I can’t thank our Worship Team, Tech Team, & Prayer Team enough for an amazing, inspiring, and encouraging Night of Worship! If you were there (and around 350+ people were!), you know it was just a simple night of worship and response. We took communion, people prayed together, and 6 more people were Baptized (3 were Baptized on Sunday)! In fact, we have now Baptized 105 people this year! On Saturday morning, November 18th, at 11am, I’m going to be Baptizing 4 people out at Folly Beach (their idea). Yes, it’s November, and yes, the water is going to be cold – but I can’t wait! If you want to take the “polar plunge” with them and get Baptized out at the Beach, respond to this email to let me know, and I’ll give you the details.
There is something else exciting getting ready to happen at Coastal that I want to share with you – our 11th Annual Christmas Offering! Over the years, this offering has made a huge IMPACT on our ministry!
For example, in the past our Christmas Offering has enabled us to:
– fully fund “Summer of IMPACT”
– dig & power a well for a community in Haiti
– re-roof our entire building
– renovate a home for a family on Wadmalaw Island
– fully fund VBS – pay for our Easter Outreach
– Oakland Elementary School Annual T-Shirt
– Student Ministry Camp & Retreat
– Box Trucks for Community Outreach
– renovate our Chapel
– a new 15 passenger Van
– sound equipment
God has used our church and the Christmas Offering to do all of that and so much more! Well, beginning Sunday, November 19th, through Sunday, January 14th (9 weeks), we are encouraging our entire Coastal family to give above and beyond their regular tithes and offering to this year’s Christmas Offering.
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 during those 9 weeks (Nov. 19th – Jan. 14th) at any of our regular Sunday morning services, or anytime through TEXTing, or our website. You might also consider giving it all at once during one of our 4 Christmas Eve Services (Saturday, December 23rd, 4pm & 6pm and Sunday, December 24th, 4pm & 6pm). Our entire Christmas Eve offering will go toward our Annual Christmas Offering.
Why a Special Offering? It’s a way for us to grow in our faith and to prepare us for what God wants to do through our church in a bigger way in 2024. It’s a way for us to sacrifice together as a church family and give generously. Christmas is all about giving. Many people during this time of year are in fact looking for opportunities to give. And there is no better place to give than to your local church.
What is our goal and where is the money going? Our overall goal is $125,000! Is that a big goal? Yes! Can we reach it? Absolutely! As always, I am very excited about where this year’s money will be going and the potential Kingdom impact. The money will be used for another Box Truck for Clothing Distribution, New Life Children’s Home in Peru, VBS, Sudan Mission Trip, & Soldier’s Angels Food Distribution. The money is also used for Benevolence & General Outreach. Let me specifically explain each project for this year’s offering:
Box Truck. We now have 2 Tailgating Box Trucks and 1 Clothing Distribution Box Truck. To put it simply, we are in need of another Box Truck for giving away clothes. We still have volunteers using their vans and vehicles to transport clothes. Another Coastal Box Truck would meet a huge need!
VBS. VBS at Coastal is AWESOME! We see hundreds of children and don’t charge a thing. We don’t see it as an expense. We see it as an investment – an investment in the next generation, an investment in the Kingdom.
Peru Mission – New Life Children’s Home. A portion of this year’s Christmas Offering will go to providing Christmas for all the children in the orphanage and their workers. It will also help cover expenses and salaries for the Children’s Home.
Sudan – Empower One. As a church, we are looking at getting involved with a new mission organization called Empower One. They are planting churches and reaching one of the largest unreached people groups in the world – the Sudan in Africa. We hope to send a small Team there in 2024.
Soldier’s Angels Monthly Food Distribution. Through the Low Country Food Bank, Soldier’s Angels provides approximately 70 lbs. of groceries to 200+ local veterans who find themselves facing food insecurity. Coastal already provides Volunteers each month who help with organizing, sorting, preparing, and loading the food. We will be footing the bill for half (6) of this year’s Food Distributions!
How much should you give? Prayerfully consider giving a gift that will stretch your faith and include your whole family. For some people, coming up with “extra” money is difficult. We’ve learned that as we give, God provides. Maybe you decide to give up eating out or buying coffee for 9 weeks and give that money to the Christmas Offering. Maybe you sell something or have a yard sale. For some people $1000 above your regular giving is a huge sacrifice. For others, it’s not. Someone might decide to cover the whole cost for the Box Truck, VBS, or any of our other projects.
Just like our Giving Campaigns over the years and all the other Christmas Offerings we’ve done in the past, we can’t all give the same amount, but TOGETHER, we can ALL make a sacrifice. That’s when God does a miracle, when together we ALL step out in faith.
Remember, this offering should be over and above what you regularly give. If you’re not regularly giving (weekly, monthly), use this time of year to start. If you’re not tithing (10% of your gross income), step out in faith and start tithing. Reaching this goal will be a celebration of what God can do through us as together we stretch our faith.
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Chris Rollins
PS – If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. The easiest and fastest way to give to the Christmas Offering is through TEXTing the word “GIVE” to 843-571-1777 and follow the simple instructions. Just make sure you designate your gift “Christmas.”
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas – TODAY, Friday, November 10th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, TODAY, Friday, November 10th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
Double Tailgate Day: Charleston Vets & Joseph Floyd Manor: TOMORROW, Saturday, November 11th, 10am-1pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
Soldier’s Angels: We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, November 14th, 8am-1pm. 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, November 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, November 16th, 11:30am-1pm.
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate & Game Night: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, November 16th, 6-8pm. 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, November 17th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Coffee & Doughnuts at the “Giving Thanks to Veterans” Charity Match – Saturday, November 19th, 6am-9:30am. Meet at Coastal.
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 at 843-870-4613. - Operation Christmas Child (OCC) – Okay everyone, this is it! This Sunday, November 12th, is the last day to bring back your Operation Chistmas Child Shoeboxes!!
- Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Thursday, December 7th, 6-9pm in the Chapel. You can respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday. Dinner & childcare provided!
- If you’re fairly new to Coastal, a great next step is our Newcomers Reception. Our next Newcomers Reception is Sunday, December 3rd, in our Chapel immediately following the 11:30am service (at approximately 12:45pm). 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. You can sign up on our website today!
- Oakland Elementary School Teacher Classroom Wishlist Tags! ALL tags have been taken. So now, simply purchase the items and return them to the church (tagged, but not wrapped) by Sunday, November 19th. Questions? Contact Rachel at rachel@coastalcommunitychurch.org. Thank you in advance for your generosity!
P.S. We are in the planning stages for our SPRING LIFE GROUPS! LIFE Groups are the primary vehicle at Coastal for community – learning, friendships, fellowship, and care. We typically have all different types of Groups – Bible studies, book studies, activity groups, support groups, men’s/women’s groups. Would you possibly be interested in leading, assisting, or hosting a LIFE Group this new year? The Spring Semester begins in February and depending on the Group, lasts for 8-12 weeks. Sign up on your Connect Card or contact Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org if you are interested in leading a Group.
P.S.S. December is just around the corner! And it’s not too early to start planning for Coastal’s “Ugly Christmas Sweater Day!” That’s right, on Sunday, December 3rd, come to Coastal in your “ugliest” Christmas Sweater! It’s going to be a lot of fun, and we’ll even have a gift for you! We’re also having 4 Christmas Eve Services: Saturday, December 23rd, 4pm & 6pm and Sunday, December 24th, 4pm & 6pm (no Sunday morning services on the 24th).
