticket price for this event, so it’s FREE to you and anyone who wants to attend. Invite and bring a friend, a co-worker, a neighbor, or a family member that needs a moment to reconnect and recharge in an evening of worship and Bible Study lead by women, for women of all ages. For more information or to RSVP, please reach out to Rachel Speer or Dawn Judd.
