I just wanted to reach out to you early this week and let you know about multiple opportunities at Coastal to serve our community:
- For our “Grab & Go Meal Drive-Thru” we are doing Lasagna this week! We’ve already purchased all the trays of lasagna. We need volunteers to pick up, cook, and return trays of hot lasagna (4 trays per person would be ideal). You can pick up the lasagna any day this week during office hours at the church. Follow the instructions on the tray, cook the lasagna Saturday morning, and return them to the church between 8am-10am (MUST be returned by 10am). Please respond to this email if you would be willing to pick up, cook, and return lasagna.
- Not only are we delivering a lunch for all the Staff & Health Care Workers at the MUSC COVID-19 Testing Site at Citadel Mall this week, but we’ve added another group of Healthcare Workers that we are feeding! We’ll be providing a Food Truck lunch for the Pediatric Ambulatory Clinic in North Charleston this Thursday, May 7th. Someone generously decided to pick up the tab for Wednesday’s lunch. Now we are looking for people who might be willing to donate money to help with Thursday’s meal. The meal will cost approximately $750. If you’d like to help with the cost of this meal, please respond to this email or give me a call. You can also give on our website: https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/give/ or simply text ANY amount to 843-277-8337.
- This Friday, May 8th, 8am-2:30pm at the Elks Lodge on Sam Rittenburg Blvd., Coastal is teaming up with the Veteran’s Administration and Soldiers’ Angels to supply local low-Income veteran families with food assistance at the mobile food distribution. Many of Charleston’s veterans rely on the food assistance provided by this event, and without volunteers these veterans would go without. This project can support up to 40-volunteers. Any time that you can volunteer would be great. If you are interested in this event or have any questions, please contact Pastor Chris Jones, 843-870-4613.
- We’re looking for kids & families to decorate a poster (“We love our MOM!” “Happy Mother’s Day!” “Our Mom is the Best” – you get the idea) that will line the drive of our parking lot this Sunday for our Mother’s Day Drive Through Celebration, this Sunday, May 10, 3pm-5pm. Drive through our parking lot, and all the women of Coastal can pick up a special gift from the church, and then everyone in the car will receive a FREE cup of Baskin Robbins ICE CREAM! You can stop by the church to pick up the poster board for the signs! Make it a fun project for your family – get creative! Posters must be returned to the church by Friday, May 8. We’re also looking for volunteers to help serve at the event itself. Please respond to this email if you would like to serve (traffic control, take ice cream orders, hand out ice cream, etc.).
- Teacher Appreciation Week at Oakland Elementary School is Monday, May 11th – Friday, May 15th. Each year we go over the top to express our love and appreciation to the Teachers and Staff of Oakland. And this year, in a time when they aren’t even expecting it, we want to shower these Teachers with love! We have several special things planned (lunch, breakfast, gift cards, gifts), but one way that you and your family can help is writing handwritten thank you notes. We need 75 of them! You can pick up the note cards at the church, and we need them returned by this Friday, May 8. Another way to help is through your generous giving! All of our community outreach projects (this one included) are funded by your giving. You can give through our website or simply text ANY amount to 843-277-8337.
- The entire month of June is all about “Summer of IMPACT” at Coastal as we saturate Charleston with a variety of outreach projects. From feeding the hungry, to sewing pillowcases for sick children, to ministering to the homeless – there is a serving opportunity nearly every day of the month! Click on this link: https://coastalcommunitychurch.org/outreach/ to explore all of the different projects that are available this Summer and SIGN UP TODAY!
- Several years ago, a very generous family made a donation to our church that enabled us to purchase our very first video camera. Obviously, we have since added lights, cameras, hardware, software, etc. It is all of that equipment and technology that enables us to do everything that we now do online. And now more than ever before, we can all see the value in what we’re able to do. But it was that donation, that first camera, that set the stage for all of it. As our church continues to grow, we must continue to invest in our online presence and capabilities – expanding our Tech Booth, cameras, lights, equipment, etc. The generosity of our church never ceases to amaze me. Several people have asked if there are any projects that could use funding during this season – this is one of them. If you’re interested in giving toward this project, give me a call and I’ll be glad to give you the specifics.
Many people have asked when are we going to return to our building for worship services? Trust me, I’m ready for that day too! However, I don’t have an answer for you yet. Just as we did when we made the decision to go completely online, we are praying, talking to other church leaders, and listening to local and state officials. We want to make the best decision for the safety, health, and well-being of our church and surrounding community. As soon, as we make those decisions, I promise we’ll let everyone know quickly. But in the meantime, please continue to pray and be gracious as we all maneuver these decisions.
LIFE & LOVE!
Pastor Chris
P.S. This is not a serving opportunity, but don’t forget that Janet and I will be hosting another Facebook/Instagram LIVE event this Wednesday night at 8pm from my personal page/account. Send me a Friend Request if we’re not already friends. No real agenda, just a fun time of hanging out and maybe a little bit of Q & A! This week I will be grilling Bone-in Boston Butts (PULLED PORK BARBECUE)! Janet will be making a Swiss Cake Roll! And as always, we’ll be GIVING IT ALL AWAY to a lucky viewer! And this week Janet will also be giving away a CHILDREN’S DRESS!
