I’m really excited about our online night of prayer & worship next Friday night, August 21st, at 7:30pm! Our staff, worship & tech team have all been working hard to make this an impactful evening. Simply tune in to any of our normal online platforms and engage with your church family. Now, more than ever before, as we head into the Fall and a new school year and so many unknowns and fears, we need to cry out to our God and depend on Him. So mark your calendars now and join your Coastal family online for worship and prayer next Friday night!!
On a personal note, our daughter Lydia and her husband Andrew have been in town this week! They are both working remotely so they decided what better place to work than in Charleston with us! They’ll be heading back to Tennessee tomorrow, but we’ve had a blast – laughing, grilling & cooking, and staying up late talking! It’s been a reminder to me that while phone calls, FaceTime, and technology are all great, we also need in-person, face to face connections. We were created for community, to do life with people.
My encouragement to you in this difficult and stressful time is simple – leverage all the technology you can, but also seek out and cherish those face to face, in-person connections. Like most things in life, it’s not either/or; it’s both/and. If you are sick, immunocompromised, elderly, or caring for those who are, please continue to stay home, stay safe, and leverage all the technology you can, while seeking out and cherishing those small moments of personal, face to face interactions that you can. We will continue to do our best to help you stay engaged.
If you don’t fit into any of those categories and you’re going to work, taking your kids to daycare/camps and getting ready to take them to school, going to grocery stores, the beach, or eating in restaurants – you might need a gentle, loving, Pastoral nudge to get back in the habit and join us for in-person worship. Like anything else in life, it’s easy to get out of the habit of going to church. And yes, at Coastal we don’t just “go to church”, and no the church is not a building. We don’t teach that and never have. But the church is a body, and the church is called to gather or assemble and to do life with one another. And just like an infant will experience “failure to thrive” without human contact and connections, so will followers of Jesus without community.
So, if possible, mask up, be smart, and get back in the habit of gathering in-person for worship. If for you it’s still not wise, stay engaged online and cherish those moments and people in your life where you can connect. And no matter what, in-person OR online, as always at Coastal we will show love and grace to everyone, and do it all to the glory of God! I love you, and I love what we get to do together! I can’t wait to see you Sunday – online OR in-person!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
- Tomorrow is “Saturation Saturday”! The 3rd Saturday of every month we simply encourage everyone from Coastal to pray and come up with a tangible way to serve and love your neighbor. If you’re looking for suggestions, we have a group serving at the Lowcountry Food Bank from 9am-12noon. Also we are taking our “Tailgate Party” over to the Suburban Hotel on Dorchester Road to feed Veterans and 180Place transitional residents. Meet at the church at 10am to prep. If you are interested in being a part of either of these specific opportunities, reach out to Pastor Chris Jones – 843-870-4613. But either way, find a way to be the hands and feet of Jesus!
- Attention all LIFE Group Leaders: Please turn in all of your LIFE Group details to Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org. LIFE Group Leader Training Dates (online or in-person) are either (choose one): Tuesday, 8/25, 6pm-8pm OR Saturday, 8/29, 9-11am. Please select a training date and sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.
- On Sunday, August 23rd, 5pm out at Folly Beach County Park, we’re having our end of the Summer Beach Baptism! Come out early and make it a fun day for your entire family! If you are interested in being Baptized, simply respond to this email, sign up on your connect card, or go to our website and sign up online. Even if you’re not being Baptized, make plans to come out to the beach and celebrate with those who are! Make it a fun day for the whole family!
- Attention all Coastal women & friends: Chosen Women’s Conference is going VIRTUAL for the first time ever, and Coastal is hosting a watch party on Thursday, September 17 (7:00–9:00 pm) and Friday, September 18 (7–9:30 pm). What is Chosen? It’s a live-worship, guest-speaker, community-building, faith-strengthening event designed specifically to equip and empower women of all ages to walk in the freedom God has given us. 2020 guest speakers include Christine Caine, Irene Rollins and Wendy Perez. Tickets can be purchased at www.chosenwomensconference.com. RSVP for the Coastal Watch Party to Rachel Speer rachel@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- To build a stronger online community we are seeking volunteers to join the Online Engagement Team. This team of volunteers will connect with our online members and guests in the chat during the 9:30am, 11:15am, and 6:00pm services. Training will be provided. You’ll have the opportunity to choose the service time and the date to serve. You’ll also chose the platform to serve on. The main emphasis of the Online Engagement Team is to meet and greet those who are online, answer questions, and make those who are tuning in feel welcome. It’s an easy and fun way to make an impact while serving here at Coastal (or while home during this season of social distancing). If you are interested in serving on this Team or have any questions, you can respond to this email or reach out to Chris Jones – 843-870-4613.
P.S. Our church is throwing a virtual Baby Shower for Ashley Hojnacki on Sunday, August 30th at 6pm. We’ll give you the link and details soon. For those of you who don’t know, Ashley is our church’s Office Manager. This is Ed & Ashley’s first child. They are having a girl – Blake Rose. Here is a link to their registry: https://www.babylist.com/babyhojnacki.
