For Pinellas

What does "FOR Pinellas" mean?

Too many times people only know what churches are against. We want to start a conversation about what St. Paul is FOR. We are FOR our neighbors, our community, families, elders, first responders, local businesses, those in need… We are FOR kindness, generosity, and positive change. We are FOR sharing God's love with our community. We are FOR Pinellas. 

How do we show that we are FOR Pinellas?

Being FOR Pinellas means reaching out to our community and showing them what God's love is all about. It also means lifting up the people in our community who are making Pinellas a great place to be! Some of the ways that you can show that we're FOR Pinellas:

 #FORpinellas

If you have a social media account, share the positive things you see in our community, or positive things you're doing, with the hashtag #FORpinellas. This might mean posting about the customer service you got that was above and beyond, or a local business that you've seen doing something positive for the community. It might be a random act of kindness you witnessed, or something you did. It might be the St. Paul ministry you're serving alongside. Anything that is making our community a better place — post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and tag it #FORpinellas so we can all share these positives.

Support Community Events

When we hear of community events, anything from Little League games to 5Ks, festivals to high school plays, we'll put together a St. Paul group to attend and cheer on our neighbors or support them by doing something like providing water at 5Ks. We'll get out into the community to show we care about our community and that we are FOR Pinellas.

Take part in St. Paul ministries that impact our community

St. Paul has many ways that we are already serving our community, with new ministries like our afterschool program starting soon. There are lots of ways for you to get involved. You can serve our kids and schools through FOR Our Kids ministries, you can help feed the hungry at Open Arms, you can offer encouragement and connection to the isolated through Smile Makers, make winter hats for local kids and the homeless in Prayer Shawl, or make blankets for nursing homes in Dorcas Sewing Circle. Sign up on the Connect Card on Sunday or contact us if you are interested in serving in any of these ways. 

Wear the Shirt

Visit the Connection Center or the church office to get your FOR Pinellas t-shirt! Wear it out in the community and if anyone asks you what it means, tell them that St. Paul is FOR our community, and FOR them! When we serve the community at VBS or Back to School Jubilee, or if we go as a group to support an event in the community, we'll wear our shirts so everyone can see we are FOR Pinellas. Shirts are available for a donation of $5 ($6 if paying by credit card). We welcome additional donations if you would like to cover the cost of a shirt for someone who can't afford it.

FOR Pinellas Cards

Pick up FOR Pinellas cards in the Connection Center or in the back of the pew and carry them with you. If you do a random act of kindness, like paying for someone's meal or coffee at a drive-thru, give the server a card so they know why you're doing it. If you're sharing someone's story on social media, or someone asks you about your FOR Pinellas shirt, you can give them a card so they understand what FOR Pinellas means.

Let's be a positive force in our community!