Last Sunday in our “Christmas at Coastal” series I talked about living in peace with others. I made the point that ultimately, the key to peace with God, with yourself, and with others is living in the Spirit – day by day walking with Jesus and giving the Holy Spirit more and more control of every area of your life. I read Ephesians 5:18-21 which says, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I want to come back to a little side note I mentioned in my sermon on Sunday. The Apostle Paul starts off by saying that we’re not to get drunk on wine. Instead, we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. As far as drinking and relationships go, for some of you, the best thing you could do for your marriage, for your relationships, is to quit drinking. I don’t believe the Bible teaches that drinking is a sin. It’s not. Drunkenness is a sin. The real issue is control. Any time you put ANY substance in your body where the Holy Spirit can no longer be in complete control, you have crossed a line, and you are sinning. But for some of you, your drinking has consistently led to problems in your relationships. You say things and do things that you would never say and do if you weren’t drinking, and you have damaged your relationships. If that’s true of you, it’s time to quit. Now, if you feel like you can’t quit or you have struggled to quit over and over again, that’s a sign of a greater problem. It’s very possible that you’re an alcoholic and you need help. Here’s the good news – there are more people than I can count in our church who will walk with you on the road to recovery.
In fact, we have an awesome ministry at our church called Celebrate Recovery, ready to walk with you on that road to recovery. Celebrate Recovery (CR) is a Bible-based, Christ-centered recovery program for those who struggle with life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups (pretty much all of us). The curriculum takes participants through the 8 Recovery Principles, which are based on the Beatitudes. A hurt, habit, or hang-up is anything that hinders your walk with God. They postpone or prevent genuine fellowship with Him and your loved ones.
You may be thinking that recovery is only for those who struggle with alcohol or drug addictions. While it certainly includes those, it’s so much bigger than that! Most of life’s hurts, habits, and hang-ups can be addressed through this ministry, including problems with anxiety, abuse, anger, grief, depression, guilt and shame, financial insecurity, divorce, dysfunctional families, sexual problems, eating disorders, and much more!
Celebrate Recovery meets every Tuesday evening at 6:30PM in the Coastal Chapel and they would love for you to join them! For more information please contact the CR Ministry Leaders, Chris and Candy Jones at (843) 708-5525. I love you Coastal, I love being your Pastor, and I love what we get to do together!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, TODAY, Friday, December 13th; Monday, December 16th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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, December 13th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Meeting Street Tailgate: TOMORROW, Saturday, December 14th, 10:30am-1:30pm.
2nd Saturday/2nd Meal: TOMORROW, Saturday, December 14th, 9am-12noon. 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!
Children’s Christmas Craft Station in the Carolina Bay Neighborhood: We’ll have a Team setting up and overseeing a Children’s Craft Station at the Carolina Bay Holiday Festival, TOMORROW, Saturday, December 14th, 11am-3pm (leaving from the church at 9:45am to set up).
Hope Center Tailgate: The Hope Center, managed by the city of Charleston, serves as a one-stop shop in downtown Charleston to assist those who are homeless or who are at-risk of being homeless. We’re sending a Tailgate Team to serve dinner to anyone who is hungry. We meet at Coastal on Tuesday, December 17th, 12noon-3pm.
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, December 18th, 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, December 19th, 11:30am-1pm.
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, December 19th, 6-8:30pm. Meet at Coastal.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Friday, December 20th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Packing & Staging Party for Double Christmas Party: Come help plus prep and prepare everything for our Double Christmas Party! Friday, December 20th, 6pm-7pm. Meet at Coastal.
Double Christmas Party at Charleston Vets & Brighton Place: Come help spread Christmas joy for those in need in our community – food, gifts, stockings, and music! Saturday, December 21st, 10:30am-2pm. 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. - 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 (see below)!
– On Saturday, December 14th, you can serve at our Downtown Tailgate or you can help with a Children’s Christmas Craft Station in the Carolina Bay neighborhood. If you live in Carolina Bay, we’d especially love your help (see details below).
– On Saturday, December 21tst, we’re hosting DOUBLE CHRISTMAS PARTY, one at Brighton Place, and one at Charleston Vets! It’s basically a huge Christmas Party with music, a home-cooked meal, Christmas gifts, and stockings, at both locations. For those of you who picked up a “Gift Tag” off of one of our trees, make sure you bring back your tagged, unwrapped gift no later than THIS Sunday, December 15th.
Here are some other specific ways you can still help with Christmas Parties:
1. Link for Meal Signup (our biggest need at this point):
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E45A5A92FA0F58-53039467-double#/
2. Link for Stocking Stuffers Signup:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E45A5A92FA0F58-53037711-double#/
3. Signup to serve at the event (or any of our other outreach events): https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/missions/
– 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. Pick up “You’re Invited” cards and start inviting people now! Please be in touch with your LIFE Team Leaders about serving! Big Days mean “all hands on deck” – all volunteers serving and being willing to serve in multiple services. - 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.
Training for new Spring Life Group Leaders will be offered in-person on Saturday, 1/18 from 9-10:30am or Tuesday, 1/21 from 6:30-8pm. Returning leaders’ training will be online on Thursday, 1/23 from 8-9pm. All leaders only need to attend one session. RSVP on your Connect Card this Sunday. Contact Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org if you have any questions or are interested in leading a Group. - As you know, Coastal does an enormous amount of Outreach throughout our community. Much of it is funded every year through our annual Christmas Offering. This year’s goal is $150,000. 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. What we’ve discovered is that we reach our goal when EVERYONE participates. We can’t all give the same amount, but we can all make a sacrifice. Every gift counts, every gift matters. 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 any time until January 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.
- On Saturday, December 14th (TOMORROW), 11am-3pm, we’ll have a Coastal Team of Volunteers overseeing a Children’s Craft Station at the Carolina Bay Holiday Festival, in the Carolina Bay neighborhood in West Ashley. We’ll meet at the Coastal Box Truck at approximately 10:10am at the Carolina Bay Park to unpack and set up everything. If you would be willing to be a volunteer to welcome and greet people, help children at a craft table, set up & clean up, and be a Coastal Ambassador, please send PC an email at pastorchris@coastalcommunitychurch.org. Not only is this a great opportunity to represent Coastal and to love on a neighborhood in West Ashley, but it’s also an opportunity to invite people to our Christmas Eve services! We say it all the time, “Let’s make an IMPACT right where we live, work, parent, and play!” THIS is that opportunity!
P.S. Cindi Rembert (the woman from our church who initiated our relief effort in south Georgia), has started an organization called, “Rise Restore Rebuild.” Their mission is simple: to help those in need, whether through supplies, donations, or simply sharing love and support. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, many families in North Carolina are still struggling, especially as winter approaches. There is a critical need right now for heat sources and supplies to winterize campers. If you are interested in learning how you can help, please call or text Cindi Rembert at 843-476-1984. www.riserestorerebuild.com
