Bridges. They are an integral part of the life and community here in Charleston. They are an every day part of your life and my life that we take for granted. In fact, depending on how you count, there are 14 major bridges across waterways in the Charleston area. And if you’ve been in Charleston for any length of time, think about all the memories you’ve had over bridges. Growing up I can remember singing, “Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go” when we headed downtown and crossed the Ashley River Bridge to see my grandmother. Depending on your age, maybe you remember the first time you drove over the old two lane Cooper River bridge (that was scary)! Of course a common bridge memory for literally tens of thousands of people is the annual Bridge Run. Now think for a moment what life would be like without bridges. We would be a separated, lonely people, living on islands unto ourselves, never connecting and communicating with the world around us.
Well, on Easter weekend we are beginning a brand new 5-week series at Coastal called “Bridges.” The idea for the series is that Jesus is the bridge we need to cross in a variety of areas of our life. Jesus is the bridge from death to life (Easter Weekend). Jesus is the bridge from religion to a relationship. Jesus is the bridge from brokenness to restoration. Jesus is the bridge from division to reconciliation. And finally, Jesus is the bridge from us (the church) to our community. I really believe that it’s going to be a great series!
And speaking of Easter Weekend, here’s your Easter Countdown: Easter Weekend (Friday, April 2nd-Sunday, April 4th) is now just 14 days away! Hopefully by now you’ve started inviting your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers. Make sure you pick up all the different invite tools at church this weekend to help you make that invitation – yard signs, books, and tickets!
We also need you to go to our Easter at Coastal webpage and click on the “Download Shareable Easter Invite Images for Social Media” button. A zip file containing a folder of 10 different images will automatically download on your computer. Or you can simply click on this link and download them now! Start using these images on Facebook and Instagram to get the word out and invite people to Coastal for Easter.
And while you’re on our Easter At Coastal page, go ahead and register for the service you and your family and friends are planning to attend! That way we can spread everyone out and let people know when a service is reaching capacity. Make sure you connect with your Ministry Leader and sign up now to serve at one or more of our services. If you are not serving in a Ministry, Easter is a great time to get started! Most importantly, bathe all of this in prayer! Ask God to use our church to draw people to Himself and to prepare the hearts and minds of everyone we will be reaching out to. I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
- 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 19th, 9am-11am. We meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Oakland Elementary School Outdoor Movie Night – Our church is putting on an outdoor movie for our friends over at Oakland Elementary School TONIGHT! We’ll be setting up our truck (with music) and tents, and giving away popcorn and drinks. Gates open at 6:30pm and movies starts at 7:30pm. Great opportunity for the whole family!
PINK House – The PINK House is a community center in the Ardmore subdivision in West Ashley. We are going to be putting on a clothing distribution TOMORROW, Saturday, March 20th, 10am-1pm.
Tricounty Family Ministries – We will be assisting with their Emergency Grocery Distribution, Wednesday, March 31st, 9am-1pm.
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, April 3rd. We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe at 8:30am, project leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we serve! Make plans NOW to be there!
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. - Interested in officially making Coastal your church family by becoming a Member? Our next Membership Class is Saturday morning, April 17th, 9:30am-12noon. 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.
- Did you know that Coastal’s Prayer Team is now ready and available to pray with people in-person during our Worship Services? During both services our Prayer Team volunteers will be wearing Red Lanyards. All you have to do is tap anyone on the Prayer Team on the shoulder for prayer and they will step off to the side and pray with you. Prayer Team members will also be sitting in the front row to the left of stage during the response time (the end of each sermon/communion time) ready to pray with anyone during the last songs of the service. If you are interested in joining our Prayer Team, please reach out to Galen Moyer at galen.moyer@comcast.net.
- We are excited to announce that Coastal is starting a Celebrate Recovery Support Group/Ministry! Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered, 12 step recovery program for anyone struggling with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind. If you have a track record of personal recovery and you are interested in possibly serving in this Christ-centered ministry, please let us know on your connect card or you can reach out to Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- Did you know that we have 5 Blessing Boxes in the community! Consider choosing a Blessing Box as a family and restock it with non-perishable food, toiletries, and even notes & cards of encouragement. This can be done by going directly to the Blessing Box. Here are the addresses to our Boxes:
- 413 Geddes Avenue, Charleston
- 928 Savage Road, Charleston
- 2758 East Surrey Drive, North Charleston
- 1998 Hugo Avenue, North Charleston
- 1050 St. Andrews Blvd., Charleston
P.S. I want to challenge you to give toward our “Daring Faith” offering for Easter Weekend. Because a large number of people stepped out in faith and gave to “Daring Faith,” our church was able to begin our construction project. You can visit our Daring Faith page on our website to learn more about the project. It’s slated to be complete in late August! Easter Weekend would be a great time for you and your family to give above and beyond as a step of faith toward this project. You can give through our website, our App, or TEXT any amount to 843-277-8337. It’s simple, safe, secure, and convenient!
