First of all, I just want to say what an AWESOME LIFE GROUP SUNDAY we had this past Sunday! I can’t thank all of our LIFE Group Leaders enough for all of their hard work and creativity! They “knocked it out of the park!” The excitement, fun, and enthusiasm in the room was palpable! Plus, are you ready for this, so far we’ve had over 500 individual adults sign up for LIFE Groups and over 800 total signups (meaning some of you LOVE you some LIFE Groups and have signed up for multiple groups – haha)! That’s AWESOME!
I also want to recognize the winning Groups from our Booth/Display competition. Each one of these Group Leaders will receive a $50 VISA Gift Card! Everyone really did an awesome job, but there were definitely a few standouts
Most Creative: Youthful Seniors (Can there be any question here? I still haven’t recovered from the “Happy Brownies” and seeing those tattoos! WOW! Just WOW!)
Most Informative: Celebrate Recovery and Pickleball (Both of these Groups just did a great job of displaying, explaining, and informing everyone about their Group. Loved Pickle Ball’s snacks as well – pickles and chocolate balls!)
Best Overall: Single Life (Seriously, from their snacks, virgin mimosas, the decor, their “pitch”, these Ladies just did everything well! And I’m pretty sure they asked every guy, “Are you single?”)
Best Snacks: Kingdom Values and Jesus Over Everything (I went back to these tables multiple times and so did everyone else. Great food and great presentation!)
Best Sales Pitch: Ephesians (I think KC was worried no one was going to sign up for her Group, but by the end of the day her Group was full! She was well prepared and knew what to say to everyone who came by. I bet, as a Doctor, she has a great bedside manner as well!)
I know Christmas is a long way off (although I have already seen Christmas decorations and supplies out in some stores), but I want to run something by you guys. We start thinking about our Christmas Offering in early Fall, praying about what God might be leading us to do. Our goal last year was our largest ever – $125,000. And like always, you guys exceeded the goal by giving 141,747! We bought another Box Truck and we remodeled our Chapel – both of which we are fully using today! Well, one thing that’s been on my heart and I’m sure if you’ve ever been on an Outreach Event, you’ve probably thought about it too. What’s the most consistently asked question from the residents of Joseph Floyd Manor, Charleston Vets, and Patriot Villas? Especially after they get to know us and see us consistently? Answer: Do you provide any kind of transportation to your church? Do you have a bus or a van that picks up people and brings them to Coastal? I think that’s what we’re going to do with part of this years Christmas Offering. How awesome would it be to have a regular pick up at some of these places and be able to bring them to Coastal?! We could also use it (or them – haha – already thinking big) to take volunteers to different sites. And then of course it would come in handy for Student Ministry and multiple other opportunities. Anyway, that’s just what I’m thinking now, and I wanted to share the idea with you and see what you think. We’re shopping around and checking prices. We haven’t decided on the giving goal yet, but I know it will be higher than $125,000 this year!
And finally, speaking of bringing people to Coastal, who are you inviting and bringing with you on Sunday? I can’t wait! See #2 below for practical ways you can help make Sunday successful. Most importantly though, PRAY! Pray for God to draw people to Himself here at Coastal and to go before us and prepare the hearts of those who will be invited and those who come. Pray for me and my message and that people will be saved! Pray for all of our Volunteers and our LIFE Teams, that together we will treat everyone like our welcome, expected guests in our home. And pray that those who come will return and take next steps to connect to our community. By the way, I love it when you introduce your friends to me! I love you Coastal, I love being your Pastor, and I love what we get to do together! See you and your Guests on Sunday!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
- UPCOMING OUTREACH PROJECTS:
Coffee & Doughnuts with the Vets at Patriot Villas – TODAY, Friday, September 16th, 8:30am-11am. Meet at Coastal.
Chair Set-Up: Come help set up all the chairs in the auditorium this Saturday (tomorrow), September 17th, at 8am.
Charleston Vets Potluck – Wednesday, September 21st, 6-8pm. Meet at Coastal.
Hope Center Tailgate (Adults Only Project) – 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 Thursday, September 22nd, at 3pm and the project will conclude by 6pm. 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, Friday, September 23rd, 9:30am-11:30am. Meet at 1850 Truxton Ave in North Charleston.
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, September 28th, 8:30am-12:30pm. 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. - THIS Sunday, September 18th, Coastal is kicking off a brand new series on the book of Romans called, “A Revolution of Faith.” It’s going to be a BIG DAY – a FRIEND DAY! So, pull out all the stops and invite your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers! We’re also going to be emailing out a Daily Devotional on Romans, starting this Monday! So make sure your email address is updated on your Connect Card on Sunday.
On any Big Day there are a few things that you could help us with: parking, seating, and service choice.
Parking – leave our small parking lot out front for guests and new people. And then truthfully, park as far away as possible. Park in Oakland’s parking lot (plenty of parking available). Take a right immediately past the Greenway, before you get to Orange Grove. We’ll be glad to send the Golf Carts that way. We’ve still got some space available in the field behind the church as well. That’s a great option for early, first service volunteers.
Seating – sit to the front and center of each section of chairs. This makes it so much easier for those with 1st Impressions who are ushering.
Service Choice – our 9:30am service is now over 85% capacity! We can bring in a few more chairs, but not many. What we really need is for about 50-75 people to move to the 11:15am service. The Chapel will be open for overflow. We’re not quite ready to add a 3rd service, but all of these measures will help us in the transition. - If you’re fairly new to Coastal, a great next step is our Newcomers Reception. Our next Newcomers Reception is Sunday, October 30th, in our Chapel immediately following the 11:15am service (at approximately 12:30pm). This is a great way to learn more about Coastal, meet staff and key volunteers, as well as meet some other new people. You can sign up on our website, or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday.
- ATTENTION COASTAL: LIFE Groups begin this coming week!! Hopefully by now, you’ve heard from your LIFE Group Leader and you have all the information about your Group. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Pastor Scott Huff. And guess what? It’s still not too late to sign up for a LIFE Group! Many of our Groups are full, but there are still plenty of Groups that have room. Simply go to our website and sign up today!
- To be the best stewards of your giving, Coastal is consolidating our multiple giving platforms under the single umbrella of Church Teams (our new Church Management Platform). Online Giving and Text Giving through Church Teams is simple, safe, and secure. It will save the church time and money. Through Church Teams Online Giving you can set up automated/recurring giving through a Credit/Debit Card or through your Bank Account. You can even see a report of your giving! So, if you have already set up recurring giving online through PayPal, Kindrid/Texting, or our Coastal App, we are encouraging you to make that transition now to Church Teams Online Giving. You can do so at this link, or you can text the keyword “Give” to 843-571-1777 to get started. If you need any help, our office would be happy to assist. Contact us at 843-571-1777. Thank you again for your generosity and making an IMPACT here in Charleston AND the world!
P.S. It might seem like a long way off, but we wanted to go ahead and put on your calendar our next Coastal Night of Worship – Friday night, November 11th, 7-8:30pm! 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.
