Whether you are brand new to the observance of Lent or you have practiced it for years, our hope is that this guide can bring significance and joy to the Easter season. We will use this guide in our House Group gatherings beginning the week of March 9th. It’s also a helpful resource for your own personal time of devotion or family devotions.
Sunday, we had the privilege of hearing a Local Story from Emily Drews, and her journey to Jesus down an unlikely path.
Born into a conservative midwestern family, Emily grew up sharing many of the values of a Christian worldview; without the acknowledgment of those value’s foundation. As decades passed she walked the broad road of spiritualism – seeking to find out who she was and the meaning of her existence.
This pursuit took her down many different paths to find the answers, getting her involved with practices such as psychic abilities, channeling of supernatural sprits, past life regression, shamanic practices and more. While this searching was originally all about self-empowerment, Emily found herself beginning to hear Jesus cutting through the noise.
A verse in Isaiah spoke directly to her: Isaiah 8:19 “When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living?” One practice after another began to fall away as The Holy Spirit whispered to Emily, “None of these things are for you. Seek the One who made you”.
The day finally came when Emily couldn’t unsee the unholy she had partnered with. She once again dropped to her knees, but this time in repentance and surrender to the incomprehensible love she was experiencing. By the words of Emily, “I knew in a moment Jesus was the one I had always longed for. In this precious moment He gave me the instant knowledge of all my sin and the knowledge of His presence and love for me throughout my life.”
You can listen to Emily’s full story on our podcast
HERE.
Jesus invites us into an apprenticeship, a fully integrated way of life that leaves nothing out. But what does that involve? Over the next several weeks, we’ll explore the first seven chapters of Matthew. In them we not only receive a stunning portrait of Jesus but also an invitation to “follow” him – to watch his life up close, sit under his teaching and walk in his ways.
Join us this Sunday for “Apprentice of Jesus” – a series in the book of Matthew. Listen to the latest Talk in this series on our podcast HERE.
There’s a hunger in all of us, an ache and longing for what is true and beautiful. Advent is a season of waiting and anticipating that explores those longings. The book of John records seven “I am” statements of Jesus – beautiful word pictures that declare both who he is and what we need. We’ll hear first-hand what Jesus believed about himself and how it answers the desire of every human heart.
Join us for True and Beautiful – an Advent series
Listen to the latest Talk in this series on our podcast HERE.
“This Time Tomorrow” segments are snapshots that highlight the intersection of faith and work in those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete.
This past Sunday, we had the joy of hearing Joanna Shin share about her work in the field of nursing and how she’s called to image the compassion of Jesus to sick patients and their families. It’s our hope that conversations like these would help envision us to walk out our faith in Jesus Monday through Saturday, seeing work (our vocation) as an opportunity to reflect his character and bring him honor and praise.
You can visit our Local Church St. Pete podcast to stream This Time Tomorrow, HERE. We pray it is an encouragement to your day!
Join us this Sunday, October 13th for either of our updated gathering times:
9:30a (Local Kids is able to offer: Nursery 0-23 months BUT feel free to worship alongside your kids in the main gathering)
11a (Local Kids is able to offer: Nursery through 5th grade)
Livestream: no internet at building so we will record 11AM and post Sunday afternoon.
As we look to where our hope is found – we’ll fix our eyes on Jesus through song, prayer and the Word of God. We are praying our gathering will bring great renewal and encouragement.
Though Helene and Milton have passed, let’s remain prayerful and intentional to stand together and love our neighbors. The first thing we can do is pray for those impacted by the storm. Pray for comfort, peace, discernment, restoration, hope and provision.
Many in our community will also need our tangible help in the days and weeks to come. Simply checking on friends and neighbors or making sure those who live alone are cared for is a simple expression of love and a sweet opportunity to bless those around us.
House Groups and Serve Teams – this is a time to communicate what real needs there are within your groups and to serve each other in love. Camaraderie and community are so important as we begin cleanup and restoration. Those who have been impacted by flooding will need a place to stay, those without electricity may need somewhere to charge devices or help with a load of laundry.
Let’s stay connected and serve each other with simple acts of kindness and mercy. We’ve heard many reports of this already happening and are so thankful!
Please click HERE to share prayer requests and needs.
If you have skills that can be used in relief and recovery, please email [email protected].
God is aware of all of this, none of it is catching him by surprise. He’s with us and will see us through it.
Resource List:
Hurricane Relief Resources – St. Petersburg
On Sunday, September 29th, our church family was blessed and encouraged by the LOCAL Story of Marty Sorenson.
Through his journey’s with Parkinson’s Disease and a subsequent loss of speech, Marty has truly learned what it means to live out 2 Corinthians 12:19…
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
Despite the challenges, God is teaching Marty to daily rely on Him like never before, and through that he continues to learn more about Him every day. “God is good, and His grace is abounding. God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness.”
You can listen to Marty’s full story on our podcast
HERE.
LOCAL Kids has the privilege of serving over 100 children each Sunday, and we are growing! That’s 100 hearts and minds learning about Jesus and what it means to follow him, and it’s central to our mission to be disciples who make disciples.
In order for us to have a healthy team, we are urgently needing an additional 10 team members to begin serving at our 8 AM gathering. Additional team members will allow us to offer Chapel (1st-5th grade students) at this service so we can accommodate more families across all three of our Sunday gatherings.
Please consider how you can participate in this need as we partner together on mission, making disciples and growing in community. Would you be willing to serve at the 8 AM gathering, one time per month?
Click HERE to get started!
Questions? Email Nicole Collins at [email protected]
Baptism is an outward demonstration of a person’s inward confession of faith and acceptance of Jesus as savior. It’s symbolic of Jesus’ death and resurrection, through which we are given new life and our sins are forgiven.
If you’re a follower of Jesus and have not yet been baptized, we would love to connect with you and have you participate in a baptism coming up at Pass-a-Grille Beach on Sunday, June 2nd at 7p.
Get started by reviewing this Baptism Information and filling out a brief form HERE.