I love our volunteers here at Coastal – I do! I truly believe we have some of the best volunteers any church could imagine. I think the reason we have a high number of committed volunteers here at Coastal is two-fold. People will serve when they fall more deeply in love with Jesus. Service is an outflow of a love relationship with Jesus. The key is to grow in your love for Jesus and when you do, you’ll understand who He has made you to be, and then you’ll WANT to serve Him by serving others. What do we say here at Coastal? We don’t want to “guilt” you into serving or giving. Instead we want to “GRACE” you into it, because of all that He has done for you. You are loved more than you can imagine – you are treasured more than you know. Let His love for you become the motivation for your serving and giving!
Here’s the other reason I believe we produce a lot of committed volunteers. We consistently teach that the Christian life is fundamentally a life of servanthood. That’s our primary position – servant. Jesus is our Master and we are His servants. Whatever He says goes. In our world where we are the center of the universe and everything revolves around me and my needs, we have to continually remind ourselves that we serve God by serving others, by putting others ahead of ourselves. And even in the modern church where we have created a culture of finding a church that offers the best and the most and “I didn’t get anything out of that service” and “I’m burned out” and “I’m too busy” and “I’ve served my time,” somewhere in all of that, we have forgotten that we are here to glorify God, reach out to people who are far from Him, and to be a servant to all. It’s not about you. It’s about Him. Matthew 20:26-28, “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
We talk about life all the time here. We exist to share and experience what? The LIFE and LOVE of Jesus. Jesus came that we might have LIFE and have it more abundantly. Well, Jesus said something very interesting about LIFE in Luke 9:23-25, “Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?” Jesus is saying that we find our lives not by focusing on ourselves, but by giving away our lives for the sake of Him.
The month of August, as we move into the Fall, we’re focusing on finding a place to serve in the family here at Coastal on Sunday mornings. It’s real simple. If you call Coastal your home, ask yourself this question – what is my ministry and where am I serving on Sunday mornings? Whether it’s Coastal Kidz, 1st Impressions, our Cafe, the Security Team, the Tech Booth, the Prayer Team or countless other opportunities, there is a place for you! Go to our website, check out all the different opportunities to serve, and sign up today! Or, this Sunday, make sure you sign up on your Connect Card, or at all the different LIFE Team Sign-up Sheets just outside the auditorium. I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love serving alongside of you!
In His Service & Yours!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, TODAY, Friday, August 11th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas – TODAY, Friday, August 11th, 8:30am-11:30am. 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 TODAY, Friday, August 11th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Chair Set-Up: We’ll be setting up our chairs for worship, TOMORROW, Saturday, August 12th, 9am!
Double Tailgate Day: Charleston Vets & Joseph Floyd Manor: TOMORROW, Saturday, August 12th, 10am-1pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
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, August 15th, 12pm-3pm.
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate & Game Night: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, August 17th, 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. - If you’re fairly new to Coastal, a great next step is our Newcomers Reception. Our next Newcomers Reception is Sunday, August 27th, in our Chapel immediately following the 11:30am service (at approximately 12:45pm). This is a great way to learn more about Coastal, meet staff and key volunteers, as well as meet some other new people. Pizza and childcare provided. You can sign up on our website today!
- 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. Breakfast & childcare provided!
- CSM (Coastal Student Ministry – 6th-12th Grade) is returning on Sunday, August 27 from 5:30PM-7:00PM (doors open at 5PM). We are kicking off this year’s CSM in STYLE! We will have a fun filled introductory night where students will be able to fellowship together and have a great time! There will be pizza, the gym will be full of fun stuff to do, we will have a game truck, and there will be bubble soccer! We pray this will be a great time for students to reconnect with each other as well as their leaders after a long summer. We’d love for your student to be there, and we encourage them to invite a friend! They won’t want to miss it! If you have any questions, you can email Pastor Jacob at jacob@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- All of our FALL LIFE GROUP information is in and our new catalog and will be available on Sunday, August 27th! Training for new Fall Life Group Leaders will be offered in-person on Monday, August 21st, 6:30-8pm or Saturday, August 26th, 9-10:30am. Returning Leaders’ Training will be online on Thursday, August 24th from 8-8:45pm. All Leaders only need to attend one session. RSVP on your Connect Card. If you have any questions, please email Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
P.S. We are planning our 2nd BEACH BAPTISM of the Summer out at Folly Beach County Park on Sunday, August 20th, 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.
