Rooted, a Restorative Weekend for Women is a two-day retreat designed to slow us down and connect deeper with God’s word and each other. Taking place Friday March 7th from 6:30-8:30pm and concluding Saturday March 8th from 9am-5pm.

We will kick off this weekend on Friday for a fellowship focused evening at the St. Petersburg Woman’s Club. The following day we will be at the church building for an all-day gathering on Saturday that includes several guest speaker sessions, in-depth breakout discussion, and further fellowship with one another. Registration is $35/person and will include meals, take home items, and an experience that will bring you renewal. Meals provided include dinner on Friday, lunch on Saturday, and snacks provided throughout the day. Breakfast on Saturday will be potluck style.

This is more than just a large group gathering for women, but intentional time set aside to renew the ladies of Local Church St Pete so that we can go and make disciples throughout our city. There are limited spots available so please register soon to secure your spot. Registration closes February 23rd.

Register for Rooted HERE.

You will receive a confirmation email upon registering with more details of what to expect. For financing questions, email Lexie Aurie ([email protected])

On Sunday, February 26th, at both the 9AM + 11AM services, we will have a special time to dedicate children to the Lord and affirm the commitment of their parents to the discipleship of their children with the prayers and support of this community. We’ll also celebrate the arrival of new littles ones.

Reach out to [email protected] with any questions. If you’d like to participate, register HERE.

Chris was recently hospitalized and spent multiple days under hospital care. This is how he came to meet Marty, his roommate. Chris shared about his and Marty’s initial interactions and how their relationship began to grow while in the hospital together. He learned at this time that Marty was not a follower of Jesus.

Upon the news of Chris’ discharge, he was eager to leave the hospital and go home. Chris recalled a specific prompting from the Holy Spirit however that encouraged him to share the Gospel with Marty. “My immediate reaction to the prompting was rationalization, ‘No, please no. I’m not equipped or gifted to evangelize.’”

Chris’ discharge ended up getting delayed and gave him the opportunity to spend a little bit more time with Marty. This is where Chris received a second prompting to share the Gospel with him, which he ignored, and soon after, a third prompting. “…but this time it came with a message, ‘The stakes are so high. ‘I really thought about the enormous gravity of that seemingly simple statement. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I finally yielded and walked over to Marty’s bed and began to share the Gospel with him.”

Chris described the sense of failure that began to stir as Marty received what he had to say, but another prompting encouraged him to continue. “I barely remember what I said because the words that came out weren’t mine. But I could see a change come over Marty. Instead of looking perplexed, he was really listening and taking it in. When it was finished, I went back to my bed and sat down. Neither of us said anything.”

Chris concluded by reflecting on how God orchestrated this divine appointment. Through illness, God brought Chris and Marty together.

After the silence had completed, Chris witnessed Marty give his life to the Lord. “He prayed for about five minutes and concluded with, ‘God, I just want to be with You.’ My last day in the hospital was my one chance to be used by the Lord so He could reach Marty in his last days here, in this world.”

You can listen to Chris’ full Local Story on our PODCAST.

On Sunday we heard a Local Story from Ryan Collins. Ryan shared with us the exciting news of his new upcoming season as a pastoral intern at Local Church St Pete while attending seminary school. He spoke about what led him here and highlighted God’s grace during his previous season.

Prior to now, Ryan was director of a residential group home for teenage boys in south St Petersburg for a non-profit called SailFuture. He shared about his various responsibilities in that role as he cared for boys ages 13-17.

“As much as I’ve been able to do some good work in these kids’ lives, God has used them and this season to work in my life as well. He’s highlighted so much selfishness in my life. There will be days I have expectations for how I want things to go and what I want to get done. God has taught me time and time again the value in holding those with a loose grip and being willing and ready to embrace what he has for me. I see played out time and time again the wisdom in the verse from Proverbs that says, ‘A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.’”

Ryan shared that one of his biggest takeaways from this experience is that there is power in simply loving people. “It’s difficult stepping into these kids’ worlds. It was hard for me to walk into kids lives and express my intention to love them and care for them. Because they don’t know who I am, so why should they give two licks what I have to say? And every other adult in their lives has walked out on them and given up on them so why should I be different? And what do I know about the things they’ve been through?”

He spoke of an instance in the bible that was comforting to him. The Pharisees had insulted Jesus calling him “a friend of tax collectors and sinners”. Ryan loves how Jesus would spend time with those who didn’t fit inside the mold and were wildly different from him, but would love on them the same way he loved everyone else.

Ryan’s final words were a prayer of encouragement, that the Lord would continue to mold all of us to be more like Him. You can listen to Ryan’s full Local Story on our PODCAST.

We want to serve our city in love. One way we’re doing that is to come alongside local ministries reaching the marginalized, hurting, abused and neglected of our city. As a church we will be collecting school supplies to help support Reach St. Pete’s mission to serve families in our city. Backpacks, school supplies and snacks are all welcome. Donations can be placed in our Reach St. Pete bin on Sunday

EXAMPLE ITEMS INCLUDE: BACKPACKS, HIGHLIGHTERS, NOTEBOOKS, RULERS, LOOSE-LEAF PAPER, ERASERS, PENCILS, COLORED PENCILS, BINDERS, MARKERS, CALCULATORS, GLUE STICKS

The book of John is an eyewitness account of Jesus’ final years. It puts the claims, controversies and cross of Jesus before us with artistry and grace. It brings everyone who reads it to a crossroads answering questions like “Who is Jesus? What did he claim about himself? What did he set out to accomplish? How does it impact our lives today?” Maybe you’ve never explored Jesus this way before or maybe you desire to deepen your faith in him. Regardless of where you are, we’ll go to the source and explore the story of Jesus together.

Gathering Sundays // 9a + 11a (Livestreaming our 11a gathering)

Shayna Webb | Local Story

We’ve all been in a waiting room.  Sitting in those uncomfortable chairs, staring at the clock, waiting to hear news of what’s to come.  We pace, we fret, we grow frustrated.  Exasperated, we think, “I’ve been waiting forever!  They should have responded to me by now!  What the heck is going on? Why is this taking so long?”

Within our society and sadly, more times than not, within the Church, singleness is approached the same way.  As a space of waiting rather than a space of opportunity.  In church we pray for couples, for families, for the elderly.  I hear people talk about marriage, divorce, grief, and blended families.  I often sit and think, what is the significance of my single season if all the instruction around it from society and the church is connected to marriage?

Then come the well-intended questions and comments aimed at my singleness.  Are you seeing anyone? What are you waiting for? You aren’t getting any younger.  And my favorite, he will show up when you stop looking for him. At times I find myself praying a prayer that sounds like this “God please bring me my husband.  I am so ready to be married.  What are you waiting for?”

There is a bitterness that creeps into my single season when I’m constantly focused on “marriage.”  Within me grows a sense of if I’m not married yet, I must be missing out.  This causes me to trudge through my single season waiting for marriage like it’s the next level of a video game.

For years I viewed my single season as a punishment from God.  That he was punishing me for not being good enough.  For mistakes I’d made. And even at times because I was downright unlovable.  If I’m honest, I still struggle with these traps today.

However, over time, I have come to learn that these thoughts and feelings are not of God. The enemy wants me to stop praying. He whispers, “God isn’t listening to you anyway.” To stop showing up to worship. He tells me “Girl why are you torturing yourself looking at all the married couples Sunday after Sunday.”  The Devil can easily have me seeing my single season as a burden versus a blessing. Choosing who God wants me to be in my single season starts with identifying the enemy’s traps so I can avoid them.

I am often pointed to 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 to soothe my pain when I struggle with my singleness.  This is where Paul details how it is better to be single as our concerns are about the Lord’s affairs and how to please him.  There is nothing competing for our time.

God is calling us to change our perspective on singleness as individuals and as a Church. If we let him, God can use our single season to shape us and make us into the people He created us to be.  God wants us to surrender this season of life to him, so we can deepen our relationship with him, and he has a perfect purpose and plan for us.  I believe the Church can be the catalyst to teach singles how to live out their single season for Christ.  It should be a place where there  is intentional discipleship and ministering around this season.

At 36, I think about all the opportunities I have had in this season to depend on God and deepened my relationship with him.   Opportunities that had I been married,  likely would not have been possible.  I have traveled to Thailand for 6 weeks, served in my community and church without hesitation.  I have changed jobs, moved to different cities, and changed plans without having to consider anyone but myself.

I know the longer God keeps me in my single season, the more opportunities I will have to depend on him.  The more opportunities I will have for my faith to grow. The more opportunities I will have to solidify myself in his word and decide to truly surrender my desires to him.   Am I perfect at doing this?  Of course not.  There have been times where I try to take over.  To do things my way instead of God’s way, but it never turns out well.  I end up facing painful consequences God was trying to keep me from.  But our God is a forgiving God, who welcomes me back into the fold with loving, open arms.

In closing, let me share a scenario with you.  You’re a parent heading to the playground with your 5 year old on a beautiful day.   You have an hour to kill, and your child is super excited about playing on the swings.  He is telling you how high he is going to go and how the air will feel on his face.   He is excited as you arrive at the playground only to discover that the swings have been roped off and are not available for use.   At this point your child starts pouting, wishing that the swing was ready for him to play with.  As a loving parent, you will comfort him and let your child know that though the swings are not ready, there are other ways he can enjoy his time at the playground.  He can choose to slide, play on the seesaw, climb the monkey bars, or take a spin on the merry-go-round.  You assure him that he can find other ways to enjoy his time even though the thing that he desires isn’t available.

Our single season is no different.  And just like a parent, our Heavenly Father is pointing us to other things that we can enjoy in this season of life.

God is calling us to see the benefits of this season with no conflicts, with freedom, and uninterrupted time with him.  And maybe, just maybe while we are out enjoying the other items on the single playground, time is passing and one day we look up and the swing is ready for us.  And if the swing is never ready, we will have discovered so many other ways to find joy in this season of life.

You can hear Shayna’s story HERE

On Monday, June 13th at 7PM we have the privilege of partnering with NO MORE to host an evening of education and equipping called FOR SALE – Uncovering the Reality of Human Trafficking.  This event is unique- with local bands, true stories, and experts in the field; FOR SALE looks to give people a window from which they can see, hear, experience, and understand both the heart of God & the plight of those caught in modern day slavery. We want to live with our eyes open to the brokenness taking place in our community and hope you’ll join us for this important event. Appropriate for ages 14+ – no childcare provided.

More info HERE.

Join us for a fun night at the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club. This will be a FREE family friendly event and a great opportunity to invite friends and neighbors. Bring some food and drinks for your family. Cues and discs provided.

St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club
559 Mirror Lake Dr N, St. Petersburg FL 33701