1st Sunday of Advent

Sunday, December 1st, 2024

10:30 am

Sermon:

"Let Heaven and Nature Sing:

O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

Sacred Text:

Matthew 1:18-24



Worship (in-person and online):

10:30 AM

A Word from Rev Ray

Merry Christmas! Can you believe that this coming Sunday marks the first Sunday of Advent? It feels like time has flown by, and yet here we are, on the threshold of this holy season.

In the spirit of our Christmas Concert theme, "Let Heaven and Nature Sing," our Advent series will reflect on the timeless beauty of Christmas carols. Each week, we'll explore how these familiar songs can offer us fresh insights and deepen our faith in ways we might not expect.

This Sunday, we will focus on the beloved hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," and reflect on the question, "Is my waiting in vain?" During the peaceful seasons of life, it's easy to take our faith for granted and not consider its true depth. But it is in the challenging moments that we come to truly appreciate the strength and hope our faith can provide. And even when God seems silent, we can trust that God is at work, and that God's timing is always perfect.

I invite you to join us throughout Advent as we prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and discover His presence in a new and profound way. May this season bless you with peace and renewal.

~Rev. Ray

King of Peace's 50th Anniversary

Mark your calendars now! On Friday, January 17th-Sunday, January 19th, 2025, King of Peace is celebrating our 50 years of ministry in Pinellas County!

On Friday evening, we will have a night of inspirational music with our special guests Jason and deMarco. (You can see what they are up to now here. You can listen to their music here.)

On Saturday evening, join us for the "Gold and White Gala", at M & N Event Hall, as we celebrate the 50 years of King of Peace MCC's impact on our community. It will be an unforgettable evening of dinner and music, with semi-formal attire encouraged- wear your best gold and white! To purchase tickets, click here. There are only 200 tickets, so don't wait!

Then on Sunday morning, we will join together for a very special time of worship, followed by a complimentary church picnic on the church grounds.

If you are interested or know someone who might be interested in purchasing a sponsorship in our anniversary program book, click here. For $10, you can contribute a 1-line congratulatory message in the Program Book. Contact the church office for more information about this!

As we honor our past, celebrate our present, and embrace our future...let's remember that God continues to be faithful, preparing our future filled with hope!

Upcoming Activities

Help us decorate the church for Christmas this Saturday, November 30th starting at 9 am. We will provide lunch! If you have any blue LED lights, blue Christmas ornaments or silk/artificial white, silver, blue poinsettias, bring them with you! If you have any questions, please contact the church office or email colorthesoul@yahoo.com!

We are now accepting donations of Gift Cards for our next Gift Card Bouquet. If you can, please donate a Gift Card of $5-$100 from anywhere (Wawa, McDonald's, Publix, etc.) for our Christmas Gift Card Bouquet. Tickets for your chance to win begin on Sunday, Dec. 1st.

Believe it or not, Christmas is coming soon! That means its time for our annual Christmas concert. Our choir, along with the choir from Church of the Trinity MCC in Sarasota, will be presenting "Let Heaven and Nature Sing" together. The concert will be offered at King of Peace on Saturday night, Dec. 14th at 6 pm. Tickets are $15. Because of the size of our space, tickets are limited. So you'll want to get them early! You can buy tickets here. (There will be a credit card processing fee!) If you need a scholarship to attend the concert, please see Jeremiah!

We will also present the concert at Church of the Trinity MCC in Sarasota on Sunday, Dec. 15th at 6 pm. You can find out how to get those tickets here.

An Angel Tree has been set up in the Social Hall, allowing congregants to select a tag representing a family of 2, 3, or 4 members. Individuals are requested to write their name next to the corresponding family number. It is important to return the gifts no later than Sunday, December 15th, as they will be distributed to families on December 18th. If you have any questions, please contact the church office or email melanie@churchstpetersburg.org.

Pull out your ugly sweaters and wear them to worship on Sunday, December 15th! A prize will be awarded to the ugliest sweater of them all!

Mark your calendars! Join us for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on December 24th at 8 pm! Joy to the world, the Lord has come!

MCC Congregations have been asked to participate in this online survey to discuss religious communities and congregational life in a post Covid world. If you would be willing, please click here and take the survey. It should take no longer than 15 minutes, and will generate answers specifically for our congregation. We would like to get at least 25 respondents. Deadline to take this survey is December 15th.

Want to schedule a meeting with Rev. Ray? Click here, and you can easily select a date and time that Rev. Ray has available. After you submit your scheduling, you'll receive a confirmation email.

This month, the Good Samaritan Food Pantry is in need of donations of Cereal and Crackers. If you are able to donate these items, please bring them to church with you on Sunday or you can drop them off at the church office Monday through Thursday from 9 am-5 pm. There will be a shopping cart in the foyer, just inside the front door, where you can please them.

Community Actitivities

Equality Florida held a Virtual Post-Election Town Hall to discuss the results of the election and how that will effect their action plan moving forward. To listen, click here.

The Gay Men's Chorus of Tampa Bay's Holiday Concert entitled "Slay Bells" will take place on Friday, December 6th at Allendale United Methodist Church (St. Pete) and Saturday, December 7th at Seminole Heights United Methodist Church (Tampa). For ticket information, click here. Get your tickets now, before they sell out!

Learn more about General Conference and Register to Attend Here!