Wow – we had an amazing Easter Weekend at Coastal! First of all, I can’t thank all of our volunteers enough for all of your hard work – 6 services over 3 days! All of our Teams – Praise & Worship, Tech, Coastal Kidz, Security, Cafe, Prayer, 1st Impressions – all knocked it out of the park! Many, many people were at multiple services, and some were at all 6. We seriously have the best volunteers at Coastal and could not do what we do without you!
Going into the weekend, I seriously had no idea how many people to expect in attendance in-person. I told our Staff that I had hoped to be close to pre-COVID Easter numbers – 1500+. In fact, 2 years ago, before anyone had ever heard of COVID, we had our largest attendance ever, just over 1600 for Easter. Well, this year we set a new Coastal attendance record with 1782 people in-person over the weekend! And then we had another 1115 online – for a grand total of 2897!
We had a ton of 1st time guests – people who were invited by a friend or who saw an ad, received a post card, or found us online. In fact, we had 43 1st & 2nd Time Guest Connect Cards filled out, 46 Coastal “Bags of Swag” given away, and 21 different decisions made! And of those 21 decisions. . . 8 PEOPLE GAVE THEIR LIFE TO JESUS!! Like I said, WOW! Thank you Jesus!!
Now, let me say this – Easter has come and gone, but Jesus is still alive, and there is still a sense of urgency. Keep praying, keep inviting, keep serving, keep reaching out. People still need Jesus, and He is still the hope of the world. And if the people you invited didn’t come, don’t get discouraged and don’t give up. And for those of you who came for the first time or maybe came for the first in a long time, come back! You are welcome at Coastal! In fact, we begin a new series this Sunday called, “Living In Victory.” And this Sunday I’ll be talking about living in victory over worry. Don’t miss it!
Don’t forget that we go back to our regular Sunday morning worship services times this week – 9:30am & 11:15am. If you took home and put up a Yard Sign, please pick them up and return them to the church. And if you see any others, out and about in the community, make sure you grab those as well and drop them off at the church. We really try to do our best to reuse them each Easter.
I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team – Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes Friday, May 6th, 9am-11am. 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, May 7th. We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe at 8:30am, project leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we serve! Two different Tailgate Parties go out from Saturday Serve!
Soldier’s Angels – We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, May 10th, 8am-1pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
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, Friday, May 13th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
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. - If you would like your family to participate in the Baby/Child Dedication on Mother’s Day (May 8th), sign up on your Connect Card. Include the child’s full name and the service you will be attending. Coastal’s Baby Dedication is a special time for our parents and children. The purpose of our Baby Dedication is not for the child’s salvation. It is more of a prayer/renewal time for the parents as they commit to raise their child the way God wants them to and a time of prayer for the child to grow to be the man or woman God has called them to be. It is also a time for our church family to commit to you, the parents, to be the support that you need. Most people think of a Baby Dedication as just for our newborns, but we’ve had all different ages participate. If you’ve never had that special prayer time for you and your child, we’d love for you to sign up and participate.
- We are planning our Annual BEACH BAPTISM out at Folly Beach County Park on Sunday, June 12th, at 5pm. You can sign up for it on our website. The only requirement for Baptism is that you have personally given your life to Jesus. Baptism is a public profession of your faith. At Coastal we call it “going public,” and it’s a great celebration! It beautifully illustrates Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. If you’re unable to participate in our Beach Baptism, remember at Coastal we’re ready for you to get Baptized any service, any Sunday. If you are interested in getting Baptized simply respond to this email, sign up on your Connect Card, or sign up on our website.
- New to Coastal? Join us in the Chapel or online Sunday, May 1st immediately following the 11:15am service for our next Newcomer’s Reception. Learn more about Coastal, meet staff and key volunteers, and get plugged in. Lunch & childcare provided. RSVP online or on your Connect Card on Sunday!
- Are you grieving the loss of a spouse or do you know someone who is? You are invited to join our FREE “Loss of a Spouse” Seminar through our Grief Share Support Group on Monday, May 9th, 6:30-8:30pm at Coastal. Discover practical advice, support, prayer, and encouragement from others who’ve been there. Learn what to expect in your grief and how to cope with life without your spouse. Register at www.griefshare.org or call Freeda (540-903-5030) or Sue (616-443-6553).
P.S. Homeschool educators and their kids of all ages are invited to a HOMESCHOOL HANGOUT THIS Wednesday, April 27th, 10am-12noon, to meet and network with other Homeschool families at Coastal. We’ll have pizza for lunch and the Coastal Kidz playgrounds will be open for playtime. RSVP on your Connect Card or respond to this email so we’ll know how much pizza to order!
