Alright everyone – this Sunday, May 8th, is Mother’s Day! It’s going to be a BIG DAY at Coastal! Make sure you come early, park far away, and go out of your way to make our guests feel welcome and at home. And speaking of guests – invite and bring your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers! We have a gift for all the Moms (and a little something for all women), fun giveaways at the end of each service (SPA PACKAGE), a photo booth, Baby/Child Dedication during the service, and FREE Kona Ice for everyone!
I was out of town last week for a few days. I went to Florida for my Pastor’s Coaching Network meeting. It’s a group of about 25 Pastors from around the country. We meet 5 times a year for coaching and encouragement. It was the first time we’ve been back in person in over 2 years. It was awesome and much needed! Knowing that I was going to be gone for a few days, I got Pastor Scott to preach for me last week (he did a great job talking about busyness). Honestly, I was really looking forward to the weekend. It was the first time in a long time that Janet and I didn’t really have anything going on and I wasn’t preaching. It was going to be a nice break. However, that’s not exactly what happened. I ended up doing two funerals for 2 men who went to Coastal. For both of the funerals I shared a message from the 23rd Psalm. I talked about the very passage I’ll be preaching on this weekend, Psalm 23:3, “He restores my soul.”
You know, one of the great mysteries of my theology is how can a God we cannot see and touch and hear audibly, but who is real, how can He reach into the ravaged souls of human beings and restore them? The answer: I don’t know. . .but I know that He does it. He’s done it for me, I’ve seen Him do it for countless people, and He can do it for you if you let Him. There is no crisis, no tragedy, no loss so great that He can’t sustain you and restore you completely and David knew that. How do I know that David knew that? Because David lost his son. In fact, after the death of his child, after weeping and grieving, David said this, “I can’t bring him back. He can’t come to me, but one day, I can go to him.” We can’t bring our loved ones back, but we can go to them one day.
At one of the funerals I did last weekend, the Graveside was at the same cemetery on James Island where my Dad was buried when I was 13 years old. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to my Dad’s grave. Honestly, I wasn’t sure we could find it – but we did. As I stared at my Dad’s grave, I had forgotten that he was only 41 years old when he died – 41. That seems so young to me now. I was also reminded how God used something so terrible in my life, to bring about so much good. I was humbled and grateful, and I was reminded that the Good Shepherd can restore our soul if we let him. Don’t miss this Sunday. It’s going to be a powerful day! I love you, I love our church, 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 (TODAY), May 6th (and again on May 13th), 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 (TOMORROW), May 7th. We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe at 8:30am (or come at 7:30am to help with chair set-up), 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.
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, Clothing Distribution, on Saturday, May 14th, 10am-1pm. Meet at Coastal.
Charleston Vets Tailgate – We’re hosting a tailgating event at Charleston Vets, Saturday, May 14th, 10am-1pm. Coastal Vets is a transitional housing facility for veterans in North Charleston. Meet at Coastal at 8:30am.
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 this Sunday, please respond to this email. 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.
- One of the ways our church marks the beginning of Summer every year is through something called Summer of IMPACT! If you are fairly new to Coastal, Summer of IMPACT is a month-long effort (the entire month of June) where we as a church saturate our community with the love of Jesus through simple acts of service. It’s basically what we normally do all throughout the year, but ON STEROIDS for the month of June!
There is something for everyone – from serving through our existing partnerships with non-profit organizations all over Charleston like the Lowcountry Food Bank, Soldiers Angels, the Ronald McDonald House, Carolina Youth Development Center, Charleston Vets, The Pink House, Patriots Villas, and Lowcountry Orphan Relief, to sewing lap throws for the residents of Joseph Floyd Manor, to feeding, clothing, and bring supplies to literally hundreds of hungry, hurting, and homeless people all over Charleston. There are opportunities nearly every day of the month. You simply sign-up and then show-up. It’s that easy. Every project has a leader and every project is well-organized. So here’s what I am asking you to do RIGHT NOW: Click on this link: https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/missions/
Take a look at all the opportunities. Find the project(s) right for you and then sign up today! You can sign up for as many opportunities as you want directly from our website. - 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 THIS 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. Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Monday night, June 6th, 6-8:30pm. 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.
