Woohoo! 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 10th-14th, 6-8:15pm, 4 year olds – 5th Grade! There will be a closing program on Friday night, July 14th, 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 “Stellar – Shining Jesus’ Light.” If you haven’t already done so, PLEASE REGISTER YOUR CHILD ONLINE NOW. This really makes the check-in/registration process go so much smoother when VBS begins. Online Registration will be closed THIS Sunday night, July 9th at 6pm. After that, you will only be able to register at our campus each night in-person before VBS. So, the time is NOW – please register here: https://churchteams.com/m/Register.asp?a=alFlVEY3ajI2L3M9
Why am I personally so passionate about VBS? Well, when I was a young kid, the Summer after my dad died, a friend invited me to VBS, and the following week, at Camp, I gave my life to Jesus and answered the call to be a Pastor. My life was forever changed by a simple invitation from a friend, by that friend’s mom who picked me up each and every night and brought me to VBS, by a church willing to make the investment, by a bunch of volunteers who gave up their week to make an IMPACT in a young kid’s life.
What about you? What are you doing next week that’s going to potentially change a child’s life and change the world? Will it require a sacrifice of your time? Absolutely. Will it mean that by the end of the week, you’ll be exhausted? You bet. Will you be unable to get the VBS songs out of your head for the rest of the year? That’s a given! But I make no apologies in challenging you to join us next week as a VBS Volunteer, because Jesus said that we find true life when we give our lives away. I’m a product of a loving church and a loving, giving group of volunteers who sacrificed and made a difference in my life. And now as a by-product of that sacrifice – so are you. I promise you, you’ll be glad you served, and it will be one of the best experiences of your life!
So here’s what I’m asking you to do. If you don’t already have a place to serve next week, please go to our website and sign up today. You can also serve by staying after church this Sunday and help us stack and pack the chairs and move some furniture around the building to prep and decorate for VBS. We’ll also need some volunteers to help set up the chairs on Thursday night after VBS to get ready for our Friday night Closing Program. And then, of course, we’ll be tearing everything down and cleaning up on Friday night after VBS to get everything ready for Sunday. There are still a few food needs for the week. If you are able to help provide any of these last remaining items, go sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0844a9a82da4fe3-coastal1#/.
Even if you can’t personally serve next week because of work or you’re out of town, there is still something everyone can do to be a part of this LIFE changing experience in a very tangible way – through your generous giving! While our VBS is completely FREE, it does cost something. However, at Coastal we don’t consider it an expense – it’s an investment, in children and the Kingdom! The children and families of VBS will be asked to do 2 things as a part of our VBS Mission this week (and you can join them). There will be a canned goods/non-perishable food drive/competition. This will help supply our Food Bank which feeds hundreds of families in our community. We’ll also be taking up an offering that our Peru Missions Team will use to build 10 homes in Peru! Our goal is $10,000! So, be gathering up your canned goods and pray about what God would have you give. You can give this Sunday, each day during the week of VBS, or next Sunday. Simply use the keyword “VBS.” If you have any questions about VBS, please reach out to our Children’s Director, Janet Rollins at janet@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8299.
And finally, I just want to thank everyone for all the love you’ve shown me, your Pastor, this past week for my Birthday! I am now 56 years old! 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!
Shining the Light of Jesus with You!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, TODAY, Friday, July 7th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
Double Tailgate Day: Charleston Vets & Joseph Floyd Manor: TOMORROW, Saturday, July 8th, 10am-1pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
Soldier’s Angels: We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, July 11th, 8am-1pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas – Friday, July 14th, 8:30am-11am. Meet at Coastal.
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 14th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Ronald McDonald House Meals That Heal: Saturday, July 15th, 4-6pm. Online signup required. Contact Rachel Speer for more info.
Hope Center Tailgate: The Hope Center, managed by the city of Charleston, serves as a one-stop shop in downtown Charleston to assist those who are homeless or who are at-risk of being homeless. We’re sending a Tailgate Team to serve dinner to anyone who is hungry. We meet at Coastal on Tuesday, July 18th, 12pm-3pm.
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate & Game Night – We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, July 20th, 6-8pm. Meet at Coastal.
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. - Peru Missions Trip Needs – There are 25 people from Coastal going on a Missions Trip to Peru, July 22nd-29th. Not only are we sending them with $10,000 to build 10 homes (see VBS offering above), but there are several other needs the group has, that we can help meet:
20 – #11 wrenches (ratchet style preferably)
20 – 1000 piece bags of candy (tootsie rolls or similar – soft candy is best just not milk chocolate because it melts)
20 – soccer balls (deflated) with air pumps and spare needles
If you can help with any of these items, go to the following Sign-up Genius link and sign up today: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040948AAA72EA4F94-peru
You can drop these items off at the church, between now and Sunday, July 16th. If you have any questions, email Pastor Scott at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org. - Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Saturday morning, August 19th, 9am-11:45am in the Chapel. You can respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday. Dinner & childcare provided!
- Beginning the week of July 10th, Coastal will be emailing out Mid-Year Giving Statements. To make sure you receive yours, please TEXT the keyword “ME” to 843-571-1777 to view and update your contact information. Mid-Year giving Statements are something we’ve done over the years here at Coastal as an opportunity for you to see, mid-year, where you are in your giving. It’s also an opportunity for me as your Pastor to thank you for being part of our effort to “share and experience the LIFE & LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world!” We couldn’t do what we do without your faithful, consistent, generous giving – period. We are 100% fully funded by your giving. If you have any questions about your statement, please reach out to our Financial Administrator Kathy Love at finance@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- 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.
P.S. Our “Summer Reading” series begins July 23rd! “Summer Reading” is where we as a Staff pick out 7 books worth reading over the Summer, and then each week we use the subject matter of one of the books as the subject of that week’s message. You can see the books and the dates in the graphic above. We’ll have a small number of each book available for purchase at the church (until they are sold out). Or simply pick up the books yourself through Amazon and enjoy! Remember – leaders are readers!
