So, have you signed up for a LIFE Group yet? If you haven’t heard, we unveiled our 2024 Fall Semester LIFE Group Catalog! And just like college, your preferred classes (LIFE Groups) will fill up fast! So, go to our website right now, check out all the different Groups and sign up today. Most of our Groups start the week of September 15th. Next Sunday, September 8th, is LIFE Group Sunday! Don’t miss it – it’s always a lot of fun!
This weekend is Labor Day weekend. Most people have Monday off from work. A lot of people will be taking that last hurrah, that last getaway, that last trip to the beach this weekend, before the rhythm and routine of the Fall sets in. Even though schools have been back in session for almost 2 weeks now, Labor Day weekend feels like the end of Summer and beginning of the Fall.
So let me ask you, what does the rhythm and routine of your life look like right now? And most importantly, where does your spiritual life fit in? Is it a small piece of the pie that you’re desperately trying to fit in to an already overcrowded, busy schedule? Or is it the most important thing, permeating every part of your life, the priority through which everything else flows? Does the rhythm and routine of your life include reading your Bible, gathering together regularly with your church family in worship, LIFE Group, fellowship, prayer, giving, serving?
Here’s the good news. You choose the rhythms and routines of your life. You set the priorities. If you don’t, the urgent will always win the day. And the urgent, regardless of how pressing it feels in the moment, is usually not the most important. For example, join a LIFE Group this semester. Make it a part of the rhythm of your life. I can already hear some of your excuses. And here is the biggest one of all, “But Pastor Chris, I just don’t have the time. I’m too busy.” Hear this with all the love I can muster. You have time to do whatever it is you value – tv, social media, sports, hobbies. It’s just not that important to you yet. So, as we move into the Fall, think about what matters most in this life, let that determine your values and priorities, and in turn let those values and priorities set or reset the rhythms and routines of your life.
One last thing – who have you been inviting to church with you lately? I sincerely believe that every Sunday is a great opportunity to invite someone to church, but we do have a couple of “Big Days” coming up at Coastal. Next Sunday, September 8th, is LIFE Group Sunday. And then on Sunday, September 15th we jump back into our series on The Sermon on the Mount called, “Blessed” and all of our LIFE Groups kick off that week. In other words, leverage this season and these opportunities to invite someone to Coastal. God is up to something BIG at our church and I believe we’re going to see the fruit of that this Fall. Pray about who you will be inviting. Step out in faith, be bold, and make the ask! See you over the weekend! If you are out of town, make sure you catch us online! I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! And I love serving alongside of you!
LIFE & LOVE
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Downtown Charleston “Hotdog Ministry”: We will be grilling and serving hotdogs to the homeless and hungry downtown! Today, Friday, August 30th, 4-6:30pm. Meet at Coastal.
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, September 5th & September 12th, 11:30am-1pm.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Friday, September 6th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
Clothing Team: Our Coastal Clothing Team will be organizing and sorting clothes, Friday, September 6th; Monday, September 9th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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 Saturday, September 7th. We meet in the Auditorium at 8:30am, Project Leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we go out and serve!
Soldier’s Angels: We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, September 10th, 8am-12:30pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
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. - Mark your calendar for our next Coastal Night of Worship – THIS Wednesday night, September 4th, 6:30-8pm! Invite your friends and family to join us for a night of prayer, worship, and encouragement. RSVP now for childcare (birth-kindergarten) on your Connect Card or online.
- Coastal is looking to hire an Administrative Assistant. This would be a part time, hourly position – approximately 31 hours a week, Monday-Thursday, 9am-4pm, Sundays 10am-1pm. This person would work closely with Rachel Speer, supporting our Pastors and Staff, and managing our office reception area. If you are interested, please submit a resume to info@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- I’ll say it again, have you signed up for a LIFE Group yet? Check out the2024 Fall Semester LIFE Group Catalog and sign up for a Group today! I love what we do here at Coastal on Sunday mornings! I do! I love everything about it. I love the music. I love watching people come to faith. I love all of our LIFE Teams and our Sunday morning Volunteers. Sunday mornings at Coastal is an exciting place to be. I don’t understand how you would ever want to miss it. But. . . there is one weakness with a crowd. It’s hard to grow in a crowd. You don’t live out/walk out your faith in a crowd. You need community. And that’s what our LIFE Groups are all about! This semester, we have 64 different LIFE Groups to choose from! And since we’re all studying the same thing, you really just have to pick out the time and location of the Group you’re interested in. And don’t worry, we still have our Support and Recreation Groups. Unless otherwise indicated, most Groups begin the week of September 15th and last 11 weeks (right around Thanksgiving). Oh, and one more thing, because you read my Friday 5, you can go online, check out all the Groups, and sign up today! If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org.
- There will be no Coastal Student Ministry (6th-12th Grade) this Sunday night because of Labor Day weekend. Our regular Sunday night Student Ministry will resume next Sunday, September 8th, 5:30pm-7pm (doors open at 5pm). We are encouraging all Students to come to Coastal’s Night of Worship on Wednesday, September 4th, 6:30pm-8pm, to kick-off our Wednesday Bible Study which will begin the following Wednesday, September 11th, 7pm-8pm. As always, if you have any questions about Student Ministry, please reach out to our Youth Pastor Jacob Bonetti.
P.S. We would like to officially announce that Morgan Rainey has been hired as our new Outreach Assistant! As most of you know, Morgan was one of our Summer Interns. She worked alongside Pastor Chris Jones as an Outreach Assistant and did an amazing job! We are blessed to have her join our Team! She is moving back to Charleston this weekend, so when you see her on Sunday, make sure you give her a warm Coastal welcome! And feel free to send her an email doing the same!
