Dear Coastal,

It’s going to be an awesome weekend!  First of all, it’s our last weekend of Summer of IMPACT!  If you haven’t served yet in some capacity, we’d love for you to join us tomorrow for Saturday Serve!  It couldn’t be any easier – just show up at the church at 8:30am and then choose from several different opportunities (listed below).  Our goal this Summer has been 2500 hours of community service!  We’ll announce our final number this Sunday, August 5th at our Beach Baptism & Party!

That’s the other thing you don’t want to miss this weekend!  Right now we have 41 people signed up to get Baptized (and it could be more)!  That’s twice as many people as we’ve ever Baptized at one time!  The Baptism Service will take place right at 4pm (come early!) at the Folly Beach County Park (consider carpooling with friends – parking at Folly Beach County Park is now $15 a car.  Parking is free with a Gold Pass).  Immediately after the Baptism we’ll be providing a meal for everyone at the Pelican Watch Shelter!  Trust me there will be plenty of food!  It’s being catered, so you don’t have to bring a thing!  Pray for good weather.  Right now it’s 50% chance of rain – which in Charleston, doesn’t really mean much.

Oh, and on Sunday morning, I’ll be continuing in our “Summer Reading” series with the book, “Messy Grace.”  It tells the story of how a Pastor with gay parents learned to love without sacrificing conviction.

So, here’s what’s happening this final weekend of Summer of IMPACT:
You can learn more and sign up for all of these events by going to our website – https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/outreach.
Making An IMPACT With You,
Pastor Chris

Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:

1.  Go ahead and put this on your calendar!  On Sunday, September 16th, we’re having a BIG DAY!  We’re kicking off a brand new series called, “Losing My Religion” from the book of James.  It’s all about putting our faith into action.  Our goal is to break 800 in attendance!  We’re having 3 services that day (that day only):  8:30am, 10am, & 11:30am!  Start praying now about who you’re going to invite & bring!

2.  We are putting together our 2018 Fall Semester LIFE Group Catalog right now!  If you are interested in leading, assisting, or hosting a LIFE Group we need to know now.  Please sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday, respond to this email, or contact Pastor Scott at scottw@coastalcommunitychurch.org.  LIFE Group Training will be 7pm-9pm, Tuesday night, August 21st or 10am-12noon, Saturday morning, August 25th (childcare provided for both).  LIFE Group Sunday will be Sunday morning, August 26th!  LIFE is better together!

3.  We’re so excited to share a new serving opportunity in our community with you!  Most of you are well aware of the wonderful relationship we have with Oakland Elementary School – one of the schools across the street from our church.  Well, we’re going to be “upping our game” this year!  All it takes is 30 minutes-1 hour of your time, once or maybe twice a month.  We’re looking for people who would be willing to sit with a class during lunch (to help provide a duty free lunch to teachers), volunteer in a classroom, or read with students.  If you are willing to help, simply respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.  Help us make an IMPACT in our Community!

4.  We’ll say it again – our BEACH BAPTISM Service will be this Sunday, August 5th, at 4pm at the Folly Beach County Park area!  We already have over 40 people signed up to get Baptized – our largest Baptism ever!  You can sign up online.  This is a powerful experience that you will never forget!  And then of course everyone is invited to come out and celebrate with them!  We’ll be having a church wide cookout/celebration (food & drinks provided by the church – you don’t have to bring anything) at the Pelican Watch Shelter immediately following the Baptism to celebrate Summer of IMPACT!  And yes, please invite friends and family out to the beach to join us!  It’s going to be awesome! (Consider carpooling with friends – parking at Folly Beach County Park is now $15 a car.  Parking is free with a Gold Pass).

5.  As school supplies go on sale, it’s a great time to grab extras for our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Most needed items are: pencils, erasers, manual pencil sharpeners, pens, crayons, small composition notebooks, solar powered calculators, rulers, glue sticks (no liquid glue), and pencil cases. Also, don’t forget to save your shoeboxes as you buy new pairs for your kids this fall!  You can drop all donations off in the OCC collection box at church.

P.S. Our WAVES Student Ministry (6th-12 Grades) have several upcoming events to mark on your calendar:  this Sunday, August 5th, the Students will be leaving from the church at 1pm on a bus for Folly Beach and will be returning at 6pm.  Wednesday, August 15th, 6:30pm-7:30pm, Rising 6th Graders Party at SkyZone!  Wednesday, August 29th, 6pm-8:15pm, WAVES Wednesdays RESUME!