First of all, I just want to thank everyone for all the love you’ve shown me, your Pastor, this week for my Birthday! I am now 58 years young! I am constantly overwhelmed by all the expressions of love shown to me and my family! 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 say it all the time, but I sincerely mean it – I love you Coastal, I love being your Pastor, and I am truly humbled by what we get to do together and that I am a part of it!
Today is the 4th of July – the day we recognize and celebrate the birth of our nation. I realize that 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 this weekend, may we as individuals, families, and as a church recognize and focus on our dependence on God. He alone is our source of strength and blessing. Let us prayerfully humble ourselves in obedience to God, His Holy Word, and the Lordship of Christ.
Ultimately, this world is not our home. We are aliens in a foreign land, passing through. And from what I understand from God’s Word, this world will actually get worse. But none of that is an excuse to not care about the world in which we live and the people who live in it. Until He calls us home or comes again, it’s an opportunity to glorify God, exalt His Son Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, beat down the gates of Hell and rescue people one life at a time!
1 Timothy 2:1-6, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.” That’s the freedom we boldly proclaim!
Let Freedom Ring!
Pastor Chris
- 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 THIS Saturday, July 5th (TOMORROW). 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; Friday, July 11th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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, July 7th, 1pm-2:30pm. Meet at JFM.
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.
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 10th, 11:30am-1pm.
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, July 11th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
2nd Meal: Saturday, July 12th, 9am-11am. Come serve with us as we prepare a hot meal in the Coastal kitchen and then deliver those meals to one of our awesome ministry partners – organizations like Charleston Vets, S.C. Strong, Brighton Place, Joseph Floyd Manor and more!
Double Tailgate Day – Meeting Street & Joseph Floyd Manor: Saturday, July 12th, 10:30am-1:30pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
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.
- The best week of the Summer for Kids is finally here! If you’ve been out of the country or under a big rock, VBS starts this coming Monday-Friday night, July 7th-11th, 6-8:15pm, 4 year olds – 5th Grade! There will be a closing program on Friday night, July 11th, for children & parents with hotdogs, Kona Ice, jump castles, all outside from 6-7pm – all FREE! And then at 7pm we’ll come inside for songs and a slide show! This year’s theme is “True North – Trusting Jesus in a Wild World!”
Here are 5 Things to Remember about VBS:
1. We’re actually looking pretty good on Volunteers, but we could always use more – especially Crew Leader Assistants! 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 TONIGHT, 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.
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! With that money our Team will be building 10 “Shanty Homes,” this time with wood flooring and bunk beds for all 10 houses! We’ll be providing and distributing 1400 meals for children at 2 different schools, and giving away 500 wool blankets to people in remote villages. So pray now about what you and your family can generously give. 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.”
5. Training! If you are volunteering at VBS and have not yet attended a VBS Training, please come this Sunday, June 6th, 4-6pm in the auditorium. This is a great time to connect with your Leaders, meet other volunteers, and prepare for a great week of VBS!
If you have any questions about VBS, please reach out to Aly Huggins at aly@coastalcommunitychurch.org. - We are planning our 2nd BEACH BAPTISM of the Summer out at Folly Beach County Park on Sunday, August 10th, 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, 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.
- 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. On Sunday, July 20th, Pastor Chris will be kicking off another favorite Summer Sermon Series tradition here at Coastal – “Summer Reading”! “Summer Reading” is where we pick a group of books (see book list and schedule above) 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. We’re not preaching from the books themselves. If anything, during this series you will find yourself compelled to go to Scripture as we point people to the truth of His Word and a deeper relationship with God. We hope you’ll pick up one or two or all of the books and read them over the Summer. After all. . . leaders are what? Readers!
