“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” – at Coastal that is! I can’t wait for you to see our campus over the weekend! These pictures don’t do it justice. You’re defiinitely going to want to get a family picture! I’d like to thank Teresa Spell for all her hard work. She’s the vision behind all the decorations. And then the Staff and a group of awesome volunteers were the muscle! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And if you look closely in the 3rd picture you might just see another member of the manger scene that wasn’t mentioned in the original Christmas story in Luke 2 (that wasn’t a part of Teresa’s vision – haha!).
Our “Christmas at Coastal” series kicks off THIS Sunday, December 4th! The focus of the series this year is on PEACE. I don’t know about you, but at times Christmas seems anything but peaceful. Now honestly, much of it we seem to bring on ourselves. Just think about what we do. During this time of the year we decide to have more parties during this one month than all the rest of the year combined. I don’t know why we do it, but we do this to ourselves. During this one month of the year, besides all these parties we say let’s write a little personal note to every person we’ve ever met in our lives and send them a card. And as if that weren’t enough we entirely redecorate our house on the inside and on the outside. Then during this time of the year we try to buy a special gift for every person that we love. And then – we bake! How often do you bake? But you do it during this time of the year! Then right in the middle of it, as if all of this wasn’t crazy enough, we say, “Let’s let the kids out of school for two weeks.” No wonder we’re stressed out!
But guess what? The very 1st Christmas was anything but peaceful. It was a time of fear and unrest and paranoia and turmoil. Sounds a lot like today doesn’t it? In fact, fast forward to 2022. This year has been anything but peaceful. I don’t think any of the “end of year stories” that will be flooding the media at the end of this month will use the word “peaceful” to describe 2022. Just the opposite. Turn on the news, and what do you see? Terrorist bombings, school shootings, racial tension, and political hatred and division. In fact, you honestly find yourself asking this question: “If Jesus is the Prince of Peace, did He fail?” Well, it all depends on how do you define “peace”? The world defines peace as the absence of conflict. I think Jesus had something different in mind. And I honestly think that God’s peace is exactly what people are truly searching for today. Come to Coastal this month and discover God’s gift for you this Christmas and all year round – PEACE.
Don’t forget that our 3 Christmas Eve Candlelight Services will be on Friday, December 23rd, 7pm, and Saturday, December 24th, 4:30pm, & 6pm. Please be in touch with your LIFE Team Leaders about serving! On Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25th, our services will be online only. Leverage this season and all the miracles associated with it and invite and bring a friend each week of this series and on Christmas Eve. I love you Coastal, I love being your Pastor, and I love what we get to do together! And I can’t wait to see you over the weekend!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas – today Friday, December 2nd & Friday, December 9th, 8:30am-11am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes today Friday, December 2nd and Friday, December 9th, 9am-11am. 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 tomorrow, Saturday, December 3rd. We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe at 8:30am, project leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we serve!
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate & Game Night – We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, December 8th, 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, December 9th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Joseph Floyd Manor Tailgate: Saturday, December 10th, 10am-1pm. Meet at the church.
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. - We’re planning for Christmas at Charleston Vets! On Saturday, December 17th, we’ll descend on Charleston Vets in North Charleston and provide the veterans a homecooked Christmas meal, a Christmas stocking packed full of home-baked Christmas cookies, Christmas gifts for every veteran, a coffee and hot chocolate bar, a craft table so the kids can make gifts for the veterans, Christmas music and more!
Want to help? First you can sign up to serve by going to: www.coastalcommunitychurch.org/missions.
You can also help to prepare the meal. Go to this link to see what we need and then sign up to help: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904044FA4A929A1FA7-veterans
You can also help with baking cookies for the stockings. To help lend a hand with the baking, you can sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904044FA4A929A1FA7-christmas
Lastly, there are only a few more gift tags on our “Adopt-A-Vet” Christmas Tree. Grab an ornament to help provide Christmas gifts for the veterans. We’ll provide you with a list of sizes and favorites for each vet. So many ways to serve, make an eternal impact, and a memorable Christmas for these local vets! - Our goal for our 10th Annual Christmas Offering is $125,000! Now through Sunday, January 15th (7 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 these next 7 weeks (until January 15th) at any of our regular Sunday morning services, or anytime through TEXTing (text “give” to 843-571-1777), or our website. You might also consider giving it all at once during one of our 3 Christmas Eve Services (Friday, December 23rd, 7pm, Saturday, December 24th, 4:30pm, & 6pm). Our entire Christmas Eve offering will go toward our Annual Christmas Offering. With this year’s offering we are purchasing a 15 passenger van, sound equipment, golf carts, and buying Christmas gifts for all of the children of the New Life Children’s Home in Peru.
- SPRING LIFE GROUP LEADERS! If you are interested in Leading, Co-Leading, or Hosting a Spring 2023 LIFE Group, sign up on your Connect Card. For more details or to answer any of your questions, please reach out to Pastor Scott Huff.
- Calling all 55+ youthful seniors – you’re invited to a potluck style Christmas Luncheon on Monday, December 12th, 11:30am-1pm in the Coastal Chapel! Contact Peggy Austin or Karen Laughlin for more details.
P.S. New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday this year – Sunday, January 1st, 2023! And to celebrate we’re having a Baptism Service! We can’t think of a better way to start the new year right, than by being buried with Christ through Baptism, and being raised to walk in the new life (Colossians 2:12). It’s a new life for a new year! There will only be one service that day – 9:30am. If you would like to participate, sign up on your Connect Card this Sunday or sign up on our website!
