Dear Coastal,

Okay, let me go ahead and get this out of the way – THIS SUNDAY IS TIME CHANGE SUNDAY!  In other words, when you go to bed on Saturday night, make sure you turn your clocks forward (“Spring Forward”) one hour (for those of you who still have clocks that you have to manually change).  For you 9:30am service folks, if the hour throws you off, pretend like nothing changed and come to the 11:15am service.  For you 11:15am service folks, come on, it’s 11:15am!

When churches get serious about reaching people, God draws people to that church.  It’s the principle of “spiritual readiness”.  In other words, when God is looking to birth new life, He searches for the “warmest incubator” to deliver that new believer.  So, what are the marks of a warm incubator?  Or, another way to look at that question – how do we raise the evangelistic temperature of our church?  That’s a longer answer than I have time and space here, but let me share a few things.  It always starts with prayer.  What do we say at Coastal?  “Let’s PRAY like it all depends on God.”  What are 291 of us doing right now?  Praying and fasting.  During this time leading up to Easter, beg God to draw people to Himself at Coastal AND to use you to do it.  That’s the next part – YOU.  “Pray like all depends on God, work like it all depends on you.”  What does that mean?  Invest and Invite.  Build relationships, love people, live out your faith where you live, work, and play.  AND INVITE PEOPLE TO COASTAL!  There is no better, easier time to invite people to church than Easter weekend!  Leverage that for the Kingdom.  “Pray like it all depends on God, work like it all depends on you, walk by faith, trust God with the results.”  Jesus does the saving.  You and I are just links in a chain.  We’re not responsible for the results – we’re just responsible for casting the seed.  People still have to respond.  That’s the faith part, that’s the trusting part. “Pray like it all depends on God, work like it all depends on you, walk by faith, trust God with the results, and then celebrate the outcome.”  Each and every time we put a “sticker” on our IMPACT Board, all of Heaven throws a party (Luke 15)!  I can’t wait to throw ONE big, huge party when we reach 100 salvations this year!  But along the way, don’t forget that each sticker, represents a real person, a story, a resurrected life, a new brother or sister in Christ!  Let that fill your heart each and every Sunday!

Another way to raise the evangelistic temperature of a church is to equip the people of that church to feel more comfortable in sharing their story and their faith with people that God puts in their life.  That’s what our IMPACT Seminar is all about tonight, 6pm-9pm at the church.  We’re making it so easy for you – we’re providing childcare and food (Chick-fil-a)!  If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s not too late – simply respond to this email (or just show up – we’ll have plenty).

By the way, how do I know that Coastal is a warm incubator?  Just yesterday a man came over to my office and gave his life to Jesus!  He and his wife and their 2 children have been to coming to Coastal as a family for the last couple of weeks.  In fact, they have been on our mailing list for over 7 years.  Their first contact with our church was one of our Easter Egg Drops – invited by a friend!  And now, that man, that family, those children are FOREVER CHANGED!  It doesn’t get any better than that!  That’s why we do what we do!  That’s why we keep reaching out!  That’s why we give!  That’s we serve!  That’s why we invite!  And that’s why we celebrate!

Friday’s 5:

  1. So – who are you praying for and inviting to 1 of our 4 Easter Services?   Have YOU registered for a service yet?  Our service times are: Friday, March 30, 7pm;  Sunday, April 1st, 8am, 9:30am, 11:15am.  You can register for your FREE Easter Service Tickets from our website: www.EasterAtCoastal.com.  Spread the word and start registering NOW!

  2. Join one of our office volunteer groups: Monday Morning Follow-Up (Mondays from 9-11am) or Super Service Friday (Fridays 10:30am-12:30pm) in the Coastal Kidz Building. Enjoy snacks, coffee & fellowship. Childcare provided upon request. Respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card.

  3. Get BAPTIZED ON EASTER WEEKEND!  At Coastal, we’re ready any service and any Sunday for you to be Baptized!  But if you’ve been waiting for that “little push”, why not do it over the Easter Weekend?  You can sign up on your Connect Card or respond to this email – just let us know which service.

  4. WAVES Student Ministry (6th-12th Grade) heads to the SC Stingrays Hockey Game!  TONIGHT @ 6pm (drop them off and stay for the IMPACT SEMINAR).  Return by 10pm.

  5. If you haven’t heard yet, Pastor Scott and I are leading a Trip to the Holy Land – a trip of a life time!  The dates are November 5-14, 2018.  The cost is $4200 (could be less depending on how many people go).  You can also learn more about the trip by visiting this link: http://www.maranathatours.com/Diamond-Nov-2018-IsraelIf you are interested in going or have any questions, reach out to Pastor Scott at scottw@coastalcommunitychurch.org

Celebrating New Life!

Pastor Chris

P.S.  With 4 Identical Easter Services, it’s ALL HANDS ON DECK!  In other words, we need everyone serving and volunteering!  Touch base with your LIFE Team Leader and go ahead and sign up now.  If you are not yet serving, respond to this email and we will help you find a place to serve God by serving others!