On Monday of this week, we delivered over 1000 Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child to the local OCC distribution site! Your love and generosity never cease to amaze me! Next year we’re definitely going to up the number of shoeboxes we order!
Speaking of generosity, hopefully by now you’ve heard that this Sunday marks the beginning of our 12th Annual Christmas Offering. So Coastal, it’s now time to start giving! 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 over the next 8 weeks (starting this Sunday, Nov. 24th – Jan. 12th) 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: Monday, December 23rd, 6pm; and Tuesday, December 24th, 2pm, 4pm, & 6pm. Our entire Christmas Eve offering will go toward our Annual Christmas Offering. The money will be used for another Box Truck for Disaster Relief & Outreach, another 15 Passenger Van, New Life Children’s Home in Peru, VBS, CSM Summer Camp Scholarships, & Soldier’s Angels Food Distribution. The money is also used for Benevolence & General Outreach. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. 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.”
This Sunday we close out our series on this section of the Sermon on the Mount. I say “this section” because the Sermon on the Mount actually goes all the way through chapter 7 of Matthew and we’ll be wrapping up chapter 6 this week. But don’t worry, we’ll come back to the Sermon on the Mount in January and finish out chapter 7. Speaking of worry, chapter 6:25-34 closes with Jesus’ famous teaching on worry. No one struggles with worry, right? Vs. 34 of that passage says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” You’ll have to read the rest of that passage to see why Jesus says that. And I hope to see you Sunday as we dig into it. And then on Sunday, December 1st, we’ll kick off our annual “Christmas at Coastal” series. This year’s theme is all about PEACE. If there’s something this world needs right now more than anything else, it’s peace. Of course, we know that peace is a person – Jesus. And true, lasting peace is only found in Him. Worry this week, peace next week.
One of my favorite passages in the Bible, Philippians 4:6-7, talks about both worry and peace. Listen to this, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” This is such a powerful verse. It’s saying that experiencing God’s peace comes from trusting God and casting all of our worries on Him. In fact, the word “worry” here literally means to be strangled. That’s not God’s desire for you. He wants to set you free from all of that. It says that His peace will guard our hearts and minds. The word “guard” here is a military term that means to set a military garrison in place for protection. In other words, when God’s peace comes into our life, it acts as a supernatural army, guarding and protecting our hearts and minds against enemy attacks – including worry! That’s good stuff! I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love Christmas at Coastal!
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
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, TODAY, Friday, November 22nd, 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! TODAY, Friday, November 22nd; Friday, November 29th, 4-6:30pm. 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, November 27th, 6-8:30pm, and Monday, December 2nd, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, Monday, December 2nd; Friday, December 6th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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, December 5th, 11:30am-1pm.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Friday, December 6th, 8:30am-11:30am. 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, December 6th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
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 Saturday, December 7th. We meet in the Auditorium at 8:30am, Project Leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we go out and serve!
Bolton’s Landing Holiday Market: We’ll have a Team setting up and overseeing a Children’s Craft Station at the Bolton’s Landing Neighborhood Holiday Market, Saturday, December 7th, 11am-2pm.
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. Our next Newcomers Reception is Sunday, December 8th, 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.
- 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.orgif you are interested in leading a Group.
- There are lots of exciting things happening during Christmas at Coastal:
– Pray about what you and your family will give towards our Annual Christmas Offering!
– If you are able and available, we could use help decorating Coastal’s campus for Christmas this Monday morning starting at 9am!
– Ugly Christmas Sweater Day (or simply something “Fun & Festive”) is Sunday, December 8th!
– Make sure you pick up a gift tag off the Christmas Trees in the Welcome Center to help supply a Christmas Gift for the residents of Charleston Vets or Brighton Place for our Double Christmas Party on Saturday, December 21st! Also, check out the insert in your bulletin this Sunday about all the other ways to help with the event – serving, food, & stocking stuffers!
– Make plans to now to attend, serve, and invite someone to one of our 4 Christmas Eve Services: Monday, December 23rd, 6pm; and Tuesday, December 24th, 2pm, 4pm, & 6pm. - Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Monday, December 9th, from 6pm-9pm, 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. Food & childcare provided!
P.S. Who have you invited to church lately? The holidays and Christmas in particular are great times to invite people to church. Yes people are busy, but they are also hurting, searching for hope and help. We have the answer! Pick up a little stack of “You’re Invited” cards and hand them out over the holidays! Pray for all the people who will be invited to our church for Christmas Eve. Ask God to use our church, our people, YOU, to draw people to Himself as we lift up Jesus in our community!
