1 WEEK UNTIL EASTER! Obviously there has been a big build up for Easter, but don’t think for a second that everything slows down and comes to a screeching halt after Easter at Coastal. In fact, just the opposite is true. Here are 4 things that I’m excited about that I want to share with you:
– Mother’s Day, May 11th, is going to be awesome! In fact, to make room for the anticipated crowd we’re having 4 services! We’re adding a 1pm service. Take your Mom to breakfast/brunch and bring everyone to church! Ladies (all women, not just moms) will receive a gift from the church! And yes, there will be FREE Kona Ice for everyone, Giveaways, and a Photo Booth. But Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day) also means Baby/Child Dedication at Coastal. If you would like your child to participate in the Dedication Service, sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday. Include the child’s full name and the service you will be attending
– SUMMER OF IMPACT! If you’ve been at Coastal over a Summer, you know what this is all about. It’s basically the Outreach/Serving projects we do during any given month ON STEROIDS for the month of June! This year there are over 71 different projects – something for everyone, almost every day of the month of June. You’ll get to see a calendar insert on Easter Sunday!
– BEACH BAPTISM! This is always a special highlight of the year! We usually have a Beach Baptism at the beginning of the Summer and the end of the Summer. Our first one will be Sunday, June 8th, 5pm, at Folly Beach County Park. If you are interested in getting Baptized at the Beach, you can go to our website and sign up today!
– VBS AT COASTAL! Mark your calendars now – July 7th-11th, from 6-8:15pm each night for children 4 years old – 5th Grade! This year’s theme is “True North – Trusting Jesus In A Wild World.” You’ll be able to start registering your children and signing up to serve over Easter weekend!
Wow! And that’s just 4 of the things around the corner I’m excited about! It doesn’t even include our annual kick off of “At the Movies”, Father’s Day, Summer Camp for our Students, a Missions Trip to Peru, and Coastal Day at the River Dogs (see below)! And yes, keep reading below for all the information on Easter Weekend! I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love what we get to do together! Can’t wait to see you Sunday! I’ll be wrapping up our series on Joseph talking about being faithful to the end. Don’t miss it!
Much, Much Love!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, TODAY, Friday, April 11th; Monday, April 14th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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 April 11th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Carolina Bay Easter “Spring Fling”: TODAY, Friday, April 11th, 4:30pm-8pm. We’re setting up tents and tables with Easter Crafts for the children/families of Carolina Bay. Meet at the park at Carolina Bay at 4pm at the Coastal Box Truck to help unload and set up.
Double Tailgate Day: Meeting Street & Joseph Floyd Manor: Saturday, April 12th, 10:30am-1:30pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
2nd Saturday/2nd Meal: Saturday, April 12th, 9am-12noon. Come serve with us as we prepare a hot meal in the Coastal kitchen and then deliver those meals to one of our awesome ministry partners – organizations like Charleston Vets, S.C. Strong, Brighton Place, Joseph Floyd Manor and more!
Hope Center Tailgate: The Hope Center, managed by the city of Charleston, serves as a one-stop shop in downtown Charleston to assist those who are homeless or who are at-risk of being homeless. We’re sending a Tailgate Team to serve dinner to anyone who is hungry. We meet at Coastal on Tuesday, April 15th, 12pm-3pm.
VA Hospitality Project: This team serves at the VA Hospital in Charleston by providing a hospitality cart, greeting incoming patients and employees, visiting patients, and helping Volunteer Services with small sorting projects. Wednesday, April 16th, 8:30am-11:30am. 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)! Thursday, April 17th, 11:30am-1pm.
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, April 17th, 6-8pm. Meet at Coastal.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Friday, April 18th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Brighton Place Tailgate: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Brighton Place community (here in West Ashley – near Citadel Mall) on Wednesday, April 23rd, 6-8:30pm. 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. - Make sure to pick up and take advantage of all the tools we give away to make it easy to invite someone to our Easter Services. We have tickets, invite cards, and postcards. Download our Easter shareable social media graphics to use on your Facebook or Instagram pages.
And don’t forget to go to Easter at Coastal and let us know which service you plan on attending by reserving your spot! It lets us know when a service reaches capacity. I know we keep saying it, but we really want to encourage our people (YOU) to attend on Friday and Saturday, to make more room on Sunday. If you plan to come that Sunday, please try to come to the 8:30am or the 1pm service (go to Easter breakfast/brunch and then come to church). Whichever service you attend or serve, especially on Sunday, please park at Oakland. But most importantly, as we always say, come to the service that you can get your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to come to, yes, even if it’s Easter Sunday at 10am! And obviously, if you’re serving, come to the service that best suits your serving schedule. Here are the Easter service times: Friday, April 18th, 7pm; Saturday, April 19th, 4:30pm, 6pm; Sunday, April 20th, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am, 1pm. - Coastal Day at the Riverdogs! Join us on Sunday, May 18th, at 5pm at the Charleston Riverdogs baseball game! Reserve your FREE tickets by texting TICKETS to 843-571-1777. Literally text the word “TICKETS” and then hit send. If you text anything else it will not work. You will then be sent a link to fill out your information for your ticket request. Tickets will be distributed digitally to your email. We bought 1000 tickets to give away and we’ve already given away over half of those in ONE WEEK! A member of our Worship Team will be singing the National Anthem. And our very own Children’s Director, Aly Huggins will be throwing out the first pitch! Don’t miss this fun day with your Coastal family!
- Are you grieving the loss of a spouse or do you know someone who is? Join one of the FREE special GriefShare sessions on Monday, May 19th at 2pm or 6pm at Coastal to discover practical advice from others who’ve been there. Learn what to expect in your grief, find how to cope with life without your spouse, and more. Register at www.GriefShare.org or contact Freeda (540-903-5030) or Sue (616-443-6553).
- To pull off a big weekend like Easter with 7 services, we need 2 things to happen: 1. We need our current volunteers to serve multiple services. Please keep in mind that Sunday will need the most volunteers. 2. We need new volunteers to start serving! If you’ve never volunteered before, Easter weekend is a great time to start! And 1st Impressions and Coastal Kidz is a great place to start. Go to our website and sign up today! Our LIFE Team Leaders will follow up with you and get you started.
P.S. Membership Class: Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is THIS Sunday, April 13th, from 5-8pm, 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) on Sunday. Food & childcare provided!
P.S.S. Hopefully you’ve already been praying during our 40 Day Easter Fast. To help mobilize our church even further in prayer, our Prayer Team is organizing two events that you can participate in. We’re conducting a Prayer Walk on Tuesday, April 15th at 6pm at Coastal – everyone welcome. Sign up on this link to let us know you’re coming. We’re also conducting a 24-hour Prayer Vigil (from your home). We’re praying in 15-minute increments for a continuous 24-hour period beginning at 7pm on Thursday, April 17th, until 7pm on Friday, April 18th. If you’d be interested in joining in the Prayer Vigil, click on this link and sign up for a time slot.
