Check out the progress pictures above of our new facility (thanks to the Speer family for the drone shots)! Things are really starting to take shape. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen our campus, come by and I’d love to give you a tour. None of this would be possible without your consistent generous giving! Thank you for your faithfulness!
This Sunday, I’ll be wrapping up our “Bridges” series (and yes, I will be preaching). I’ll be talking about how once we cross the bridge of faith, God then uses us to be bridge builders to the world around us. We become bridge builders where we live, work, parent, and play. In a way, it’s like a family trait that gets passed down to us from our Heavenly Father. You and I are to be constantly building bridges to reach out to people who are disconnected from God.
And then on the following Sunday, Mother’s Day, May 9th, we kick off a new series I’m excited about (I know, I get excited about every series we do) called, “Conversations.” A couple of years ago I read a really good book on communication called, “Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When Stakes Are High.” Well, the idea for this series is that there are several “crucial conversations” that every parent needs to have with their children — not letting anyone steal their identity, forming healthy friendships, following Jesus in a digital age, and holding on to your faith (just to name a few). Kids can easily get confused between what the world says and what God says. And if you’re a parent, you might feel unprepared to have difficult, yet crucial conversations with your kids. In this series you’ll get practical advice for talking with your kids about the stuff that matters. But trust me, even if you aren’t a parent, the truths you’ll learn from this series will help you grow in your own faith and find significance in the God who created you. It’s going to be a great series to kick off on Mother’s Day and take us to the Summer.
And speaking of Mother’s Day – invite and bring your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers! It’s going to be a BIG DAY! We have a gift for all the Moms (and women), fun giveaways at the end of each service, a photo booth, Baby/Child Dedication during the service, and FREE Kona Ice!
Now, there are two things I need your help with. One is parking. Actually, you can start helping with parking this Sunday. As more and more people are making their way back to church that means more parking spaces are needed. I am asking all of our regular attenders to start parking as far away as possible so that when a guest shows up on our campus they can easily find a parking space. Typically in our early Sunday morning Volunteer Meeting I tell all our Volunteers, “The further away you park, the more you love Jesus.” So where am I asking you to park? There is plenty of parking at Oakland Elementary School, down the first drive right past the Greenway. There is also parking available behind the Middle School where our Coastal Kidz container is located. Again, think with our Guests in mind. When our construction is completed, we’ll have more parking available.
The other thing I need your help with is our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry (Birth – 5th Grade). It’s been so awesome the last several weeks, seeing more and more people starting to return to in-person worship. But more people means more kids which means more volunteers. I want to invite you to check out Coastal Kidz and see if this is the place for you to start serving. Teaching a child about Jesus or caring for a little one so their parents can grow closer to Jesus is not only alot of fun, but you are also making an eternal IMPACT. Most of our Coastal KIdz volunteers serve once or twice a month.
If you used to serve in Coastal Kidz and just now started coming back to in-person worship, we’re ready for you to jump back in. In fact, this Spring & Summer is going to be the perfect time to prepare our Coastal Kidz Volunteers before the Grand Opening of our new Children’s Facility in the Fall! If you are interested in Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry, simply respond to this email, indicate it on your Connect Card, or directly contact our Children’s Director, Janet Rollins, at janet@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8299.
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
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 tomorrow, May 1st. 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!
PINK House – The PINK House is a community center in the Ardmore subdivision in West Ashley. We are going to be putting on a community Tailgate Party and Clothing Distribution, Saturday, May 8th, 10am-1pm.
Soldier’s Angels – We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, May 11th, 8am-1pm.
Tricounty Family Ministries – We will be assisting with their Emergency Grocery Distribution, Wednesday, May 12th, 9am-12noon.
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. - 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 Tuesday, June 1st, 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).
- We are planning our Annual BEACH BAPTISM out at Folly Beach County Park on Sunday, June 13th, 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 or sign up on our website.
- One of the ways our church marks the coming of Summer is through “SUMMER OF IMPACT!” For the entire month of June, our church will saturate Charleston with a variety of outreach projects almost every day! What better way to show that we are followers of Jesus than by serving the people right here in our community! The 2021 Summer of IMPACT Catalog with all the details is now available online. Check out all the different opportunities and sign up today! 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 9th) or Father’s Day (June 20th), 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 or commitment to Christ. 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.
P.S. If you’re fairly new to Coastal, a great next step is our Newcomers Reception. Our next Newcomers Reception is Sunday, May 16th, in the Welcome Center immediately following the 11:15am service (at approximately 12:30pm). This will also be available online! This is a great way to learn more about Coastal, meet staff and key volunteers, as well as meet some other new people. RSVP online or on your Connect Card.
