We have two more weeks in our “Summer Reading” sermon series – this Sunday and next Sunday.  And we’re closing it out with two great books – “Dream Big” by Bob Goff and “Parenting” by David Paul Tripp.  But on Sunday, September 20th, we kick off a new series that couldn’t come at a better time.  It’s called, “Hope in the Dark.”  We’re actually going to be preaching through the book of 1 Peter for this series.  The New Testament book of 1 Peter was written to Jewish Christians who had been driven out of Jerusalem by extreme persecution and now were scattered all over the world.  Throughout the Roman Empire, Christians were being tortured and killed for their faith.  To say that they were crushed, overwhelmed, and devastated would be an understatement.  So Peter wrote to these scattered, suffering Christians to try to give them hope and comfort, urging them to remain loyal to Jesus.  And it’s a message that could have easily been written for us today.  As the world in which we live seems to get darker and darker and more evil and opposed to Christianity, so many people today are feeling crushed and overwhelmed and have lost hope.  We need to be reminded that ultimately, this world is not our home, that we’re called to rise above this world and our circumstances, and that no one can steal our hope.  

Well, if any of that resonates with you, “Hope in the Dark” is going to be a powerful way to finish out 2020. As a part of the series, we’re going to provide a daily devotional (5 days a week) and a weekly memory verse for the duration of the series as we read, study, and pray through 1 Peter together as a church. In fact, you can sign up for the devotional (it will be emailed to you daily) today!  I really believe it’s going to be a great study and a great series for our church and our community!  As always, reach out to your “one”, your friends, neighbors, co-workers, people in your sphere of influence and invite them to Coastal.  People everywhere are looking for hope.  They are not going to find it in anything this world has to offer.  But hope has a name – Jesus!  And our mission is to point people to Him – to be ambassadors of hope! 

Only 2 more weeks until our LIFE Groups start!  If you haven’t done so already, go online and check out our Fall Semester LIFE Group Catalogand sign up today!  And yes, you can sign up for multiple groups.  There are a variety of groups (both in-person and/or online) on almost every day of the week.  Groups start the week of September 20th!

And don’t forget we only have 1 in-person service this Sunday, September 6th at 9:30am.  But beginning next Sunday, September 13th, there will be 2 in-person services – 9:30am and 11:15am.  Children’s Ministry will only be offered during the 9:30am service for right now.  As always, all services will continue to be online.  Have a great Labor Day Weekend!

LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris

Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:

  1. Saturday Serve is THIS Saturday (tomorrow), September 5th!  We meet at the church at 8:30am.  The leaders of the different service projects give a quick “pitch” of their project, we pray, and then we disburse to go serve!  It’s that simple.  You just show up, choose, and serve.  All projects are typically finished before lunchtime, so it’s not a sacrifice of your entire Saturday.  Come make an IMPACT in our community by being the hands and feet of Jesus!  If you have any questions about Saturday Serve or ideas for future projects, please reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613.
  2. Don’t forget to check your in-box on Tuesday, September 8th!  We will be sharing an access code that makes ALL of Dave Ramsey’s best selling resources and tools available to our entire church FREE for 1 year!  This includes 5 classes (Financial Peace, Legacy Journey, Smart Money Smart Kids, the Jump Start Course and a new Budgeting course), the Everydollar+ budgeting tool, and a host of other resources designed to help families track their progress through the baby steps. You’ll have access to everything for an entire year at your own pace, on your own schedule.  So be on the lookout for the link and access code this Tuesday, September 8th!  We want to be known as a generous church, and we also want to do everything we can to equip our church and community to experience true financial peace in these difficult times!  
  3. Waves Student Ministry (6th-12th Grade) is back!  The first three weeks of the month are going to be strictly small groups meeting at a couple of different locations. We are encouraging ALL students to jump in to one of these groups and starting connecting again with other students and leaders. As we begin to see which groups are working out best (time & location-wise) for students, we might combine and shift the groups. We will keep you updated weekly on what the groups are looking like and have even opened up a poll on our Waves Instagram to allow students to let us know which group they plan on attending. The groups are listed on our website and instagram.  On the 4th week of the month we are going to have a semi-normal Wednesday meeting and all joining together for a time of fellowship and worship. Our goal in all of this is to get back to large group gatherings on Wednesday nights. However, we do believe with so much still up in the air, especially with school starting back this coming week, that it would be best to maintain as much social distancing and precaution as we possibly can.  For more information or to answer any of your questions, please reach out to Pastor Ryan Spell at 843-442-8985.
  4. 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.
  5. What’s your Next Step here at Coastal?  If you’re fairly new to Coastal, a great next step is our Newcomers Reception.  Our next Newcomer’s Reception is Sunday, September 13th, in the Welcome Center 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.  Childcare provided.  RSVP online or on your Connect Card.  Or maybe your next step is officially making Coastal your church family by becoming a Member.  Our next Membership Class is Monday evening, September 14th, 6pm-8:30pm. You can respond to this email or sign up on our website.  For both the Newcomer’s Reception and the Membership Class, you can join us either in-person or online through Zoom.

    P.S. As always, there are lots of serving opportunities at Coastal:  On Wednesday, September 9th Coastal will be serving with Tricounty Family Ministriesassisting with the Emergency Grocery Distribution from 9am-12:30pm.  On Friday, September 11th, 8am-1pm, Coastal will be sending a team to serve local veterans in need at the Soldiers Angels-Veteran Mobile Food Distribution.  You can sign-up for either opportunity on your Connect Card this Sunday or simply reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at chrisjones@coastalcommunitychurch.org for more info!