First of all, I just want to thank everyone for all the love you’ve shown me, your Pastor, this week! My Birthday was yesterday (I turned 54), and I was overwhelmed by all the expressions of love! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Coastal is not just a church that I attend or a job where I work. It’s a family that I’m a part of! I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
This Sunday is 4th of July (WE’LL ONLY HAVE 1 SERVICE: 9:30am)! I realize we are facing a lot of problems in our country today and that the divisions seem to be greater and deeper than ever before, but I believe we still have much to be grateful for in our great country. I am so thankful to God for the birth of America and the privilege that was mine to be born here in the land of the free and home of the brave. As we celebrate our independence may we as individuals, families, and as a church recognize our dependence on God. He alone is our source of blessing, and let us prayerfully humble ourselves in obedience to God and His Holy Word. Ultimately, the hope of the world is not and never has been a President, a Political Party, or a Platform – it’s in the person of Jesus Christ. And it’s our mission to share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world! Maybe it’s time we spent less time complaining on social media and more time praying and being the light of the world that Jesus talked about in Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see.” The truth is, the darker this world gets, the greater our opportunity to shine!
Speaking of being the light of the world – another Summer of IMPACT is in the books! As I said last week, it’s been the BEST SUMMER OF IMPACT EVER! Here are just a few examples of what I mean: Last Saturday over 30 volunteers boxed, delivered, and gave away 867 meals in our “Grab & Go Meal Drive-Thru!” On Monday night almost 80 volunteers met at Coastal to pack 140 “On the Go Meal Kits” for the Ronald McDonald House of Charleston (and they did it in less than 40 minutes!). Every Wednesday night a large group of Volunteers has been sewing pillowcases for the kids at’ MUSC Children’s Hospital. They’ve now sewn over 100 pillowcases! Seriously, I could go on and on and on. This year’s Summer of IMPACT projects had 531 volunteer serving 1,455 hours! And 75 brand new volunteers! In the days ahead, be on the lookout for a little slide show of the various projects. And make sure that you reach out to Chris Jones, our Outreach Pastor, and tell him what an awesome job he did of leading and organizing this year’s Summer of IMPACT. I know what he’ll tell you – that it could not have been done without all the awesome Project Leaders and Volunteers. And most importantly, continue to pray for all the seeds of love that were planted, that they will bear much fruit for years to come!
Making An IMPACT With You!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Tricounty Family Ministries – We will be assisting with their Emergency Grocery Distribution, Wednesday, July 7th, 9am-1pm.
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, July 10th, 10am-1pm.
Soldier’s Angels – We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, July 13th, 8am-1pm.
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. - Our “Summer Reading” series starts Sunday, July 25th. “Summer Reading” is another favorite Summer tradition here at Coastal where we pick a group of books for you to read over the Summer and then the subject matter of each of those books becomes the sermon topic for that particular Sunday. There will be a very small number of the books available for purchase (at a discounted price – $10 each) at the church. Here are all the books and their links. Happy Reading!
Love Your Life, Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze
U-Turns by Tony Evans
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
Winning the War in Your Mind by Craig Groeschel
Uncommon Ground by Timothy Keller
Gentle and Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund
The Praying Life by Paul Miller - Our Annual BEACH BAPTISM out at Folly Beach County Park has been RESCHEDULED to Sunday, August 8th, 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.
- What are your Next Steps at Coastal? If you’re fairly new to Coastal, a great next step is our Newcomers Reception. Our next Newcomers Reception is Sunday, July 25th, in the Welcome Center immediately following the 11:15am service (at approximately 12:30pm). This is a great way to learn more about Coastal, meet staff and key volunteers, as well as meet some other new people. You can respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.
Another next step is officially making Coastal your church family by becoming a Member. Our next Membership Class is Monday night, August 9th, 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. - If you haven’t already seen it, make sure you check out our WAVES Student Ministry (6th-12th Grade) Summer Calendar. They have a ton of events, activities, and service projects all summer! This coming week the High School Students will be going to Top Golf on Wednesday, July 7th, 10am-4pm; Movie Night “Black Widow” at Citadel Mall Theater on Friday, July 9th, 8-10pm. Go to our website, their Instagram page, or reach out to Ryan Spell for all the details. Oh and by the way, all the events are FREE!! Bring your Student and invite a friend!
P.S. I know it seems like a long way off, but we are in the process of thinking through and planning out our Fall Semester of LIFE Groups. If you are interested in possibly leading, assisting, or hosting a LIFE Group (in person or online), please sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday or respond to this email. If you have any questions you can also reach out to Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
