We had such a great Newcomer’s Reception this past Sunday – 37 people! I never want to take for granted all the new people who are coming to our church each and every week. God is definitely up to something, using our church to draw people to Himself. But He uses churches and people that are ready, receptive, and realize that church is not all about me and my needs and my preferences. It’s about others, reaching out to the ONE, the person who might not yet have a personal relationship with Jesus. It’s about doing whatever it takes, short of sin, to see people come to know Him. And that’s the other thing that I am forever grateful for – that we have a whole bunch of people at Coastal who get that, people who pray for our church and the lost, who regularly and consistently invite and bring people to church, who serve and volunteer, who give generously and consistently. I usually wait to the end of article to say it, but I’m going to say it now, “I truly love you Coastal. I love being your Pastor. And I love what we get to do together!”
Here’s your official Easter Countdown: the first of our 6 Easter Services is now 28 days away! Here is the schedule: Friday, April 7th, 7pm; Saturday, April 8th, 4:30 & 6pm; Sunday, April 9th, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am! Make sure you pick up all the Easter Invite Tools this Sunday: tickets, invite cards, & yard signs! And make sure you go to Easter at Coastal and let us know which service you plan on attending. And while you’re there, make sure you download our shareable graphics to use on Social Media. We really want to encourage our Coastal people to attend on Friday and Saturday, to make more room on Sunday. If you need to come that Sunday, please try to come to the 8:30am or the 11:30am service. Typically, the 10am service is PACKED! But the most important thing is to come to the service that you can get your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to come to. And talk to your Ministry Leaders now and please volunteer for multiple services. 6 services means that it’s “All Hands On Deck.” We need everyone! And if you’re not serving on Sunday morning yet, Easter is a great time to start. Sign up to volunteer on your Connect Card this Sunday, and we’ll get you plugged in. It will be one of the most worthwhile things you do, being used by God to be a link in the chain of people taking next steps and coming to know Jesus!
One last thing, on Saturday, March 25th, from 2-5pm, our church will be participating in the Carolina Bay Spring Fling/Easter Egg Hunt! We’ll be providing a craft area for all the children. We’ll have our Coastal tents, tables, and supplies for 300 children! Here’s what we need – VOLUNTEERS! Now, there are A LOT of Coastal people who live in Carolina Bay. If you would be willing to be a volunteer and simply welcome and greet people, help children at a craft table, and be a Coastal Ambassador, please respond to this email. Even if you can help for an hour or two, just let me know. And you don’t have to live in Carolina Bay to help – anyone is welcome!
What makes this opportunity even more exciting is that our church is going to be featured in the next Carolina Bay Neighbors and Shadowmoss LivingMagazines! There will be an exclusive article about our church and a full page ad for Easter! Be on the lookout for it! Those two magazines go to Carolina Bay, Bolton’s Landing, the Pointe at Rhode’s Crossing, Shadowmoss, Village Green, Hickory Hill, MacLaura Hall, and Magnolia Bluff, Be on the lookout for it! I know I said it earlier, but I just can’t help it – I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love what we get to do together!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
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, TODAY, Friday, March 10th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, TODAY, Friday, March 10th, 9am-11am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
Double Tailgate Day: Charleston Vets & Joseph Floyd Manor: Tomorrow, Saturday, March 11th, 10am-1pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
Ronald McDonald House Meals That Heal: Saturday, March 11th, 4-6pm. Meet at 81 Gadsden Street, downtown Charleston.
Soldier’s Angels: We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, March 14th, 8am-1pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate & Game Night – We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, March 16th, 6-8pm. Meet at Coastal.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas – Friday, March 17th, 8:30am-11am. Meet at Coastal.
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. - ALIVE AFTER 55 (a new Coastal Group)! Our “Youthful Seniors” are launching a new fellowship group at Coastal! In their own words, “It will give all of us ‘Older Folks’ a chance to come together in Fellowship.” We will be hosting an event the THIRD SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH. Times and locations will differ. The first gathering is a MEET AND GREET POT LUCK on Saturday, March 18TH, 11:30 – 1:00, in the Coastal Café area. Bring your favorite dish, meet folks your own age, fellowship and have some fun. Please email or text Steve & Karen Laughlin if you’re available and what you’d like to bring: Karenlaughlin2626@gmail.com / 509 539 5815.
- On Sunday, March 19th, 5pm-8pm, we’re hosting an IMPACT Evangelism Training Seminar. Childcare and Dinner provided. Come learn practical tools to help equip you to share your story, share your faith, and invite people to church without fear! RSVP on your Connect Card.
- Being a member of Coastal is really about being part of a family. The next Membership Class is Saturday, March 25th, from 9-11:30am. Sign up on your Connect Card and indicate if you’ll need childcare.
- WE NEED FOOD! Surely by now you know that our church feeds an ENORMOUS amount of people through our Community Food Bank. People come to our church for food throughout the week, and then we also push out a lot food through our Blessing Boxes, Tailgates, etc. Where does all that food come from? Well, some comes from other groups and a few seasonal food drives from outside organizations. But by far, MOST of it comes from YOU, our Coastal family. Food can be dropped off during the week during Office Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9am-4pm. Or you can simply bring it with you to church on Sundays. Some people have actually starting ordering it through Amazon and having it shipped directly to the church (460 Arlington Dr., Charleston, SC 29414).
Here is a current list of our most pressing needs: jelly, soups of all kinds, cereal (boxed), ramen, individual snacks, canned protein, canned pasta meals (ravioli, spaghetti, etc.), oatmeal.
We also now provide perishables in our refrigerator and freezer such as: milk, cheese, eggs, ground beef, chicken, pork chops, fruit. Thank you Coastal! You are making an IMPACT!!
P.S. Don’t forget that it’s Time Change Sunday this weekend! Your clocks will “spring forward” one hour. Yes, you’ll lose an hour on Sunday, and yes, your kid’s inner clock will be “out of whack”, but we’ll get those longer days of Spring & Summer! But don’t use this as an excuse to miss church on Sunday!
