Are you ready for this? Easter Weekend is now officially less than one month away – 27 days to be exact! This year we are having 6 services over 3 days – Friday, April 15th, 7pm; Saturday, April 16th, 4:30pm, 6pm; Sunday, April 17th, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am. This Sunday, be prepared to take home the first of several Easter Invite Tools – tickets & books. The book is meant to be a gift for the people you’re inviting called, “At the Cross,” which corresponds to the series we’re starting this Sunday. It’s a great tool for sharing the Gospel with someone.
And then on the following Sunday we’ll have our yard signs! We have 200 EasterAtCoastal.com yard signs that we want to saturate Charleston with this year! Pick up several and then strategically place them in neighborhoods, shopping centers, high traffic areas, and intersections. Take a picture of your sign and share it on social media with the hashtag: #easteratcoastal. All of this is designed for you to use to invite your friends to Easter at Coastal this year!
By the way, the tickets are invite tools that we’ve used for many years now with our service times. Obviously, you and your friends don’t need a ticket to attend a service. They’re simply great little invite cards for you to give away. We would however, like to know which of our 6 services you and your friends are planning on attending. So, go to Easter at Coastal and sign up today! Encourage your friends to do the same. That way we can spread everyone out and let you know when a service is reaching capacity. Start spreading the word and register today!
While you’re on the Easter at Coastal page make sure you click on the “Download Shareable Easter Invite Images for Social Media” button. A zip file containing a folder of different images will automatically download on your computer. Or you can simply click on this link and download them now! Start using these images on Facebook and Instagram to get the word out and invite people to Coastal for Easter.
Make sure you reach out to your Ministry Leader NOW to let them know when you can serve over the Easter Weekend! Services like these require “all hands on deck.” Consider attending one of the services and then serving at multiple services. If you aren’t serving anywhere right now, Easter is a great time to start! Respond to this email or on your Connect Card on Sunday, and we’ll direct you to a Ministry.
Also, I want to challenge you to give a sacrificial gift, above and beyond over the Easter Weekend. Big days like this incur extra expenses. At Coastal, however, we look at it as an investment – a Kingdom investment, planting seeds to reach our community for Jesus. You might also consider giving towards your Daring Faith commitment. We’re actually hoping that the chapel renovations are complete for Easter!
So many people are hurting and searching for hope right now. Let’s do everything in our power to leverage this Easter for Jesus! And as always Coastal, let’s work, share, and invite like it all depends on us. Let’s pray like it all depends on God. And then let’s walk by faith, trust God for outcome, and celebrate the results! If together we do that, then this will be the best Easter ever! I love you Coastal, and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Well, I’ve got some exciting news to announce! We have officially hired our new Youth Pastor – Jacob Bonetti! Hiring Staff can be a long, difficult, and sometimes painful process. We have been actively searching for almost 2 years now (COVID didn’t help). But after much prayer and many conversations, we truly believe that God has led us to the right person. Instead of me telling you about Jacob, I’ve asked him to introduce himself and his wonderful wife Hannah (see picture above):
I can’t wait for you to meet Jacob and Hannah as well! They are a sweet, humble, gifted couple, who love the Lord, love Students, and already love Coastal! Jacob will be joining us soon, commuting from Greenville, while his wife finishes out the school year teaching. Please add them to your Prayer List, praying for a smooth transition as they move to Charleston, join our Coastal family, and help lead our Students! I simply ask you to do what you do best Coastal – love them! Show them that Coastal hospitality, support them, encourage them, and welcome them to their new home! In fact, if you would like to send them a text, email, or card, here is their current contact information:
Jacob & Hannah Bonetti
65 Villa Rd Apt #408
Greenville, SC 29615
(864)554-2371
thejbonetti12@gmail.com
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
So many exciting things going on at Coastal right now or coming up. First of all, it’s just awesome that several hundred people from our church are reading through the Bible together! Each week of my Men’s Group, I just love hearing the stories of Men reading their Bibles and talking about what they’ve read! Keep it up everyone! If you haven’t joined with us, start today! And then, to go along with that, we’ve had a great start signing people up for our 40 Day Easter Fast which starts THIS MONDAYMarch 7th and goes through Good Friday, April 15th! Fasting is simply denying yourself something physically for a set period of time for the spiritual purpose of focusing on prayer, the Word, repentance, and your relationship with God. Just think about it – 100’s of people reading their Bibles and Fasting together! It gives me goose bumps! As a Pastor, I can’t wait to see how God uses all of this for our good, our growth, and His glory!! If you’d like to sign up for the Fast, respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday!
Tomorrow is one of my FAVORITE days of the month – SATURDAY SERVE!! Be at the church at 8:30am, sign-in, get some coffee, get a Coastal t-shirt if you don’t have one, listen to a “pitch” from one of our GREAT Leaders, pray, and then GO SERVE! It’s that simple and that AWESOME! If you know, you know. If you’ve never been, join us this Saturday and experience it for yourself!
What can I say about Sunday’s at Coastal! Each and every week, God is moving in powerful ways – lives changing, people giving their lives to Jesus, signing up to serve, and signing up to get Baptized! This week we have a Baptism in each service! In our Staff Meeting this week, we talked about bringing in more chairs for the 9:30am service. Between in-person and online, our attendance was over 1200 last Sunday! This week the name of God that I’ll be talking about is El Shaddai – our Almighty, All-Sufficient, Sustaining God! Don’t miss it! Also, there will be a potential new Youth Pastor and his wife at Coastal this weekend – Jacob and Hannah Bonetti. Make sure you introduce yourself and welcome them. We haven’t offered him the position yet, but we are pretty far down the road with them. If and when it happens, we’ll tell you all about them! Student Ministry & Children’s Ministry have always been and always will be a priority at Coastal! If a church is not constantly trying to reach and disciple the next generation for Jesus, that church will die!
And then, of course, there is Easter Weekend! We’ll be having 6 services over 3 days – Friday, April 15th, 7pm; Saturday, April 16th, 4:30pm, 6pm; Sunday, April 17th, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am! Start praying now about who you’re going to invite (and where you’re going to strategically place that Easter Yard Sign – haha!). Before you know it, Summer will be here and that means “Summer of IMPACT”, Student Camp, VBS (July 11th-15th, 6-8pm), Beach Baptisms, “At the Movies”, “Summer Reading”, and so much more!! Like I said, so much is going on and coming up! Don’t miss it! Be a part of what God is doing here at Coastal!
I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor (hopefully one of five soon)! On a personal note, I want to share something from my life that I’m very excited about. I’m now a Substitute Teacher here in Charleston County. Now, don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere – haha! Most of you know about my heart for and our involvement with Oakland Elementary School (one of the schools across the street). Well, one of the big needs, especially over the last couple of years has been Subs. The only day I really have available is Friday (most of our Staff take the day off on Friday or a half day), and that just happens to be one of the biggest days where there is need. I’ve been talking about going through the process for a while now, and finally decided to do it. In fact, I have my first classroom assignment today! Pray for me that I can be a blessing to the class that I’m in, the Teacher, and the school!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
It’s that time of the year again – preparing our hearts and minds for Easter! I really believe that this is going to be an Easter Weekend to remember at Coastal! It will be our first Easter in our new facility. And we’re hoping that our new Chapel will be open as well for overflow. But one of the ways that we prepare ourselves spiritually for Easter at Coastal is by participating in an Annual 40 Day Easter Fast! The Fast begins this coming Monday, March 7th and goes through Good Friday, April 15th! Fasting is simply denying yourself something physical for a set period of time for the spiritual purpose of focusing on prayer, the Word, repentance, and your relationship with God. Jesus said, “When you fast . . .” In other words, Jesus meant for fasting to be a regular part of the Christian lifestyle. I would encourage you to get your whole family involved and make it a powerful spiritual experience.
What do you choose to fast? It’s different for different people. It’s probably the thing that first comes to mind when you start considering to fast. It might be some form of technology or social media that seems to have a stronghold in your life. It could be television. It might be some specific type of food – sugar, caffeine, sodas, meat, etc. It could be drinking or smoking. It could be time – where you get up earlier each day for 40 days and have a quiet time. It could be gossip or negative words. You decide that for 40 days nothing negative will come out of your mouth. It could be worry. You pray. You decide. Read through Matthew 6:16-18. Don’t make a big deal or a fuss about it. If you are interested in participating, respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card this Sunday.
Begin praying now for your “ONE”, the people in your life you will be inviting to church over Easter weekend, and the people our church will be reaching out to through personal invitations, advertising, email, yard signs, postcard, etc. We’ll be having 6 services over 3 days – Friday, April 15th, 7pm; Saturday, April 16th, 4:30pm, 6pm; Sunday, April 17th, 8:30am, 10am, 11:30am!
Sometimes the first few days of a fast are the most difficult. Satan will plant seeds in your mind that it’s really no big deal, no one will know if you really do it, or that it really doesn’t make any difference. Remember, Satan is a liar and the Father of Lies! Jesus promises in His Word that the Father will reward you! How will He reward you? I don’t know, but I know that He will! So – keep it up and don’t give up! What you are doing has eternal consequences and God is using it to do a work in you. But remember the focus is not on the actual thing you are giving up, it’s to be directed on prayer, your relationship with God, repentance, service, scripture reading, and scripture memorization.
For those of you who like to read and research, here are some scriptures references and books on fasting:
Examples:
Moses (Exodus 34:28; Deut. 9:9,18), David (2 Samuel 12:16), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8), Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:4); Esther (Esther 4:16), Daniel (Daniel 1:12), Anna (Luke 2:37), Paul (Acts 14:23), Jesus (Matthew 4:1-2), the early church (Acts 13:2-3).
Jesus on Fasting:
Example: Matthew 4:1-2
Teaching: Matthew 6:1-18; Matthew 9:15
Paul on Fasting: 1 Corinthians 7:5
Purposes of Fasting: Zechariah 7:5; 1 Corinthians 6:12; 2 Samuel 12:16; Acts 14:23; Acts 13:2; Daniel 1:12
Fasting Bibliography:
The Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard J. Foster
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060628391/epic03/
The Power of Prayer and Fasting: 10 Secrets of Spiritual Strength by Ronnie W. Floyd
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805401644/epic03/
Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough by Elmer L. Towns
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0830718397/epic03/
A Hunger for God: Desiring God Through Fasting and Prayer by John Piper
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0891079661/epic03/
Hope this helps! See you on Sunday!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
P.S. Join us this Saturday, March 5th, 8:30am at the church for Saturday Serve! We meet in the Welcome Center/Cafe at 8:30am (come at 7:30a, if you want to help with chairs), project leaders make a “pitch” for their serving opportunity, and then we serve! It’s a great opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus right here in our community, where we live, work, parent and play! I promise you’ll be glad you came!
It’s that time of the year again – preparing our hearts and minds for Easter! I really believe that this is going to be an Easter Weekend to remember at Coastal! It will be our first Easter in our new facility. And we’re hoping that our new Chapel will be open as well for overflow. But one of the ways that we prepare ourselves for Easter at Coastal is by participating in an Annual 40 Day Easter Fast! The Fast begins on Monday, March 7th and goes through Good Friday, April 15th! Fasting is simply denying yourself something physical for a set period of time for the spiritual purpose of focusing on prayer, the Word, repentance, and your relationship with God. Jesus said, “When you fast . . .” In other words, Jesus meant for fasting to be a regular part of the Christian lifestyle. I would encourage you to get your whole family involved and make it a powerful spiritual experience.
What do you choose to fast? It’s different for different people. It’s probably the thing that first comes to mind when you start considering to fast. It might be some form of technology or social media that seems to have a stronghold in your life. It could be television. It might be some specific type of food – sugar, caffeine, sodas, meat, etc. It could be drinking or smoking. It could be time – where you get up earlier each day for 40 days and have a quiet time. It could be gossip or negative words. You decide that for 40 days nothing negative will come out of your mouth. It could be worry. You pray. You decide. Read through Matthew 6:16-18. Don’t make a big deal or a fuss about it. If you are interested in participating, respond to this email or write the words, “Easter Fast” on your Connect Card this Sunday.
Begin praying now for your “ONE”, the people in your life you will be inviting to church over Easter weekend. We’ll share the specific service times soon, but right now, like last year, it looks like we’ll be having 6 services over 3 days – 1 service on Friday night, 2 services on late Saturday afternoon, and 3 services on Sunday morning!
This Sunday, I’ll be continuing in our series called, “The Names of God.” The name I’ll be looking at this week is Yahweh. Out of all the names for God in the Bible, this particular name is the most common. And yet, it’s a name that’s rarely translated in our modern versions. Go ahead and read Exodus 3 & 4 in preparation for my message. This is the passage where God taps Moses, an 80 year old fugitive, murderer to lead His people out of their captivity in Egypt. And in doing so, He reveals a few things about Himself to us. Don’t miss it! And as always, invite someone to join you! I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Make sure you mark your calendars and plan to attend our next Night of Worship on Friday night, March 18th, from 7-8:30pm. Invite your friends and family to join us for an inspirational evening of worship, prayer, and encouragement. Childcare will be provided for birth to kindergarten (RSVP for Childcare on your Connect Card). The theme for the evening will be, “At the Cross,” the same as the sermon series we’ll be in, preparing us for Easter. It’s really going to be an awesome night! Don’t miss it!
I want to share some great news from this past Sunday at Coastal. First of all, we had A LOT of 1st Time Guests with us! In many ways, that’s normal at Coastal. We expect Guests. We expect that you invite people to join us. We expect that you pray for your ONE, that you’re praying for the growth of our church, that you’re asking God to use Coastal to draw people to Himself. We expect you to warmly welcome and greet people each week, making people feel like welcome, expected guests in your home. Well, this past Sunday we gave away 17 1st Time Guest Bags! And then, are you ready for this? 3 people gave their life to Jesus, 3 people want to get Baptized, 5 people renewed their commitment to Christ, and one person wants to talk to someone about becoming a follower of Christ! WOW! WOW! WOW! Coastal that’s why we do what we do right there! Praise the Lord! Keep inviting, keep sharing, keep reaching out, and keep praying!
It’s been a great start to LIFE Groups this week! If you haven’t joined one yet, it’s still not too late (see below). In my Wednesday Morning Men’s Group this week, I was encouraged to hear so many guys were reading through the Bible with our church this year! Well, now that we’re in Leviticus, a lot of questions came up about the law, the sacrifices, the tabernacle, and many of the details. One of the guys in my Group reminded me about a great resource/website to help answer many of the questions you might have about a particular book, section, or passage of Scripture that I want to pass along. It’s called, “The Bible Project.” It’s filled with awesome videos outlining and overviewing the entire Bible! I would highly recommend it! You can literally use their search, type in “Leviticus” (for example), and find lots of videos explaining this book and answering so many of your questions. They even have a free app for your phone or mobile device! But most importantly, don’t give up! Keep reading! If you missed a day, don’t fret! Today is a new day. As you read, ask God to speak to you. And speaking of the Word, I’ll be in Genesis 22 this week, talking about Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord Will Provide) in our series on the Names of God. Don’t miss it!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I LOVE VALENTINE’S DAY! Why you ask? Because today is mine and Janet’s Wedding Anniversary – 35 years in fact! Our very first date was actually on Valentine’s Day as well. I was a freshman and Janet was a senior at a small Bible College in Atlanta (Atlanta Christian College – now Point University). On that first Valentine’s Day date I told Janet that I loved her. She replied, “I love you too.” But honestly, her response was more like, “Aww, I love Jesus and puppies and ice cream, and being at Bible College where we love everyone like a brother and sister in Christ, sure, I love you too, Chris Rollins.” But I knew this was different and I figured she would too, soon enough. She did. We were engaged in May and got married the following Valentine’s Day! Janet is the first and only woman I’ve ever dated or kissed. So yes, I am a romantic and yes, I love Valentine’s Day.
However, over the years as I’ve told people to “Have a Happy Valentine’s Day” I’ve actually had people snap back, “You mean, ‘Happy Single Awareness Day’, don’t you?!” Or today is the day I usually hear all about the Hallmark/Flower Industry conspiracy. One married woman once told me, “I told my husband, ‘You better not get me flowers or chocolate on Valentine’s Day! I don’t want that stuff unless you do it all year long.'”
Okay, okay I get it. Not everyone feels the same way about Valentine’s Day that I do. But hear me out, romance has very little to do with expensive candlelight dinners, flowers, or chocolates – although for some people it might. Romance is simply choosing to love someone exactly the way they need to be loved, expecting nothing in return, regardless of how you feel and regardless of how they respond. It’s the little things, done consistently, over time. It’s willingly sacrificing your needs for someone else – putting their needs ahead of your own. And when you find someone who will do that with you – trust me, there’s nothing better!
But here’s what I want you to think about today. If that’s the real definition of romance – then in many ways, our God is the “Great Romantic.” He knows exactly the way each of us needs to be loved and He willingly chooses to love us that way, regardless of how we respond, expecting nothing in return. He does the little things (and big things), consistently, over time – things that we usually take for granted. Thank God today for His great love for you and ask Him to help you to be a better lover!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
It’s finally here – LIFE GROUPS START THIS COMING WEEK! If you haven’t yet signed up for a Group, it’s not too late to join one. You can go online now, check out all the Groups in our 2022 Spring Semester LIFE Group Catalogand sign up for a Group today! There are multiple ways to sign up for a LIFE Group (online, Connect Card, LIFE Group Kiosk), but you only have to sign up one time, one way. Once you sign up for a Group, your Group Leader will contact you with all the details. And get this, so far we’ve had 588 LIFE Group sign-ups! I say so far, because there is still plenty of time to sign up for a group. In fact, hopefully by now you received your LIFE Group Catalog in the mail. If you didn’t, we might not have your correct address. If you’ve already signed up for a Group, please pass the catalog along to someone else and invite them to join. It’s going to be an awesome LIFE Group semester!!
I’m also excited about tomorrow – Coastal will be operating 2 Tailgating Parties at the same time, on the same day (meet at the church tomorrow at 10am – chair set up at 9am)! We’ll be at the Pink House and our new location at Charleston Vets. We’re only able to pull this off because of YOU – your generosity and your availability! If you want to serve in either of these opportunities, go to our website and sign up today! You’ll also be able to see and sign up for all of the other outreach opportunities of our church as well.
For those of you who have simply gotten out of the habit of attending church in-person, consider this your nudge to return! You are truly missed here at Coastal! I love what we’re doing online. We have greatly improved our online experience over the last several years at Coastal. It is a GREAT, GREAT TOOL! We have invested time, money, volunteers, and staff to it. It is not going away, and we will continue to make it better. However, it is NOT the same as being in-person. It’s easier to get distracted online. There is a lack of accountability (no one knows if you’re there or not). And therefore, it’s just easier to get out of the habit. Now, if you’re sick, out of town, or live out of town, by all means, take advantage of it. In fact, everyone should be regularly sharing it with your friends and spreading the word. Most people will check out our church online before they come in-person. But it’s time to remove from your conversational vocabulary this statement, “Let’s just stay at home and watch church online today.” Push through and COME to church! Obviously, the church is not a building. And one of our sayings over the years here at Coastal has been, “We don’t just GO to church, we ARE the church!” We even had a t-shirt with that on it (mental note – we need to redo that t-shirt)! I believe all of that with my whole heart. So that’s not what I’m talking about. But there’s just something powerful when God’s people gather together in-person for worship and for the proclamation of God’s Word! So join us online when you HAVE to, but don’t make it a habit. I love you Coastal, and I love being your Pastor! And I can’t wait to SEE you in-person on Sunday (and yes even online)!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Wow! I really can’t say enough good things about LIFE Group Sunday this past week at Coastal! First of all, it was so awesome to have everything inside in our new facility! Can you imagine how cold it would have been outside underneath a tent (like we used to do)? And all of our LIFE Group Leaders really knocked it out of the park with their booths/tables! You could just feel the energy and excitement on our campus! And most importantly, we’ve had 462 LIFE Group sign-ups SO FAR! I say so far, because there is still plenty of time to sign up for a group. In fact, hopefully you received your LIFE Group Catalog in the mail this week. If you’ve already signed up for a Group, share it with someone else.
It’s hard to believe, but this Saturday is the 6th Anniversary of our church doing Saturday Serve – 6 years of consistently being the hands and feet of Jesus, serving and loving our community! As always, we meet in the Welcome Center at Coastal at 8:30am (come at 7:30am and help us set up chairs). You’ll hear a pitch from a ½ dozen great leaders explaining the different serving opportunities they are leading for the day. Then you’ll choose the serving opportunity you like the best, and then head out to serve! It’s that simple! There is no need to bring anything. All we need is YOU and a willingness to serve (and we even give you a FREE t-shirt). All projects will wrap up by lunchtime so, it’s not a sacrifice of your entire Saturday. And bring your whole family – several of our projects are definitely “child friendly.” In fact, one of the projects that we are bringing back this Saturday is a Craft Project for young children – the kids will be making Valentines for Veterans! So again, don’t miss this Saturday Serve this Saturday!
And speaking of Veterans and serving, I have an exciting announcement to make. On Saturday, February 12th, Coastal will be operating 2 Tailgating Parties at the same time, on the same day! It will also be the very first serving project for our 2nd Box Truck! By the way, this is made possible through your generous giving toward our Christmas Offering! One Tailgate Party will be at the Pink House (see below) and the second Tailgate Party will be at Charleston Vets. Charleston Vets is a transitional housing facility for veterans in North Charleston. And what’s even more exciting about this relationship is that it’s managed by one of Coastal’s very own – Joe Towles. We’ll be grilling up some burgers & hotdogs with chips, desserts, and drinks. Most of the veterans we will be serving are in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Additionally, some were also previously homeless. The facility is much like Patriot Villas, another transitional housing area for veterans where we send outreach teams to serve. Join us as we serve and build new friendships with these local heroes. If you want to serve in any of these opportunities, let us know on your Connect Card or go to coastalcommunitychurch.org/missions and sign up today!
I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! What we’re a part of and what we get to do together never gets old! I hope you feel the same way!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
No, you’re not seeing double and you don’t need to check your eyes – that’s 2 BOX TRUCKS in the picture above! And it was made possible by your generosity (the Christmas Offering). We hope to put it out on the road very soon, serving and loving our community (think simultaneous Tailgate Parties). We still need to “outfit” it with all the necessary equipment, but it should be ready soon. Next week, however, we are going to use it to load up and deliver all of the gifts and supplies for Oakland Elementary School (another example of your generosity). But the real requirement for operating two Box Trucks and two Tailgate Parties is people – YOU! In fact, sign up to serve at our next Saturday Serve, Saturday, February 5th to show your support and your commitment to community outreach. Go to our website, sign up today, and then show up next Saturday morning at 8:30am, and make it obvious that we have plenty of volunteers to man two Tailgate Parties!
This Sunday at Coastal is going to be a lot of fun! We kick off a new series called, “The Names of God.” Over the next several weeks, we’re going to be looking at some of the names through which God has revealed himself in the Bible. My message this Sunday is an overview of the series, titled, “What’s In a Name?” As a part of the series kickoff on Sunday we’re asking everyone to wear a Name Tag. We’ll have several “Name Tag Stations” setup as people are entering the building.
And that goes along perfectly with the other exciting thing happening this week – it’s LIFE Group Sunday!! What is LIFE Group Sunday? I’m glad you asked. Think Job/College Fair, but for LIFE Groups! Before and after both Sunday morning services everyone is invited to our Welcome Center/Gathering Space where you’ll get to visit a booth/table representing all the different LIFE Groups this semester! You’ll get to meet the leaders, ask any questions, meet other people just like you checking out all the groups, and enjoy some great food (snacks at every table)! You’ll even get to vote on the Best Overall Booth, Most Creative, Best Sales Pitch, Best Food/Snacks, etc. Don’t miss it! Most importantly, sign up for a LIFE Group!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
We just unveiled our 2022 Fall Semester LIFE Group Catalog (it’s available online)! We would love for you to check out all of our different Groups (there’s something for everyone) and sign up to join a LIFE Group this semester (10-12 weeks)! By the way, our LIFE Groups are for everyone – whether you’re a member of our church, an occasional attender, or even if you’ve never attended on a Sunday. We’re called Coastal COMMUNITY Church and you (and your friends and family) are a part of our community. There are all types of Groups – online, in-person, activity, women’s, men’s, support, marriage, Bible study, and more!
By the way, not only can you view the catalog online, but you can sign up for a Group online! Once you sign up for a group, your Group Leader will contact you before the semester begins. Unless otherwise stated in the catalog, all Groups begin the week of February 13th.
I also want to invite you to attend LIFE GROUP SUNDAY, this Sunday, January 30th at Coastal! We have 2 services – 9:30am & 11:15am. Before and after both services you’ll be able to visit a table/booth representing each one of our 35 different LIFE Groups (kind of like a Job/College Fair, but for LIFE Groups)! There will be food & drinks, you’ll be able to meet other people checking out all the Groups, meet the different Group Leaders, and ask any questions you might have. I promise it will be a great day and a lot of fun! Hope to see you on Sunday! Start signing up for a LIFE Group today!
LIFE is Better Together!
Pastor Chris
I wanted to send a “shout out” to Coastal’s Sewing Group! Check out the picture and article above! They made the paper! Truthfully, our Sewing Group at Coastal is really more of an Outreach Group. Yes, it’s full of folks who love to sew and with those who want to learn to sew (Evalyn & Beth can teach ANYONE to sew). But over the years, Coastal’s Sewing Group has made blankets for NICU babies, bags for our Blessing Bags, zipper bags for Tailgate Parties, stockings for Joseph Floyd Manor, pillowcases for MUSC Children’s Hospital, and dresses for the Operation Christmas Child. And the Sewing Group is just of ONE of 35 DIFFERENT LIFE GROUPS this upcoming semester!
Which leads me to today’s BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Our Spring Semester LIFE Group Catalog is now available online and you can start signing up TODAY! The physical catalog will be available in-person this Sunday, and we’ll also be mailing it out to everyone. As always, there are multiple ways to sign up for a LIFE Group (online, on your Connect Card, or at the LIFE Group tables), but you only have to sign up one time, one way. And yes, you can sign up for multiple groups. There are a variety of groups (both in-person and/or online) on every day of the week. YOU NEED THIS! WE NEED THIS! We were made for community, for connections, to do LIFE with people. And the primary way for that to happen at Coastal is through LIFE Teams (serving/volunteering) and LIFE Groups (relationships). The majority of our LIFE Groups all begin the week of February 13th (less than one month away) and last for 10-12 weeks (depending on the group). So check them all out this weekend and start signing up!
The other BIG ANNOUNCEMENT is that next Sunday, January 30th, is LIFE Group Sunday!! What is LIFE Group Sunday you ask? Think Job/College Fair but for LIFE Groups! Before and after both Sunday morning services everyone is invited to our Welcome Center/Gathering Space where you’ll get to visit a booth/table representing all the different LIFE Groups this semester! You’ll get to meet the leaders, ask any questions, meet other people just like you checking out all the groups, and enjoy some great food (snacks at every table)! You’ll even get to vote on the Best Overall Booth, Most Creative, Best Sales Pitch, Best Food/Snacks, etc. Don’t miss it – it’s always A LOT of fun! And most importantly, you’ll get to sign up for a LIFE Group!
On a personal note, Janet and I made it safe and sound through the snow and ice up to Knoxville, TN this week to see our daughter and her husband. We’ve had a great visit and by the time you read this, we should be heading home – just in time to arrive in Charleston for some potentially, pretty nasty weather. Keep our return trip in your prayers. Can’t wait to see you and your friends and family in church this Sunday – in person or online!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
I’ve got some exciting news to share – our Christmas Offering! First of all, let me say that there is no doubt that we set a big goal this year – our biggest ever – $125,000. Now, that was based partly on how you responded to our Christmas Offering the year before. Our goal last year was $75,000 and you gave $117,000! So, $75,000 or even $100,000 just didn’t seem like faith to me – we’ve done that already. So, after much prayer and thought, we decided to set the goal at $125,000! I know what you’re thinking, “Pastor Chris, you’re killing me! Just tell me the final number!” Well, here it is. . . drum roll please! Coastal, for this year’s Annual Christmas Offering you gave $141,747! Coastal, your faith, your generosity, never ceases to amaze me! And don’t think for a second that that money came mainly from one family or from just a few families – no, not at all! It came from SO MANY people! It’s what we’ve learned time and time again, that when all of us give together, that’s when God shows up and does a miracle! And show up He did! What do we always say, “Let’s work, and serve, and give like it all depends on us, let’s pray like it all depends on God, let’s walk by faith and trust Him, and then let’s celebrate the results!” Let’s celebrate!
And now you might be asking, “What are we going to do with that money?” Simple – we’re going to do what we set out to do! In fact, we’ve already purchased the Box Truck, tagged it, insured it, wrapped it, and wired it (sound & lights). Now we need to “outfit” it – supply it with everything we need to do what we do, serving and loving our community (tables, chairs, tents, grills, etc.). Hopefully, it will be up and on the road very soon! And all of that is made possible through your consistent, faithful generosity!
Because of the Christmas Offering, we’re also going to be able to remodel our old, original sanctuary and turn it into a brand new Chapel. We’ll be able to use that space for worship overflow (think Easter Sunday), LIFE Groups, community space, Student Ministry, funerals, weddings, and so much more. Even doing most of the work ourselves, it’s an expensive undertaking (the technology alone will cost us around $40,000), but the Christmas Offering sets all of that into motion. Our realistic goal is that the space is functional and ready to use by Easter Sunday, April 17th. We’ll do our best to give you updates along the way and announce any projects that we could use help with (ripping up and throwing away old carpet for example).
So for those of you who consistently and generously give to Coastal – thank you! I say it all the time, but it’s true – we could not do what we do without you! Remember, God owns it all. We’re simply the managers of everything He’s given us. And one day we will stand before Him and give an account of how we managed His stuff – our time, our gifts and talents, our resources, and yes, even our money. It’s all His. We’ve simply been blessed to be a blessing. I pray that He finds us faithful. I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! I can’t wait to see you Sunday! We’re in week 3 of our series called, “The Word,” and I’ll be giving you some very practical instructions on how to have a Quiet Time!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
P.S. Start the New Year off right! Don’t forget that simply because you are a part of the Coastal family, ALL of Dave Ramsey’s best selling resources and tools are available to you for FREE! 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 have access to everything for an entire year at your own pace, on your own schedule. Here’s the link: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/hosts/coastalcommunity?pc=44091003. Sign up today! 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!
WOW – what a great start to our new series, “The WORD!” This past Sunday we laid the foundation for the series by trying to answer the question as to why you should read the Bible in the first place. We talked about how the Bible is unique, it’s accurate, and it’s inspired. This coming Sunday we’re going to take it a little bit further and personalize it for you as we talk about what are some of the benefits of reading and studying the Bible. But what I was really excited about is that right now, approximately 200 people have made a commitment to read through the Bible with us this year! Is that awesome or what?! I can’t wait to see how God speaks and moves in your life this year! And it’s not too late to join in with us. Simply respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday. And then the easiest thing to do is to go to youversion.com or your Bible App and sign up for The One Year Bible reading plan. So what if you didn’t get started on January 1st – your year can start today! The devil will give you all kinds of excuses. Don’t listen to him! There is nothing in my life that Satan has fought me harder and more consistently with over the years than trying to keep me from reading my Bible and having a Quiet Time. The reason should be obvious. He knows the power found in God’s Word.
This Sunday is also the last Sunday to give toward our Christmas Offering. We set a Big Goal this year – $125,000. But with that goal we’re going to do some great things. First of all, we’re going to purchase and outfit a new Coastal Box Truck for outreach in our community. And then we’re going to remodel our old auditorium into a Chapel that can be used by our church, children, students, and community. So where are we with our goal? Great question. All I’m going to say right now is that we’re close, but we’re still short. If you haven’t given anything yet toward this special offering, I hope you’ll do so this week/weekend. What we’ve learned over the years is that when all of us give together, that’s when God shows up and does a miracle. Every gift counts – no gift is too small or too big. To give, all you have to do is designate your gift “Christmas” on your check, offering envelope, card swiping “description”, online through Paypal, our App, or TEXTing (843-277-8337). I will announce our Grand Total next Sunday and together we’ll celebrate what God did in our midst!
And don’t forget that we’re back to our regular in-person Sunday morning service schedule this Sunday – 9:30am & 11:15am. And as always, you can watch all of our services (9:30am, 11:15am, and 6pm) on our Facebook page, our YouTube channel, or at https://coastalcommchurch.churchonline.org.
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Happy New Year everyone – well almost! 2022 is just about here! But guess what? Jesus is still on the throne, God is still in control, and our mission is still the same – “to share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world!”
I sincerely hope you and your family have had a wonderful Christmas! And let me say how awesome Christmas Eve was at Coastal, both in-person and online! I want to thank all of our volunteers who served so joyfully! We could not do what we do without you! I especially want to thank all of our Tech Team & Worship Team who came very early and were here for all 3 services! There is just something special about lighting candles and worshipping together.
For those of you who have had some time off from work this week, I hope you’ve been able to rest, refresh and enjoy spending time with family. This is a great time of the year to reflect on 2021 (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and dream about 2022. One great way to do that is to ask questions. Dorothy Grooms (author, motivational speaker) once said, “The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask yourself.” Here’s a few to get you started:
1. Am I closer to God today than I was on Jan 1, 2021?
2. What is my spiritual growth plan for 2022?
3. What drained me emotionally in 2021?
4. What fills me emotionally?
5. Is there anyone whose forgiveness I need to seek or forgiveness I need to give?
6. Where is the clutter in my life?
7. Would I rate my marriage a 10? Would my spouse (you might want to ask over a nice dinner)? If it’s not a 10 ask this question, “What would it take in 2022 to make it a 10?”
8. Have I scheduled my date nights for January?
9. How much do I weigh? Is that OK?
10. Do I have a Physical/Mammogram scheduled between now and March 31?
11. What’s my major physical focus area for 2022?
12. Are my finances in order?
13. Do I have debt beyond my mortgage?
14. What’s my next step in my giving?
15. How am I growing as a leader?
16. What are my reading goals for 2022?
17. What caused me the most stress in 2021?
18. How am I going to fix that in 2022?
19. What am I pretending NOT to know?
20. What is my calling?
You see, at some point in all of our lives, we’ve all heard or said this widely accepted saying, “Experience is the best teacher.” But guess what? It’s a myth! It’s just not true. Experience is not the best teacher. EVALUATED experience is the best teacher! And one way to evaluate and learn from your experiences is to ask and answer the right questions. I’m sure many of you have a love/hate relationships with resolutions. I get it. I prefer the word goals. Over the next several days, I would encourage you to evaluate this past year and set some goals for 2022. There is tremendous power in simply writing them down and then sharing them with someone else. I truly believe that 2022 is going to be a great year at Coastal!
And as you’re praying about goals and changes you want to make in 2022, can I encourage you to include making Coastal a priority? Jesus called the church His Body, His Bride. Jesus died for the church. Jesus started the church. The church is the Family of God and the only thing that will last on into eternity. The church is the hope of the world, and when done right, there is nothing greater or more powerful than the local church. However, there is no perfect church – because the church is made up of people, you and me, and there are no perfect people. Church attendance/involvement is just like any other habit – it’s easy to make excuses and get out of the habit (especially if you’re trying to stay engaged online). So, my advice, make a commitment and push through. If it’s been a while, get back in the habit this year. If you already attend regularly, maybe it’s time you started serving. Maybe this is the semester that you join a LIFE Group. How does your giving reflect your commitment to the church? Is it consistent? Generous? Maybe this is the year you officially become a Member of Coastal. Our next Membership Class is Monday night, January 24th, 6-8:30pm. And how about this – invite and bring someone with you to church (again, in-person OR online)! You never know the power of a simple invitation.
Don’t forget that we’re only having ONE IN-PERSON SERVICE this Sunday, January 2nd at 9:30am (no 11:15am in-person service)! However, as always, you can watch all of our services (9:30am, 11:15am, and 6pm) on our Facebook page, our YouTube channel, or at https://coastalcommchurch.churchonline.org.
Happy New Year!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
So, are you ready for Christmas? Well, ready or not, it’s ALMOST here! Which means of course, that we’re having our 3 Christmas Eve Services, TONIGHT – 3pm, 4:30pm & 6pm! I hope you areready to invite & bring your friends! Remember, it’s not too late to invite someone. Make the ask! What’s the worst thing that could happen? Better yet – what’s the BEST thing that could happen? Think through all your contacts – social media, work, neighbors, friends, family – and invite them to come!
Also, Christmas Eve is one of those times where it is “all hands on deck.” In other words, if you serve in ministry and you’re not out of town, we need you to serve. Contact your Ministry Leader and let them know which service you are available ASAP. Every ministry needs plenty of volunteers (and extra volunteers) to pull off Christmas Eve and create a welcoming atmosphere.
Pray for me & my message. Pray that people give their lives to Jesus and get saved! Pray for our Worship Team that they would lead people to worship Jesus. Pray for all our Ministry Volunteers, that they would serve Jesus by serving others.
Here are a few other important reminders:
Don’t forget that our entire offering on Christmas Eve (all 3 services) will go toward our Christmas Offering! Prayerfully consider what you and your family can give. You might also consider making a year end sacrificial gift.
Well, I think that’s about it. For those of you who are traveling or out of town – HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS! Safe travels and please keep us in your prayers! And remember, if you can’t make it in person, you will be able to watch all of our services live online. Can’t wait to see the rest of you and your guests tonight! Also, don’t forget that there are NO IN-PERSON SERVICES on Sunday – ONLINE ONLY (9:30am, 11:15am, 6pm – all online)!
Merry Christmas Eve!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Well, the weekend is finally here! And that means our Christmas Party at Joseph Floyd Manoris finally here! It’s one of our biggest outreach events of the year – and I can’t wait! It’s going to be awesome! Joseph Floyd Manor is a public housing building in downtown Charleston. It’s been a fixture in Charleston for a long time. It’s home primarily to limited income, disabled, and older residents of our city. And it’s a great opportunity for us, as a church, to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus!
I can’t thank all of you enough for how you have responded to this opportunity. I talked to Pastor Chris Jones last night, and he told me that all of the food, supplies, and gifts have been purchased or accounted for. At this point, simply drop off everything you’ve signed up for by 6pm tonight at the church. And speaking of 6pm, we’re having a Packing & Prep Party tonight at the church to prepare and stage everything for tomorrow. We’d love for you to join us.
And then tomorrow (Saturday) at 9:30am we’ll gather at the church and load everything up (actually, feel free to join us at 8:30am to help set up our chairs in the auditorium). Please park over at Orange Grove Middle School. Since there is limited parking at JFM, and we have so many people who have signed up to volunteer, we have a Bus that will be taking a large number of people from the church – leaving at 10am and leaving from JFM at 12:45pm. I’m calling it the Coastal Party Bus!
Truthfully, tonight and tomorrow at JFM will be a great example of what I call Holy Spirit Controlled Chaos! But that’s something we embrace at Coastal. I heard a long time ago that you can either structure your church for control or for growth, but you can’t have both. Now don’t get me wrong, Chris Jones and his Team Leaders have been meeting, praying, planning, and preparing for this event for weeks (and I can’t say enough good things about all of them and the job they have done). But we will have more volunteers on site than we have specific roles and at times, especially at first, it will appear chaotic. However, the greatest role for EVERYONE is simply speaking with and loving on the residents of JFM. Ask someone their story – where they’re from, their families, what they did for a living, their faith journey. And then just listen. That’s why we’re there. And if together, we focus on that – it will be a great success!
As always, if you’d like to join us at JFM or any of our various upcoming Outreach Projects, go to our website and sign up today: https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/missions. If you have any questions about this or any of our other Outreach Events, please respond to this email or reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613.
And finally, I want to share with you something that happened this week. We discovered yesterday morning that someone had vandalized our Box Truck. They cut out and stole the two catalytic converters from the truck. Apparently, they get about $300 a piece for the metal found in these parts. Of course, it cost our church about $2100 to get it fixed. When something like this happens it’s easy to get angry, sad, frustrated, disappointed, and ultimately distracted from our mission. Honestly, it’s simply a reminder to me that there is evil in this world and that people need Jesus. But what someone meant for evil, we’re going to turn around and literally use it for good! And not only that, after this year’s Christmas Offering, we’re going buy, wrap, and equip a second Box Truck to multiply our community outreach effort! I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! Join us, as we continue to “share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world!”
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
P.S. THIS Sunday, December 19th, is going to be “Ugly Christmas Sweater Day” at Coastal! We’re encouraging everyone to break out and wear that ugly Christmas sweater! We’ll have 3 special Christmas Eve Services on Friday, December 24th at 3pm, 4:30pm, and 6pm. Childcare (Birth-5th Grade) will be provided for all 3 Christmas Eve services with a Christmas Pajama Party for children 2 years old and up. Sunday, December 26th, there will be NO IN-PERSON SERVICES. All services will be ONLINE ONLY. Sunday, January 2nd, there will be one in-person service at 9:30am. As always, the service will be online live at 9:30am, and rebroadcast online at 11:15am and 6pm.
WOW – what a great kick off to “Christmas at Coastal” this past Sunday! All the decorations were a huge hit, we had a big crowd, lot’s of guests, 24 people stuck around for our Newcomer’s Reception, we sold out of our One Year Bibles (we got more for this Sunday), and one person gave their life to Jesus! It just doesn’t get any better than that!
If you haven’t heard yet, one of the biggest things we are doing this year for Christmas is putting on a HUGE Christmas Party for the residents of Joseph Floyd Manor. And the event is just ONE WEEK AWAY! Joseph Floyd Manor is a public housing building in downtown Charleston. It is home primarily to limited income, disabled, and older residents of our city. The date of the party is Saturday, December 18th, from 9:30am (meet at the church at 9:30am) until 1:30pm. We’re hoping to provide a huge holiday meal with turkey & all the trimmings, a Christmas stocking packed with goodies, and a Christmas gift for every resident! This is a wonderful opportunity because the gifts are actual items the residents have requested. What’s important to know is the Christmas party we’re hosting on the 18th will be the only Christmas many of these residents will experience. It’s a great opportunity for us, as a church, to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus!
Picture in your mind all the gifts, stockings, food, a Christmas cookie decoration station, games with prizes, and a coffee & hot chocolate bar! And then we’ll top off the event with singing Christmas carols! This will be an event that will positively impact the community and help the residents of the manor feel loved and appreciated. And by the way, this event is family friendly, and all are welcome (a great way to show your kids the true meaning of Christmas).
Now, a project this size needs two things:
There are multiple sign up lists to help out:
The Meal:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4CADA929ABF58-christmas
The Gifts:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904044FA4A929A1FA7-joseph
The Stockings:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4CADA929ABF58-stockings1
The Cookies:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a094aa8a92fa0fa7-jfmcookie
To Serve:
https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/missions
If you have any questions about this event, please respond to this email or reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613.
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
We need your help! I am reaching out everyone at Coastal to help us provide a wonderful Christmas to the residents of Joseph Floyd Manor. Joseph Floyd Manor is a public housing building in downtown Charleston. It is home primarily to limited income, disabled, and older residents of our city. Coastal is partnering with “Friends of Joseph Floyd Manor” (one of our many ministry partners) to host a Christmas Party at the manor on Saturday, December 18th, from 9:30am (meet at the church at 9:30am) until 1:30pm. We’re hoping to provide a huge holiday meal with turkey & all the trimmings, a Christmas stocking packed with goodies, and a Christmas gift for every resident! This is a wonderful opportunity because the gifts are actual items the residents have requested. What’s important to know is the Christmas party we’re hosting on the 18th will be the only Christmas many of these residents will experience. It’s a great opportunity for us, as a church, to truly be the hands and feet of Jesus!
Picture in your mind all the gifts, stockings, food, a Christmas cookie decoration station, games with prizes, and a coffee & hot chocolate bar! And then we’ll top off the event with singing Christmas carols! This will be an event that will positively impact the community and help the residents of the manor feel loved and appreciated. And by the way, this event is family friendly and all are welcome (a great way to show your kids the true meaning of Christmas).
Now, a project this size needs two things:
There are multiple sign up lists to help out:
The Meal:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4CADA929ABF58-christmas
The Gifts:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904044FA4A929A1FA7-joseph
The Stockings:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4CADA929ABF58-stockings1
The Cookies:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a094aa8a92fa0fa7-jfmcookie
To Serve:
https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/missions
If you have any questions about this event, please respond to this email or reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613.
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Chris
P.S. Again, right now the food for the meal is probably the biggest need. Go to this link and sign up today: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4CADA929ABF58-christmas
One of the challenges that most of us face every Christmas is connecting with the Christmas story with a fresh set of eyes that hasn’t been glazed over with familiarity. A lot of us have heard the story of Mary and Joseph, the Shepherds, and the Wise Men so many times, that our brains can easily shift into neutral whenever we hear it. In fact, it’s easy to mentally check out because we already know the story. I mean, we LOVE the story, but we sometimes no longer HEAR the story.
And so to combat that tendency, each year we Pastors try to look at the story from a slightly different angle –– not so much to see “new” things –– but to see the same great truths with a new freshness! And this year I want us to experience the wonder and joy of the birth of Jesus through the eyes of the Wise Men and the gifts that they brought Jesus.
Matthew 2:1-2 says, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Verse 11 of that same chapter says, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” So who were these Magi or Wise Men from the East? And what if anything is the significance of these gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh? Join us this Sunday, December 5th, as we kick off “Christmas at Coastal” and discover the answers to those questions and so much more!
And speaking of Christmas at Coastal – a few other things to make note of:
Invite and bring someone to church during the Christmas season! Let me ask you a question – how did YOU find Jesus? My guess is that Jesus drew you to Himself through His Spirit and His Word. But He also provided a “star,” a travel guide, someone to help lead you to Jesus. It might have been your Mom and Dad who pointed the way. It may have been someone at work, a neighbor, a close friend, a teacher, a pastor – someone that God had cross your path. It was probably someone whose light was bright, whose love was real. Well, guess what? God wants to use you as His star! Who do you know in your “universe” (where you live, work, parent, and play) who needs to be guided to Jesus? Daniel 12:3 says, “…and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars for ever and ever.” Be that guiding light, that bright star, and invite and bring someone to Coastal. And you never know, maybe, just like the Wise Men, they will bow down and worship Him!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Okay, okay, we’re not really having a “Black Friday Sale” at Coastal! I just thought it might be a creative way to get you to open and read my “Friday 5.” I know how some of you get when you hear the word SALE! I hope you and your family truly had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! Today is traditionally called “Black Friday.” And then next week we have “Cyber Monday” and “Giving Tuesday”! Regardless of what labels we assign these days, the reality is that more people will buy more STUFF online this weekend and over the next month than any other time of the year. That’s not a bad thing, BUT it isn’t eternal. Our church exists to share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston & the world – and that IS eternal!
So, while you’re shopping online today and over the next month, why not consider doing one of 2 things. And here’s my CYBER OFFER: 100% of your investment will go to reaching people for Jesus!
Many people give to Coastal with their smartphone through TEXTING! After a one step, one time registration process (takes less than 2 minutes), you simply text any amount to 843-277-8337 and hit send. GIVE IT A TRY! You can give any amount, any where, any time, any place. It is not billed to your phone. It is through your Bank/Credit Card that you register. It is simple, safe, and secure.
Whether you and your family are here in Charleston or out of town this weekend, I hope to see you at Coastal on Sunday – in-person or online! However, remember we are only having 1 in-person service this Sunday – 9:30am. As always, the service will be online live at 9:30am, and rebroadcast online at 11:15am and 6pm. We kick off our “Christmas at Coastal” series on Sunday, December 5th. Take advantage of this season and this series and invite your friends to church!
On a very personal note, I’m asking you to please pray for a friend of mine – Mike Diamond. He has COVID-19, and I just found out that he’s been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. He’s had many respiratory issues over the years, so this is very serious. I say my friend, but in all reality he’s my Dad. He was the one who led me to the Lord, he was my Youth Pastor growing up, he was the best man in my wedding, he’s my mentor, my Pastor, and my spiritual Father. I’m pretty sure I’ve talked to him every week of my life for the past 41 years. Pray for his wife, his children, and his grand children. Pray for his church. He’s the Pastor of Victory Christian Church in Goose Creek, a small church that he started years ago. I will keep you updated as I hear more. Thank you!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
First of all, I just want to thank everyone who participated in Operation Christmas Child this year! It looks like we filled around 900 shoeboxes this year! I say around 900 because we had multiple people take shoeboxes directly over to Charleston Baptist after we had already loaded ours up and taken them over. Plus you can still build boxes online until November 22nd. Go to Coastal’s Build a Shoebox Online Challenge Page and for only $25 you can build shoeboxes that are used to reach “the ends of the earth – hard to reach places.” Here’s the link https://sampur.se/3Ao3bXv. Think about it – that’s over 900 opportunities to share and experience the life and love of Jesus with children around the world! And as we say here at Coastal, if you change a child’s life, you change the world! Thanks for being a world changer!
Also, I want to encourage you to come tonight to our Night of Worship, 7pm, here in our main auditorium. And that’s exactly what it’s going to be – a night of worship and praise, singing to and about our awesome God! You need this. We need this. The Holidays tend to be a very stressful time of the year for a lot of people. Add that to the stress of this past year, plus just the normal stuff of life, and you have a recipe for disaster. The theme of the night is peace. Come worship and experience the Prince of Peace together with your church family. This service will NOT be online. It’s in-person only. Honestly, I think that’s good sometimes for a church. There is just something powerful and different about the gathered church. In fact, all through the Bible you find example after example of God moving in powerful ways when His people gathered together to worship Him. Come and gather with us – 7pm tonight, childcare only for children Birth-Kindergarten. Everyone else will be in the auditorium. I hope to see you!
Have you and your family prayed about what you can give to our Christmas Offering this year (see below)? Have you made an initial gift? Our goal this year is $125,000. Big Goal. But guess what? After just one week, we’ve already received $22,935! How awesome is that?! As we’ve learned time and time again, not everyone can give the same amount, but everyone can make the same sacrifice. The amount will look different from person to person, family to family. What’s a sacrifice to one family, might not be a sacrifice to another. But, when we all sacrifice together and give generously by faith, that’s when God shows up and does a miracle! What do we say at Coastal? We’re going to work like it all depends on us, pray like it all depends of God, walk by faith, trust God with the results, and celebrate what He does in our midst!
We wrap up our series on the Fruit of the Spirit this Sunday. I’ll be talking about self-control. I hope you’ll make it and that you invite and bring a friend. I also hope you’ll make a real push to invite and bring someone over the month of December and especially Christmas Eve (see below). People are open to spiritual things throughout the Holidays. Leverage that, use that openness for the Kingdom. People are most open to an invitation to church during times of trouble, transition, and tension. That pretty much describes the times in which we live. And people especially feel that way during the Holidays. Pray for the open door and then boldly walk through it. What’s the worst thing that could happen? They say no. What’s the best thing that could happen? They could give their life to Jesus, and you were just used by God to help change someone’s eternity. It doesn’t get any better than that! I love you Coastal! And I love being your Pastor! I never want to take that for granted, and I never want to take for granted what God is doing through our church!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Shoeboxes, Shoeboxes Shoeboxes! Don’t forget, all filled and completed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child must be returned by this Sunday! You can also build and send these boxes directly through OCC’s website without even leaving your home! Go to Coastal’s Build a Shoebox Online Challenge Page and for only $25 you can build shoeboxes that are used to reach “the ends of the earth – hard to reach places.” Here’s the link https://sampur.se/3Ao3bXv. Together, with Christians all around the country, we get to be a part of reaching thousands of children all around the world! How exciting is that! None of this would be possible without YOU and your generosity!
And speaking of Christmas and generosity, I hope you saw my email yesterday about this year’s Annual Christmas Offering! Our goal is big – $125,000! But I believe that over the next 9 weeks, with God’s help, together we can reach it! Beginning this Sunday, November 14th, through the second Sunday of the New Year, January 9th (9 weeks), we are encouraging our entire Coastal family to give above and beyond their regular tithes and offering to this year’s Christmas Offering. To give, all you have to do is designate your gift “Christmas” on your check, offering envelope, card swiping “description”, online through Paypal, or TEXTing (843-277-8337). You can give your gift during those 9 weeks (Nov. 14th – Jan. 9th) at any of our regular Sunday morning services or anytime through TEXTing, our website, or our App. You might also consider giving it all at once during one of our 3 Christmas Eve Services (Friday, December 24th, 3pm, 4:30pm, & 6pm). Our entire Christmas Eve offering will go toward our Annual Christmas Offering.
So what are we going to do with that $125,000? Mainly 2 things: 1. We are going to be purchasing our SECOND “Box Truck”! Given the popularity of the tailgating outreach at Coastal, the number of volunteers who attend these types of events, and the impact made in the community, the deployment of a 2nd truck would potentially double the impact of our outreach efforts. 2. We’re going to remodel our old auditorium into a Chapel. As a Chapel, it will serve many purposes – not only for kids, but for students, overflow worship, LIFE Groups, community meeting space, weddings, and funerals. Specifically, we hope that this Christmas Offering will help purchase the flooring, paint, chairs, lighting & AV equipment.
So, start praying about what you and your family can give toward this offering and maybe make an initial gift this weekend. Remember, this offering should be over and above what you regularly give. If you’re not regularly giving (weekly, monthly), use this time of year and this offering to start. If you’re not tithing (10% of your gross income), step out in faith and start tithing. Reaching this goal will be a celebration of what God can do through our church as together we stretch our faith. Again, simply use the keyword “Christmas” whenever and however you give toward the Christmas Offering.
And speaking of generosity – I say it all the time – I want our church to be known in the community as a generous church. Well, you might be wondering what we did with all the cases and equipment that we were setting up for the past year for Coastal Kidz over at Orange Grove Middle School? WE GAVE IT AWAY to a new church plant in Roswell, GA! We probably saved them $50,000! Here’s a part of an email we got back from them:
Thank you Coastal for your continued generosity! I love you and I love being your Pastor! Have a great Friday! Can’t wait to see you over the weekend – Saturday: Membership Class 9am at the church (or Zoom – see below), chair set-up at 9:30am, Tailgating at the Pink House 10am (see below), or Sunday: Worship in-person or online, 9:30am & 11:15am! Oh and speaking of Sunday services, there will only be one in-person service on Sunday, November 28th (the Sunday after Thanksgiving) at 9:30am.
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
I am so excited to share with you our plans for our 9th Annual Christmas Offering! Over the years, this offering has made a huge IMPACT on our ministry!
For example, the Christmas Offering has enabled us to:
God has used our church and the Christmas Offering to do all of that and so much more! Well, beginning THIS Sunday, November 14th, through the second Sunday of the New Year, January 9th (9 weeks), we are encouraging our entire Coastal family to give above and beyond their regular tithes and offering to this year’s Christmas Offering.
To give, all you have to do is designate your gift “Christmas” on your check, offering envelope, card swiping “description”, online through Paypal, or TEXTing (843-277-8337). You can give your gift during those 9 weeks (Nov. 14th – Jan. 9th) at any of our regular Sunday morning services or anytime through TEXTing, our website, or our App. You might also consider giving it all at once during one of our Christmas Eve Services. Our entire Christmas Eve offering will go toward our Annual Christmas Offering.
Why a Special Offering? It’s a way for us to grow in our faith and to prepare us for what God wants to do through our church in a bigger way in 2022. It’s a way for us to sacrifice together as a church family and give generously. Christmas is all about giving. Many people, during this time of year, are in fact looking for opportunities to give. And there is no better place to give than to your local church.
What is our goal and where is the money going? Our overall goal is $125,000 – our largest Christmas Offering to date! Is that a big goal? Yes! Can we reach it? Absolutely! As always, I am very excited about where this year’s money will be going and the potential Kingdom impact. The money will be used for Community Outreach & Remodeling Our Old Auditorium. Let me specifically explain each:
How much should you give? Prayerfully consider giving a gift that will stretch your faith and include your whole family. For some people, coming up with “extra” money is difficult. We’ve learned that as we give, God provides. Maybe you decide to give up eating out or buying coffee for 9 weeks and give that money to the Christmas Offering. Maybe you sell something or have a yard sale. For some people $1000 above your regular giving is a huge sacrifice. For others, it’s not.
Maybe there is someone who might be willing to give a large matching gift this year. Just like our “Daring Faith” Giving Campaign that has enabled us to build our new building and all the other Christmas Offerings we’ve done in the past, we can’t all give the same amount, but TOGETHER, we can ALL make a sacrifice. That’s when God does a miracle, when together we ALL step out in faith.
Remember, this offering should be over and above what you regularly give. If you’re not regularly giving (weekly, monthly), use this time of year to start. If you’re not tithing (10% of your gross income), step out in faith and start tithing. Reaching this goal will be a celebration of what God can do through us as together we stretch our faith.
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Chris Rollins
P.S. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. The easiest and fastest way to give to the Christmas Offering is through TEXTing. Simply TEXT any amount followed by the word “Christmas” to 843-277-8337 (Example: “$100 Christmas”). If you haven’t signed up for TEXT-to-Give it’s a quick, simple, and secure process!
WOW! WOW! WOW! Grand Opening Weekend was truly AMAZING at Coastal! Honestly, we really didn’t know what to expect at the Open House on Friday night. Would anyone actually show up and drop-by? Well, show up you did! In fact, several hundred people showed up! And then Sunday came – the Grand Opening – our first official Sunday using our new space. I was speechless! It all started with our VIP Volunteer Meeting at 9am. We were two deep with Volunteers in our circle in the new Gather Space. And speaking of Volunteers, I can’t say enough good things about all of our Sunday morning LIFE Team Volunteers. You guys ROCK! From First Impressions, to the Cafe, to Security, to Coastal Kidz, to Worship and Tech, and the Prayer Team – all of you showed up in full force and served with love, joy, and excellence! I am so proud of all of you and can’t thank you enough! We had 662 people in person and another 475 people online! I think my jaw was sore Sunday afternoon from all the smiling. Finally seeing all the children in their classrooms, playing on the playgrounds, seeing all the people in the Gather Space getting coffee and snacks from the new Cafe, talking and connecting before and after services – it all filled my heart with so much joy and gratitude!
But like I said on Sunday, God is not finished with us and we’re just getting started! We’re going to keep loving, keep serving, and keep sharing and experiencing the LIFE and LOVE with Jesus with Charleston and the world! The new facility is just a tool to leverage towards that end. We’re going to use it, fill it up, add another service and keep growing!
If you were unable to be a part of Grand Opening weekend in-person, no worries! I can’t wait to see you this Sunday or very soon. And for those of you who came in person for the first time in a long time, I can’t tell you how great it was to see you. You made my day! There’s just something about the “gathered church” that being online can’t replace. It’s a great tool, one that we’re going to continue to use and improve, but don’t think for a second that it’s the same. It’s not. For those of you who have not yet returned to in-person worship, it’s time to come home. Use the opening of the new facility as a great time to return. In fact, the opening of the new facility is an opportunity for all of us to use to invite and bring friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to come and see.
For those of you who were a part of our “Daring Faith” Giving Campaign or you have given generously and consistently to our church, thank you! We could not do what we do – including this new facility – without you. Now let’s finish what we started. We have 1 year left in our “Daring Faith” Campaign. Continue to give in faith. For those of you who weren’t a part of “Daring Faith” or who don’t give consistently or generously, it’s time to start – not for us, but for you. You are missing out on the joy of giving and the blessing of God.
Back to Volunteers for just a moment – don’t think for a second that we have all the Volunteers we need and that there’s not a place for you. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a place for you and you are needed! Go to our website, check out all the LIFE Teams, and sign up to Volunteer today!
One last thing, speaking of leveraging our new facility. If there are any stay at home parents with small children looking for a fun play date, feel free to use our indoor & outdoor playgrounds, Monday-Thursday, 9am-3pm. And yes, feel free to invite and bring other friends with kids to join you. Or maybe you’re looking for a quiet place to work, use the internet, get away from your office or home office for a bit, feel free to utilize our great Gather Space during those same times. We have a great facility – now let’s use it!
I jump back into our series on the Fruit of the Spirit this weekend, and I’ll be talking about faithfulness. Read Luke 7:1-10 in preparation for my message on Sunday. And this Sunday is Time Change! Enjoy that “extra” hour as your clocks “Fall Back” one hour. I love you Coastal, and I love being your Pastor! I hope to see you Saturday at “Saturday Serve” and on Sunday for worship!
LIFE & LOVE
Pastor Chris
Woohoo! It’s hard to believe it’s finally here – Grand Opening Weekend! Can you believe it? I’m not sure I can! I don’t use the word “surreal” very often, because I think it’s way over used. But it feels appropriate for this moment. We’re having an Open House Party, TONIGHT, 6-8pm, and YOU ARE INVITED! There will be food, balloons, music, pictures of the past year, and you’ll be able to walk through all the classrooms, playgrounds, and office space! Don’t miss it! Come and celebrate with us! It’s a drop by, so even if you’ve got other plans, drop by and celebrate with us!
And then, THISSunday, October 31st will be our Grand Opening Sunday!! Our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry will be meeting in their new facility! It’s going to be a great day! Invite and bring your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors! If you serve in Coastal Kidz, Cafe, 1st Impressions, or Security, contact your LIFE Team Leaders and let them know you’re willing to jump in wherever needed. It’s going to be an “all hands on deck” kind of day! And if you’re interested in serving, there IS a place for you! Respond to this email, and we’ll get you connected. I hope to see you over the weekend!
On Sunday, please park as far away as possible to make room for our guests. If you have kids, please come early to help check-in go as smoothly as possible. While the new drive/road around the back of our building will be open, parking in the very back of our property will not be available yet. We need to wait on the grass to grow. You WILL be able to park immediately down the first drive and next to the old auditorium. Please try to come to the Open House. That’s really the time to walk around the entire new facility and check everything out. On Sunday morning, during services, Coastal Kidz will be a secure space and only parents, volunteers, and children going to class will be able to enter. Tonight you can park over at Orange Grove Middle School if our parking lot is full. If you have any questions, please reach out.
And one more thing, I don’t do this very often, but I’m asking everyone to give something above and beyond this weekend as a way to simply give thanks to God for everything He has done and provided for us through this new building. I don’t care about the amount, that’s between you and God, but let it serve as a tangible way to recognize your excitement, gratitude, and desire to leverage everything we have (including this new facility) for the Kingdom of God.
I love you Coastal, and I love being your Pastor! And I can’t wait to see you and your friends over the weekend! Together, let’s mark this moment in time and celebrate everything God has done in our midst!
This Sunday we’ll be in week 6 of our series on the Fruit of the Spirit, which means I’ll be talking about goodness. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness. . .” One of the main points that we’ve made in this series is that the fruit of the Spirit is a gift. In other words, it is received by grace at salvation. That gift must then be developed. But God isn’t going to force you. And it doesn’t happen automatically. We have to work at it. We have to cooperate with God in the process – not out of fear or obligation. Heaven is already ours if Jesus is in our life. But we strive for goodness out of love and appreciation for what God has already done for us – out of a desire that God puts in our hearts to be truly good.
Philippians 1:6, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work (Notice that it is God’s work. We are dependent on Him. We can’t do it ourselves.) until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”What does that mean? You see, even though when you become a follower of Jesus you are saved instantly and your eternity in heaven is secured instantly, it doesn’t mean you become “good” instantly.
You begin a process (the theological word is “sanctification”) where you gradually become more and more like Jesus every day. This continues the rest of your life – you cooperating with God to become good and develop all of the fruit of the Spirit in your life. But you never completely finish that process on this side of eternity – not until the day you stand before Jesus at the end of your life and He makes you perfect in every way!
Coastal, don’t miss this Sunday AND please invite and bring a friend with you! Invite your “ONE”, the person you’re praying for to receive Christ and come to faith. I am specifically going to be talking about how we are made good in God’s eyes through faith in Christ. I will be clearly sharing the good news of the Gospel, and I truly believe that people are going to be saved. Will you join me in praying for that? I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! And I can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!
BEING & DOING GOOD BECAUSE OF JESUS!
Pastor Chris
A good friend of mine pastors a church in New York City. He says that he hears people say all the time, “New Yorkers are rude!” His response, “No, we’re just in a hurry.” Haha – I’m not sure if either statement is completely accurate, but I do know this – rudeness and meanness are definitely on the rise today. You see examples of that everywhere – people losing it on airplanes, cursing outbursts in grocery stores, fights at school board meetings, and the utter nastiness all over social media. I mean people are more abusive of each other, physically and verbally, than at any other time before. It just seems like people are on edge, ready to go off at any moment. What we used to know as common courtesy is just not so common anymore. Obviously, people are in a hurry today, but I think it’s more than that. I think being self-absorbed is probably the #1 reason we aren’t kind anymore. We are thinking about ourselves so much that we just don’t notice the opportunities we have all around us to show God’s love through kindness.
But we can’t let that happen. And here’s why. Because God gives us divine moments every day. Moments where God orchestrates encounters between us and another person so that we can show them kindness in a way that might change their life, that might show them God’s love! Kindness is so much more than just being nice or agreeable. It’s not just NOT hurting someone else. It’s love in action! Kindness looks for a way to improve somebody’s life. Kindness builds people up. Again it’s LOVE IN ACTION.
And that’s what we’ll be talking about on Sunday as we continue our series on the Fruit of the Spirit. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness. . .” Out of all of the fruit listed in Galatians 5, kindness may be one of the most underrated fruits on the stand and yet the most needed today. The famous Quaker missionary, Stephen Grellet, once said, “I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” He’s right. We only have one life to live. I pray that God would open our eyes and our hearts to see all the opportunities for kindness around us and that we would actually DO them – love in action. I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! And I can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!
BE KIND!
Pastor Chris
This Sunday we’re in week 4 of our series on the Fruit of the Spirit, and I’ll be preaching on PATIENCE!! “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience. . .” Of all the fruit of the Spirit, I bet this is the one that most people would say is the one they need to work on the most. So what is it? Other translations use the word forebearance, long suffering. That’s the idea here. Being long tempered, the ability to be inconvenienced or even taken advantage of, and yet it doesn’t blow up, fly off the handle, or respond in kind.
Proverbs 14:29 says, “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.” That’s a great description of this word. It conveys the idea of being slow to get angry, of having a long fuse and a short memory. Unfortunately, we get that turned around, some of us have a short fuse and a long memory. The word literally means “wrath that is put far away.” If we are being controlled by the Spirit, then fits of rage will be put far away. Patient people are hard to provoke. Their temper can absorb a lot before they “lose it.”
In Colossians 3:12 patience is one of the character traits that Paul mentions that we’re to literally clothe ourselves with, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clotheyourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” So patience is part of our new wardrobe in Christ. It’s interesting, when Paul describes life outside of Christ, he often describes an angry life. In fact, right before he lists the fruit of the Spirit, he gives us another list, remember? And among the works of the flesh or the acts of the sinful nature that are listed earlier in Galatians 5, Paul mentions “hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, and factions.” What do they all have in common? They’re all rooted in irritation and anger. We need a change of clothes! We’re to put off those things, and in their place, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. The point is that these new clothes are a gift, but every day we have to choose to put them on. Make the decision today to put on patience. Come this Sunday and discover how! I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! And I can’t wait to see you and your friends on Sunday!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Probably the most asked question I get lately is, “When are we moving in to our new facility?” Typically, my answer is, “As soon as I know, you will know. And right now. . . I just don’t know.” Several weeks ago, I mentioned that this weekend, October 3rd, was a possibility. Well, that possibility has come and gone. However, we are making big strides every day and we are getting very, very close. Every Thursday afternoon I have an OAC Meeting (Owner, Architect, Contractor) and after this week’s meeting, there is a very strong possibility that we’ll have a temporary CO (Certificate of Occupancy) sometime at the end of next week. Now, there are still several things that have to fall into place, but as I said, we are very, very close. I really think our first Sunday fully occupying our new space will either be October 17th or 24th. Once we get our CO, we still need about a week to move in all of “our stuff” and make sure all of our rooms and technology are ready and prepared for operation. So once all that takes place, we’ll announce our Open House Party and Grand Opening Sunday Celebration!
I actually think it will be quite funny and fitting if we do get our CO sometime next weekend. Why you ask? Well because we’ll be in week 4 of our series on the Fruit of the Spirit, and I’ll be preaching on PATIENCE!! Does God have a sense of humor or what? This whole process has definitely been a lesson in patience. But before we get to patience, this Sunday I’ll be talking about peace. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace. . .” The Bible refers to God as the “God of peace.” Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace.”
The last year and a half has been anything but peaceful. Just the opposite. Turn on the news, and what do you see? Terrorist bombings, school shootings, racial tension, and political hatred and division. In fact, you honestly find yourself asking this question: “Well, if Jesus is the Prince of Peace, did He fail?” At the conclusion of Jesus’ ministry, before He goes back to Heaven, Jesus said this, John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” And then in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus came to bring peace. He said it Himself. So, again, did Jesus fail?
Well, I think it all depends on how do you define peace? The world defines peace as the absence of conflict, the absence of trouble. But obviously, Jesus had something else in mind. In fact, back in those verses in John, He said, “And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. In this world you will have trouble.” So that can’t be the kind of peace He’s talking about.
I meet and talk to a lot of people. You could say that comes with my job. It’s really rare to find people who are at peace. I talk to people all the time. I meet people who are busy. I meet people who are stressed out. I meet people who are tired, who are beat down, relationally, financially, and emotionally. I rarely meet people who are totally at peace, at peace with themselves, at peace with the world, and at peace with God. What about you? That really is the question of the day, are you at peace? How would you answer that question? Think it through. Are you at peace in the different areas of your life? Are you at peace relationally, financially, emotionally, physically? Are you at peace with yourself? Are you at peace with the other people in your life – your family, your friends, your co-workers? And most importantly, are you at peace with God? Don’t miss this Sunday as we continue this discussion. I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! See you Sunday!
PEACE!
Pastor Chris
We’re in week 2 of our series on the “Fruit of the Spirit” and this week I’ll be talking about joy. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy. . .” God wants to cultivate joy in your life. However, joy is often misunderstood. We tend to equate happiness with joy, and while there’s definitely some overlap, at the same time, there are some differences because they each spring from a different source. For example, one comes from the world around me, and the other originates directly from the Spirit of the living God.
Happiness is based on happenings. In other words, it’s conditioned by and dependent upon what’s happening to me – my circumstances. If the sun is shining and people are nice and everything is going well in my life, then I am HAPPY! But if my circumstances fluctuate and bottom out, well then I’m unhappy!
Joy, on the other hand, is different. It’s not solely dependent upon what may or may not be happening to me in the moment. In fact, since it originates with the Holy Spirit, it has a divine component that is capable of actually transcending my circumstances. But let me give you a gentle caution. I’m not suggesting that Biblical joy is about denying reality. We live in a jacked-up, fallen world where we’re often confronted with things like pain, disappointment, stress, heartache, loss, anxiety, suffering, and death.
But if joy transcends our earthly circumstances, then hey, if you’re truly filled with it, doesn’t that mean that you’ll just skate right along above all those things? You’re a joyful Christian, right? Well, then surely you don’t ever get sad or fearful or stressed out or down or depressed! Okay if that’s true, let me be the first to say, “Then I am not a Christian!” I’m simply saying that Biblical joy is not about denying reality. In fact, sometimes it’s experienced in the very midst of sadness and hardship and heartache. Regardless of what you’re facing today, your life can be full of joy. Philippians 4:4 (this week’s memory verse) reminds us of this, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” So how do we make this joy a reality in our lives? How do we cultivate the fruit of joy? Come to Coastal this Sunday and discover how! I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor! See you Sunday!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
We’re kicking off our new series on the Fruit of the Spirit this Sunday, September 19th! Don’t miss it! Our memory verse for this week is Galatians 5:22-23, which says, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Each week of the series, there will be a memory verse and a daily devotional which will be emailed out Monday through Saturday. Several of our LIFE Groups are going to use small group questions that we provide each week to dig deeper into that week’s message. (By the way, most of our LIFE Groups start this coming week! Woohoo!)
This week’s sermon is on love. In preparation for Sunday, I would encourage you to read through 1 Corinthians 13 – the love chapter of the Bible. Some have suggested that this is the greatest, strongest, and deepest passage ever written about love. It is, no doubt, the most read passage of scripture at weddings. But it’s interesting, when Paul wrote this chapter, he was not thinking about weddings or romance, at least, not primarily. Chapter 13 comes right in the middle of a lengthy discussion on the use of spiritual gifts in the church. The Corinthians had turned that into a battle ground. They argued about which gift was the most significant. They were selfish and they were taking each other to court. Seriously, the Corinthian church was literally plagued with disputes, dissension and division.
It was into THAT context that Paul introduced the Corinthians to a new kind of love – God’s love. So as you read through 1 Corinthians 13, don’t just think about your spouse or your boyfriend or girlfriend. Think about how you treat other people in the church, people you come into contact with in the community – where you live, work, parent, and play. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” You see, the distinguishing mark of a Christian is not a cross. The sign of the Christian is not a crucifix. It’s not a dove. It’s not a fish on your car. The distinguishing mark of a Christian is love. So, how many people know that you are a Christian because of your loving lifestyle? One of the most loving things you could do this week is to invite and bring someone to church with you!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
I’M BACK! Not that I’ve actually gone anywhere, but this Sunday I’m back preaching! Before we kick off a new series (more about that in just minute), before we open up our new facility, I think it’s important to look back at where we’ve been, to mark this moment in time, and remember what and who got us here. And that’s what I want us to do on Sunday. So don’t miss it! I really believe it’s going to be a powerful Sunday.
And then on the following Sunday, September 19th, I’ll be kicking off a brand new series that I’m very excited about. It’s a 9 week series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says this, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”
Earlier in Galatians the Apostle Paul uses this little phrase, “until Christ is fully developed in your life.” That’s what the fruit of the Spirit is. It’s a picture of Jesus fully developed in your life. You see, Jesus is love. Jesus is joy. Jesus is peace. Jesus is patience. He’s kindness. He’s goodness. He’s faithfulness and gentleness and self-control. And so each week, we’re going to look at each one of those qualities and talk about what it looks like to have that quality fully developed in your life. And not only that, but we’re going to be giving everyone a daily devotional that follows along with each week of the series. Several of our LIFE Groups are going to use small group questions that we provide each week to dig deeper into that week’s message. I really believe it’s going to be a great series. You’re not going to want to miss it. In fact, I want to challenge you to invite and bring someone with you to church.
Our new facility is really taking shape! I can’t wait for everyone to see it! All the carpet and flooring has been installed, furniture has been delivered and unpacked, the indoor playground has been installed, and some of the concrete out front has been poured. There are still a lot of details, technology, and sitework to be completed, but the end is definitely in sight. It’s looking more and more like our first Sunday using the new facility will be October 3rd. But again, as soon as I know, you will know, and we will PARTY!
I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
So, have you signed up for a LIFE Group yet? If you haven’t heard, we unveiled our 2021 Fall Semester LIFE Group Catalog last week! You can go to our website right now, check out all the different Groups and sign up today.
But why? Why should you sign up for a LIFE Group? Let me give you 3 good reasons. First of all, I need others to WALK with me. In other words, I need people to help me grow spiritually. Colossians 2:6, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him…” The Bible often calls your spiritual life, your walk. Why? Because life is a journey. You’re always growing. And all through the Bible we’re instructed how to walk this walk. But this is important: God never intended for you to walk through life alone. Never. Now some of you might say, “Well what’s wrong with walking alone? I like to walk alone. I prefer to walk alone. I get my own way when I walk alone.” Well, that’s part of the problem, you’re not learning cooperation. You’re not learning relationships. You’re not learning love.
Hebrews 10:25 says this, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” I need people to encourage me in my daily walk. And how do you do that? He says, “By meeting together.” He’s talking about community. It’s possible that you don’t have community when you come to Coastal for worship. Community is what develops over time when you do life with a small group of people. You get to know them, and they get to know you. You see, you could be in a crowd, you could come to church every week for years and still be lonely because you never know anybody. We need a few people in our lives that we know really well, and they know us really well. And we all need a place, a group, where we can practice relationships and learn to love.
Another reason you need to join a LIFE Group, I need others to WATCH OUT for me. I need people who will defend me, who will protect me, who will stand up for me, who will help me stay on track, who will warn me. I need people to watch out for me.
Philippians 2:4 says this, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Now that’s a countercultural statement because in America, everybody says, “It’s all about me, my needs, my interests, my hurts, and the rest of you, forget you because it’s all about me.” And yet the Bible says, “Look out for one another’s interests.”
What do we do when we go out of town? We find people to watch our pets and our stuff – because those things are important. Well, let me ask you, do you have anybody looking out for your soul? Because your soul is more important than your stuff – right? Is there anybody who is helping you out in your spiritual journey? Who’s watching out for you? To make sure that you’re still growing? To make sure that you’re not getting discouraged and depressed and feel like giving up?
Ecclesiastes 4:12, “A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” That’s why you need a LIFE group. Who’s watching your back right now, spiritually? And who’s back are you watching out for? You can’t expect anybody to watch out for you if you’re not watching out for anybody else? That’s one of the values of LIFE groups. It gives us support.
A third reason you need a join a LIFE Group, I need others to WAIT AND WEEP with me, to wait and weep with me. What am I talking about here? I need people who are going to be there in the inevitable crises of life. Now as your pastor, I feel this one really deeply because I see it all the time. There are many situations in life that nobody should ever have to go through alone. Nobody should ever have to sit alone in a hospital, waiting during a life or death surgery. No woman should have to wait alone while she’s waiting for a lab test from a problem pregnancy. No man or woman should have to spend the night alone when the wife walks out, or the husband has walked out. I could go on and on and on. No one should ever have to stand at an open grave alone.
Now the fact is some of these things are going to happen in your life. They are going to happen. We’re all going to lose loved ones. And only a fool would go through life unprepared for what they know is inevitably going to happen. You need the support network in your life now because you don’t know when the crisis is going to come. You need that support group. You don’t need a hundred, but you do need five or six people in your life who are going to be there when you need them. And the time to prepare is now. We need each other. We need other believers to walk with us, to watch out for us, and to wait and weep with us. Those are just 3 reasons for joining a LIFE Group. Check out our catalog and sign up today!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
I love what we do here on Sunday mornings! I do! I love the music. I love watching people come to faith. Coastal is an exciting place to be. I don’t understand how you would ever want to miss it. I love attracting a crowd and sharing the Good News of the Gospel with as many people as possible. Jesus attracted a crowd. There’s nothing wrong with large numbers of people. The early church grew very large, very fast.
But. . . there is one weakness with a crowd. It’s hard to grow in a crowd. You don’t live out/walk out your faith in a crowd. You need community. You and I were created for community. Now, at Coastal, what do we use to live out that community? What do we call them? LIFE Groups! And this coming Sunday is LIFE GROUP SUNDAY! What does that mean? It means that we will be unveiling our 2021 Fall Semester LIFE Group Catalog and you can start signing up for a Group!
I love our LIFE Groups. I love the community I’ve experienced over the years in our LIFE Groups. I love that I have 3 o’clock in the morning friends because of a LIFE Group I’ve been a part of. I love that I know many of your stories and you know mine because we’ve been in a LIFE Group together over the years. I love that the first call many people here at Coastal make when they’re in need is their LIFE Group members and leaders – not me.
Notice what the Bible says in Romans 12:5, “Since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other and each of us needs all the others.” We need each other! So let me just be as straight forward as I can and tell you exactly what I want you to do. I want everyone here at Coastal to join a LIFE Group! It’s as simple as that. I want to challenge you to make the time, re-prioritize your life, and get in a LIFE Group for one semester, one semester, not for life, 10-12 weeks.
I can already hear some of your excuses. And here is the biggest one of all. “But Pastor Chris, I just don’t have the time. I’m too busy.” Hear this with all the love I can muster. You have time to do whatever it is you value – tv, social media, sports, hobbies. It’s just not that important to you yet.
Or here’s another excuse, “But I don’t know those people.” First of all, no one bites. But listen, every relationship you currently have, you have because you got out of your comfort zone and met someone. I’m not saying that everyone in your group will overnight become your best friend. But it will provide you an opportunity to meet people and put you in the atmosphere where you can develop friends. After all, that’s what we’re all looking for anyway. People don’t just want a friendly church, they want friends.
Here’s another excuse, “But people are weird and they have issues.” Listen, they’re thinking the same thing about you! Everyone’s got issues. Everyone’s a wackjob. And if you think no one’s got issues in your group and no one is a little weird – guess what? You’re the weird one – haha!
Bottom line, you need it, and it’s worth it. You can not grow to become the person God intended you to become on your own. You need other people. Once you learn something, you have to live it out. You can learn about love all week, but it gets fleshed out in the context of community, with people. Patience, kindness, generosity, faith are all lived out in community, in relationships. At Coastal, LIFE Groups are the primary vehicle of the church being the church – of living out your faith, of care, fellowship, love, prayer, discipleship.
As always, there are multiple ways to sign up for a LIFE Group, but you only have to sign up one time/one way. You can sign up online from our website, on your Connect Card (in-person or online), or at the LIFE Group Tables/Sign-up sheets in the Welcome Center. And this semester, we have the most Groups we’ve ever had – 29 different LIFE Groups – online and/or in-person Groups, activity Groups, study Groups, support Groups, and more! There is something for EVERYONE! Unless otherwise indicated, most of Groups begin the week of September 19th and last 8-12 weeks. Make sure you check out our catalog and start signing up today!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
It’s easy to look at all the events of our world lately and feel heartbroken and absolutely overwhelmed – Haiti, Afghanistan, the rising COVID numbers. It’s a daily reminder of just how desperate we should be for Jesus and His Kingdom here on this earth. In Matthew 6:10 we are instructed to pray, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” It also leaves us with a desire to do something to help. But what can we do?
Let me offer 3 suggestions: Pray, Serve, Give. Pray: I heard a Pastor share this prayer, “Father, you are the God of peace, the ‘…rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes…’ (Isaiah 58:12). We pray for the people of Afghanistan and Haiti. We ask you for their safety, provision, and hope. Lord, have mercy. In Jesus’ name, amen.” Join me in praying this simple prayer.
Serve: You’re probably not going to be able to go to Haiti or Afghanistan any time soon and physically help those in need there or assist our Military. But you could do something here. Go back to that passage in Isaiah. Isaiah 58:9-10 says, “Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors (do we need to hear that message today or what?! That will preach!)! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble (doesn’t get any simpler than that does it?).” You want to support our Troops? Honor their service and their legacy by serving and feeding them at our next Veteran’s Tailgate at the Patriot’s Villas (see below) or the next time we’re serving alongside Soldier’s Angels (Tuesday, September 14th). Join us at the next Saturday Serve (September 4th), here at the church, when we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus right here in our own community, bringing a little bit of “the up there, down here.” Go to our website and sign up for these or other opportunities!
Give: Here are 3 good organizations, all doing great relief work here and around the world.
So, what’s the result of our faithful prayer, service, and giving? Isaiah 58:10-11, “Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.” Our light will outshine the darkness and God will give us direction and restoration! The very last verse in the Bible says this, “Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.” Until the Lord Jesus calls us home or comes again, I pray He finds us faithful – loving, serving, sharing, giving – beating down the gates of Hell, rescuing people, doing anything short of sin to see all people come to know Him! Come, Lord Jesus!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Well, Teachers have made their way back to their classrooms and Students will be joining them on Wednesday! One of the things that I look forward to every year is seeing all the first day of school pictures! No matter what school looks like for you this year – public, private, charter, homeschool, college – will you join me in praying for our Teachers, Students, and Parents?
So, have you signed up for a LIFE Team yet? For the month of August, we’ve made a huge push to get everyone at Coastal serving on a LIFE Team. Today, I’d like to make a plug for our Security Team. You’re probably aware that we typically have 2 City of Charleston Police Officers on our campus on Sunday mornings – one in Coastal Kidz and one in front of our Auditorium. But did you know that we also have a Security Team? No one can prevent every situation or scenario from taking place. However, people want to know, have you reasonably done everything you can to help provide a safe and secure environment for them and their children. Simply put, that’s what we are trying to do at Coastal through our Security Team. As our church continues to grow and expand, we need more and more volunteers in this important Ministry.
The Security Team is led by Bryan Miller, a former SC State Trooper. If you are interested in learning more about the Security Team and possibly volunteering, you can respond to this email, sign up on your Connect Card or at the LIFE Team Sign-Up Table on Sunday, email Bryan directly at bryan.bcmill@gmail.com, or call him at 843-296-2991. There is an important Security Team Meeting on Wednesday, August 25th at 6:30pm, at the church. This meeting is for all current Team Members or those interested in joining the Team!
And speaking of important LIFE Team meetings, there will be a First impressions Team Training on Monday, August 30 at 7:00pm. Please email Ashley at ashley@coastalcommunitychurch.org to let us know you are coming! This will be a great time to meet Pastor Scott and Chris Ranew, hear about why First Impressions is so important, learn some of the positions that we need the most help with, learn the roles/duties of these positions, and how you can get involved (plus you’ll get a tour of our new facility). Mark it on your calendar and tell us you’re coming!
And last, but not least, join us tomorrow morning over at Orange Grove Middle School at 8am for Coastal Kidz Setup. When that’s done we head over to our auditorium (around 8:30/8:45am) for Chair Setup. And then you might as well stick around and help us get ready for the Pink House Tailgate Party, Clothing Distribution, & BACK TO SCHOOL BASH!
I Love You Coastal!
Pastor Chris
Two weeks ago I reminded everyone that our church has purchased a site license for something called, “Dave Ramsey+”. What that means is that simply because you are a part of Coastal, you have access to ALL of Dave Ramsey’s best selling resources and tools FREE! 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. If you were to sign up for this on your own it would cost $130. NOT NOW! All of that and more will be FREE for our entire church! You’ll have access to everything at your own pace, on your own schedule. Simply go to this link and sign up today!
We see this as an investment in you, your finances, and your future! It’s also a way to practically express our generosity and love toward you and our community and to be a real source of help. Think about it – what if you had gone into the “shutdown” debt free and with money in the bank? What if you could have hope for your life, including your finances? That’s what Dave Ramsey+ is all about – giving you a plan and hope so you can experience financial peace.
I hope you’re as excited about this as I am. And more importantly, I hope you’ll sign up and access the material. 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!
While the Summer is not technically over yet, we have begun stacking and packing our chairs again in our auditorium on Sunday mornings after the second service (we hosted a Volleyball Camp this week and Teachers report next week). What that means is that Saturday morning Chair Setup resumes again tomorrow morning. Typically, Chair Setup takes place on Saturday mornings at approximately 8:45am, immediately after Coastal Kidz Setup. However, this Saturday is also Saturday Serve. So, we’ll be over at Orange Grove Middle School at 8am for Coastal Kidz Setup (that also resumes this Saturday), at our auditorium at 8:30am for Chair Setup, and then Saturday Serve begins at 9am. I hope to see you there!
And finally, have you signed up to serve on a LIFE Team yet (especially a Sunday morning LIFE Team)? I told you last week that my wife Janet has a goal to see 40 new volunteers this year in Coastal Kidz. She’s already at 19! We hope to open our brand new, multi-million dollar Children’s facility some time in September. We would love for you to be a part of this Team! If you think you might be interested or would just like to know what different opportunities are available in Coastal Kidz, either respond to this email or reach out to Janet directly – janet@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8299. This past Sunday I think we also added over a dozen new volunteers in 1st Impressions! But maybe for you it’s our Cafe, or the Security Team, or the Tech Booth, or countless other opportunities. This Sunday, stop by the LIFE Team Tables, check out all the different opportunities to serve, and sign up!
In His Service & Yours!
Pastor Chris
I love our volunteers here at Coastal – I do! I love that people value serving here and that anyone can get involved. I truly believe we have some of the best volunteers any church could imagine. I believe that we have done a great job of both elevating the value of volunteering here at Coastal and valuing our volunteers.
Now over the years at Coastal, I’ve preached a lot of messages about serving. We’ve had countless Ministry Fairs where we transformed our building into a Ministry Expo, where we highlight each and every ministry of our church with a booth and challenge you to find a place to serve and volunteer. I’ve preached entire sermon series on serving, spiritual gifts, and plugging into ministry.
Now while I believe that we as a church have to constantly improve our systems in helping people take next steps in their spiritual journey, I don’t think the reason more people don’t serve in ministry or volunteer is because they didn’t go to a ministry fair. I don’t think the reason more people don’t serve in ministry or volunteer is because they haven’t taken a spiritual gift assessment or personality test.
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. We serve because of our devotion to Jesus. Sometimes, the danger of a sermon on serving and volunteering is that you can either feel guilty for not doing more or you can run like crazy into multiple ministries. 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. We don’t want to guilt you into serving or giving. Instead we want to GRACE you into it, because of all that He has done for you. You are loved more than you can imagine; you are treasured more than you know, because you matter to God. Let His love for you become the motivation for your serving and giving.
Here’s the other reason I believe we produce a lot of committed volunteers here. 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 me and you. It’s about Him. Matthew 20:26-28, “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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 Jesus.
The month of August, as we move into the Fall and make plans to move into our new facility, we’ll be focusing on finding a place to serve in the family here at Coastal. 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? My wife Janet has a goal to see 40 new volunteers this year in Coastal Kidz. Maybe that’s your ministry. If so, either respond to this email or reach out to Janet directly and let her know that you’re in – janet@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8299. But maybe it’s 1st Impressions, or our Cafe, or the Security Team, or the Tech Booth, or countless other opportunities. This Sunday, stop by the LIFE Team Tables, check out all the different opportunities to serve, and sign up!
In His Service & Yours!
Pastor Chris
I’M BACK! Janet and I got back from our vacation earlier this week. We had a great time, but as always, it’s also good to be home. I’m also excited to be preaching again for the next couple of weeks! I’ll be kicking off our “Summer Reading” series this Sunday with the book, “Love Your Life, Not Theirs” by Rachel Cruze. I hope to see you in church this Sunday!
Now, what I’m about to tell you is probably going to blow you away – it’s very possible that our new facility will be completed in about 6 weeks! If everything continues to stay on schedule (and yes, that is a BIG if), we are hoping to get a temporary CO (Certificate of Occupancy) by Labor Day. In other words, it’s about to get crazy busy on our campus over the next 6 weeks! I’m asking you to commit this final stretch to prayer. As it gets closer, and those dates get confirmed, we’ll let everyone know about an Open House Party, a “soft opening” (the first Sunday with Coastal Kidz in the new building), and a Grand Opening for our community.
But before we open the doors to our new multi-million dollar facility, I need to have a little Pastoral “heart to heart” conversation with you and just lay it on the line. If you consider Coastal your church family, we need you serving in some Ministry on Sunday mornings. This beautiful new facility brings with it a need for new volunteers in almost every Sunday morning LIFE Team – Coastal Kidz, Cafe, Security, 1st Impressions, Communion, Parking, Prayer Team, Worship, Tech. From a purely practical standpoint, just think about how the enlarged facility will require more 1st Impressions Volunteers (more doors/entry points), more Security Volunteers (more space to cover), and more Coastal Kidz Volunteers (more classrooms/classes).
In fact, let’s talk about Coastal Kidz for a just a moment. The truth is, the focus of this new facility really is on our Coastal Kidz Children’s Ministry. We strongly believe that if a church is going to continue to grow, we must have a growing, thriving Children’s Ministry. And when it comes to our facility (when we were portable or in our current building) our church has always done the very best we can with what we have. But now Coastal Kidz (our Children’s Ministry – Birth to 5th Grade) is getting ready to move into a brand new, bigger, newly furnished facility. There will be a secure indoor and outdoor playground. The classrooms will be equipped with the latest technology and security. In fact, parents will now be able to open an app on their phone and literally watch their child in their classroom, during the service (talk about peace of mind, especially for new parents). And because of our additional classroom space we’ll be able to offer more age appropriate classes to better meet the needs of our children.
Now, the saddest thing I could imagine is that we open up this new facility, and we literally don’t have enough volunteers in Coastal Kidz to pull it off. Don’t let that happen! If you used to serve in Coastal Kidz, but you took a break during the shut down and haven’t yet jumped back in – JUMP BACK IN! If you’ve been thinking about serving, but just haven’t pulled the trigger, stop thinking about it and JUST DO IT! If you’ve been coming on Sunday mornings, enjoying the service, maybe even sending your children to Coastal Kidz, it’s time for you to get involved and give back. Honestly, if you come to Coastal and you don’t have a Sunday morning Ministry where you’re serving in some capacity (at least once a month), it’s time for you to get off your you know what and get involved. And you should be serving, not just because there is a need (there is always a need), but you should be serving because this is your family, and we’re on a mission – to share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world! And Jesus said that you find LIFE by giving your life away in service to others. And at Coastal we sincerely believe that if you change the life of a child, you change the world! Join Coastal Kidz and be a world changer!
My wife Janet, our Children’s Director, has a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal)! She wants to see 40 new volunteers this year in Coastal Kidz (returning volunteers & brand new volunteers). Those volunteers include Teachers, Assistants, Nursery, and Child Check In. Will you be one of those new or returning volunteers? If you’re currently serving, will you help recruit those new volunteers? I believe that Coastal should have one of the best Children’s Ministry’s in town! Let’s make that happen! Stop what you’re doing right now and either respond to this email or reach out to Janet and let her know that you’re in – janet@coastalcommunitychurch.org or 843-442-8299. You might not even know what you want to do or where you want to serve, but there is nothing Janet enjoys more than talking to people about Coastal Kidz and helping them find a place to serve (and if Coastal Kidz isn’t for you, she’ll even help you find another Ministry). She is having a Coastal Kidz Volunteer Training on Saturday, August 14, 10:00AM – 11:30AM, or Monday, August 23, 6:30PM – 8:00PM (all volunteers need to attend just one). This will be a great time to pray, plan, and prepare for all that God has in store for Coastal KIdz (plus you’ll get a tour of our new facility). Mark it on your calendar and tell Janet you’re coming! Let’s do this Coastal!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Mountain Rest. That’s actually where Janet and I are going next week on vacation – Chattooga Lake in Mountain Rest, SC (see picture above). It’s located in Oconee County, the northwestern most corner of the state where South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina all meet. We leave this Sunday after church and will be gone a little over a week. Our daughter and her husband are even going to be joining us for a few days. There will be no cell phone coverage and no internet – and we can’t wait! This is actually the first vacation, where we’ve gotten out of town, away from Coastal, in over a year and a half. Now some of that has been because of COVID and the shutdown and Coastal Kidz set-up and the new construction. But it’s definitely been way too long and way overdue. We don’t have a lot of plans other than resting, relaxing, and just having fun. Janet’s bringing her sewing machine, so I’m sure she’ll be in undistracted sewing heaven. We’ll take a few day trips to Highlands NC, various waterfalls, and the Holy City (Clemson). I’ll be fishing, canoeing, and grilling. Again, we can’t wait!
I tell you all of that, to ask you this question: how are you doing at obeying the Sabbath Principle? God’s word, the Bible, is filled with principles for life. It is the owner’s manual for life. You obey it, your life gets blessed. If you ignore it, you do it to your own detriment. When God puts a command in the Bible, He doesn’t do it capriciously. He doesn’t do it because He wants to make your life miserable or limit your fun. God puts a principle in the Bible because He knows what’s best for you. It’ll save you a lot of heartaches and a lot of problems. When you follow the owner’s manual, then life is a whole lot easier and a lot less stressful.
Of all the commands in the Bible, the most famous are God’s Big Ten – the Ten Commandments. One of God’s Ten Commandments is about rest. Exodus 20:9-10, “Six days a week are set apart for your daily duties and regular work, but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.” Rest in your life as a human being is so important, God put it in the Big Ten, right up there with “Don’t steal”, “Don’t murder”, “Don’t commit adultery”. He says every seven days you take a day off. That’s how important He considers rest.
Many of you would say, “I’d never murder anybody; I’d never commit adultery,” but we violate the spirit of the fourth commandment all the time. God says it’s just as important. Six days you’re to work. Every week you take one day off to recharge. That’s the Sabbath principle. Sabbath simply means a day of rest. Sunday is not a Sabbath for me. Sundays are workdays for me. So I have to take my Sabbath some other day. You may too. For most of you, Saturday or Sunday is going to be your day off, your day of rest. Now, what are you supposed to do on your Sabbath? What we usually do is play catch up on all the work we didn’t get done. That’s not taking a day off. You should use your day off, your weekly Sabbath, for three things:
1. Restyour body. You’re not wired to go 24-7, every day, work, work, work, with no break. Your brain, your body is not built for that. You’re wired to rest your body. Have you discovered that if you don’t take time off, your body will make time off? It will shut down.
2. Rechargeyour emotions. You can’t keep charging without recharging. Eventually, you’re going to drain the battery. You need to know what recharges your emotions. And that’s different for different people. For some people, solitude recharges their emotions. When was the last time you were just by yourself without the computer or TV on? For many people just being with people you love is recharging. Different recreational activities can be rejuvenating for different people – a long walk on the beach, being outdoors, a good book, sewing, painting, fishing, hunting – as crazy as this sounds to me, some people are actually recharged by doing yard work.
3. Refocusyour spirit. There’s a word for that in the Bible. It’s called “worship” – refocusing my spirit on God. It’s reconnecting with God. You need that. One of the benefits of worship is it helps give you a bigger perspective on life. You can have a problem and it starts to overwhelm you. Your life becomes smaller and smaller, and it starts caving in. Then you worship and think about how big God is, and all of a sudden the problem isn’t as big anymore. Nothing else in life can give you that kind of perspective like worship.
So, how about you? How are you doing at obeying the Sabbath Principle. Did you know that God wants you to enjoy your rest? Psalm 127:2, “It is useless to rise up early and go to bed late and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know that God enjoys giving rest to those He loves?” Mountain Rest. Moses had to go to a mountain to be reminded just how important it is to rest – I guess I do too.
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
First of all, I just want to thank everyone for all the love you’ve shown me, your Pastor, this week! My Birthday was yesterday (I turned 54), and I was overwhelmed by all the expressions of love! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Coastal is not just a church that I attend or a job where I work. It’s a family that I’m a part of! I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
This Sunday is 4th of July (WE’LL ONLY HAVE 1 SERVICE: 9:30am)! I realize we are facing a lot of problems in our country today and that the divisions seem to be greater and deeper than ever before, but I believe we still have much to be grateful for in our great country. I am so thankful to God for the birth of America and the privilege that was mine to be born here in the land of the free and home of the brave. As we celebrate our independence may we as individuals, families, and as a church recognize our dependence on God. He alone is our source of blessing, and let us prayerfully humble ourselves in obedience to God and His Holy Word. Ultimately, the hope of the world is not and never has been a President, a Political Party, or a Platform – it’s in the person of Jesus Christ. And it’s our mission to share and experience the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world! Maybe it’s time we spent less time complaining on social media and more time praying and being the light of the world that Jesus talked about in Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world—like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see.” The truth is, the darker this world gets, the greater our opportunity to shine!
Speaking of being the light of the world – another Summer of IMPACT is in the books! As I said last week, it’s been the BEST SUMMER OF IMPACT EVER! Here are just a few examples of what I mean: Last Saturday over 30 volunteers boxed, delivered, and gave away 867 meals in our “Grab & Go Meal Drive-Thru!” On Monday night almost 80 volunteers met at Coastal to pack 140 “On the Go Meal Kits” for the Ronald McDonald House of Charleston (and they did it in less than 40 minutes!). Every Wednesday night a large group of Volunteers has been sewing pillowcases for the kids at’ MUSC Children’s Hospital. They’ve now sewn over 100 pillowcases! Seriously, I could go on and on and on. This year’s Summer of IMPACT projects had 531 volunteer serving 1,455 hours! And 75 brand new volunteers! In the days ahead, be on the lookout for a little slide show of the various projects. And make sure that you reach out to Chris Jones, our Outreach Pastor, and tell him what an awesome job he did of leading and organizing this year’s Summer of IMPACT. I know what he’ll tell you – that it could not have been done without all the awesome Project Leaders and Volunteers. And most importantly, continue to pray for all the seeds of love that were planted, that they will bear much fruit for years to come!
Making An IMPACT With You!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Including today, there are 6 days left of Summer of IMPACT and 6 projects (yes – July is just 6 days away)! I know we’ve said this over and over, but it’s true – this has been the BEST SUMMER OF IMPACT EVER! We’ve had more projects, more volunteers, more hours served, and more new people serving than ever before! A huge shout out goes to Chris Jones our Pastor of Outreach who oversees, organizes, and leads Summer of IMPACT. But I know Chris Jones, and he wouldn’t want his name mentioned without applauding all of this year’s Leaders and all of the Volunteers! We couldn’t do what we do without all of them! And they truly knocked it out of the park this year! So the only thing left to do, is to go to our website and sign up today!
Speaking of remaining projects, I’m excited to “resurrect” our Grab & Go Meal Drive-Thru this Saturday, 11am-1pm! It’s a way to commemorate all that we did a year ago during the shutdown. While we’re at capacity with the Volunteers who have already signed up to serve, there are several key ways that everyone can help:
I hope you’re enjoying our “At the Movies” series this year! This past week we took 170 people to see “Peter Rabbit 2” at the Citadel Mall Theater! And speaking of the Citadel Mall Theater, don’t forget that all 1st Time Guests AND the person who invited them receive a FREE movie ticket! So INVITE & BRING GUESTS!
One last thing, July 4th this year falls on a Sunday – we will only have 1 service, the 9:30am service. So before you hit the beach, head out on the boat, or fire up the grill, join us for worship!
Making An IMPACT With You!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
THIS Saturday, June 26th, from 11am-1pm, I want to invite you to come out to Coastal for our “Grab & Go Meal Drive-Thru” and pick up a box meal as a celebration of the free meals we gave away during the Covid Shutdown in 2020. We literally gave away thousands of meals last year through the “Drive-Thru” (AND thousands of rolls of toilet paper)! The menu this Saturday is Pulled Pork BBQ, Mac ‘n Cheese, Green Beans, and a dessert! We do need donations of prepackaged/homemade desserts dropped off this week by Saturday morning at 10am (cookies, brownies, Rice Krispy Treats, Little Debbies, etc.). Desserts either need to be individually wrapped or can easily be put in ziploc baggies.
PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD SO OUR COMMUNITY CAN STOP BY FOR A FREE MEAL! This meal is for anyone and everyone! If you’re hungry, in need, or know someone who is, we’d love to help. Sometimes, just one meal that you don’t have to buy/cook for the family goes a long way.
Now, I know what you might be thinking, “Pastor Chris, I don’t fit into any of those categories. Our family has plenty of food.” Well, this is how YOU can help. Come through the Drive-Thru on Saturday, pick up boxes and deliver them to people you know (maybe Neighbors, Nurses, First Responders, etc.). It’s our way to help you love and serve our community!
Another way that ANYONE could definitely help would be to come through the Drive-Thru on Saturday and drop off any canned goods or non-perishable food items for our Community Food Bank. Our Food Bank is getting dangerously LOW! Also, if you would like to help sponsor the meal financially you can do so by giving on our website: https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/give/ or simply text ANY amount to 843-277-8337 and use the key word “meals” (ex. $100 meals).
Hope to see you come through the Drive-Thru on Saturday!
First of all, before I jump into this Sunday and Father’s Day, let me just say that this has already been our BEST SUMMER OF IMPACT EVER! We’ll share some overall numbers at the end of Summer of IMPACT, but here are just a few fun facts. We have already exceeded the number of individual sign ups from ANY previous Summer of IMPACT! And it looks as though we will exceed the number of overall volunteer hours by 545 hours! June is quickly coming to an end, but there is still about a week and a half of opportunities to serve. Two projects in particular could definitely use more Volunteers: Tricounty Family Ministries-Emergency Grocery Distribution & Project Uplift-Ardmore. Go to our website and sign up today!
I also want to put a plug in for a project that I’m helping to lead – the Grab & Go Meal Drive-Thru on Saturday, June 26th. Volunteer-wise, we’re looking pretty good, but here’s where you could help – come through the drive-thru (11am-1pm), pick up a few meals and bless someone you know who might be in need or someone who just needs a little encouragement. Maybe you take a few meals to the 1st Responders you know. Also, look for our social media posts next week about this project and start sharing and spreading the word! The church is taking care of the meal itself (pulled pork BBQ, Mac n’ Cheese, Green Beans), but we need desserts! We’re looking for people to drop off prepackaged cookies, brownies, Rick Krispy Treats, Little Debbies, etc. next week.
One last thing for you to consider about Summer of IMPACT: it is your generous, consistent giving that enables our church to do all that we do – including Summer of IMPACT. This month alone we’re putting on 7 different Tailgate Parties (not including the Grab & Go Meal Drive-Thru), feeding literally hundreds and hundreds of people in our community. Our church gladly buys all the food and supplies for these and other projects. But when I say the church, keep in mind that means YOU. You are the church. People tend to travel and go on vacations over the Summer, which is great (Janet and I are looking forward to getting away this Summer). Just remember that the Ministry and IMPACT of Coastal continues whether you’re here on a Sunday or not. And everything we do is made possible by your consistent, generous giving. You can give through our website or simply text ANY amount to 843-277-8337.
And finally, this Sunday is FATHER’S DAY! There will be FREE Kona Ice for everyone, Baby/Child Dedication, a gift for all the guys (I’m real excited about the gift), and some fun giveaways (yes, probably MEAT) at the end of each service! Don’t miss it! Invite and bring your friends! And remember, every 1st time guest (and the person who invited them – YOU) gets a FREE Movie Ticket to Citadel Mall Theater during our “At the Movies” series!
Making An IMPACT With You!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
This coming Sunday is Father’s Day and I want to personally invite you to spend part of your day with us at Coastal Community Church! Father’s Day is always a lot of fun at Coastal – Baby Dedication, FREE Kona Ice for everyone, a special gift for all the men (trust me guys – you’re going to LOVE it!), and we even have a some fun giveaways at the end of each service!
We have 2 identical services to make it convenient for you: 9:30am or 11:15am. We’re in a series right now called, “At The Movies!” where we use current/popular movies to talk about spiritual truth. And speaking of movies, we’re also taking anyone who is available to see “Peter Rabbit 2” FREE, ON US, this coming Tuesday morning at the Citadel Mall Theater! Doors open at 9:30am – movie starts at 10am. If you haven’t already signed up to come, simply respond to this email and let us know how many people you’re bringing or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday And yes, as always, invite & bring your friends!
As you can see, Father’s Day is going to be AWESOME at Coastal! So if you are in town, please come and join us – 9:30am or 11:15am. If you’re out of town, you can catch both services live online. We also have a dynamic Children’s Ministry called Coastal Kidz for all kids Birth-5th Grade during both services. I promise you – you’ll be glad you came!
Hope to see you & your friends on Sunday!
I know I say this a lot – but don’t miss this Sunday at Coastal! In fact, if you haven’t made it back to in-person worship, this would be a great week to come back! We’re kicking off a favorite sermon series tradition here at Coastal – “At the Movies!” We originally did this series back in 2008, brought it back in 2011, and have done it every Summer since. Anybody here remember the first movie you ever went to see as a kid? One of the first movies I remember seeing as a kid was Bambi at the old Ultravision Movie Theater where Moe’s is now on Sam Rittenburg. And yes, I cried when Bambi’s mother got shot. I remember the first time I saw The Wizard of Oz and being freaked out by the flying monkeys. I remember seeing the movie Jaws in the Pinehaven Movie Theater in North Charleston and then being afraid to get in the water that whole summer at Folly Beach.
Without a doubt, our world today still has a love affair with the movies. In fact, I will go as far to say that our culture gets a lot of what it believes about God, about spirituality, and about life from the movies they watch and the music they listen to. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying they get it right. But through movies and music they are asking questions and raising issues. The good news is that as followers of Jesus we’ve got answers. So instead of imitating, condemning, or ignoring the culture, why not seek to engage the culture, to redeem the culture. That’s what Jesus did. That’s what we do here at Coastal, and that’s what this series is all about. We’re going to open up God’s word and boldly proclaim the truth. The 6 movies we’re going to use are all just hooks to have some fun and get the conversation started.
And not only will we be serving popcorn and giving away several free movie tickets & other fun prizes to people at the end of each service this Sunday, but every 1st time guest during the entire 6 week series will receive a FREE MOVIE TICKET to the Citadel Mall movie theater (yes, they’re open again)! And if you bring a friend with you – you get a ticket too! On top of all that, we’re having a BEACH BAPTISM this Sunday afternoon at 5pm out at Folly Beach County Park. Come out early and enjoy the day at the beach with your Coastal family! Like I said, “DON’T MISS THIS SUNDAY! & BRING A FRIEND!”
I can’t say enough great things about the start to “Summer of IMPACT”! In just the first two weeks alone, we’ve seen 222 Volunteers, over 15 different projects, volunteering 667 hours!! There are still plenty of opportunities to sign up and serve, but 2 projects in particular could definitely use more Volunteers: Tricounty Family Ministries-Emergency Grocery Distribution & Project Uplift-Ardmore. Go to our website and sign up today! If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613. And if you’ve already signed up, the only thing left to do is to show up!
Making An IMPACT With You!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
I just wanted to personally invite you to a new sermon series that kicks off this Sunday at Coastal Community Church called, “At The Movies!” I think you’d agree that our world has a love affair with movies – I know I do! So for the next 6 weeks, we’re going to use 6 different current/popular movies to talk about Biblical truth. This week I’ll be using the movie, “Cruella.” Come enjoy great music, a relevant message, and an awesome Children’s Ministry for kids birth to 5th grade.
I would also encourage you to invite and bring a friend with you – we expect guests at Coastal! In fact, here’s where the FREE MOVIE TICKETS come in. Not only will we be serving popcorn and giving away several free movie tickets & other fun prizes to people at the end of each service this Sunday, but every 1st time guest during the entire 6 week series will receive a FREE MOVIE TICKET to the Citadel Mall movie theater (yes, they’re open again)! And if you bring a friend with you – you get a ticket too!
Come a few minutes early and enjoy a hot cup of coffee or a treat from our Cafe – all FREE! It’s going to be a great day and an awesome series! We have 2 services to make it convenient for you: 9:30am or 11:15am (in-person or online)!
Have a great week! Hope to see you and your friends on Sunday!
P.S. As another fun way to celebrate our “At the Movies”series, we’ll be taking anyone who is available to see the new “Peter Rabbit 2” movie on Tuesday, June 22nd, 10am (doors open at 9:30am) at the Citadel Mall Theater. And we’re picking up the cost of the ticket! It’s our way to thank you and bless our community (your friends – yes, please invite and bring friends). Simply let us know how many people you’ll be bringing to the movie (respond to this email or let us know on your Connect Card this Sunday).
This Sunday, I’ll be closing out our “Conversations” series. The idea for the series has been that there are many important conversations that every believer needs to have a handle on and every parent needs to be prepared to pass on to the next generation. So far, we’ve talked about our identity in Christ, developing friends, being a Christian in the digital age, and holding on to our faith. There are many, many other subjects that we could talk about – sex/relationships, money/finances, just to name a few. But there’s one topic I felt compelled to talk about this week, one that we definitely need to have a grasp on, and one that we definitely need to be prepared to talk with our kids about – failure.
Failure is a part of life. And yet many parents today will do everything in their power to create this unrealistic, pain-free bubble of success around their children. But if you provide such a safety net for your little child that he or she never has an opportunity to fail, you’re doing them a dis-service. You’re setting them up for greater pain. You see, when they get out in the real world, they’re going to lose; they’re going to fail. Nobody wins all the time. Part of maturity is learning that. They need to learn that it’s ok to make mistakes, it’s ok to fail. What you want them to do is to learn from it. That’s what we’re going to talk about on Sunday – how to handle failure. And you never know, it’s possible that your greatest life message, your greatest contribution, your most significant input in this world, might just be in the area of your greatest failure, if, if you give it to God. Don’t miss it!
It’s been a great start to “Summer of IMPACT”! Already we’ve had Teams of Volunteers help with small home repairs in the Ardmore Neighborhood, sew pillowcases for MUSC Children’s Hospital, and feed the residents of Joseph Floyd Manor. And that’s just over the last 3 days! But we’re just getting started! There’s still plenty of different projects to be a part of. Simply click on this link: Summer of IMPACT, take a look at all the different opportunities, find the project(s) right for you, and then sign up today! One great opportunity tomorrow is Saturday Serve! We meet at the church at 8:30am, hear a “pitch” from the leaders of the different projects that day, pray, and you pick what you want to do and go serve. It’s THAT easy! And it’s the backbone of all our serving at Coastal. We would love to see you in the morning! If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613. And if you’ve already signed up, the only thing left to do is to show up!
Don’t forget that we kick-off “AT THE MOVIES” on Sunday, June 13th! “At the Movies” is where we take current or popular movies and use them as a hook to talk about spiritual truth. The movies we are using this year are: “Cruella”, “Peter Rabbit 2”, “Fast & Furious 9”, “Black Widow”, “Space Jam”, and “Jungle Cruise.” ALL 1st Time Guests will receive FREE Movie Tickets to Citadel Mall Theater (and the person who invited them – YOU) throughout the entire series. There will be popcorn, movie trailers, and cool giveaways! And this Sunday we’ll have a special invite tool for you to use to invite your friends to the series.
One more thing. I’ll say it as simply as I can. It really is time for most of you to return to in-person worship! Don’t put it off any longer, come back this Sunday! I miss you!
Making An IMPACT With You!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Well, typically, Memorial Weekend officially marks the end of the school year (almost, but not quite this year) and the beginning of Summer. In fact, this year, Memorial Day is actually the last day of May – Monday, May 31st! But no matter when your child gets out of school this year, Summer begins this Tuesday, June 1st! I am seriously excited about all the awesome things happening at Coastal this Summer and in particular during the month of June – the biggest of which is Summer of IMPACT! If you and your family haven’t yet signed up for multiple projects, it’s time to do so! And I seriously encourage you to spread the word with your friends, neighbors, family, and co-workers, especially those people in your life who don’t have a church or who aren’t even believers. Why? Because God created everyone with the desire to be a part of something bigger than yourself and to make a difference. And believe it or not, most churches don’t have a very good reputation for serving and loving their communities unconditionally. So leverage Summer of IMPACT as way to include those who might not darken the door of a church yet, but would be willing to volunteer in the community. Don’t you see? Not only is Summer of IMPACT an opportunity to serve and bless our community and you, but it is also an opportunity for outreach! If you have any questions, please reach out to Pastor Chris Jones at 843-870-4613.
Another reason I’m excited about June here at Coastal is that on Sunday, June 13th, we kick off one of our favorite sermon series traditions here at Coastal – “AT THE MOVIES”! It’s where we take current or popular movies and use them as a hook to talk about spiritual truth. ALL 1st Time Guests will receive FREE Movie Tickets to Citadel Mall Theater (and the person who invited them – YOU) throughout the entire series. There will be popcorn, movie trailers, and cool giveaways!We’ll also be taking anyone who is available to see the new “Peter Rabbit 2” movie on Tuesday, June 22nd, 10am at the Citadel Mall Theater. And we’re picking up the cost of the ticket! It’s our way to thank you and bless our community (your friends – yes, please invite and bring friends). Simply let us know how many people you’ll be bringing to the movie (respond to this email or let us know on your Connect Card).
But the best part of our “At the Movies” kick-off on June 13th is that it’s also the day of our Beach Baptism out at Folly Beach County Park at 5pm! Come out early (traffic might be an issue) and make it a fun day for your entire family! If you are interested in getting Baptized, simply respond to this email or sign up on your Connect Card on Sunday. Either way, come out and celebrate with us!
And then, of course, there is Father’s Day on Sunday, June 20th! There will be FREE Kona Ice for everyone, a gift for all the guys (I’m real excited about the gift), and some fun giveaways (yes, probably MEAT) at the end of each service! Oh, and on top of all of that (Summer of IMPACT, At the Movies, Beach Baptism, Father’s Day), our Student Ministry (6th-12th Grade) just unveiled their Summer Calendar with a ton of events, activities, and service projects! Go to their Instagram page and see Ryan Spell for all the details.
As you can see, it’s going to be a great Summer at Coastal! The only thing that’s potentially missing right now is. . .YOU! We can only provide the opportunities for connections, community, and service. You have to make the choice to participate. I hope you will! I love YOU, I love being your Pastor, and I love what we get to do together!
Making An IMPACT With You!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
WE’RE BACK Baby! Not sure if it’s by “popular demand” or not, but either way our little Cooking Show – Cookin’ & Dishin’ (sometimes called Grillin’ & Chillin’) with Pastor Chris & Janet will be back on Facebook Live THIS Wednesday (TOMORROW) evening, May 26th at 8pm! This was something we did during the COVID Shutdown to connect with everyone and wound up having a lot of fun in the process. It’s from my own personal Facebook page, so if we’re not friends yet, please friend me. Just like we did before, we’ll be cooking a meal, talking about all things Coastal, and as always a lot of laughing and having fun! And as an added bonus, we’ll actually be drawing names and giving away 2 FREE MEALS!
This week’s menu is: Tomato Soup (Janet’s favorite), Cheese Biscuits (these are LEGIT – you’ll never want a Red Lobster cheese biscuit again), and Brownies (some of the best – and easiest – I’ve ever had)!
I hope you’ll join us!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Summer of IMPACT is now less than two weeks away!! If you are fairly new to Coastal, Summer of IMPACT is a month-long effort (the entire month of June) where we as a church saturate our community with the love of Jesus through simple acts of service. There is something for everyone – from serving through our existing partnerships with non-profit organizations all over Charleston like the Lowcountry Food Bank, Soldiers Angels, the Ronald McDonald House, Tri-County Family Ministries, and Lowcountry Orphan Relief, to sewing pillowcases for the Children’s Hospital, to helping widows, the elderly, and single moms with small home projects, to feeding, clothing, and bring supplies to literally hundreds of hungry, hurting, and homeless people all over Charleston. There are opportunities nearly every day of the month. You simply sign-up and then show-up. It’s literally that easy. Every project has a leader and every project is well-organized.
So here’s what I am asking you to do RIGHT NOW: Click on this link: https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/outreach/. Take a look at all the opportunities. Find the project(s) right for you and then sign up today! You can sign up for as many opportunities as you want directly from our website. And by the way, you don’t even have to call Coastal your home to participate! Spread the word and invite and bring your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to serve! If you are looking to Make an IMPACT in our community, this is the way to do it! Let’s make this the best Summer ever! I love you, I love our church, and I love being your Pastor!
Speaking of Making an IMPACT, this past week has been Teacher Appreciation Week over at Oakland Elementary School. There are two schools directly across the street from our church, Orange Grove Charter Middle School (the older school which originally housed Oakland), and Oakland Elementary School (the newer building behind Orange Grove). During the first 14 years of our church, when we were portable, I promised God that wherever He physically planted our church that we would be a good neighbor to our community. Well, when we ended up in our current location at 460 Arlington Dr. you’d have to be blind not see the little Elementary School right across the street. It was the perfect place to start loving and serving our community. And that’s exactly what we’ve done for the past 17 years. And now, words truly can’t describe the special relationship that we have with Oakland. I wish each and every one of you could have heard all the words of gratitude and goodwill expressed about our church (YOU) this week from the Staff at Oakland. Every day this week each Teacher and Faculty member got a gift or some treat from our church.
Just remember that all of this (including Summer of IMPACT) is made possible by your consistent, generous giving. You can give through our website or simply text ANY amount to 843-277-8337. I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
Wow – what an AMAZING Mother’s Day at Coastal this past Sunday! We kicked off our new series called “Conversations,” talking about our identity in Christ. We had 9 families participate in our Baby/Child Dedication (Our next one will be Father’s Day – sign up on your Connect Card). And we continue to see families each week that we haven’t seen in-person in over a year. In fact, other than Easter weekend, this was the first Sunday that we were well over 50% of our normal in-person attendance. I hope that trend continues. But most importantly, whether you’re in-person or online, continue to invite your friends to join us!
This Sunday in our “Conversations” series, I’ll be talking about forming healthy friendships. The importance of making Godly friends is a valuable life skill whether you’re 12 or 27 or 53 (like me), whether you’re single, married, kids or no kids. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.” “Don’t be fooled.” In other words, “Don’t delude yourself into thinking that you are incapable of being impacted by other people.” I’ve heard it said, and you’ve probably heard it too, “Your character is the sum total of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” In other words, the kind of friends you have determine the kind of person you’re becoming. Think about that. That’s why we have to be intentional about the people in our lives and the people in our kids’ lives. Don’t miss this Sunday and this crucial conversation.
And speaking of conversations, there has been a lot of talk this week about masks/face coverings. First of all, let’s just make sure that whatever conversation you engage in that you always keep Ephesians 4:29 in mind, “Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Since the beginning of the pandemic our church has been following our local and state government mask mandate. This week those mandates have been officially lifted in our State, County, and City. As a church, we have been requiring our Staff & Volunteers to wear masks and simply encouraging others to do so. Beginning this Sunday, we will no longer require Staff or Volunteers to wear them. However, we will continue to provide them for those who need one. And we know and understand that many people, including Staff & Volunteers will still choose to wear facemasks, and we fully support their personal decision to do so. As we always do at Coastal, continue to use wisdom and discernment and above all else, show love and grace to all people in whatever personal decision they make. And even on occasion, be willing to set aside your own personal preferences for the love of others.
Oh and on an unrelated note, not only were people freaking out this week over a possible gas shortage, but evidently there is/was a Chick-fil-a Sauce shortage and a chicken wing shortage! I seriously wish we would display the same sense of urgency with “sharing and experiencing the LIFE and LOVE of Jesus with Charleston and the world” that we do with the silly and ultimately unimportant things of this world.
I love you Coastal and I love being your Pastor!
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
It’s almost here – SUMMER!! One of the ways our church marks the beginning of Summer is through something called Summer of IMPACT! If you are fairly new to Coastal, Summer of IMPACT is a month-long effort (the entire month of June) where we as a church saturate our community with the love of Jesus through simple acts of service. There is something for everyone – from serving through our existing partnerships with non-profit organizations all over Charleston like the Lowcountry Food Bank, Soldiers Angels, the Ronald McDonald House, Tri-County Family Ministries, and Lowcountry Orphan Relief, to sewing pillowcases for the Children’s Hospital, to helping widows, the elderly, and single moms with small home projects, to feeding, clothing, and bring supplies to literally hundreds of hungry, hurting, and homeless people all over Charleston. There are opportunities nearly every day of the month. You simply sign-up and then show-up. It’s literally that easy. Every project has a leader and every project is well-organized.
So here’s what I am asking you to do RIGHT NOW:
Click on this link: https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/outreach/
Take a look at all the opportunities. Find the project(s) right for you and then sign up today! You can sign up for as many opportunities as you want directly from our website. And by the way, you don’t even have to call Coastal your home to participate! Spread the word (forward this email) and invite and bring your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to serve!
If you are looking to Make an IMPACT in our community, this is the way to do it! Let’s make this the best Summer ever! I love you, I love our church, and I love being your Pastor!
In His Service & Yours,
Pastor Chris
Alright everyone – this Sunday, May 9th, is Mother’s Day! We kick off a new series called, “Conversations.” The idea for the series is that there are some important, crucial conversations that every parent needs to be prepared to have with their kids. But don’t worry, this series is for everyone, whether you’re a parent or not, because what we’re going to be talking about in this series are some foundational life truths that all of us need to have a handle on and, yes, have the ability to pass on to the next generation. We’ll cover things like forming healthy friendships, being a disciple in the digital age, holding on to your faith. And this Sunday we begin with one of the most important conversations you need to be prepared to have and have a grip on – don’t let anyone steal your identity. It’s going to be a great series to kick off on Mother’s Day and take us to the Summer. Don’t miss it! And as always, make sure you invite and bring your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers! It’s going to be a BIG DAY! We have a gift for all the Moms (and women), fun giveaways at the end of each service, a photo booth, Baby/Child Dedication during the service, and FREE Kona Ice! It’s going to be a great day for many of you to return to in-person worship!
I also want to thank those of you who started parking further away on Sunday mornings. That will be especially important this Sunday on Mother’s Day! There is plenty of parking at Oakland Elementary School, down the first drive right past the Greenway. There is also parking available behind the Middle School where our Coastal Kidz container is located. Again, think with our Guests in mind.
And speaking of the Coastal Kidz container – every Saturday morning at 8am we meet there to unload it and set everything up at Orange Grove Middle School. When we’re done we go over to the church and set up the chairs. We could always use your help!
The other thing that May always marks is Teacher Appreciation Week at Oakland Elementary School – Monday, May 17th – Friday, May 21st. We have a special relationship with the school. Each year we go over the top to express our love and appreciation to the Teachers and Staff of Oakland. We have several special things planned – lunch, breakfast, gift cards, small gifts. Just remember that all of our community outreach projects (this one included) are funded by your consistent, generous giving. You can give through our website or simply text ANY amount to 843-277-8337.
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
Here are this week’s “Friday 5”:
SUNDAYS
8:30am, 10:00am, 11:30am
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