So, are you ready for Christmas? Well, ready or not, it’s ALMOST here! Which means of course, that our Christmas Eve Services are almost here! This year we’re having 4 Christmas Eve services over 2 days – Monday, December 23rd, 6pm (a great service for those of you who might be going out of town or have obligations on the 24th); and Tuesday, December 24th, 2pm, 4pm, & 6pm! I hope you are ready to invite & bring your friends! Remember, it’s not too late to invite someone. Make the ask! What’s the worst thing that could happen? Better yet – what’s the BEST thing that could happen? Think through all your contacts – social media, work, neighbors, friends, family – and invite them to come!
By the way, we ARE having our normal service times THIS Sunday morning, December 22nd: 8:30am, 10am, and 11:30am. However, on Sunday, December 29th, we will only have 2 Sunday morning services: 8:30am & 10am.
Christmas Eve services are one of those times where it is “all hands on deck.” In other words, if you serve in ministry and you’re not out of town, WE NEED YOU TO SERVE. Contact your Ministry Leader and let them know which services you are available ASAP! Every ministry needs plenty of volunteers (and extra volunteers) to pull off Christmas Eve and create a welcoming atmosphere.
Pray for me & my message. Pray that people give their lives to Jesus and get saved! Pray for our Worship Team that they would lead people to worship Jesus. Pray for all our Ministry Volunteers, that they would serve Jesus by serving others.
Here are a few other important reminders:
– Be helpful, friendly and welcoming to all our guests!
– Introduce yourself & talk to people you don’t know.
– This is important – park over at Oakland to make more room for guests. The further away you park, the better.
– Fill out your Connect Card. This encourages others to do the same.
– Sit to the front & center of each section of the auditorium.
– Coastal Kidz (Birth-5th Grade) will be fully operational during all 4 services.
– If you are serving during a service, PLEASE COME EARLY.
Don’t forget that our entire offering for Christmas Eve (all 4 services) will go toward our Christmas Offering! Prayerfully consider what you and your family can give. You might also consider making a year-end sacrificial gift.
Well, I think that’s about it. For those of you who are traveling or out of town – HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS! Safe travels and please keep us in your prayers! And remember, if you can’t make it in person, you will be able to watch all of our services live online. Can’t wait to see everyone else and all your friends and family over the weekend! Again, please note that we will have our normal service times this Sunday morning, December 22nd: 8:30am, 10am, and 11:30am. The following Sunday, December 29th, we will only have 2 Sunday morning services: 8:30am & 10am. I love you Coastal, I love being your Pastor, and I love what we get to do together!
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: TODAY, 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! TODAY, 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! TOMORROW, Saturday, December 21st, 10:30am-2pm. Meet at Coastal.
Downtown Charleston “Hotdog Ministry”: We will be grilling and serving hotdogs to the homeless and hungry downtown! Friday, December 27th, 4-6:30pm. 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, January 2nd, 11:30am-1pm.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, Friday, January 3rd; Monday, January 6th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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. - 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.
- Coastal Young Adults Weekly Streaming of “The Porch!” If you are in your 20’s or early 30’s you are invited to our NEW weekly gathering to stream “The Porch” including small group discussion! Every Monday night, 6:30pm-8:30pm in the Coastal Chapel, beginning Monday night, January 24th! For more information, please contact Pastor Scott Huff.
P.S. DON’T FORGET – we offer our Coastal Members and regular attendees free access to RightNow Media, an online church video library. It’s just one of the many ways to express our generosity to our church family. Essentially, RightNow Media is a Netflix for Bible studies with videos for kids, students, singles, parents and married couples by teachers like Dave Ramsey, John Piper, Max Lucado, Tim Tebow, and more. All the content can be accessed from any computer or smart television and through the RightNow Media app on a phone, tablet, Roku, Apple TV, etc. If you haven’t already done so, click here to set up your account!
