Happy New Year – well almost! 2026 is just around the corner! But guess what? No matter what 2025 brings – Jesus is LORD, He is still in control, and our mission is still the same: “to share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world!”
I sincerely hope you and your family have had a wonderful Christmas! And let me say how awesome our Christmas Eve services were at Coastal! I can not thank all of our Staff, LIFE Team Leaders, and Volunteers enough for all that you did! We could not do what we do without you! I especially want to thank all of our Worship & Production Team (pictured on stage above) who came very early and were here for all 4 services over 2 days! There is just something special about lighting candles and worshipping together. Last year we had our largest Christmas Eve ever – 1972 people in-person. Our goal this year was simply to break 2000 in-person. And break it we did – 2343 people in-person! And get this, we Baptized our 205th person this year! To God be all the glory!!
Don’t forget that we only have 2 in-person services this Sunday – 8:30am & 10am (no 11:30am services). I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love what we get to do together! Hold on to your fork – the best is yet to come!
Happy New Year!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Downtown Charleston “Hotdog Ministry”: We will be grilling and serving hotdogs to the homeless and hungry downtown! TODAY, Friday, December 26th, 4pm-6pm. 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)! Tuesday, December 30th, 11:30am-1pm.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Join the team as we travel over to Patriot Villas, a veterans housing facility in North Charleston, to provide encouragement in the form of a fresh hot cup of Coastal coffee, a Krispy Kreme donut and community. We’ll spend the morning serving the veterans, fellowshipping, building relationships and thanking them for their service! Friday, January 2nd, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Come help sort & organize all the clothes we distribute! Friday, January 2nd, 9:30am-11:30am. 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 Saturday, January 3rd. We meet in the Auditorium at 8:30am, Project Leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we go out and serve!
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. - We’re excited to announce that starting January 1st, 2026 we’re going to be reading through the Bible together this year at Coastal! We’ll be following the One Year Bible reading plan (a daily reading of the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs). We sold out the limited number of One Year Bibles we had at the church, but you can purchase them online. You can also simply choose the One Year Bible reading plan through the YouVersion Bible app. You can sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday, and we’ll add you to an email list for regular encouragement and Study notes throughout the year! If you’ve never read through the Bible, this would be a great way to get started!
- CSM Winter Retreat – January 16–19! Our Students (Middle & High School) are heading to Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters in the mountains of North Carolina for a weekend packed with cabin life, awesome activities, and powerful, Gospel-centered teaching and worship! It’s a chance for Students to unplug (limited phone usage) and have fun, build meaningful friendships, and grow in their walk with Jesus. The cost is $250, and scholarships are available for families who need assistance. Click this link to register your student for an unforgettable weekend!
Drop-off: Friday evening at Coastal @5pm
Pickup: Monday at Coastal around 4pm
A full itinerary and packing list is provided upon registration. If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Jacob. This is an event your Student won’t want to miss! - I know it’s hard to believe, but 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. Text the word LIFEGROUPLEADER to 843-571-1777 and click on the return link to let us know you are interested in being a Life Group Leader in Spring 2026. If you have any questions about LIFE Groups, please contact Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- Membership Class: Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Thursday, January 8th, 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). Dinner & childcare provided!
P.S. As you know, Coastal is known for all of the Outreach we do throughout our community and beyond. Much of it is funded every year through our annual Christmas Offering. This year’s goal is $200,000. The money will be used for New Life Children’s Home in Peru, Soldier’s Angels Food Distribution, Summer of IMPACT, VBS, CSM Summer Camp Scholarships, Box Truck Maintenance/Upkeep, & Auditorium Lighting. 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. No gift is too small, and no gift is too large. 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 11th at any of our regular Sunday morning services, or anytime through TEXTing or our website.
