Our dear friends,
 
May the blessings of the Season be yours as we celebrate the birth of our Savior! What a privilege it is to serve Him together with you. Let’s resolve to let His light shine as we enjoy the festivities of Christmas and Hanukkah. 
 
We have enjoyed great victories and suffered deep losses over this past year. But God has been faithful to preserve and guide us through these difficult months as we’ve kept our eyes on Him.  As you know, we never closed down here at Christian Retreat, believing that we are to be the light in the darkness, a place of refuge. The “New Normal” for the Body of Christ is to rise up, stand out and be strong in the Lord. We rejoice to see Covid numbers plummet here in Florida. God is answering prayer!

Winning souls into the Kingdom has always been our mission, and we’re seeing much fruit. Every week there are souls being saved and recently we baptized 25 people in the Gulf of Mexico. What a beautiful time we had, as many bystanders heard the Gospel message. YOU are a part of this.

More than 2,300 people showed up for Winterfest, an outreach to our community, and now we’re preparing for our Christmas program, “Back to the Manger,” on Sunday, Dec. 19th. You’re also invited to our church Christmas party on Dec. 22nd. We want you to feel loved and included in our family, especially those of you who may feel alone. Check our website for other upcoming events during this season, including our traditional 7:00 Candlelight Christmas Eve service. 

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Come out Wednesday night at 7pm for our annual Christmas Party with the Derstines.  This will take the place of our normal Bible Study service.

Friday, December 24, 2021 @ 7pm

 Friday, December 31, 2021

Mark your calendar now to attend a special New Year’s Eve service at Christian Retreat, with dinner (7:00) and concert (8:00), featuring the entire Brock Family and singer, songwriter from Israel, Elihana Elias.   Join us in this important evening of praise and prayer for the New Year!

And there’s still time to register for the 2022 class of the Institute of Ministry, our 10-week “School of the Spirit” beginning Jan. 17th. Email us at connect@instituteofministry.com or call 941-746-2882, Ext. 427.

Pledge today and make contributions throughout 2022.

A professional security team is designing this state-of-the-art system, for an “at cost” price of $50,000.  After much prayer and counsel, we feel this is a wise investment in the lives of our staff, children, youth and guests who spend time with us. Financially, it’s a huge step of faith…I’m praying that our partners will sow into this necessary project. 

With the help of our friends and partners, we have been sending support for food and building supplies to our churches and needy families in Haiti, where recent earthquakes and storms have brought more devastation. We’re also determined to build a couple new homes for families who lost everything in the earthquake.  This is life-changing relief for these precious people who depend on the Lord every day for their existence in the midst of poverty and political turmoil.

for helping us make a difference in peoples’ lives. It means the world to Jannette and me to know you are standing with us. We love you and keep you in our prayers. Send us any special prayer requests and consider sowing a Christmas or end-of-the-year seed (click on the button). 
 

Celebrating His birth,
 
 
Pastor Phil & Jannette Derstine