An update from Carole Alexander on Local Church St. Pete's partnership with Next Stepp Pregnancy Care Center. 

It’s easier to sit back and wait for others to step up when you don’t feel like you have much to offer. It’s hard to participate when you’re still trying to figure out how your part contributes to the big picture. Ephesians 4:1-16 reminds us that every follower of Jesus has been called and equipped. What is that calling? And how has Jesus himself equipped you to not only see the part you play but carry it out?

Local stories are stories of God's grace at work in the lives of those who are a part of Local Church St. Pete.  We want to highlight his activity and celebrate his grace.

Imagine a love that has no bounds. A love that isn’t ours to define but is ours to experience. Imagine this love so captures our affections and imagination that it shapes our day-to-day decisions and deepens our spiritual maturity. Ephesians 3:14-21 is a prayer that we would know the inexhaustible love of Christ; a love that takes hold of us and invites us to take hold of it.

A demonstration of wisdom and power unlike any other. An eternal plan that enables us to overcome with hope and wonder. Ephesians 3:1-13 is a mystery revealed, a breathtaking vision of the church- and we are invited into it.

We live in a radically individualistic culture where it has become increasingly common to write others off – especially those who aren’t like us. Ephesians 2:11-22 is our passport out of isolation and strife, out of bitterness and resentment and into a diverse community of people humbled by grace. If we’re going to experience the healing, restoration and access this passport provides, we’ll need to bring it with us wherever we go.

Ephesians 2:1-10 is our portrait. It’s a description of the crisis we were in and the action God took to intervene. As we step up to this canvas and take a closer look, we discover The Artist’s fingerprints are all over the place – his love, purpose and grace has produced a masterpiece.

Feelings of hopelessness and weakness, shame and fear can easily begin to overshadow our lives and redefine what is true. Ephesians 1:15-23 is a prayer for the Spirit to bring revelation – to “turn the lights on” and give followers of Jesus eyes to see. That we would know the hope we’re invited into, that we would know our true value and worth, and that we would know where our strength comes from.

Life on this earth brings an array of joys, sorrows, blessings and setbacks. Sometimes, it is hard to know the purpose of it all. In Ephesians 1, we discover cosmic realities that provide ultimate meaning and unparalleled hope.

An update from Elicia Hinson on Local Church St. Pete's partnership with St. Petersburg Free Clinic.