Sunday, December 11th, 2022

3rd Sunday of Advent

Sermon Title:

"Rejoice in the Lord"

Sacred Text:

Isaiah 12:2-6

Worship (in-person and online): 11:15 AM

A Word from Lorraine

Pastoral Search Team Update

You can find any regular updates from our Pastoral Search Team here in King of Peace Matters or our website here.

Last Sunday the Pastoral Search Team made an announcement that they had emailed their pastoral and congregational profile survey to all the members of King of Peace. If you didn't receive it, or if you are a friend of the church or someone who attends on a regular basis, please send an email to pastoralsearch@churchstpetersburg.org and request the survey.

Your input is very important because, based on the results, it will help us find the ideal pastoral candidate. Act now- the deadline for completing the survey is December 18th.

Upcoming Activities

It's that time again for our monthly Breakfast Club. Everyone is welcome. Join us on Thursday, December 8th at 9 am at Parkside Cafe (8180 49th St. N, Pinellas Park).

Come be Together Again for Christmas this weekend with holiday music from King of Peace MCC and Church of the Trinity MCC (Sarasota). We will offer the concert at both locations. Saturday, Dec. 10th at 5 pm you can join us at King of Peace. (For those unable to attend in person, we will live stream the concert on Saturday on the King of Peace Facebook page.) Sunday, Dec. 11th at 5 pm, you can join us at Church of the Trinity (7225 Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota). This will be a free concert, but there will be a freewill love offering received. The monies received at the concert at King of Peace will go to our Music Fund. We hope you'll make plans to join us. Tell all your friends and family. This will be a great way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Become a Covenant Keeper

Covenant Keepers is our Stewardship program for 2023. Make a covenant with God through King of Peace MCC in six areas of your life: Presence, Spiritual Growth, Prayer, Financial Support, Witness, and Service. If you haven't yet filled one out, you can get your Covenant Keeper Commitment Card here. Email melanie@churchstpetersburg.org with any questions.

Thank you so much for your generosity towards the donation of gift cards for the Gift Card Bouquet. Every Sunday before and after worship through Dec. 18th, we will sell tickets for a chance to win this bouquet just before the Christmas holiday. If you are the winner, you will receive $765 worth of gift cards.

Tickets are:

1 for $5

3 for $10

10 for $20

If you have any questions, email melanie@churchstpetersburg.org.

Buy a Poinsettia and help us make the sanctuary even more beautiful for Christmas. Poinsettias are $15 (per poinsettia) and can be purchased in honor or memory of a loved one(s). Fill out the form and put it in an offering plate with the payment. Last day to place an order is Sunday, Dec. 11th. You can find the form here. If you have any questions, call the church office or email melanie@churchstpetersburg.org.

It's that time of year again! Dust off your ugly sweaters and wear them to church on Sunday, Dec. 18th. The person who wears the ugliest sweater of them all wins a prize!

Every year, we help provide some Christmas cheer for a local organization. The men and women at Turning Point, a local drug rehab center, are always quick to help us whenever we need help with moving furniture, putting up ceiling tiles, decorating for Christmas. Turning Point is always there to help out! So, this Christmas we want to say thanks to them for all they have provided for us.

We are hoping to provide for 40 Turning Point residents. The following items are things that we need:

• Small Duffel bags
• Tooth brushes and Tooth Paste
• Conditioner
• Deodorant
• Bars of Soap
• Wash Cloths
• Travel Soap Container
• Combs and Brushes
• Composition Books
• Note Pads
• Ballpoint Pens

Please drop off all your donations to the church by Sunday, Dec. 18th. Thank you in advance! If you have any questions, email melanie@churchstpetersburg.org.

If you would like to give an extra Christmas Offering to the church this year, we would like to invite you to pick up a stocking, put your offering in the envelope, fill it out and put it back in the stocking and drop it in the offering plate. We will hang the stocking on the mantle to represent each Christmas gift we receive.

As a way to say thank you to our pastors for their care of our congregation and their leadership, every year at Christmas time, we receive a love offering for them. If you'd like to participate in this, whether electronically or on your check or cash in an envelope, please write "Pastor Love Offering". If you have questions or need help with this, call the church office or email melanie@churchstpetersburg.org.

As you finalize your holiday plans for this year, we hope you'll include worship at King of Peace. We will have a weekend filled with worship to usher in the Christ child and celebrate that silent and most holy night. We'll have our annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on Saturday, Dec. 24th at 8 pm. Then, since Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, we will gather again on Christmas morning (Sunday, Dec. 25th) at 11:15 am. There's no better place to be than King of Peace and we hope you'll join us to declare, "Joy to the world, the Lord is come."

Join us in the Fellowship Hall each Sunday from 10:30-11 am for coffee and refreshments! If it's your week to bring something to share, our Hospitality Team would greatly appreciate it.

Do you know of anyone within our congregation who might need some congregational care or for us to offer their name in prayer during Sunday service? If so, please email revlorraine@churchstpetersburg.org.

Upcoming Community Activities

The LGBTQ Resource Center has an upcoming event that should be of interest to you. On Thursday, December 8 at 7pm at the Gulfport Library, SpeakOut is hosting The Queerness of Faith: The Intersections of LGBTQ Identity and Faith. God's love is not a heterosexual privilege. Join Episcopal priest Rev. Liz Edman and author Dr. Susan Gore in a dialogue about the cost of spiritual violence and the transformative insights LGBTQ people bring to religious faith. You can register through here. This free event will be available in person at the Gulfport Library or online through Zoom.

If you'd like any more information about any of these activities, you can call Jane Haskell at 727.328.5526 or email janehaskell@empathhealth.org.

Buy from Amazon, Give Back to King of Peace

If you are someone who likes to shop on Amazon, did you know that you could purchase things and have King of Peace receive a percentage of donation based on your purchase? Go to smile.amazon.com and fill out the information to have King of Peace MCC be your charitable organization.