Dear Coastal,
This Sunday I’ll be talking about Joy through LIFE Change! One of the great producers of joy in my life is simply knowing that God is not finished with me. And because I believe in the power of the resurrection, I believe in the power of change. No one is beyond the power of God for LIFE change!
Now, the question is, how does He do it? How does God change us? Is it automatic? Is it all God? Do we have a part to play? Well, when it comes to LIFE change, I believe that the Bible teaches that God has a part and we have a part too. Philippians 2:12-13 says, “. . .continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” According to these verses, we “work out” what God “works in.” So don’t miss this Sunday as we talk about what tools God uses to work in us and what choices we make to work it out. Let’s get our work out on!
I hope you’re as excited as I am for Easter this year! This Easter Sunday also marks our 27th Anniversary as a church! The time is NOW to start inviting! Easter is only 2 weeks away! We’ll be having 3 services on Easter Sunday – 8am (not exactly a “Sunrise Service” – but still pretty early for some of you), 9:30am and 11:15am. Basically we’re adding the 8am service. Our mantra, as always, is come to which ever service you have guests coming to. If it doesn’t matter, come to the 8am or 11:15am. In fact, to LURE you to the 8am service, we’ll be serving breakfast (shrimp & grits – yes, you read that right!) from 7am-8am. This Sunday, we’ll have several tools for you to use to invite people and help us spread the word – yard signs, posters, post cards!
Prayerfully consider what you and your family might give as a special offering for Easter Sunday! Not only do we invest extra money in postage and advertising, but we also try to make sure that we have plenty of resources (Bibles, Next Steps books, etc.) ready for our Guests and those making decisions. We also try to make small noticeable improvements with our signage and landscaping. It all works together and it all makes a difference in preparing for growth. We all can’t give the same amount, but together we can all make the same sacrifice. And when we prayerfully do that together, that’s when God shows up and does a miracle. Every gift counts! Every gift makes a difference!
Friday’s 5:
- We’re making plans now for our Summer Semester of LIFE Groups! The Summer Semester begins the week of June 4th and lasts for 4-6 weeks, right before VBS. If you are interesed in leading, assisting, or hosting a Summer LIFE Group, the time to let us know is now. The Summer is a great time for creative, social, or active groups (sports, outdoor fun, cooking, exercise, short studies, dinners, movies, servant evangelism, etc.). Our Summer Semester helps maintain momentum and connection over the Summer. It’s a great way for people to “try out Groups”. It’s a great opportunity for new leaders, and it gives our current leaders a much needed rest. Please respond to this email or let us know on your Connect Card if you have an idea or you’re interested in leading.
- Interested in offically making Coastal your church home? Our next Membership Class is tomorrow, Saturday, April 1st (no fooling), 9am-12noon. Childcare and refreshments provided.
- Coastal is taking a Missions Trip to Peru this Summer, July 31 – August 8, working with New Life Children’s Home, outside of Lima. There will be a planning meeting for all those interested on Thursday, April 6th, at 6:30pm at the church! For more information, please see Ryan Spell – ryan@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8985.
- Join our Coastal family for “Chairs, Prayer, & Pizza”, Thursday, April 13th, 7pm at the church. We will be setting up all 500 of our chairs in the auditorium for Easter and most importantly we will be praying! We will send families and/or small groups of people off together on a guided prayer walk around our facility to pray for our Easter Services, our different ministries, all the people who will be invited, and for people to be saved. Childcare will not be provided, but if your children are old enough to partcipate, we’d love for you to bring your entire family. And yes, at the end, we will provide pizza!
- Interested in getting Baptized? Our next Baptism Service will be Sunday, April 23rd (the Sunday after Easter) in both services! Sign up on your Connect Card or on our website and indicate which service you will attend. Baptism is a great celebration at Coastal! Use your Baptism as an opportunity to invite and bring friends, family, neighbors and co-workers!
Filled With JOY!
P.S. For those who are not running/walking in the Bridge Run this Saturday, we sure could use your help with setting up the chairs – Saturday morning, 9am. We don’t have a t-shirt for you, but we do have a cool Coastal Coffee Mug – actually we’re giving them away on Sunday!
