Come Worship With Us!
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Sundays at 11:00 AM
In-Person and Online
Online Giving
The ministries at Lakewood could not be sustained without the generosity of our congregation. We believe that the giving of tithes and offerings is an act of worship. Through your faithful giving, we are able to better serve Christ in the world and across the street. Our church and community are blessed by your giving!
COVID-19 Update
Lakewood's leadership has been continually monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we are seeing case numbers dropping nationally, we are still recommending that community continues wearing masks while on campus. We ask that everyone who comes through our doors to remain aware of their neighbor's needs as more people join us in person for worship and fellowship.
Free Meal After Worship This Sunday
Join us immediately after worship on Sunday for a meal in the CAC Gym! Chef Ron will be preparing chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. This is a free meal for the whole church. Bring a friend!
New Class At The Well
This Wednesday at The Well, we're introducing a new study, called "The Absolute Basics of the Christian Faith." The study is based on the titular book by Phil Tallon, and will guide participants through three main elements:

  1. A basic catechesis (down-to-the-studs Christian education) with theological questions and answers, as well as bible verses for memorization.
  2. Sixteen lessons that comment on the catechesis questions and answers, explaining the central ideas of the text using clear analogies and illustrations.
  3. Notes for those who want to dive deeper into the key ideas.

This is a simple book that helps to prepare Bible readers to tackle the deeper themes and questions of theology. It is great for new Christians and those who are interested in refreshing their fundamental knowledge of the Bible.
Reminder: All Saints Day
We will be celebrating All Saints Day in worship on November 7th.

This Sunday, October 31st, is the
last day to submit photos of your loved ones.
Read below for more information.

On All Saints Day, we celebrate a day of remembrance for the saints through the New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and every place. This year, we will be celebrating the Saints in two distinct ways:

For our loved ones who have passed in the last two years, we will have an opportunity to see their face and speak their names through a photo slideshow shown in worship. Because we were not able to remember our loved ones in person last year, we want to recognize those who have died within the last 2 years (2020 - 2021). To include a loved one in this slideshow, please send a photo of them to Ty Revell (ty.revell@lakewoodumc.com) along with their first and last name by October 31st.

To continue remembering those loved ones who have passed away before 2020, we will be covering our altar in an All-Saints cloth. This cloth will have the names of our loved ones written on it, in honor of their lives lived for God's kingdom on Earth. Mitzie Griffin will be putting the cloth together. To have a name written on the cloth, please email Mitzy at queenmit@aol.com by October 31st.
Join us on November 12th and 13th for Cardboard City! This is an event hosted annually by Family Promise of Jacksonville.

This year Cardboard City will provide funds for Family Promise's shelter and Family Support programs with the goal of stabilizing families and keeping them in homes. We have a goal for every participant to raise $100 in donations for Family Promise.

This year, there will be virtual and in-person components. Onsite participants can spend the night in a cardboard box, a tent, or even in a car to gain an understanding of the challenges of being homeless. The church has outdoor space allowing social distancing. A simple meal will be provided by Lakewood.

For more information and registration, please visit the Cardboard City page at the Family Promise website.
Operation Christmas Child Is In Full Swing!
Operation Christmas Child is a part of the ministries at Samaritan's Purse that gives gifts and supplies to children in need every year. This Christmas, Lakewood has set a goal to collect 225 boxes of supplies and gifts for Operation Christmas Child. We are encouraging all of our members to participate in this vital ministry so that we can meet (or even exceed) our goal. Please click the link below for instructions on what to collect for your box, how to package them, and more. Together, we can help children in our community have a great Christmas!
You may remember the days of women's Bible studies that lasted 12 weeks. Or perhaps you remember some studies where you were penalized for not doing your homework! Many of us do recall that season of intense study. Nonetheless, it is still important for us to come together and grow through the study of the Word. It doesn't matter if you have never attended a Bible study, or tried one in the past and didn't finish, or maybe you are a seasoned scholar. 
 
Women of the Word is a monthly interactive Bible study. We meet from 10:30-11:45 at the church. Don't like to have "homework?" Do you want fellowship with others? Then this monthly gathering is right for you!

I hope you will make plans to join us November 4th where we will explore the power of praise through scripture. If you can't make it November 4th then mark your calendar for the first Thursday in December. I hope to see you on a first Thursday soon!
 
In Christ,
Lori Hershey
You've Been Flagged!
Send flags to a family member, a friend, or a neighbor (in Jacksonville) during the month of October! You can send a bunch of orange flags to a friend's yard for a one-time donation of $20. We also offer “Flag Insurance” to protect your home from future flagging for a one-time donation of $30.

If you've been flagged, you can contact our team of flagging experts to remove the flags at no cost.

All funds go toward enriching the youth program!

Questions? Contact Cami at (904) 742-1204
21 STRONG

Join us on Thursdays at 6:30 for 21 STRONG. Ages 18-98 are welcome to attend. Bring water and a mat or towel and meet in the Fellowship Hall. We'll start with word and prayer, move into stretching and warm-up, then review and perform your individual workout with the group while inspired by song. The weekly 21 STRONG sessions are geared toward building your physical strength in order to better serve others. All levels of experience and fitness are welcome.
Advent Reading
As Advent approaches, we've selected our annual text for reading as a community. To get involved, please contact Tamra at the church office.

About the book:
Advent is about beginning with the end: preparing for the final stage of God’s new mission that resulted from our mission failure.

For many of us, Advent is the launching pad to Christmas morning; a twenty-four-day countdown to stockings and presents. We don’t think about Advent as first being about the second coming. After all, it’s been two millennia since Christ was born, crucified, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit. And for two thousand years, we’ve been living somewhere between forgetting about or fretting over his return.
John 3:16-17 gives us Christ’s mission: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it” (1996 NLT).
Jesus’ silent-night arrival in the manger is the first part of that mission. His trumpet-blasting arrival in the clouds is the last part. Taking the two seasons together, Omar Rikabi shows how preparing for this kind of Advent before we celebrate Christmas is how we get in on God’s rescue mission.
Home for the Holidays with Family Promise
There’s nothing like the fresh greenery to brighten your home during the holidays!

Help us to change the lives of our families by shopping our Christmas Greenery Sale. Your purchases from the Sherwood Forest Farms in Washington State will be sent directly to you or your recipient the first or second week of December.

Order deadline is November 7th, 2021.
Wednesdays at the Well
Fall Series
September 15th - November 17th
Adults:
 
"10 Brave Christians" (6 weeks)
 led by Pastor Don and Lisa 
6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall
 
"Invitation" 
led by Pastor Eric 
6:30 PM in the CAC dining room
 
"Read and Learn the Bible"
led by Nettie Cribb
6:30 PM in RM 102 (the library)
 
"Feasting in the Word"
led by Ree Unterspan
Wednesday afternoons at 4:00 PM on Zoom

Contact Ree Unterspan at jau64@bellsouth.net 
for more information.
Youth and Children:

Youth group (7th - 12th grade)
Meets in the youth room at 6:30 PM
For more details see Cami Foster
 
Children's Ministry:

WOW (Worship on Wednesdays):
PreK - 4th Grade

Club 56:
5th - 6th grade

Meets in the Children’s wing
(Upstairs in the Education Building) at 6:30 PM

For more details see Bethany Coleman
(Parents need to pickup by 7:30 PM)
Recovery Alive is a new 12-step program that Lakewood has adopted. Meetings are held every Friday from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall.

If you have any questions, please contact Bill Shuck for more information.

Additional resources:

Helping Our Community's Homeless COVID-19 Victims
Where do you go for help if you and your family are homeless? Family Promise of Jacksonville and its partners, like Lakewood UMC, work with other social agencies in Jacksonville to provide shelter and hope for the homeless. But what happens when a homeless person tests positive for COVID-19? Where can he or she rest safely in isolation while recovering from COVID?

In Jacksonville, a network of isolation hotels was created during the pandemic to provide safe housing and support to homeless COVID sufferers. With the current escalation of COVID cases in our area, the need for isolation care is greater every day. All of our city’s homeless shelters and social agencies are working together to provide for this need.   

Mark Landschoot of Family Promise of Jacksonville has reached out to our Lakewood family and to the other 16 churches who support this important ministry with a request for supplies needed to serve those housed in isolation hotels in our city.

Supplies needed at this time include:

-Underwear in all sizes, for males and females 
-Bottled Water 
-Individual bags of chips 
-Brown paper lunch bags 
-Medical gloves (Sizes small, medium and large)
-N95 face masks 
-Paper Towels

You may bring your donated supplies to the church office and they will be delivered to the Family Promise office or you can order supplies on-line and have them delivered directly to Family Promise of Jacksonville, 431 University Blvd. N., Jacksonville, FL 32211. You may also make a directed donation to Family Promise of Jacksonville. Be sure to indicate that your donation is intended for isolation hotel supplies.

If you have any questions about the isolation hotels, requested supplies, or Family Promise, please contact Mark Landschoot at Family Promise (904-859-1326). 
Lakewood's Hubbard House Coordinator Position Open
Sandi Davoli currently coordinates our efforts in creating bags for Hubbard House (soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, small-size deodorant, comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, small notebook and a pen). She will be stepping away from that responsibility and is looking for someone to take her place. If you are interested, please contact Sandi at sandi@metrodiner.com for more information.
Office Hours:
9:00 am - 4:00 pm (Mon-Thurs)
9:00 am - Noon (Fri)

Phone:
(904) 733-8477

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