It’s that time of the year again – preparing our hearts and minds for Easter! I really believe that this is going to be an Easter Weekend to remember at Coastal! It will be our first Easter in our new facility. And we’re hoping that our new Chapel will be open as well for overflow. But one of the ways that we prepare ourselves for Easter at Coastal is by participating in an Annual 40 Day Easter Fast! The Fast begins on Monday, March 7th and goes through Good Friday, April 15th! Fasting is simply denying yourself something physical for a set period of time for the spiritual purpose of focusing on prayer, the Word, repentance, and your relationship with God. Jesus said, “When you fast . . .” In other words, Jesus meant for fasting to be a regular part of the Christian lifestyle. I would encourage you to get your whole family involved and make it a powerful spiritual experience.
What do you choose to fast? It’s different for different people. It’s probably the thing that first comes to mind when you start considering to fast. It might be some form of technology or social media that seems to have a stronghold in your life. It could be television. It might be some specific type of food – sugar, caffeine, sodas, meat, etc. It could be drinking or smoking. It could be time – where you get up earlier each day for 40 days and have a quiet time. It could be gossip or negative words. You decide that for 40 days nothing negative will come out of your mouth. It could be worry. You pray. You decide. Read through Matthew 6:16-18. Don’t make a big deal or a fuss about it. If you are interested in participating, respond to this email or write the words, “Easter Fast” on your Connect Card this Sunday.
Begin praying now for your “ONE”, the people in your life you will be inviting to church over Easter weekend. We’ll share the specific service times soon, but right now, like last year, it looks like we’ll be having 6 services over 3 days – 1 service on Friday night, 2 services on late Saturday afternoon, and 3 services on Sunday morning!
This Sunday, I’ll be continuing in our series called, “The Names of God.” The name I’ll be looking at this week is Yahweh. Out of all the names for God in the Bible, this particular name is the most common. And yet, it’s a name that’s rarely translated in our modern versions. Go ahead and read Exodus 3 & 4 in preparation for my message. This is the passage where God taps Moses, an 80 year old fugitive, murderer to lead His people out of their captivity in Egypt. And in doing so, He reveals a few things about Himself to us. Don’t miss it! And as always, invite someone to join you! I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team – Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes TODAY, Friday, February 25th & Friday, March 11th, 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, March 5th. We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe at 8:30am, project leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we serve!
Tailgate at Charleston Vets – As a part of Saturday Serve, we’re going to host a tailgating event at Charleston Vets, Saturday, March 5th. Meet in the Welcome Center at Coastal at 8:30am. Coastal Vets is a transitional housing facility for veterans in North Charleston.
Soldier’s Angels – We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, March 8th, 8am-1pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
PINK House – The PINK House is a community center in the Ardmore subdivision in West Ashley. We are going to be putting on a community Tailgate Party, Clothing Distribution, on Saturday, March 12th, 10am-1pm. Meet at the church.
Joseph Floyd Manor Tailgate – Our Tailgate will be rolling and serving our friends downtown at the Joseph Floyd Manor – Thursday, March 17th, 10am-1pm. Meet at the church.
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. - Mark you calendars NOW and SAVE THE DATES! We are so excited to announce that VBS at Coastal this year is Monday, July 11th – Friday, July 15th, 6pm-8pm! After COVID & Construction, VBS is back in our brand new facility! And this year’s them is “Make Waves – What you do today, can change the world around you!” VBS at Coastal is ALL HANDS ON DECK! In other words, it takes EVERYONE to pull off a great VBS for our church and our community. There will be greeters, security, snacks, registration, teachers, games, worship, decorations, nursery, crafts – in other words, something for EVERYONE! If you are interested in planning, leading, teaching, or serving in any capacity, please respond to this email or contact Janet Rollins at janet@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8299.
- Have you signed up for a LIFE Group yet (or 2 or 3) yet? It’s still not too late to join! As always, there are multiple ways to sign up for a Group, but you only have to sign up one time/one way. You can sign up online from our website, on your Connect Card (in-person or online), or at the LIFE Group Sign-up sheets on the kiosk just outside the auditorium. We have the most Groups we’ve ever had – 35 different LIFE Groups! There is something for EVERYONE! Unless otherwise indicated, most Groups last 10-12 weeks (ending around the week of Mother’s Day). Make sure you check out our catalog and start signing up today!
- Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Saturday morning, March 19th, 9am-11:30am. You can respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday. You can join us either in-person or online through Zoom.
- JOIN A LIFE TEAM! One of the best ways to meet new people and grow in your faith at Coastal is to serve alongside others on a LIFE Team or Ministry. There are so many places to start serving here at Coastal – our 1st Impressions Team, welcoming and greeting people as they come on our campus, loving and serving our children through our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry, and then there’s the Security Team, our Online Engagement Team, Student Ministry, our Worship Team, our Tech Team, Chair Set-up, and more! You can sign up for a LIFE Team this Sunday on your Connect Card or anytime on our website. Sign up today and start serving!
P.S. Make sure you mark your calendars and plan to attend our next Night of Worship on Friday night, March 18th, from 7-8:30pm. Invite your friends and family to join us for an inspirational evening of worship, prayer, and encouragement. Childcare will be provided for birth to kindergarten (RSVP for Childcare on your Connect Card). The theme for the evening will be, “At the Cross,” the same as the sermon series we’ll be in, preparing us for Easter. It’s really going to be an awesome night! Don’t miss it!
