Dear Servants of the Lord, My reflections during my Sabbatical still impact my understanding of ministry and congregational life. Some of the books spoke more powerfully than others and one such book was, “What Every Pastor Should Know: 101 Indispensable Rules of Thumb for Leading Your Church.” Reflection #24 suggests that “Nine of every ten new members …
Cooking & Serving at Beaches Mission House – Tuesday, March 30, 5:00 pm – If you would like to help cook dinner at Mission House or help serve and clean-up, please join us for either or both! No experience needed and we supply everything. Just wear clothes that can get dirty and close-toed shoes! Please …
Children & Family Celebration – Saturday, April 4 – 11am – 1pm – All families with children are invited for a time of fun, learning, games and an egg hunt. Please RSVP on the yellow Connect Card or contact the church office for more information. We will have food trucks – hot dogs & ice …
Dine with Us- Southern Comforts was a great success! You all served over 100 meals and received over $2100 in donations plus another $1000 in matching funds from Benevolence. This is before expenses but you all still raised a lot of funds for your upcoming trips. Thank you to all of our volunteers- youth and adults! …
Dear Partners in the Gospel, I’d like to begin with a familiar reminder that Paul gave the Corinthians and that is always a good reminder for us. In the famous 12th chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul talks about the nature of the body of Christ (with us being members of the body) and …
Join us Sat., March 28 at 10:00am – If you are interested in being connected to VBS this year – the dates are July 13-17 – please join us for this preliminary planning session. Please indicate your interest on the yellow Connect Card or contact the church office with any questions.
We will have our annual yard sale on Saturday, April 18th from 7am to 1pm. Your donations and your purchases support the ongoing mission work being done in Peru. Offering your time and energy during the week of April 13, preparing for and hosting the yard sale, has a direct impact on the mission. Thank you in advance for any …
Easter Preparations will soon be underway!! And Many hands make light work! You are invited to help on Saturday, March 21 from 8:00am to Noon as we continue to make our grounds and our Prayer Garden & Columbarium area beautiful. We know we see a lot of visitors during Holy Week and Easter and we …
Shepherd of the Woods has been in mission in Peru since 2005. We’ve been blessed to make numerous trips over the years to share God’s love and hope and the Good News of Jesus Christ through word and deed. God has been at work through us and countless lives have been touched. We often say …
Join us Sat., March 21 at 6:45 for fun, food and fellowship. This is a great way to meet folks who worship at different times. Bring a snack to share if you want to. All are welcome – invite a friend!
In February the benevolence Committee approved donations to SON – Spiritual Orphans network. This organization has strong ties to NALC and LCMC and serves in Eastern European countries to reignite Christianity in former Soviet and communist countries. Also, to Water Mission, a non-profit committed to bringing clean drinking water to impoverished communities and to Heifer …
Kids and Koinonia Family Ministry Dinner –– Saturday, March 14 – Koinonia is the ancient Biblical Greek word for fellowship. All families with children Pre-K through Grade Six are invited to join us for food, fellowship and a conversation about faith. From 5:30 – 7:30pm. The adults will enjoy a lovely dinner in the Fellowship …
Dear Brother and Sister in Christ, It amazes me how long it took me to realize what the mission was that the Father had given His Son to accomplish in the world. I think I had always focused on His death (for our sins). I may have realized the importance of the resurrection as well, but I …
OneBlood Bloodmobile will be onsite next weekend, Sunday, March 8 – you can pre-register to donate at oneblood.org or just show up. Thank you gifts are offered to all donors – a t-shirt, a $20 e-gift card and a health screening. Each donation is estimated to help three recipients, often saving lives. Please consider donating …
Dear Partners in the Gospel, One of the concerns raised in many of the books I read on Sabbatical, refer to the generational differences. Without going into too much detail, there are groups of people who, based on age, whose perspectives and interaction with the world, the culture and the church differ. Briefly (and the list and …
All ladies, all ages, are invited to join us for our monthly meeting on Monday, March 2. We begin at 6:00 with a devotion over dinner, followed by our meeting at 6:30. Dinner is always potluck – make anything you like, if you are able. Can’t arrive in time for dinner? Then please come at …
Come Dine with Us– March 7. 3 pm -9 pm. This is a huge fundraiser for the youth group. Please plan on participating. Parents, we will need your help too! Our theme this year is Southern Comforts-Taste of Home! We will have two seatings: one at 5 pm and another at 7 pm. We usually serve 100 people …
Save the Date – Sat, March 14, – an event for children Pre-K through Grade Six and their families. 5:30pm – 7:30 with dinner provided.
This year we will support our local community by items to support Jacksonville Family Promise. This organization helps families facing or experiencing homelessness. We have a goal to collect 500 items and raise $500 during the 5 weeks of Lent. Please use the link below for the list of items most needed with the list of items most needed by these organization. There …
Midweek Lenten Worship Services Wednesdays at Noon – Live-streamed Wednesdays at 6:30pm Each Wednesday through March 25th During Lent, through March 25 we offer Lenten Worship at Noon and at 6:30 with a Fellowship Meal of at 5:30pm. Our focus of reflection this year is answering the question of “Why Lent?”, why do we observe the faith …
Join us in reflection this Lent & Easter season “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus …
Calling all parents and grandparents – please stop by the table in the Gathering Area this weekend to speak with Sherrie Prendergast who is our Children’s Ministry Coordinator. She has ordered some wonderful materials to share with your children during the season of Lent. This is not always an easy topic to explain to children …
Read more “Families with Children – Lenten Educational Resources”
Monthly Game Night is Saturday, February 21st at 6:45 pm.– Come out for an evening of fun, food and friends, There are board games, card games, and more. Bring a snack or dish to share if you want. If not, we always have plenty!! All ages are welcome, but we do not offer childcare or …
Knitters, Crocheters and those who want to learn – meet each Wednesday at 1:30. This group is now making baby blankets, sweaters & hats, and full-sized blankets to support Hubbard House, a non-profit providing shelter and other support services for victims of domestic violence and their children. We will also be working to provide items …
Read more “Knitters, Crocheters, And Those Who Want To Learn”
Save the Date – It’s almost time for Come Dine with Us!! – Each year our Youth Life group hosts a fantabulous dinner as a fundraiser for camps and mission trips. This year, it will be held on Sat., March 7, with seatings at 5:00pm and 7:00pm. Our theme is “Southern Comforts – Home Cookin’ …
Lent is Drawing Near – Join us for Ash Wednesday Worship – We offer traditional Ash Wednesday worship with the imposition of ashes for those who desire. This solemn service begins our season of Lent – forty days of reflection, prayer, repentance, service and meditation of God’s gifts. On February 18th we will hold two …
Bowling- February 8, Plan for a fun afternoon this Sunday! The group of 13 youth and adults are gathering after the 10:30 worship for lunch in the annex and then off to bowling at 1:30pm. You will go to Jax Lanes on Beach Blvd for an afternoon of fun! Parent pickup is at 4:15 at the bowling alley. Cost for the …
The Rev. Jeff Morlock, Director of Vocational Discernment at the North American Lutheran Seminary, will be here on Saturday, Feb 7th, and Sunday, Feb 8th, at each service. He is visiting to promote the mission and work of the NALS and to speak about church vocations in general, and to answer any of our questions …
Join us on February 8th for the SouperBowl of Caring! This is a weekend set aside for the nation’s Youth to collect loose change after worship services. 100% of funds stay local to support hunger initiatives right in our community. You are encouraged to bring in your loose change and place in the soup pots …
Shepherd’s Shelves Celebration Weekend – February 7th & 8th – It seems like just a few weeks ago that we launched our community food pantry, but it has been almost five months!! We are now seeing 30+ visitors each time we open which means we are assisting 300+ individuals each week when you consider other …
January has been Disaster Relief Awareness Month– All month, we worked towards our goal of providing the NALC Disaster Relief team with items for their warehouses. Today we will be praying over and blessing the beautiful handmade quilts, baby blankets, baby care items, Bibles, and full-size blankets that will be going to a regional Disaster …
Everyone had a great time at Rock the Universe this past weekend. Judging from the pictures, it was a great event. Thank you to our chaperones and youth leaders for their help making this a truly special weekend. See pics below! Mark your calendar for several upcoming youth events:
We are seeking a group of volunteers to help on Mondays, restoring the kitchen to order after the weekend, serving monthly or only occasionally. This “Kitchen Hospitality Team” will ensure clean dishes are put away, leftovers are dated and labeled and list any make note needing to be replenished. If y
On Sat, Jan 31st there will be an All-Day, Drop-In Workshop from 9am to 3:30pm where all these activities 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 the entire day. We have a potluck for …
Each month we set aside 10% of undesignated giving to support a variety of ministries in Christian love and care. In December, our Benevolence ministry supported global and local causes:
The pantry is open Tuesdays & Fridays from 11am to 1pm and Sundays, Noon to 2pm. Volunteers staff Shepherd Shelves and we invite you to be a part of this ministry. If you would like to volunteer one or more times per month, please indicate this on the yellow Connect Card or contact the church …
Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, January 25 at Noon. A light lunch will be provided. Mark your calendars and plan to attend the meeting to hear updates and share your vote on important matters related to our congregational life together – ministries, budgets and the development of the mission church plant in …
Valentine’s Cards for Veterans & Military – our local First Coast Group – Thrivent is helping spread the love this Valentine’s Day with a card collection drive for veterans and our military. They have partnered with Naval Station of Mayport for their local and deployed service men and women. We will have a collection bin …
Women’s Bible Study resumes on Monday, January 12th at 10:00am and all women are invited and welcome! Never been before?? This is a wonderful time in the Word – currently focusing on the Book of Proverbs. Bring your Bible, or, if you don’t have one, we will provide one for you. You will be blessed!
All month, we will be working towards our goal of providing the NALC Disaster Relief team with items for their warehouses. We will be providing quilts, baby care items, Bibles, and new and gently used blankets to help stock the regional Disaster Response warehouse. Please see the insert in today’s Announcements for more information on …
Our quilters meet on Wednesdays at 1:30pm in the Fellowship Hall. There is no sewing, and no experience is necessary to participate. Stations are set up for you to cut squares, sort squares and to assist with matching completed quilt tops with filler and backing. All are welcome! On Sat, Jan 31st there will be …
Monthly Game Night is this Saturday – January 17 – these evening are full of fun, food and fellowship and all are welcome (however no nursery and no childcare). Come out for cards, board games and more. Bring a dish or snack to share if you want to! And if you come, bring a friend. …
Grief Support group meetings will be held in January – Mon 1/5, Mon 1/12, and Tues 1/20 from 6:30 to 7:30pm. If you are interested in participating, indicate this on your yellow Connect Card or contact the church office.
The Oneblood Bloodmobile will be onsite Sunday, Jan 11 from 9am to Noon. If you can donate and would like to schedule yourself for a time that morning, please visit oneblood.org to pre-register, indicate your interest on the yellow Connect Cart, or you can just show up that morning. Donating blood saves lives!
For All Women – Members & Visitors – If you only attend one meeting next year, we encourage ALL ladies to attend the first Women of the Woods meeting of 2026! On Monday, Jan 5 we gather at 6:00pm for a potluck dinner and begin our meeting at 6:30pm. The holidays will be over, and …
The ladies have worked very hard for months and are so pleased to bring you WoW, That’s Delicious! – a commemorative SOTW cookbook. If you would like to purchase one, please stop by the table in the Gathering Area. They are $15 apiece or $16 if you select one that is already gift wrapped!! These …
Knowing Christ: please note – some classes will not meet the next two weeks:
All I can say is that was one amazing way to close off 50 years serving as a pastor. So many of you sent gifts and cards and stayed for multiple fellowships. Special thanks to all those who did so much to prepare for the multiple fellowship gatherings. As has always been the case in …
This is the fifth in a series of reflections on 50 years of Ministry from Pastor Johnson. We hope you are blessed by them. Dear Disciple of Christ, Is your church having Christmas Eve services this year? OK, maybe that’s a pretty dumb question but if you answered, “Yes,” as I expect you did, then I …
Join us as we celebrate the birth of the new-born king!
Celebrating 50 years in Ministry!! – This weekend we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pastor Johnson’ ordination. Since 1975, he and Chris have faithfully served congregations in New York and then at Shepherd of the Woods. We have been richly blessed as a congregation under the development and growth experienced during the years Pastor Johnson …
This is the fourth in a series of reflections on 50 years of Ministry from Pastor Johnson. We hope you are blessed by these thoughts. My sincere thanks to all who shared in yesterday’s celebration of thanksgiving with my wife, Chris, and my daughters, Jennifer and Joy, and our grandchildren, Ellie, Cameron, Paisley, Paige. I received …
We will prepare and serve a meal on Tuesday, December 30th at 4:30pm. If you would like to volunteer to help prep, cook, serve or clean-up, please indicate your interest on the yellow Connect Card. We are usually there about 2 ½ hours. Newcomers are welcome – it is always a blessing! We will also …
Join us on Sat, Dec 20 at 6:45 for our monthly evening of food & fun! All ages are welcome but there is no childcare or nursery. We play board games, card games and more! Bring a dish or snack to share if you like – but never required. Please sign up onthe yellow Connect …
This year we will be helping those in need with special “Houshold Needs and More ” baskets and will be adding some nice treats as well. If you wouldlike to contribute, we need full-sized items of the following: laundry detergent, fabric softener, scent beads, dishwashing soap, dishwasher pods, air fresheners, furniture polish, household cleaners, bug …
Women of the Woods present the Christmas Quilt and Gift Basket Raffle – Please stop by the table in the Gathering Area to see the lovely array of gift baskets and the beautiful handmade quilts on display! The WOW group will be raffling all of these items to raise additional funds to support the Women’s …
Join us Sunday, December 14th at 1:00pm – Carolers gather at 11:45am for a quick lunch together before setting off to spread holiday cheer. All ages are welcome – children need to be accompanied by a parent or designated adult. We will try to depart by 12:30 so, if you are not joining us for …
Mark your calendar for your Youth Life Christmas Party, December 12! It’s a Christmas Pajama Party on Friday night, December 12 from 6:30-9:30pm. Bring a gift to exchange ($25 max). More info to follow!
Join us December 13th from 11 am to 1 pm – Women of all ages are invited to our annual Salad & Sweets Luncheon. You are welcome to bring a salad of any kind or a dessert of any kind. It is always a time of great fun and great fellowship. We hope you will …
First Communion Classes are open to any child who has the desire to receive Holy Communion and who has parental permission. Classes will be held in time for them to receive their first Holy Communion by Christmas Eve. Please indicate your interest on the yellow Connect Card. Sessions will be held on Saturday afternoons from …
All ladies are invited to join us Monday, Dec 1 at 6:00pm for a potluck dinner followed by our meeting at 6:30pm. This is a great chance to fellowship with those that worship at different service and to find out more about the current ministries within our congregation.
As we prepare to celebrate Christmas in the states, we have the opportunity to extend our care, and “show Christ” to our friends in Tarma. Our Christmas outreach program includes providing small gifts, hot chocolate & panettone to approximately 90 children ($10 each) in the community plus the 40 children and 8 seniors housed at …
Join us on Wednesday, December 3rd at 5:30 pm for a fellowship dinner followed by the worship service and tree lighting at 6:30pm. This is a special time to gather for worship, ushering in the advent season and centering our hearts as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.
We will prepare the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall for the holidays by gathering on Monday, Dec 1 at 10:00am to put up the Christmas trees, hang crismon ornaments, rotate the banners, hang wreaths, etc. We need lots of helping hands for this and allability levels are welcome and appreciated. Please sign up on the yellow …
Our retreat dates Friday, February 27th – Sunday, March 1st and we encourage all women to attend. Our theme is “Women of the Bible” and our guest speaker is Pastor Patti Morlock, Associate Pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Grove City, Ohio. This is for women of all ages, members and visitors. You are …
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser this past Saturday. You all worked very hard and did a great job with this event. Everyone has spoken of how wonderful the meal was. Thank you also to the adults who pitched in and helped as well. You raised over $900! Great job! …
