Miguel was born in Mexico and moved to the States at the age of nine. He was introduced to church while in Mexico in his early childhood years. “There was always a shallow presentation of the Gospel at church, but I was more impacted by the great judgement. I had no discipleship and didn’t know what to do with this message…Moving to the U.S., I put those thoughts in the back of my mind. As a kid I was well behaved, but as soon as I became a teenager, my sinful heart realized I could sin…I went from a good, respectful child to a teenager full of pride, lies, disrespect towards my parents, sexual sin, heavy drinking, debauchery and drugs. All of this led to me almost overdosing on cocaine twice within a 2 week period at the age of 17.” Miguel then went on to describe the moments where he called out to God in prayer and desperation during this season of his life where spiritual warfare was at its highest. “I always believed in God, but saying the name of Jesus and darkness leaving me left me with a huge impression that Jesus had some important role.” The sinful practices continued however for Miguel until an answered prayer presented itself when a friend invited him to church with them. Two weeks later, Miguel heard the Gospel for the first time through a sermon on YouTube. “My nature changed, I no longer wanted to sin, and when I did, I knew it was wrong and God was displeased.” It didn’t happen overnight, but Miguel’s life was changed through this new understanding of what Jesus did on the cross for him. “If you are not in Christ, call upon the Name of the Lord, He will save you too!” Listen to Miguel share his full story on our podcast.
Local Church St. Pete family – We want to hear how you’re doing. Please take a few minutes to participate in this brief survey to facilitate prayer, care and on-going community at Local Church St. Pete. We’re in this together. Click HERE.
ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM | Thursdays July 23rd & August 6th @ 7PM
The “elephant in the room” = an important and obvious topic, which everyone present is aware of, but isn’t discussed because it’s considered to be uncomfortable to talk about. Elephant in The Room is a two-part Thursday PM class (with Q + A to follow) July 23rd AND August 6th. In this class we’ll explore the biblical view of sex, highlighting God’s purpose and design of sex. We’ll also discuss our culture’s distortion of sex, the issues with pornography and speak about the grace available for the fight. Maybe you feel trapped, taken advantage of or confused. Maybe you’ve never explored what the Bible has to say about sex and God’s purpose for it. Join us July 23rd and August 6th @ 7PM.
*This class will be hosted by the Hoagland House Group but open to everyone. We’ll gather at the church building (2750 5th Ave N) and via ZOOM.
“I believed in the Gospel at an early age and became a Christian. ‘What is this Gospel these Christians keep talking about?’ It is a narrative, a true story, that transforms Christians’ lives and causes us to recognize Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. 8-year-old me would have summarized this true story with five little fingers: ‘Jesus. Died. For. My. Sins.'”
He went on to say that his 8-year old self’s understanding of the Gospel however was incomplete. “Yes, the Gospel does say Jesus died for MY sins. But the Gospel is not ultimately for ME.”
He continued, “I received God’s love gratefully, and sought to get to know Him better, but I ultimately lived for myself. Every decision I made with my time, energy, and thoughts was filtered first through what would most benefit me. Because, hadn’t God brought me into relationship with Him so that I may be fulfilled? “
Austin then went on to share the later struggles he had in life from depression, to even suicidal thoughts. It was through a redeeming experience that his perspective shifted. “We were created for worship of a Person bigger than ourselves – meaning was not found in a life orbiting a little man, but in a life orbiting a Big God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Jesus’ death on the Cross was ultimately about bringing us back to worshiping God. Our joy itself is empty if it does not spring from an eternal, deathless, transcendent Person, God Himself. (Revelation 21:3-5)”
Listen to Austin share his full story on our podcast.
“It took a long period of time for me to truly understand Jesus. Growing up in a Catholic household, we went to church every Sunday, for exactly 45 minutes, got a free doughnut afterwards, and then went on with our lives. There was no bible in our house. My parents stressed the terms “being a good person” but that was the extent. To give you a classic picture of this, I believed Jesus was a white, Caucasian male until I was 25 years old when my now husband informed me no, he was Arabic and likely browned skin. Let’s just say my mind was blown and thank you Ned for not leaving me instantly.
Jesus was a clutch, I would go to him only in times of need, never for anything else. After college, I did a program called Teach for America. I saw what actual poverty was. I saw the education, mental health, and sex education disparities in America firsthand. I thought since “I’m a good person, I help impoverished high school students every day!” I felt this service treated me to getting drunk on the weekends and having sexual relations with men. The sense of wanting to be wanted, longing to be longed for, and obtaining men’s approval was the epicenter of my life. Every day, from the moment I woke up, I would place my physical appearance as a top priority to attract men, because in my head that was the greatest accomplishment. If I could get an attractive man, I won in life, right?
The sense of being accepted by a man was the greatest high I could feel. This drove me to drink more, sleep with more men, and alter my personality/appearance to whatever men wanted. It drove me to extremes, men buying me expensive dinners with me having to repay them through physical actions, taking PlanB to avoid pregnancy, cutting out carbohydrates to get skinnier, etc. All these sins went unnoticed for years, because who would say taking an extra 20 minutes to get ready was a sin? Who would say doing double workouts at the gym was a sin? Who would say eating healthy, limiting my calories was a sin? None of these were your classic sins you would see displayed during a Catholic church service. I didn’t murder anyone, I didn’t steal, and therefore none of my sins came to light…until God decided to intervene.
I moved to Dallas, TX after completing TFA for PA school. I immediately got plugged into the Village Church ran by Pastor Matt Chandler and my life was placed upside down. I remember sitting through my first service, listening to this man who shared the gospel in a way I have never experienced: raw honesty. To a sense of almost yelling at me, Matt Chandler explained that sin was everywhere! It was inside everyone! Sin was present during the small moments of getting angry at work, having little patience with family, caring about man’s approval rather that God’s, feeling anxious was not trusting God…the list goes on! I was shocked! I never thought these occurrences were sinful. I therefore realized I had no idea who Jesus was, and I was following my own idols and misconceptions of him since I was 13.
I continued the next year to struggle with finding my new Christian skin and shedding my previous skin. I still clinged to men’s approval and that year I went on over 25 first dates in search of it! I got a lot of free food but let’s just say the disappointment of not being wanted was far past the free burrito at Chiptole.
Then I met Ned. He was a Christian since he was a teenager, well versed in theology, a type of young Christian I never met before. He didn’t get drunk, he wasn’t promiscuous, he liked things other than partying and going out. He treated me with respect, and for the first time in my life I realized a man wanted me without anything physical in return. The next 1-2 years I struggled with doubt, “should I be with someone else? Is the grass greener on the other side?” I never pictured having an Asian husband, heck, I never dated an Asian man before! But God opened my eyes so wide I felt like I had been blinded my whole life. The amount of room he made in my heart to love Ned was an experience I have never felt before. God shattered my anxieties, doubts, and reassured me that all I needed was someone to bring me closer to Christ, and that man was Ned. His good looks and big biceps didn’t hurt either…
I have a terrible memory for bible verses. I cannot memorize them for the life of me. There is only one I can recall without second guessing:
Matthew 28:20 “…and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Wait, someone will accept me for who I am and promise to never leave me? Isn’t this what I have been searching for with all the men I have dated the past 10 years? It was here all along, with God? Hallelujah! This took the pressure off me, to find a man who would never disappoint me, never sin against me, never bring me down…because there is no human like this! I realized Ned was and is a blessing, but he is the cherry on top. Jesus is the cake! He is what I need, the sole provider of my salvation, and the only one to never let me down.
Isaiah 38: 17 “Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.”
Listen to Katrina share her full story on our podcast.
Now is the time (more than ever) to be a people shaped by EXPECTATION + DEPENDENCY, a people of prayer bringing desperate cries to the one who is present and active.
COVID Guidelines Update | May 9th 2021
Dear Local Church St. Pete,
I’m so proud of you. You’ve walked in such grace and humility through this season. I know this has not been an easy time for any of us. Where there could have been much division, you’ve remained committed to walking in love, talking through differences and standing together in unity.
In light of the Governor’s executive order concerning masks and Pinellas County’s new policy, we will be modifying our covid guidelines over the next several weeks. Starting May 23rd masks will not be required, but are encouraged for those who are older, at-risk or have a personal preference. Our Local Kids team members will continue to wear masks until the end of May (in line with Pinellas County Schools) as will the teams that involve standing/walking around during our gathering. The pastors and staff of Local Church St. Pete will also continue to wear masks until the end of May. Our Livestream option will be offered indefinitely and stations with sanitizer and masks will continue to be available throughout the building.
Obviously (as always) if you feel sick or have any symptoms please stay home.
From the beginning our covid guidelines have been an attempt to love our neighbors and our city and to continue gathering safely in the midst of changing conditions and understanding of Covid. We know many of you have set aside your personal preferences to continue worshipping with us in-person and we respect and appreciate that. Moving forward, our guidelines will continue to reflect guidance from our state and local governments – as well as the daily covid positivity rate in our city – and may continue to evolve.
If you have any questions about our way forward please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would much rather hear from you than find out weeks down the road that something we’ve done with regards to COVID guidelines pushed you away from this community.
Again, thank you for your humility in this season, your prayerful response in the midst of increased polarization and your determination to keep the Gospel of Jesus central.
With Love and Faith,
Daryn, Josh, Trevor and Mark
This past Sunday Ryan Collins shared his Local Story with us. He mentioned, “I was captain of the men’s soccer team my Junior and Senior Years. I had good grades and managed heavy course loads to graduate in 3 and a half years. Despite all of that I felt this deep emptiness inside of me. A void that swallowed everything and that nothing could fill. The world felt drained of color. The good times I had with friends were fun while we were having them, but as soon as they were over life returned to the same grey shade. I was supremely unhappy. I was living entirely for myself, seeking desperately for something, anything, to fulfill me and bring me joy. I was failing miserably. My spiritual life had pretty much evaporated. What I knew about Christianity was this: if I were to be a Christian I wouldn’t be able to live my life like I wanted to. So I wanted no part of Christianity. I hid my disbelief behind all sorts of rational objections. To creation, the veracity of Scripture, you name it. In short, I disguised my apathy with doubt.”
Ryan eventually reached out to his father in desperation. “At the time my family was overseas on the island of Crete for my Dad’s work. I had a standing offer to go spend some time with them after I graduated. On my way over, I spontaneously texted my Dad and asked him if we could do a Bible Study when I was there to talk about what faith is. I didn’t want the Sunday School answer of “you accept Jesus into your heart,” I wanted to know what that really meant. So we did, going through Genesis and examining the lives of some of the Bible Hall of Famers and looking at what faith was for each of them. Fast forward a few weeks later of this. I was genuinely getting into reading the Bible more, doing it on my own and stuff. I was reading “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis (which I highly recommend). And one day in the upstairs bedroom when no one was home, I had a conversation with God where I told him that I gave it all up. I was tired of trying to fill the void inside of me. I was tired of running. I gave my life to Him, and my whole world changed.”
Ryan went on to share his experience of training to become a Navy Seal and how not getting into the Seals impacted him (though he’s in training again). He ended saying, “if you’ve faced a bitter disappointment recently, or maybe you’re facing one now, I’d like to share one encouragement with you that has meant so much to me. It’s this. God wants each of us to know him. And he’s willing to give whatever he has to give, and take whatever he has to take, to get our attention.”
Listen to Ryan share his full story on our podcast.
Good morning Local Church St. Pete. I am humbled to have the opportunity to share a summary of my story and love for Jesus and His grace and mercy towards me in my life. I was born and raised on Long Island, NY, the oldest of three girls, in a home with both parents. My parents were both young, attractive, and very social.
As a young girl, I witnessed adults’ engagement in socialization with others more than with Christ. On occasion, my sisters and I attended Catholic Mass with one set of grandparents or non-denominational service with the other. Mom sent us to church on Christmas, Easter, and when she thought, we needed to go. What that meant for us was a trip to the local store with church offering money for candies, and a retreat to a vacant parking lot to sit until church ended. I knew about Jesus but I had no real depth of understanding beyond the Sunday school stories learned in my grandparents’ church.
In Jr. High School, the dysfunction at home grew increasingly overwhelming. I found myself mothering my sisters. Often, I made sure we had dinner, completed chores, and finished homework. I harbored resentment and inner rebellion for this responsibility. I wanted my family to be like those of my friends. My friends’ parents engaged in, what I thought, was the customary assignments of parents. Although I struggled with those emotions, this was a time the Lord began to draw me to Him. Near school was a Catholic church that opened early in the mornings. Frequently, I found myself inside, kneeling, crying, and making prayers. I think I was more comfortable with the inside of that ol’ Catholic church than knowing Jesus. Nevertheless, I just needed Him to hear the cries my heart.
In High School, my parents divorced. Dad moved out of the house but he remained connected. However, the relationship between my mom and I took a deep-sea dive! I knew I had to get away as soon as possible. Upon graduation, mom wanted me to stay in NY and attend college, but I refused. I needed my own space; so, I enlisted in the United States Air Force and moved away. Little did I know…Jesus was waiting…
When I arrived at my first duty station in Louisiana (LA), I met with my Sponsor. A Sponsor’s job is to welcome the newly assigned members to their base of assignment to ensure safety, comfort, and direction. Well, wouldn’t you know my sponsor was an extremely happy, unashamed disciple of Christ! He spoke so freely of his faith. I thought, “My goodness, he needs to quiet down, he talks so loudly about Jesus…he shouldn’t do that, people can hear him!” But, not only did Kerry witness to his love of God, his words planted seeds in my heart. For you see as a new recruit I was placed in a hospitality dorm until I was assigned to my unit. I had a few personal belongings, one of which was a radio that was already set to a New York R&B station. In LA, that station played gospel on Sunday. I fell asleep listening to a variety of music but awakened to gospel. First, I acknowledged the difference and drifted back to sleep. I woke up a second time to a man preaching the gospel. Before closing, he encouraged listeners to join in the prayer of salvation. At 18 years of age, without a soul around, I knelt down and prayed. That moment I asked Jesus into my heart. That was the beginning of the rest of my life!
Since that day, Jesus has never failed to accomplish His word in and through me. He has never left me or forsaken me, even when I repeatedly turned my heart to pursue things that I thought I needed to make my life “complete”. He has healed me from many childhood wounds: anger, resentment, and shame. Time prevents me from sharing the snapshots of my life hidden with Christ—broken marriages, physical abuse, suicidal struggles, and the like—all circumstances that elicit hurt and darkness. Even though I had accepted Christ, THIS is what I knew; my MIND needed freedom and renewal. I have learned that only Christ can do that.
This past June, I moved to St. Petersburg to live closer to my job, but a part of my story is I was so broken and I needed more. A co-worker recommended I visit Local Church. The first time I visited, I was so thankful for this loving community, the sincerity of hearts, and the stress given to the Word and prayer. On three very separate occasions, Pastor Daryn spoke three things that the Lord literally used to free my heart. They were one, “The goal is to keep your eyes on Jesus…”; two, “Lord I trust you”; and three, he asked, “…..is Jesus really enough?” I experienced such commentary, healing, and release. God made them so personal for me! I knew I belonged here. And, as the church celebrates a year, I would be remise not to say, you all just do not understand what meeting you and experiencing your embrace has meant to and for me. The opportunity to learn more of Jesus, to serve others, to pray in community, and to fellowship is amazing.
In the beginning, I said I was humbled because in writing this summary I reflected upon a time in my life that has now seemed to come full circle. I speak of that Sunday in April when the Lord woke me up in an unfamiliar place, laying within a one room flat with very few possessions. Yet, that was the time He pre-set my radio tuned into an old station with a new song—“Just The Two of Us”. Now, here I am again. It is my heart’s resolve to focus on Jesus, inclining my heart towards Him so He can teach me that He is more than enough so that each day I too can rise and say, in confidence, Lord I trust you! Thank you!