Last Sunday Pastor Scott preached about the amazing grace we have in Christ from Ephesians 2:1-10. And we were reminded that our salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And so now this Sunday I’ll be in the second half of Ephesians 2, where Paul wants us to understand how that great salvation is lived out within the church. Or to put it another way, we’re moving from justification to joining, from believing to belonging. Romans 12:4-5 says, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” And yes, this is one of those passages where I’ll say, “Turn to your neighbor and say, ‘We belong to each other!'”
But seriously, what does that mean, PRACTICALLY, for you and for me here at Coastal? Is that verse an accurate description of your involvement here? Are you connecting with others here? What if I were to ask you, “who here really knows you, knows your struggles, your dreams?” It’s the difference between going to church and being the church. The church is not a place you go to, it is a family you belong to – big difference!
Just as there are different levels of maturity, there are also different levels of belonging. Let me mention 4. And as I describe each one, ask yourself this question, “Which of these describes my level of belonging here at Coastal?”
LEVEL 1: MEMBERSHIP – CHOOSING TO BELONG. This is self-explanatory. This is simply where you find a church family and you choose to officially get connected with that family. And that family of believers becomes your church home where you’re going to give and be given to, where you’re going to serve and be served, and where you will love and be loved. This Sunday is our Newcomer’s Reception. This is a great first step on the path to Membership. You’ll meet other new people, hear from our Pastors, Staff, and Ministry Leaders, and hear my heart and our story. And then our next Membership Class is Sunday, November 9th, 5pm-8pm. Both meetings are in the Chapel. And at both meetings we provide childcare and food.
LEVEL 2: FRIENDSHIP – LEARNING TO SHARE. In Romans 12, after writing in vs. 5 that “we belong to all the others,” down in vs. 10 of that same chapter, Paul wrote, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” The word translated love there is the close, affectionate love that is shared between good friends. What’s the difference between an acquaintance and a good friend? An acquaintance is somebody that you may occasionally say hello to on Sunday mornings. A good friend is somebody you’ve actually gotten to know outside of our Sunday morning gathering. This level of belonging is a belonging that fosters friendships. And if you are new here and were to ask me how to do that at Coastal, I’d encourage you to get plugged into a LIFE Group. That’s not the only way to develop close friendships, but it’s a great way to start.
LEVEL 3: PARTNERSHIP: DOING MY PART. Partnership is realizing that I’ve got a contribution to make, that the family of God needs me. 1 Corinthians 3:9 says, “We work together as partners who belong to God.” Isn’t that a great statement? That’s a terrific description of the church! Notice, “we work together.” In other words, we haven’t been saved to sit and soak in some spiritual spa. We’ve been saved to serve, to give, and to share. You see, it’s great to share your heart, that’s level two, but it’s even greater to do your part, that’s what this level is all about. Join a LIFE Team and start serving.
LEVEL 4: KINSHIP – LOVING ONE ANOTHER LIKE FAMILY. Kinship is an old term that we don’t use much any more. In fact, the terms “kinship” or “kinfolk” may even conjure up images of the Beverly Hillbillies. That’s not what I’m talking about. Kinship literally means your closest relationships. It means your closest family. When someone is in an accident and they say, “Notify the next-of-kin,” they don’t mean, go find Aunt Ethyl. They’re saying, “Go get the person they care about the most, the person who is closest to them, the one they hold most dearly.” Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times (that’s level two), but a brother is born for adversity” (that’s level four). It’s that brother or sister in Christ who would stand by you no matter what. When everybody else walks out, they walk in. They’re not a fair-weather friend who helps as long as it’s convenient. They’re committed through thick and thin. That’s kinship. Is that possible at Coastal? YES! It takes time, effort, initiative, hard work, and a lot of grace and forgiveness. Is it worth it? Absolutely! There is nothing better!
Look back at these levels. Which one are you at? What steps do you need to take to grow in your level of belonging? Coastal, I love you! I love being your Pastor! And I love growing in this family with YOU!
Belonging With You,
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: TODAY, Friday, October 3rd, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Come help sort & organize all the clothes we distribute! TODAY, Friday, October 3rd; Monday, October 6th; Friday, October 10th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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, October 4th. We meet in the Auditorium at 8:30am, Project Leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we go out and serve!
JFM Fellowship Activity & Devotion: A fun project for kids! We’ll serve at Joseph Floyd Manor (JFM), a public housing facility in Downtown Charleston, playing BINGO with the residents. Monday, October 6th, 1pm-2:30pm. Meet at JFM.
Sewing Project: Sewing experience not required! Come and acquire a new skill while helping others in the community. This team of volunteers will work on zippered pouches, lap quilts, and blankets. Meet at Coastal on Wednesday, October 8th, 5pm-8pm.
Charleston Vets Activity & Devotion: Charleston Vets is home to 35 struggling, local veterans who have sacrificed so much in service to our nation. Join us as we head out to connect with these veterans, share an evening meal, laugh alongside them, play some lively rounds of Bingo and share a devotion to help them grow closer to the Lord! Wednesday, October 8th, 6pm-8:30pm. 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 9th, 11:30am-1pm.
2nd Saturday Meal: Saturday, October 11th, 9am-11am. 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!
Double Tailgate Day – Meeting Street & Joseph Floyd Manor: Saturday, October 11th, 10:30am-1:30pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
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. - 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 THIS Sunday, October 5th, in our Chapel immediately following the 11:30am service (at approximately 12:45pm). You can sign up on our website today.
- Attention Coastal Young Adults! We’re heading to the Legare Farms Pumpkin Patch THIS Sunday, October 5th. Leaving from Coastal at 4pm. Questions? Email Dane Clark at youngadults@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- CSM Serve Weekend – October 24–26 (Friday-Sunday)! This is a major yearly event. Serve Weekend is a powerful event designed to help students learn what it means to serve and love like Jesus. Students will participate in worship, teaching, a community tailgate, and time in host homes. It’s a ton of fun and an event our students really look forward to. Your student won’t want to miss this! THE ENTIRE WEEKEND COSTS JUST $75! Drop-off: Friday evening, 5pm @ Coastal. Pickup: Sunday after 3rd service. The full itinerary is available upon registration. You can register by clicking this link.
- Did you know that Coastal has a new podcast featuring messages from previous Sundays as well as a special, weekly Friday Five episode with Pastor Chris? Yes, you can LISTEN to my Friday 5! Check it out and give it a follow to stay up to date with everything happening at Coastal as well as all new content coming soon. Right now it streams on our app and Spotify with Apple Podcasts coming soon!
P.S. Beginning this Sunday, you’ll be able to take home Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes to fill up with toys and gifts. I know it might seem crazy talking about Christmas in early October, but if you’ve visited any retail stores the last couple of weeks, Christmas displays are already out. Well, 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 for children in troubled countries/areas all around the world. Our Welcome Center will be filled with the shoeboxes ready to take home each Sunday (until they’re gone). There will be an insert in the bulletin this Sunday with suggested items to fill the box. This would be a GREAT opportunity for you to teach your children about generosity, the true meaning of Christmas, and the love of Jesus. Help us reach our goal of packing 2000 SHOEBOXES this year and share the love of Jesus (and the Gospel in their own language) with children all around the world! Pray about how many boxes your family would be willing to pack, step out in faith, grab a BUNCH of shoeboxes on Sunday, and help us do just that! Shoeboxes must be filled and returned by Sunday, November 16th.
