Worship – January 21st
Youth Life News
Can you believe Ash Wednesday is right around the corner on February 13? So, we are going to have a “Shrove Tuesday” breakfast youth fundraiser on Sunday, February 11. We will serve a pancake breakfast between the services and after the 10:30 service. You all do an amazing job cooking breakfast for our fellow church members. If you …
Picture Directory Photos This Weekend
We will be taking photos in the Gathering Area and the Fellowship Hall Jan 20 & 21 before and after all services. Our church database software allows us to create our own directory (which we already do) and to add photos if we choose. These will not be professional photos. Please stop by either photo …
Congregational Meeting
All are invited to receive information on the proposed budget, the Mission Plant Church property, and all ministries of 2023. All members will be able to vote to approve the budget for 2024. Your attendance and vote are important and we hope you will make plans to attend. A light lunch will be provided following …
Monthly Game Night
Join us this Saturday, January 20th at 6:45 pm. All are invited although we do not provide childcare or nursery – bring a snack to share if you like.
Faithful Friday – January 19th
Dear Disciple of Christ, So, what would you say is the “work of the church,” our responsibility as disciples gathered into a community of Christ? I’m thinking of a specific work in the midst of many things that churches do. I expect (and hope) that your first thought (or one of your top few) relates to Matthew …
Pacetti Road Property Update
It has been a very busy few weeks dealing with the possible purchase of the Pacetti Road Property with the intent to plant a mission church in St. John’s County. Over the past several months we have been actively involved in “due diligence”. This is to ensure the property can be developed with a church and all of its …
Youth Life News
Happy Epiphany! Did you notice the change? We’ve changed colors again, going from blue for Advent to green for Epiphany. Notice the color change on the altar and the banner change. As the seasons of the church change, so do the colors on the altar. Our next youth fundraiser is a Pancake Breakfast coming up Sunday, February …
SOTW Happenings – January 13th
Worship – January 14th
It’s Not Too Late To Join Alpha…
Congregational Meeting
Our annual congregation meeting will be held on Sunday, January 21st following the 10:30 worship service. We will present the Annual Report, Budget 2024, updates on the Pacetti Road Property and we’ll be sharing priorities and goals for 2024 and beyond.
Five Love Languages for Children Workshop for Parents and Grandparents
Join us Saturday, January 20th from 9am-Noon. Cost is $15 per person which includes breakfast and your book. Por Peacock will lead participants through Dr. Gary Chapman’s book, incorporating Scripture with an eye toward building stronger relationships with all the children in our lives. Let love lead our relationships with children, not guilt and shame and help …
Read more “Five Love Languages for Children Workshop for Parents and Grandparents “
Faithful Friday – January 12th
Dear Disciple of Christ, If you’re a member of the congregation I serve, Shepherd of the Woods Lutheran in Jacksonville, Florida, you’re aware of a program we’ve participated in called “vicarage.” Every pastor is required to go through that year of “internship” though not every congregation serves as a vicarage site. That program was developed after World …
Youth News
Happy New Year! Welcome to 2024! Welcome back youth who attended Equipped this past weekend. All had a great time immersing themselves in the Word, enjoying fellowship time with each other, and enjoying the beauty of Jekyll Island. Please see the pictures below. Thank you to Pastor DiBias, Pastor Phillips and Shelley DiBias for chaperoning this event. …
Budget Information Meeting
2024 Budget Information Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 14th at 9:40am for those interested in receiving more in-depth information. We thank you for your support. We are able to share and show Christ in our community and in the world because of you!
Little Lambs Early Learning Center Open House
Little Lambs will host the community on Sat., Jan 13 from 10am to Noon. If you or someone you know is looking for a quality, faith-based preschool or for an accredited VPK program, please make plans to attend. Classrooms will be open, and you can meet the teachers and learn all about the robust curriculum.
Site Visit With Prospective Vicar
Shepherd of the Woods has had a long history of encouraging and equipping individuals for ministry. Over the years we’ve been host to many vicars who were preparing to serve as a pastor in a church. Candidates are generally 3 or 4 years into their master’s degree program at a seminary and require one year in a …
SOTW Happenings – January 7th
Worship – January 7th
Church Mission Plant Update
We continue to work through our necessary due diligence to purchase the Pacetti Road property (near World Golf Village) to ensure the property may be developed to support the work and ministry of the church. Due to some recommended additional testing needs our inspection period has been extended into early January. Our new projected closing …
Welcome To Alpha
Dear Disciple, You may have been heard about ALPHA recently and wondered what it’s all about! ALPHA is a series of structured sessions which explore the basics of faith in an open, informal environment with no judgement and no pressure. This is a great opportunity for those who are “seeking” or wrestling in the faith …
Liturgical Worship – A Lutheran Introduction
Whether you are a life-long Lutheran or new to the faith practices and traditions of the Lutheran church, this study will provide a Biblical and historical background for why we utilize liturgy in worship. This class is offered on Saturdays at 4:15pm and on Sunday mornings at 9:30. It has just begun and continues through …
Learn More About Alpha
SOTW Happenings – December 30th
Worship – December 31st
Pictorial Directory
We are planning to create a new “inhouse” church directly after the new year and will be taking photos on the weekends of January 13 & 14 and January 20 and 21. Stay tuned for more information!
Shepherd Shelves Ministry
We have people stop in almost daily in need of supplemental food assistance and we need canned fruit, rice, shelf-stable milk, pasta, pasta sauce, canned meats (all kinds), cereals, oatmeal, grits, lunchbox items like granola bars and fruit cups, canned and microwavable soups, toilet paper and hygiene items. Thank you for your generous care of our …
Christmas Blessings – Peru
Christmas blessings to our brothers and sisters in Christ in Peru! Thank you for extending your love and care of Christ through our Christmas outreach ministry. Christmas greetings and blessings were shared with the Benefencia just outside of Tarma. Your support provided gifts and coats to the orphanage for children and seniors. Thank you!
Peru Mission Trip Update
Due to the American Embassy alert notification, we are postponing our January trip to Tarma. Mark your calendar, however, for July 29 , 2024 – August 8, 2024. If you would like information about possibly joining us on this trip, please indicate your interest on the Yellow Insert or contact the church office.
Alpha Course Meal Volunteers Needed
We will begin our next Alpha Course on Tuesday; Jan 9th and this series will run for ten weeks. Each meeting begins with a shared meal, and we need several volunteers to prepare dinner one week (or more if you chose). We have about half of our slots filled already but would like to fill the …
Quilting Ministry Update
On Sat, Dec 30th there will be an All-Day, Drop-In Workshop from 9am to 4pm where all these activities will happen as well as sewing tops and creating new sewing kits and new cutting kits. Jobs for every skill level!! You can come for a few hours or for the entire day. We always have a pot …
Christmas Greetings
Dear Friends, It is so good to have you join us for worship this Christmas. We welcome you into an exciting and vibrant community in Christ who gather in His name each week. We hope you will enjoy your time with us today and consider returning often. At Shepherd of the Woods, we consider the …
Happenings – December 24th
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Worship
Equipped Youth Retreat
Equipped Youth Retreat is December 29-31, Villas by the Sea, Jekyll Island. This weekend event full of service, reflection, study and fun is open to those in 7th-12th grade(youth life youth). The cost is $110 per person and includes lodging and food.
Thank You…
We offer everyone a HUGE Christmas thank you……. – to all who have donated food throughout the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons – Angel Aid has put together so many boxes for their families this year thanks to your generous donations. All of their families are caring for children who are either terminally ill or chronically ill. Many of …
Explore Alpha…
Just after New Year’s we will begin our next Alpha course – a ten-week series of weekly sessions for anyone who wants to find answers to questions like “Is there really a God?”, “What does it mean to be Christian?” or “Is there more to life than what I am living?” It is designed for those seeking a connection to God but …
Christmas in Peru Donations
We will be sponsoring the children at the Orphanage and the elderly residents at the Beneficencia as well as the Huancal community and select individuals in a community outreach program through the Tarma congregation. Sponsoring a child or senior to provide hot chocolate, panettone (a delicious bread with fruit) and a small gift is just …
Weekend Worship Services
Weekend Worship Services Saturday at 5:30pm (Traditional Liturgy) Sunday at 8:30am (Traditional Liturgy) Sunday at 10:30am (Contemporary) – Live-streamed Other Information: Access to Online Worship Information Christmas Worship Services Christmas Eve Services – Sunday, Dec 24 at 5:00pm, 7:00pm, 9:00pm & 11:00pm 5:00pm – Traditional Service with Children’s Homily ** Live Streamed 7:00pm – Traditional Service 9:00pm – Cantata …
Christmas Day Potluck
This year the Fellowship Hall will be a place to gather with brothers and sisters in Christ after the Christmas Day Worship service. We will have a good ol’ fashioned pot-luck luncheon after the 10:30 am worship service. For additional details, please contact the church office.
Christmas Eve Worship
Angel Tree
The Christmas gift tags for children from the Angel Aid Foundation have arrived and there might be a few left – if so, they are available in the hallway. If you take a tag, please make sure you leave your name and contact information! Financial donations are also appreciated – we can do the shopping for you! Just mark your …
Fellowship Dinner & Christmas Cantata
Join us on Wednesday, December 20th. We will celebrate the season in worship with Word through music. Dinner will be held at 5:30 pm and the Cantata presentation at 6:30 pm. The cantata will be presented again on Christmas Eve at the 9:00 pm service.
Join Alpha Beginning January 9th
SOTW Happenings – December 10th
Holiday Meal Baskets
We are collecting non-perishables for our friends in ministry at Angel Aid for their family Christmas Baskets. There is a specially marked bin in the Gathering Area for this food drive. You are welcome to continue providing items to our food pantry during the drive. Most Needed: canned fruit and vegetables, canned soups and broth, boxed …
Worship – December 10th
Children’s Christmas Program
Our Little Lambs ELC children and our Sunday School children will celebrate the season in Word and song on Wednesday, December 13th at 6:30 pm. Plan to attend and be blessed by the proclamation of the young ones.
Family Christmas Caroling
Join us Sunday, December 10th at Noon – All are welcome as we visit shut-ins and to minister to members and others in our communty. We gather in the Shepherd Center at 11:40 for a quick meal. Please indicate your participation on the Yellow Insert so we can plan the groups & routes.
Ladies Christmas Luncheon
Ladies of all ages are invited to join us on Saturday, December 9th from 11 am to 1 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring a salad or a dessert (or both if you choose!) and enjoy a time of food, fun, and fellowship. It is always a wonderful time! If you have not already signed up, …
Youth Life News
Christmas Caroling is this Sunday, December 10th, following the 10:30 worship service. This is a wonderful way to spread holiday cheer to our friends who are “shut-ins”. Folks will carpool after a quick lunch following the worship service to various locations. If you would like to participate, let me know. Songbooks are provided. Families are encouraged to participate! …
Explore Alpha
Dear Disciple, You may have been heard about ALPHA recently and wondered what it’s all about! ALPHA is a series of structured sessions which explore the basics of faith in an open, informal environment with no judgement and no pressure. This is a great opportunity for those who are “seeking” or wrestling in the faith and what …
Happenings at SOTW – December 3rd
Christmas Worship Schedule
Worship – December 3rd
Christmas Caroling
Lunch and Legos
This Coming Sunday, Dec 3, 12:30 – 4:30pm, for our children’s youth ministry, ages PreK4-Sixth Grade. Fellowship, food, and fun when we come together to eat pizza and enjoy building with Legos. Kids are welcome to bring their own Legos if they like! This is a great opportunity for parents to take four hours for …
Faithful Friday – December 1st
Dear Disciple of Christ, I don’t know if you can imagine what it was like for my two daughters to grow up with me as their father (or, for that matter, my wife to have me as her husband). All things were connected so that which I learned as a husband or father impacted what I …
Advent Service of Light
Youth Life News
Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you to everyone for helping with Sandwich Sunday. We made over 100 sandwiches in about 30 minutes! You all are awesome! See pictures below. Wreaths Across America is a service project we will be participating in on Saturday, December 16, starting at noon. This is a community service hour event. We are in need …
Happenings at SOTW – November 26th
Advent Service of Light & Christmas Tree Lighting
Worship – November 26th
Peru Mission Update
We are beginning to plan our 2024 trips to Tarma, Peru, targeting late January for our first trip and mid-summer for the second one. Our early trip is usually more administrative in nature, planning projects and estimating needs but does include work on the property as needed. Our summer trip usually is more project-oriented with …
Advent Update
Faithful Friday – November 24th
Dear Disciple of Christ, A blessed thanksgiving to you and your family. If you are like many, you may well be doing your best to gather with your family and friends for food and fellowship. We see just how hard it is getting for people to make it home in a few days of travel but they …
Thanksgiving Eve Worship Live Stream
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5 Please join us for a time of thanksgiving to our Lord and Savior for His gifts as we gather for worship, …
Church Office Hours Update
Our Church and The Early Learning Center offices will be closed on Thursday 11/23 and Friday 11/24 as our Pastors and Staff celebrate Thanksgiving and enjoy time with loved ones. If you have a pastoral care need, please use the cell phone numbers: Pastor Phillips – pastorkphillips@aol.com or 904-477-0544 Pastor Johnson – prglj@aol.com or 904-881-7689 Pastor Peacock – …
Updated National Youth Gathering Information
We are excited to share with you the information we received regarding the NALC Continental Youth Gathering for 2024! The youth gathering is open to any 7th – 12th grade youth. We hope you’ll prayerfully consider this opportunity to grow in faith with disciples from across the country!! Please see the general “who, what, when and …
Happenings – November 17th
Upcoming Advent Dates 2023
Wed, Nov 29 – Fellowship Dinner and Advent Service of Light Sun, Dec 3 – Lunch-n-Legos Sat, Dec 9 – Women’s Christmas Luncheon Sun, Dec 10 – Family Christmas Caroling Wed, Dec 13 – Children’s Christmas Program Sat. Dec 16 – Wreaths Across America (for youth) Wed Dec 20 – Fellowship Dinner and Christmas Cantata …
Worship – November 19th
Thanksgiving Eve and Luncheon
We will have Thanksgiving Eve worship on Wed, November 22 at Noon and at 6:30pm. This is a time of worship through gratitude and a wonderful opportunity to worship Our Community Thanksgiving Luncheon will be held at 1:00pm and all are welcome. Please indicate your attendance on the Yellow Insert and let us know how …
Thanksgiving Luncheon Volunteers
Looking ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday, please prayerfully consider how you might offer the gifts of time and talents. Please mark your calendar for worship and the meal. All are welcome and we encourage you to use these services to invite others to Shepherd of the Woods. Would you like to donate and/or roast a …
Holiday Meal Baskets
Looking ahead to the Thanksgiving holiday, please prayerfully consider how you might offer the gifts of time and talents. Please mark your calendar for worship and the meal. All are welcome and we encourage you to use these services to invite others to Shepherd of the Woods. We are collecting non-perishables for our friends in …
Stewardship Response Weekend
Living in God’s Abundance as stewards of his grace! Dear Disciples, Over the past five weeks we’ve been blessed to receive the gifts of those in our congregation who provided devotions and temple talks as they reflected on what it meant to them to live in God’s abundant grace. Their words, written and spoken, are …
Faithful Friday – November 17th
Dear Disciple of Christ, “Each one, as a good manager of God’s different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God. Those who preach must preach God’s messages; those who serve must serve with the strength that God gives them, so that in all things praise may be …
Thanksgiving Opportunities
Christmas Cantata
Christmas Cantata Singers – We are beginning to rehearse for the Cantata which will be presented on Wednesday, Dec 20 and on Christmas Eve at the 9:00pm service. We invite all who would like to participate to join us on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 7:30pm. Even if you are not part of the regular Sunday choirs, …
Grief Support Group
We have begun a new series for those seeking support following loss of a loved one. This group meets Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30pm on 11/14, and 11/28. These sessions are open to anyone who wants to participate. If you have a friend or neighbor that might benefit from participating, please pass on the information. Please use the Yellow Connection …
Happenings at SOTW – November 13th
Thanksgiving Eve Worship
Worship – November 12th
Faithful Friday – November 10th
Jesus said: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. …
Pumpkin Patch Thank You
Pumpkin Patch Thank You – we are so grateful for the countless helping hands who worked on and in the patch, unloaded orbs, took shifts greeting and selling and helping with all the breakdown and packing away. What a massive team effort!! We generated over $16,000 in sales which will, in turn, provide us with more than $5,000 to various …
Serving at JAX Beach Mission House
Weekly Happenings and Announcements
Worship – November 5th
Youth Life News
Happy November! Thank you to everyone who helped with the Pumpkin Patch this year. Your help was greatly appreciated! Confirmation Blessings to Saraya Howard, Freya Lindstad, and Christian Sheprow who celebrated their confirmation this past Sunday during the 10:30 worship service! See their pictures below. Continue to keep them in your prayers as they continue their …
Stewardship: Living in God’s Abundance as Stewards of His Grace
We are blessed by God’s abundance in so many ways. We live loved by Him, redeemed by Him, led by Him and gifted by Him. Over the next few weeks, we invite you to continue reflecting on how God has blessed you through your time, talents and resources. May our prayers be shaped around how we …
Read more “Stewardship: Living in God’s Abundance as Stewards of His Grace”
Faithful Friday – November 3rd
Dear Disciple of Christ, By any chance do you remember your confirmation (if you had one)? I expect, if you had that class (most often led by a pastor), you might get some cold chills down your spine at the question. In my day, in my church’s practice, we studied for two years to be able to …
Looking Ahead…
Happenings – October 27th
Worship – October 29th
Men’s Bible Study and Breakfast
All men are invited to join us Sat., Nov 4 at 8:00am. We begin with breakfast and then our study starts about 8:30. An online Zoom option is also offered for those not able to attend in person. Please sign up on the Yellow Insert if possible so we can plan the meal. Bring your Bibles …
Pumpkin Patch Updates
We had a great time Saturday at Party in the Patch with more than 300 visitors. Your youth volunteered all day, along with lots of adults, doing everything from set up to manning games to ringing up sales to helping with the clean-up. Thank you! Thank you to all who have offered- and continue to …
Alpha Prayer Team
Alpha Prayer Team – Our first run of Alpha in the spring was successful and we will begin the series again in January. Alpha is a 10 to 12-week series that primarily targets people who are seeking a connection to God and want to explore information on who Jesus is and what becoming a Christian can mean …
Ronald McDonald House Support
Ronald McDonald House does a wonderful job supporting parents by providing housing and meals in a nearby facility while their child is hospitalized in a city somewhere other than where they live. Like most non-profit organizations, they are continuously striving to keep supplies and food on hand to keep this support available to those who …