Happy New Year everyone – well almost! 2024 is just about here! But guess what? No matter what 2024 brings, Jesus is still on the throne, God 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! We had our largest Christmas Eve services ever – 1594 people in person! I want to thank all of our volunteers who served so joyfully! We could not do what we do without you! I especially want to thank all of our Tech Team & Worship Team 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. (If you’re available, we’ll be taking down all of our Christmas decorations this Tuesday at 9am. We could use your help!)
Don’t forget that we only have 2 in-person services this Sunday – 10am & 11:30am (no 8:30am services). But you’re not going to want to miss it. I’ll be preaching from one of our foundational passages at Coastal – Luke 15. If you get a chance, read the chapter in advance and see if you can find at least 3 common threads in the stories that Jesus tells. Not only will Sunday will be a great opportunity to look back at 2023, but it will help focus our vision for 2024! I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love what we get to do together! Hold on to your fork Coastal – 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 29th, 4-6pm. Meet at Coastal.
“Un-Decorate our Campus: On Tuesday, January 2nd, come over to the church at 9am and help us take down all of our trees and decorations!
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas – Friday, January 5th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, Friday, January 5th, 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 6th. We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe at 8:30am, project leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we 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 at 843-870-4613. - As we begin 2024, we are having a Coastal Kidz volunteer training for all Coastal Kidz adult and student volunteers. This will be a time of fellowship, planning, brainstorming, and vision casting as we continue to make Coastal Kidz an amazing place for children to learn about God’s love and His Son Jesus as they grow to become faithful followers of Christ.
We are offering the training twice: Sunday, January 21, 5:00PM – 7:00PM or Wednesday, January 31, 6:30PM – 8:30PM. You only need to attend one. Childcare and dinner are provided.
Please RSVP for which training you will attend and if you need childcare:
Sunday, January 21, 5:00PM – 7:00PM
Training Session: https://churchteams.com/m/Register.asp?a=cVI2R1hEZ0p6TU09
Childcare: https://churchteams.com/m/Register.asp?a=SEYvR1RWZjVycjg9
Wednesday, January 31, 6:30PM – 8:30PM
Training Session: https://churchteams.com/m/Register.asp?a=bGVSY21UUFJoQWc
Childcare: https://churchteams.com/m/Register.asp?a=NUZRblVzNW5TTnM9 - Coastal Student Ministry (6th-12th Grade) is off for the Holidays! Their first gathering in the new year will be Sunday night, January 7th (doors open at 5pm and service is from 5:30-7pm)!
- There are 3 weeks left to give to this year’s Annual Christmas Offering! Much of our Outreach is funded every year through our Christmas Offering. Every gift counts, every gift matters. Among other things we are using the offering to purchase another Box Truck for Clothing Distribution, New Life Children’s Home in Peru, VBS, a Sudan Mission Trip, & 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 then follow the simple instructions. Just make sure you designate your gift “Christmas.”
Speaking of Giving, your Year-End Giving Statements will be mailed out in mid January. Text the keyword “ME” to 843-571-1777 to view and update your contact information. If you have any questions, please reach out to our Financial Administrator, Kathy at finance@coastalcommunitychurch.org. - ATTENTION Young Adults! Join us at the PASSION Conference on January 3-5 in Atlanta, GA for an unbelievable lineup of speakers, musicians, and more! We will be joining up with 60,000 other young adults from around the globe! The deadline to reserve your spot is TODAY, Friday, December 29th. Click HERE to see the details and how to pay/reserve your spot today! If you have any questions, reach out to Scott Huff.
P.S. We are in the planning stages for our SPRING LIFE 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.org if you are interested in leading a Group. Training for new Spring LIFE Group Leaders will be offered in-person on Tuesday, January 16th, 6:30-8pm or Saturday, January 20th, 9-10:30am. Returning Leader’s Training will be online on Thursday, January 25th, 8-8:45pm. All Leaders only need to attend one session. RSVP on your Connect Card.
