Worship – April 7th
Youth Life News
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Happy Easter season everyone! It was wonderful seeing everyone in worship. Thank you to our youth who volunteered to help with worship this weekend and during Holy Week. Any youth interested in helping with worship as acolytes, ushers, assisting ministers, etc, please let me know and we can …
Yard Sale – Thank You!
Our annual Yard Sale last weekend raised more than $6,300 which will be used to further programs in our mission church and outreach ministries in Tarma, Peru and the Kingdom Kids after-school and tutoring programs. Thanks to all who donated and who worked all week getting ready for the sale!
Midweek Bible Study Resumes
Midweek Bible Study resumes this evening at 6:30pm in the Annex South classroom and continues the study of the Book of Matthew. All are welcome! If you are not able to join in person, please use the link below to join by Zoom.
Adventure Camp – Summer 2024
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Peru Mission Trip Update
You are invited to prayerfully consider joining us on our next Mission Trip to Tarma, Peru! Our tentative dates are sometime in early August 2024. Estimated cost is approximately $1500 and is mostly dependent on the cost of the airfare. Please check off your interest in learning more on the yellow connect card.
Lenten 5 – 5 – 5 Project Update
Thank you for your support and involvement with our Lenten 5-5-5 congregational outreach project. We had a goal of receiving 500 items for NALC Disaster Relief Kits and Hygiene kits and collecting $500, all in 5 weeks’ time. We give thanks to God for the love and care you have extended and rejoice at His work through …
Resurrection Day Worship – March 31st
SOTW Happenings – March 30th
Good Friday Worship – March 29th
SOTW Happenings – March 30th
Easter Worship
Easter Saturday, March 30 5:30pm – Easter Worship with Holy Communion Easter Sunday, March 31 6:30am – “Sunrise” Easter Worship with Holy Communion 8:30am – Easter Worship with Holy Communion 10:30am – Easter Worship with Holy Communion (Live-Streamed) Please join us for a time of fellowship with coffee and snacks after Worship. It is our mission to spread the Gospel by …
Youth Life News
The season of Lent is comes to an end as we observe Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worship services tonight and tomorrow. Sunday is Easter Sunday! Sunday services are at 6:30am, 8:30am and 10:30am. Thank you to those who have volunteered to assist with worship. Blessings on your worship during this Holy Week. See you Sunday! Our …
Worship – Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday and Good Friday Worship
Maundy Thursday, March 28 Join us for a traditional Maundy Thursday worship service with Holy Communion. The services will include a symbolic foot washing and will conclude with the stripping of the altar. Services are at Noon and 6:30pm. The Noon service is live-streamed. Good Friday, March 29 Join us as we reflect upon the death …
Youth Life News
The season of Lent is coming to an end with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday worship services next week. Next Sunday is Easter Sunday! There are many worship opportunities ahead, please prayerfully consider attending or even serving at one or more services. Thank you to those who have already volunteered! Our next youth fundraiser is …
Worship – Palm Sunday, March 24th
SOTW Happenings – March 17th
Life Changer Campaign
Our Life Changer campaign this year has been so successful thanks to your generous donations. To date, we have raised funds to sponsor 37 children with a school uniform, shoes and a backpack – all required before a child can be registered for school in Peru! We will never be able to fully see the outcome of these children receiving …
Midweek Worship – March 20th
Lent is observed for the Forty Days beginning Ash Wednesday until Easter – excluding Sundays. Join us on a Lenten journey where we will reflect on the battles we face in life; powers & principalities, evil, darkness, the devil, and even attempts at identity theft as a child of God. We will delve into the scriptures to hear and …
Children’s Ministry Outing To Sunshine Park
Monday, March 18, at 10:30 am – Bring the kids out to enjoy some fresh air and burn off some energy during Spring Break! We’ll enjoy playtime and a picnic. Meet at Sunshine Park – located at 2514 S Beach Pkwy, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250. There are cool playgrounds, a skate park, recreational fields, pickle …
Adventure Camp Retreat
Adventure Camp Retreat is coming this summer, June 30-July 4. This amazing fun week takes place in Orlando at the Grand Beach Resort on Lake Bryan and is open to youth currently in the Youth Life group. This event is full of adventure for sure: kayaking, paddle boarding, boating. glow in the dark laser tag, miniature golf along …
SOTW Happenings – March 16th
Worship – March 17th
Pacetti Road Property Update
As of March 10th, we have a conditional closing on the property. We have signed all the closing documents and wired the money but it is being held in escrow until the seller follows through on their commitment to remove the shipping containers. Once that is completed, we will pass on our paperwork and funds …
Dine With Us – Australian Outback
Great job everyone! Dine with Us- Australian Outback was a huge success. You all worked so hard and it paid off as everyone had a wonderful time. Lots of compliments to you all for being kind, friendly, attentive and caring. You all raised about $1800 after expenses! Thank you to those who participated and a giant thank …
Yard Sale Update
Our annual Yard Sale will be Saturday, March 23rd and our storage pods have arrived! Please consider donating gently used items you no longer want – clothing, luggage, housewares, toys, seasonal decorations, electronics, bedding, lamps, decorative items, artwork, and even furniture and appliances. We kindly ask that you separate clothing, shoes and accessories as one pod will be …
Worship – March 10th
Midweek Worship – March 13th
Please join us each Wednesday during the Lenten Season as we gather for Lenten Worship at Noon and 6:30pm on 3/6, 3/13 and 3/20. The Noon Service will be live-streamed and the bulletins and links are below. A soup and salad dinner is provided from 5:30 to 6:15pm. Suggested donation is $5. Please kindly RSVP by replying …
Holy Week Worship
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Yard Sale
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Summer Camps with Little Lambs Early Learning Center
Our Little Lambs – Early Learning Center serves the community by offering a faith-based, educational curriculum for children 2-5 years-old. Unlike many preschools, we focus on reading literacy, math and language skills, and the development of social and problem-solving skills. Also uncommon, we offer full-day and year- round programs for households where all adults work during the day. …
Read more “Summer Camps with Little Lambs Early Learning Center”
Children’s Easter Festivities
Children’s Easter Festivities will be held on Easter Sunday, March 31 from 9:45-10:15 AM. An Easter Egg Hunt will be held for children, nursery-age through sixth grade. All families and their extended families are welcome to participate. Families will gather in the courtyard near the playground by 9:45. A photo station will also be available …
Vacation Bible School 2024
Take kids deep into an amazing undersea adventure where they’ll experience the ever-flowing, never-ending love of God. At Scuba VBS, kids will be immersed in the Word and discover what living water is really all about! Join us June 17 – 21st from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm! Registration opens March 30th. For additional details, …
Midweek Lenten Worship – March 6th
Please join us each Wednesday during the Lenten Season as we gather for Lenten Worship at Noon and 6:30pm on 3/6, 3/13 and 3/20. The Noon Service will be live-streamed and the bulletins and links are below. A soup and salad dinner is provided from 5:30 to 6:15pm. Suggested donation is $5. Please kindly RSVP by replying …
SOTW Happenings – March 2nd
Worship – March 3rd
Come Dine With Us – Australian Outback
If you have not already made a reservation, please reply to this message and let us know if you prefer the 5:00pm or the 7:00pm seating and how many people are in your party. Dinner includes an appetizer, salad, entree, vegetables and dessert. Water, tea and coffee, plus a mocktail will also be served. Please also indicate …
Come And Dine With Us
Our annual Come Dine with Us dinner is a much-loved event with great food, great service and benefitting a great cause – supporting our Youth Life group and their summer camp programs. Confirmation Camp provides time for daily study, relationship building and personal growth. Adventure Camp is all about fun – developing self-confidence, team building skills and accomplishment! On Saturday, March 9th we …
Midweek Lenten Service – February 28th
Annual Yard Sale Update
Our annual Yard Sale will be Saturday, March 23rd and we should have storage pods this coming Wednesday! As you begin your spring cleaning, please consider setting aside gently used items – clothing, luggage, housewares, toys, seasonal decorations, electronics, bedding, lamps, decorative items, artwork, and even furniture and appliances. We kindly ask that you separate clothing, shoes and …
Support For Ariana
For those who have been to Peru you may remember Ariana. She is the daughter of Fathy and Elizabeth Jimenez and has graciously served with us in various ways since she was a child. Ariana is now in college in Lima (Wow! Heh?) and reached out to us humbly asking for assistance. The study program …
Youth Life Adventure Camp
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SOTW Happenings – February 23rd
Worship – February 25th
Youth Life News
Welcome to the season of Lent. The altar colors (paraments) have changed to purple. They remain purple through Palm Sunday, March 24. During Lent, we have added worship opportunities on Wednesdays at noon and 6:30pm. The evening service is preceded by a soup and salad dinner. Please join us at these reflective services. Thank you to all …
Yard Sale Pods Are Coming
Yard Sale Pods Are Coming! We should have the storage containers in place on Wednesday, Feb 28. We are very appreciative of our new partner Mi-Box and their generous discount for our storage pods. We ask that you kindly pack your donations separately so that clothing, shoes, purses & accessories can go into a dedicated pod …
Sandwich Sunday
Our Youth Life Group were busy Sunday afternoon – making 104 bag lunches for the St Francis Mission House in St Augustine. Thanks to all the helping hands who made and transported the food for those in need. Thanks also to Thrivent Financial for $250 to cover our supplies and lunch for the volunteers.
Midweek Lenten Worship – February 21st
Peru Mission Update
Thank you for our brothers and sisters in Christ in Huancal for beautifying the church property with a grassy area. The children will love it!
SOTW Happenings – February 17th
Worship – February 18th
Lenten Soup and Salad Dinners
You are invited to join us each Wednesday during Lent as we gather for a time of fellowship over a shared meal. Each week we offer two soups and a salad, a representation of a humble meal to help us reflect on our abundant lives and the blessings of the Lord. We will serve continuously …
Youth Life News
Awesome job with the Pancake Breakfast fundraiser! Your hard work paid off and you all raised over $800! And Souperbowl of Caring raised over $1300 including $500 matching funds from Benevolence. Thank you all for participating! You can get community service for Souperbowl, just bring the forms in. As a reminder, you do need to track your own …
Youth Game Day
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Peru Mission Update
Praise the Lord! Even as we celebrated the Baptism of Aurelia, our broths and sisters in Christ welcomed three new brothers and sisters in Christ into the family! Bless them… lead them Lord!
Lenten 5 – 5 – 5 Service Project
This year we are introducing something new for our Lenten Project! We will be supporting the NALC Disaster Relief Program. NALC – The North American Lutheran Church to which SOTW belongs, has a team of dedicated staff and volunteers who work throughout the year to be ready to assist in times of natural disaster. We are setting a goal …
Peru Mission Update
Another Praise Report! Look at what God is doing in Peru! Kingdom Kids is an outreach ministry that serves children by connecting faith and life. They are on “summer break” right now and 60 children gather 6 days a week for academic support, faith classes, fun and games. Thank you to the teachers using their …
Ash Wednesday Worship
You are dust, and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19) Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the lenten season and is a time fo personal reflection and repentance. As a symbol of repentance and admission of our frailty, the imposition of ashes will be offered for those who desire to receive them. We invite …
Lenten Updates
Lent is Observed for the Forty Days begining Ash Wednesday until Easter – excluding Sundays. Join us on a Lenten journey where we will reflect on the battles we face in life; powers & principalities, evil, darkness, the devil, and even attempts at identity theft as a child of God. We will delve into the scriptures to …
SOTW Happenings – February 10th
Worship – February 11th
Youth Life News
Youth Life Game Day February 18th, from 12:30-4:30 is our next game day. We will be combining a service project with that as it will be Sandwich Sunday, which benefits homeless and food insecure youth. Mark your calendars to attend this event! See pics below from Game Day’s January event. We are planning a Youth Life afternoon out at Top Golf …
Vacation Bible School – Save the Date
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Faithful Friday – February 9th
Dear Disciple of Christ, How about you? How many different companies have you worked for (or with) over your working years? How many did you find were more of a challenge than you expected? As I’ve spoken to people over the years, the hardest part of a job is often not doing the “job” as much as it …
Quilt Ministry Update
Praying for God’s blessings over the quilts. May they reach those who need to be wrapped in His love and care! Thank you, Lord, for another great year of cutting, sewing, creating, and offering our gifts to your glory!
Lenten Midweek Worship
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SOTW Happenings February 3rd
Worship – February 4th
Quilting Workshop and Blessing
Quilting Workshop – All-Day, Drop-In session on Saturday, Feb 3rd from 10am to 5pm. There will be stations for cutting squares, designing quilt top, sewing tops, matching tops to backing and for finishing the sides and threads for center knots. There is a job for every skill level. Men women and teens are invited – no experience needed, …
Pancake Breakfast
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Lenten Meal Help
Soup Chefs & Salad Helpers Wanted – would you like to assist with our Lenten Soup & Salad Dinners? We would love to have your help! Each week during Lent we offer two soups and a salad, a representation of a humble meal to help us reflect on our abundant lives and the blessings of the Lord. …
Preparing For The Lenten Season
SOTW Happenings – January 27th
Worship – January 28th
Ash Wednesday Worship
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Faithful Friday – January 26th
Dear Disciple of Christ, So, after all these postings, I wonder what you might think was one of the most crucial needs for the church. What was having one of the most serious negative effects on the life of the church? I’ve mentioned it a number of times having an impact on pastors coming and going after …
Youth Life News
Join your Youth Life friends this Sunday, January 28, 12:30-3:30 for Game Day. Makayla and Braden have put this afternoon of fun together so you all can get together for some fellowship time! Lunch will be served and games will be played! Refer to the flyer for more information. Drop in anytime between 12:30-3:30! See you …
Invite Others To Explore Faith
There is still time to register for our upcoming Alpha Course – for yourself or for someone you know who may be searching for an understanding of faith in God. The course began January 16, but you are welcome to join us this week, January 23rd at 6:30pm. We have just begun our current Alpha course – a ten-week series …
Beaches Mission House
We will be cooking and serving dinner at Mission House on Tues, Jan 30. We will be taking needed items for their ministry including socks, underwear, coats, jackets, sweatshirts, jeans, and blankets. Also appreciated are laundry supplies, gently used kitchen towels, first aid & medical supplies. There will be a collection bin in the Gathering …
SOTW – Happenings
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…
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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 …