First of all, I just want to thank everyone for all the love you’ve shown your Pastor this week!  It was one week ago yesterday that I had knee surgery, and I can’t thank everyone enough for all the prayers, messages, and phone calls!  My knee is feeling better and better each day.  Keep praying for my strength, healing, and recovery.  And then Wednesday was my Birthday (I turned 53), 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 I’m a part of!  I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!

Make sure you take a moment and watch the video above!  It’s a collection of just some of the pictures from this year’s Summer of IMPACT!  And while you’re at it, reach out to Chris Jones, our Outreach Pastor, and tell him what an awesome job he did of leading and organizing Summer of IMPACT.  I know what he’ll tell you – that it could not have been done (during a Pandemic no less) without all the awesome Project Leaders and Volunteers.  Continue to pray for all the seeds of love that were planted, that they will bear much fruit for years to come!

I have something very exciting to announce!  Immediately after our “UNDIVIDED” series (the 3 week series on Justice & Racial Reconciliation starting July 12th that we’re doing with 20+ churches in the Charleston area) we’ll be doing our “Summer Reading” series.  “Summer Reading” is another favorite Summer tradition here at Coastal.  It’s 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.  The first book that we are doing on August 2nd is a first for us at Coastal – we’re doing a Children’s Book, “Different” by Chris Singleton!  Chris came and spoke at our church this Summer, and we believe so strongly in Chris’s message and the message of this book that we decided to buy it as a gift for every family from Coastal!  Racism is TAUGHT, and so the best place to begin is with our children!  You can pick up your FREE copy at the church beginning July 12th.  Here is the list of the other books (and a link to purchase them) in the order that we’ll be using them.  There will be a very small number of the books available for purchase (at a discounted price) at the church beginning July 12th.  The series kicks off on August 2nd.  Happy Reading!

LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris

Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:

  1. Coastal we need your HELP!  Because of the amount of food we are giving away each week through our Food Bank and Blessing Boxes, we are running low on non-perishable food supplies.  Items that we always need more of are:  pasta, rice, pasta sauce, canned fruit, canned pastas and canned protein (chicken, tuna, etc.).  You can bring your food donations to the church on Sundays or drop them off during the week.  Don’t forget that you can go directly to the Blessing Boxes themselves.  Their locations are:
    – 413 Geddes Avenue, Charleston
    – 928 Savage Road, Charlesto
    – 2758 East Surrey Drive, North Charleston
    – 1998 Hugo Avenue, North Charlesto
    – 1050 St. Andrews Blvd., Charleston 
    If you have any questions about the Blessing Boxes, please reach out to Chris Jones.
  2. I know it seems like a long way off, but we are in the process of thinking through and planning for ourFall 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.
  3. Even though Summer of IMPACT is over, loving and serving our community NEVER ends!  Here are two projects coming up where you can make an IMPACT:  On Wednesday, July 8th 8am-1pm, Coastal is teaming up with the Veteran’s Administration and Soldiers’ Angels to supply local low-Income veteran families with food assistance at the mobile food distribution.  And then on Friday, July 17th, 9:30am-11:30am, Coastal will be serving with the Lowcountry Orphan Relief.  If you are interested in either of these opportunities, sign up on your online Connect Card or reach out to Pastor Chris Jones.
  4. At some point later this Summer our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry will be GOING PORTABLE and meeting across the street at Orange Grove Middle School (where everyone parks).  One of the ways that you can help is to join a new Ministry Team called “Coastal Kidz Set-Up Team.”  Our Set-Up Team will be the ones who unload our trailer (located behind Orange Grove) and set up our Coastal Kidz Classrooms and environments on Sunday mornings before church and then break down everything and load up the trailer after both services are over. If you are interested in serving on this team you can respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.
  5. The Operation Christmas Child “donation of the month” for July are new socks/t-shirts.  You can now drop off OCC items at church on Sunday mornings or during the week. If you have any questions, please reach out to Teresa Spell.

    P.S. Interested in officially making Coastal your church family!  Sign up for the next Membership Class!  And for our next Membership Class, we’re going to do something we’ve never done before – we’re going to offer BOTH a virtual online & in-person Membership class simultaneously!  It’s going to be Saturday morning, July 11th, 9am-11:30am.  You can sign up on your Connect Card on Sundays or right now from our website.