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.
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.
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 9th; Monday, August 12th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 2952 Old Pond Road on Johns Island.
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 9th, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
Double Tailgate Day: Meeting Street & Joseph Floyd Manor: TOMORROW, Saturday, August 10th, 10:30am-1:30pm. Meet at the church and then pick which Tailgate you’d like to serve.
2nd Saturday/2nd Meal: TOMORROW, Saturday, August 10th, 9am-12noon. Come serve with us as we prepare a hot meal in the Coastal kitchen and then deliver those meals to one of our awesome ministry partners – organizations like Charleston Vets, S.C. Strong, Brighton Place, Joseph Floyd Manor and more!
Soldier’s Angels: We’ll be helping with the Veteran’s Mobile Food Distribution, Tuesday, August 13th, 8am-12:30pm. Meet at 1113 Sam Rittenburg Blvd. (The Elks Lodge).
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, August 15th, 11:30am-1pm.
Patriot Villas Veterans Tailgate: We will be putting on a Tailgate for the Veterans at Patriot Villas on Thursday, August 15th, 6-8:30pm. Meet at Coastal.
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas: Friday, August 16th, 8:30am-11:30am. Meet at Coastal.
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 20th, 12pm-3pm.
VA Hospitality Project: This team serves at the VA Hospital in Charleston by providing a hospitality cart, greeting incoming patients and employees, visiting patients, and helping Volunteer Services with small sorting projects. Wednesday, August 21st, 8:30am-12pm. 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. - We are planning our 2nd BEACH BAPTISM of the Summer out at Folly Beach County Park THIS Sunday, August 11th, 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.
- 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.
- LIFE Groups are just around the corner! It’s going to be an exciting semester! Remember, the whole church is going to be studying the same thing – The Sermon on the Mount! Because of that, the LIFE Group Catalog will be a little different. We’ll still have our many Support Groups and Activity Groups, but since our “regular” LIFE Groups will all be studying the same thing, you’re really just picking the time and location. But the Catalog with all the information will be available on Sunday, August 25th. LIFE Group Sunday with all the Tables, Leaders, and great snacks throughout the building will be Sunday, September 8th. LIFE Groups will begin the week of September 15th! I hope you’re as excited as I am!
For All LIFE Group Leaders & Assistants: We have 3 Trainings (you only have to come to one):
– NEW leader training in-person on Monday, August 19 at 630-8pm
https://www.churchteams.com/m/Register.asp?a=VWRSb3RORnJFbTA9
– NEW leader training in-person on Saturday, August 24 at 9-1030am
https://www.churchteams.com/m/Register.asp?a=V2l2NEJSQnBkSDA9
– RETURNING leader training ONLINE on Thursday, August 22 at 8-9pm
https://www.churchteams.com/m/Register.asp?a=cko4YXUvd3luMGM9
If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Scott Huff at scotth@coastalcommunitychurch.org. - On Sunday, August 25th, 5:30-7PM, CSM is kicking off our Fall Semester programming! We are so excited to invest in your Student (6th-12th Grade) and we have a fun night planned. There’s going to be food, games, bubble soccer, smores and an open gym! The goal of our kickoff is for Students to reconnect with each other and their leaders, while having a ton of fun at the same time. If you have a 6th-12th Grade Student, this is a great night to introduce them to CSM! As a parent or guardian, please plan to come inside when you drop off your Student so that we can update your information in our system. We look forward to serving you and your family in this season!
P.S. Interested in officially making the Coastal church family, your church family? Our next Membership Class is Monday, August 26th, from 6-9pm, in the Chapel. You can respond to this email, sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card (let us know if you need childcare) on Sunday. Dinner & childcare provided!
