This Sunday we’re in Part 2 of our “Welcome Home” series. I’ll be talking about how when you come to God, not only will you find forgiveness (last week’s message), but you will also find a family! The church is a family. It’s not a building; it’s not a service; it’s not an organization; it’s not a club. It’s a family. Church is not a place you go to. Church is a family you belong to. And I LOVE MY CHURCH FAMILY! I DO! If this season of social distancing and staying home has done anything, it’s reminded me just how much I love our church family. And I’m so proud of you Coastal and how you’ve responded to this crisis. Your faith, your love, your service, and your generosity are examples to many and are planting seeds that will bear much fruit for years to come and into eternity. Remember, no matter what the circumstances of life are, our mission has not changed. Let’s not be distracted or diverted – people still need Jesus, and He is still the hope of the world!
Speaking of our church family, maybe it’s time for you to make a commitment to Coastal and officially become a Member of our church. So, how do you become a member of our church family? You make a commitment. At Coastal we have a class that I teach, our Membership Class, where we go over our Statement of Faith, our structure, our purpose, what it means to be a member of God’s family, and we ask people to make a commitment. For our next Membership Class, we’re going to do something we’ve never done before. We’re going to offer a virtual Membership class, an online class. It’s going to be Monday night, May 4th, 6-9PM. Sign up today on your Connect Card and we’ll mail you the notes for the class.
I can’t begin to thank everyone enough for the response to our “Grab & Go Meal Drive Through”! This “little meal give away” has grown to the point where we are now planning on feeding 1000 people tomorrow! Go to my Facebook page and share my post about the event. Help us get the word out. Our menu for tomorrow: pulled pork barbecue, red rice, cole slaw, and dessert. Because we are trying to limit the number of people on our campus and because so many people have signed up to serve, we are having to turn people away from serving. At this point and at this scale, the BIGGEST WAY TO HELP is donating money. You can simply go to our website and give or text ANY amount to 843-277-8337 and use the key word “meals” (ex. $100 meals).
Not only are we giving away hot meals each Saturday, but we are giving away an enormous amount of groceries from our Food Bank. We can still use donations of canned goods and non perishable food items. Foods that we always need are rice, pastas, sauce, canned fruit, canned proteins (tuna, chicken, etc.).
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
- Looking for something positive and life changing to do while you’re staying at home during this pandemic? Join your church family in continuing to read through the New Testament for the rest of the year! Come on, what else are you going to do? Binge watch “Tiger King” on Netflix? Instead of a daily reading schedule, we’ve given you a block of chapters to read for the week at your own pace (email us for the schedule) But we would encourage you to try to break it up and read a little portion each day. Enjoy!
- Operation Christmas Child has grown so much at Coastal that it is now a YEARLONG Mission of our church! Each month we will feature a “donation of the month” to help us better prepare for the thousands of boxes we will pack and wrap in the Fall. This month (April) we are encouraging everyone to bring stuffed animals that will fit in a shoebox. May will be coloring books. Even though our Sunday morning Services are online right now, you can still drop off OCC items during the week at the church. You can even pick up shoeboxes & wrapping paper to start wrapping shoeboxes. If you have any questions, please reach out to Teresa Spell.
- All of our LIFE Groups have now gone online! Join a Group and experience community, connection, and prayer each week. You can go to our website and sign up today! If you might be willing to start/lead a new online Group, please respond to this email or reach out to Pastor Scott. Let us equip you to help keep our church connected.
- 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
If you have any questions about the Blessing Boxes, please reach out to Chris Jones. - This coming Sunday, April 19th we’ll be taking Communion together online. If you’re able to pick up some grape juice/wine and bread this week at your local store, great. However, they are symbols, and you can use whatever you have available (water and crackers would work just fine). We’ll also be making up some family “Communion Packets” (ziplock bags with small containers of juice and bread) that can be picked up this week at the church.
P.S. For those of you who normally give to Coastal on Sunday mornings by check, cash, or card swiping, we want to help you to continue to be faithful with your generosity. If you would like us to mail you offering envelopes or step you through online giving, please respond to this email or call the church office (843-571-1777). Your weekly gifts are a vital resource that allows us to continue the work that God has called us to do. When you continue to give during this crisis, your gifts allow us to maintain critical ministries that many depend on. Thank you so much for your faithfulness!
