Another Summer of IMPACT is almost in the books! I say almost, because there are still 6 more projects left – 3 today, 1 on Saturday, 1 on Sunday, and 1 on Monday (see below). I know we say this every year, and we’ve said it over and over this month, but it really has been the BEST SUMMER OF IMPACT EVER! The 73 projects in June saw a total of over 1361 volunteers and 3350 volunteer hours! Please pray for all the seeds of love that were planted, that they will bear much fruit for years to come! Much thanks goes to Chris Jones, our Pastor of Outreach here at Coastal. As you can tell, much prayer, planning, organization, and preparation have all gone into Summer of IMPACT. And part of what makes Chris Jones such a good leader is that he knows that none of it would be possible without all of our great Project Leaders and the countless volunteers (YOU) who willingly, joyfully served all month long. But, as you know, even as June comes to a close, serving never comes to a close at Coastal. Serving and loving our community is not relegated to one day or even one month at Coastal. It’s something we do all year round! It’s a part of our culture. In fact, you can go to our website to see and sign up for outreach projects lined up all the way through the end of the summer!
Okay Coastal, VBS is now 1 week away from this Monday night: July 7th-11th, 6-8:15pm each night, for children 4 years old – 5th Grade! Are you ready for this? We already have 282 children pre-registered! If you’re volunteering and still have not been to one our Trainings, there is still one left – Sunday, July 6th, 4pm-6pm.
There are 4 Big Needs for VBS:
1. We’re actually doing pretty good on Volunteers, but we could always use more – especially Crew Leaders! So GO TO OUR WEBSITE AND SIGN UP TODAY! You can also TEXT “vbsvolunteer” to 843-571-1777 to volunteer.
2. If you haven’t already done so, PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CHILD ONLINE. This really makes the check-in/registration process go so much smoother when VBS begins. Online Registration will be closed Friday night, July 4th at 6pm. After that, you will only be able to register at our campus each night in-person before VBS. You can also TEXT “vbs2025” to 843-571-1777 to register your child.
3. FOOD! At Coastal, we try to provide a “mini meal” for our VBS snacks since we meet during many families’ dinner time. If you are able to help provide any of these food items, go here https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4CADA72BA2FEC07-56357541-2025#/ to sign up. Right not it looks like we still need people to sign up for ice cream cups (vanilla, chocolate, etc.), pizza, and mac ‘n cheese.
4. MONEY! There are two parts to this year’s VBS Offering! 1. We will be collecting money to send with our Peru Missions Team this Summer! We hope to send them with at least $25,000 for building projects & supplies. 2. We will also be challenging our children and families to bring nonperishable food items for Coastal’s Food Pantry. Our Food Pantry feeds A LOT of people in our community. There will be a little “competition” each night between the Teams for who brings the most food and the most money. You can begin giving financially now through the week of VBS. Simply designate your offering “VBS.”
If you have any questions about VBS, please reach out to Aly Huggins at aly@coastalcommunitychurch.org. It really is the BEST week of the Summer! I hope you’ll be a part of it!
I love YOU, I love being your Pastor, I love what we get to do together, and I can’t wait to see you and your friends this weekend!
Much, Much Love!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
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, June 27, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Downtown Charleston “Hotdog Ministry”: We will be grilling and serving hotdogs to the homeless and hungry downtown! TODAY, Friday, June 27th, 4-6:30pm. Meet at Coastal.
Ronald McDonald House: Our team will assist the Ronald McDonald House in its mission by packing “Grab & Go” Meal Kits for families staying at the house. TODAY, Friday June 27th, 6pm-7pm. Meet at Coastal.
Sleep in Heavenly Peace Bed Build: A team from Coastal will help build beds that will go to well deserving, but underserved children all over Charleston. Saturday, June 28th, 9am-1pm. Meet at Coastal.
Picnic Table Build at Brighton Place: As a gift to the Brighton Place community, Coastal will help construct three new picnic tables that the residents will be able to enjoy. Sunday, June 29th, 5pm-8pm. Meet at Brighton Place, 1429 Orleans Road.
JFM Fellowship Activity & Devotion: A fun project for kids! We’ll serve at Joseph Floyd Manor (JFM), a public housing facility in Downtown Charleston, playing BINGO with the residents. Monday, June 30th; Monday, July 7th, 1pm-2:30pm. Meet at JFM.
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, July 3rd, 11:30am-1pm.
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, July 5th. We meet in the Auditorium at 8:30am, Project Leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we go out and serve!
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, Monday, July 7th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
Soldier’s Angels: We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, July 8th, 8am-12:30pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
Brighton Place Fellowship Activity & Devotion: This project will allow us to spend some time with the residents and get to know them better through a lively game of Chair Volleyball, a meal, and devotion. Kid Friendly! Tuesday, July 8th, 1:30pm-3:30pm. Meet at: Brighton Place, 1429 Orleans Road.
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. - We are in the planning stages for our FALL LIFE GROUPS! LIFE Groups are the primary vehicle at Coastal for community – learning, friendships, fellowship, and care. We typically have all different types of Groups – Bible studies, book studies, activity groups, active groups, support groups, men’s/women’s groups. Would you possibly be interested in leading, assisting, or hosting a LIFE Group this Fall? The Fall Semester begins in September and depending on the Group, lasts for 8-12 weeks. Sign up on your Connect Card or contact Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org if you are interested in leading a Group.
- As a fun way to celebrate the Summer and our “At the Movies” series, we’d like to take any children from our church and their friends (and children at heart) to the 10am special showing of the new “Lilo & Stitch” movie at Citadel Mall Cinema, THIS Tuesday, July 1st – ON US (concessions on you)! Doors open at 9:30am. RSVP on your Connect Card or respond to this email with the number of tickets you’ll need. We’ll meet you at the front door of the Theater on July 1st!
- ATTENTION Parents & Guardians with a RIsing 6th Grader: You are invited to our Rising 6th Grade Parent Meeting on Tuesday, July 1st, 6:30–7:30pm in the Coastal Welcome Center. We are so excited to welcome your Student into Coastal Student Ministry! It means a lot that you’d trust us to be a part of their journey, and Pastor Jacob can’t wait to partner with you in helping them grow in their faith.
This meeting is important. You and your student will:
– Hear from Pastor Jacob about the mission and heartbeat of CSM.
– Meet some amazing CSM Leaders.
– Hear from current students about why they love being apart of CSM.
– And of course, enjoy some food!
This is the first step into the life of our Student Ministry for both you and your Student. Email Pastor Jacob if you have any questions. - Membership Class: Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Sunday, July 13th, from 5pm-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. Dinner & childcare provided!
P.S. We still have 3 Sundays left in our “At the Movies” series! “At the Movies” is where we use current/popular movies as a hook or a springboard to talk about spiritual truth straight from God’s Word. As always, there will be popcorn and movie trailers! Make sure you pick up the microwave popcorn invites to invite your friends to the series. ALL 1st Time Guests (and the person who invited them – YOU) will receive a FREE Movie Ticket to Citadel Mall Theater throughout the entire series!
