This past Sunday, Nicole shared her Local Story with us. Nicole works for a local non-profit where she serves as a house parent in a residential foster home. One unique thing about this role is that twice a year they embark on sailing expeditions from the shores of Maine and sail for 6 weeks back to Florida with a group of teenage boys that live in the home.

Nicole recently came back from her very first sailing trip and she had so many things to share. Between the cramped quarters, the smells, and the delays in their trip due to hurricane Ian, Nicole had to consistently seek Jesus’ renewal.

“I also really struggled with not feeling equipped for the role and feeling like I didn’t belong on the boat, even though the Lord so evidently placed me in that space! So, I took that to heart, realizing that through God’s intentional placement of me, the only way that I could find peace in the chaos was to seek daily renewal from Him.”

Nicole reflected on what she called a “God dream” from back when she was in college. Nicole became a follower of Christ in college and, in a dream, experienced a revelation that reminded her that in order to experience renewal, she needed to turn to God first.

“Immediately, I was extremely convicted and eventually I came to realize that God was calling me to evaluate the state of my heart and that He was asking for me to include Him as the Director of renewal over my life…I wholeheartedly believe that God is also asking each of us to tune in to what renewal might look like with Him leading us throughout our days.“

Nicole took this revelation with her on her sailing expedition and shared with us how God continued to renew her day in and day out. Nicole was reminded of how God does not call the equipped, but instead He equips those that He calls.

“Renewal is uncomfortable and requires that we be vulnerable before God, communing in His presence expectantly, but without specific expectations…I hope to always be in the midst of renewal that brings joy and leaves me in awe of the God of the Universe.”

Listen to Nicole’s full Local Story on our podcast.

Christmas morning we will celebrate with a special 10am gathering. What better way to enjoy Christmas day than to gather as a church family and stand in awee of the humility and love of Jesus.

LOCAL Kids will be provided through 5th grade.

We can’t wait to gather!

Disciples Who Make Disciples | A Conversation

In November we shared four short videos on Instagram where Daryn and Mark discuss questions on the topic of discipleship:

• What does it mean to be a disciple who makes disciples?
• How do we determine who to disciple?
• Why do we make disciples?
• Where does our motivation to make disciples come from?

The goal in talking through these questions is to encourage you in and towards disciple-making. We pray they help demystify the topic and begin conversations around discipleship that lead to the practice of it.

A full video of that conversation can now be found on our YouTube channel and podcast—or you can watch videos on the individual questions on our Instagram under the Reels tab.

Join us December 24th at 4pm + 6pm for a candlelit service filled with songs we love to sing, celebrating a story we can’t get enough of. Whether you’re new to St. Pete or have lived here your entire life, whether you’re just beginning to explore Christianity or have been a follower of Jesus for some time—we hope you’ll join us! We’ll explore an announcement that sent ripple effects throughout history—an announcement that defines Christmas and declares the peace we all long for.

All are welcome. Childcare up to age 2. Invite your friends and family!

Gathering // 4pm + 6pm (Livestreaming our 6pm gathering).

Recently, Kara Contreras shared a Local Story with us. She reflected on the past three years of living in St. Pete and her longing desire for community.

When Kara and her husband moved from Louisville, Kentucky to St. Pete, she was not happy about it at the time. Family circumstances had brought her and her husband here and Kara was sad to leave behind what she had. “I was apprehensive that I could ever find the lifelong type friends that I had made through Bible college and my church. I wondered who would be there on a terrible day, or who would cry with me, or throw me a baby shower when we one day Lord willing had a family.”

She came to St. Pete expecting difficulty in finding a church community that could provide what she was longing for. Kara reflected on how she knew she wanted community, but didn’t want to put in the effort that she knew was necessary to have it. “I hated giving up the many people and places I loved so much and just wanted to feel ‘known’ without having to try.”

Kara was thankful to have found Local Church St. Pete so soon after moving here. She began to get involved with various social gatherings including Sunday brunches, mom’s groups, womens ministry events, and more. Her community began to grow.

“It wasn’t effortless like I wanted it to be. Opportunities for community were everywhere, but the Lord had to give me courage to start over. Community is hard work- and it still is. It involves being willing to show up and be present, to be vulnerable , to confess sin, to be offended at times, to share the dirt of your life and your heart with other people, to rejoice with others, bear other people’s burdens and commit to caring for them.”

Kara shared an example of a hand painted portrait that was gifted to her by a few special friends from Local Church. She explained how grateful she is for all the Lord has taught her and is teaching her through his provision and the community she is surrounded with.

You can listen to Kara’s full Local Story on our podcast.

We are excited to be partnering with Reach St. Pete again this year to make sure that the over 4,500 students experiencing homelessness in our county have a gift to open on Christmas Day.⁠

If you’d like to help, bring in a new, unwrapped toy for a boy or girl ages infant to 12th grade and place it in the Reach St. Pete bin in the back by Sunday, December 14th. Recommended items include dolls, legos, toy cars, games, and action figures.

More information is available HERE and the Church Center app.

On Monday, December 15th @ 6PM we will gather for the 8th Annual Lessons & Carols hosted by our friends at City Church. This is a family-friendly night including carol-singing and a Christmas story. Invite your friends & neighbors!

Green Bench Brewery:

1133 Baum Ave N, St. Petersburg FL 33705

On Sunday we heard from our special guest Elise Finch. Elise came to us with reflections on the theme “enough” which was the focus of our recent Women’s Restorative Weekend.

When the concept of “enough” comes across your path, what comes to mind? For many of us the word immediately sets in motion a list of questions: “Will I have ‘enough’ time? Do I have ‘enough’ resources?” Or exclamations, “I don’t have ‘enough’ of this or that!” When all is quiet and we’re headed off to sleep, questions can become decidedly more personal. “Am I ‘enough?’ What if my faith is not ‘enough’ to pull us through?”

Elise began to unpack these questions for us through the lense of God’s word. She shared how so often we can struggle with trust, belief, and our inability to wait on God. We lack understanding in what motivates our desires and what our actual needs truly are.

“Time and again, God reveals that our sufficiency is insufficient, our great strength is actually weakness and we find ourselves ineffective to address any number of the demands of life. — But God!”

Elise used the example of how God provided manna to Israel, knowing in advance that they would fail the test of obedience. She then reminded us of how God also made provision through himself, entering our world as a man and walking in obedience on our behalf.

“Jesus trusted in God’s word when tempted by hunger in the wilderness undergoing successfully the trial Israel failed on their road to Sinai. Their hunger, like our own, wasn’t easily satisfied with bread.”

Elise reminded us of how Christ became our bread. Referencing Matthew 4:4, “Man does not live by ‘bread’ alone, but by every word from the mouth of God.” God continually made provision for a people who could not help themselves. Isn’t that a tremendous encouragement!

She finished by saying, “without Him, we will never be enough. What is truly ‘life bringing,’ is realizing that God is!”

You can listen to Elise’s full Local Story on our podcast.

This past Sunday, Caleb shared his Local Story with us. Caleb began by telling us how from a young age he has always had the desire to preach the Gospel. That desire was often coupled with a series of plans which would allow him to make that happen.Some of Caleb’s plans included attending Freed-Hardeman University, meet his future wife, and minister full time. He shared how very soon after he created these plans, he found himself frustrated and embarrassed with little to no progress and no plan of what was next for him.

He found himself applying for a youth ministry job in Tampa, which he accepted. This new season allowed Caleb to fulfill many of the plans he had for his life. He met and married his wife, got to see teens come to faith in Christ, and grew his walk with Jesus as well. “The plan was really going well…But as I began this new chapter, I started asking myself the tough questions.” Caleb came to the realization that what he wanted to be a part of and where the church he worked at was going did not align. Caleb shared a special moment that he and his wife had as they wrestled through what his next step was. “Are we ready for God to lead? Have we surrendered enough of ourselves to walk faithfully into the unknown?” They prayed together and it soon was made clear to Caleb that he needed to resign. “6 months after marrying the love of my life and one week after closing on our house we were left unemployed and planless. The difference between this experience and the others before was that this time we went into the unknown surrendered.”

Caleb went on to share what this season of unknown has revealed to him. “The prayer we prayed together created a posture that set our intentions on the opportunity for each day, rather than on the frustrations brought about by our broken plan….In this time of unknown I must remind myself to be obedient where I’m at and to use the tools and abilities God has given me to love others and represent Jesus in my community.”. Caleb shared a few ways that he and his wife have been able to use this season to create space for the Spirit to transform their minds and hearts. “There is comfort in knowing that Jesus calls his followers to do just that, follow. We don’t have to have the perfect plan, we just have to have the courage to follow.”

You can listen to Caleb’s full Local Story on our podcast.

In addition to ongoing prayer and financial contributions, Local Church St. Pete is partnering with Samaritan’s Purse to provide relief to the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ian. Individuals and teams from our church family are registering as volunteers to assist homeowners with debris cleanup, roof tarping, mud removal, chainsaw work and more. Consider partnering with others in your House Group or Discipleship Group, or join with a few family members or friends to plan a day to serve.

Click HERE for all the information you need to register through Samaritan’s Purse.

We are here on mission and this is a tangible way we can demonstrate love, hospitality and community to our neighbors to the south. If you want to participate in a day trip and need help connecting with others who want to do the same please email [email protected].