 The Great Pumpkin Patch Opens October 11!
The Great Pumpkin Patch that’s been serving the Ponte Vedra Beach community for 26 year returns October 11th for three weeks, covering an acre of a local church. Lord of Life Lutheran Church will have over 2,000 pumpkins of every size, shape and color sitting on pallets covering its front lawn for the community to select from. This is the church’s largest annual fundraising effort and this year it will donate 10 per cent of net pumpkin proceeds to Stop Solider Suicide, the only national nonprofit focused solely on solving the issue of suicide among U.S. veterans and service members. Aside from pumpkins in the Patch, the inside of the front section of the church has mini pumpkins, and a variety of gourds, along with homemade pickles, jams, jellies, baked goods and its signature pumpkin pies baked from scratch using pumpkins from the patch for its secret puree mixture! The $12 pumpkin pies can be ordered in advance onsite for a later pick up date, if so desired. New this year will be a special story time book reading for children of all ages, from 10 a.m. to noon and noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 24. It also includes a craft. Tractor rides around the property will be available on two weekends: Saturday and Sunday October 17 and 18 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again on Saturday and Sunday, October 24 and 25th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The Great Pumpkin Patch hours are Monday-Friday from 1 p.m. to dusk, Saturdays from 9 a.m. to dusk and Sundays from 11 a.m. to dusk. On Monday, October 12th when St. Johns County and Duval schools are out, the Pumpkin Patch will be open all day from 9 a.m. to dusk. The Patch will even be open on Halloween day for those running late from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Lord of Life Lutheran Church is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. 40 Years of Serving Ponte Vedra Beach!
This year we are celebrating 40 years of serving Ponte Vedra Beach! We started our church services on Solana, and then moved farther south to the current location, which we purchased in 1999. Please join us on September 20th as we honor this amazing milestone! Over the years congregants, local businesses, and Scouts have contributed their time and talents to improvements to this former stable. We are currently modifying some aspects of the building to include making it climate controlled. We embrace the fact that true love was born in a stable. We find this unique and unpretentious church frees us to listen fully to the sermons by our wonderul Pastor Karen Biggerstaff, formerly of Spirit of Life in Jacksonville. Join us at 9:45 a.m. any Sunday to see its natural charm.  Blessing of the Animals!
Bring your family pet (we've had fish, dogs and cats before) to church this Sunday, October 4th for the annual Blessing of the Animals by our Pastor, Karen Biggerstaff! Service is at 9:45 a.m. It's a lovely acknowledgement of St. Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals, and of our policy of allowing those worshipping to bring their well behaved dogs to church any Sunday. We have several including: Roy, Keely, Traveler, Gracie, Rusty, Cooper, Dixie and Bonnie! The blessing is held towards the end of the normal service, and the dogs are usually blessed with water and a prayer by Pastor. We read the heartfelt poem The Rainbow Bridge each year, and there are always biscuit treats for the dogs afterwards! :)  Mark your calendar to join us August 2, 2026 at 9:45 amWe are honored and privileged to have the Bishop of the Florida-Bahama Region of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Pedro Suarez, conduct the formal installation of Karen Biggerstaff as our permanent Pastor! The Florida-Bahamas Synod represents 169 Lutheran churches that are organized into 15 conferences. This is a remarkable moment for Lord of Life Lutheran Church. The public, friends and members of the church are welcome to attend this special ceremony and have the opportunity to meet the Bishop!
We are delighted to announce that we have been named "Best Church" in the yearend 2025 "Best of the Beaches" by the Ponte Vedra Recorder's readers poll! We are a small and loveable group of people who worship together each Sunday at 9:45 am in an unpretentious setting of a former horse barn, and we are in the midst of renovating our sanctuary to shortly provide a climate-controlled environment and more. This year marks our 40th anniversary of being a church; first on Solana and for the last 27 years here at 276 Roscoe Blvd. N! We are known as the "pumpkin patch church" which we do every October for Halloween - and from which we donate 10 per cent of the net pumpkin sales to a local charity. We've supported K-9 for Warriors, BEAM, Lutheran Social Services, Pie in the Sky, Hugs St. Johns and many more. We are the chartered church for Pack 291 Cub Scouts, and also for Troop 291. We have been blessed by their support and many Eagle Scout projects on our property.
We were delighted to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of the founding members of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in July! Floyd and Cathy have been the rock and foundation of Lord of Life since it first started 40 years ago on Solana Blvd, before the purchase of the current land at 276 N. Roscoe Blvd 26 years ago! Come Find a Book at our Little Free Library!
We are delighted to announce that we have a Little Free Library, joining the worldwide book sharing movement! We are only the 2nd public Little Free Library in Ponte Vedra/Ponte Vedra Beach area! This new faith-focused library will hold children's books on the left and adult books on the right, including copies of the books we read in our faith-based book club every other month! Please feel free to drop by to take a book or leave a book! The 'library' is right inside on the front left of the church! This great project was done by Boy Scout Landon McIntosh, as his Eagle Scout Project with other Scouts from BSA Troop 288 using designs from the Little Free Library. This Boy Scout Troop is one of several that Lord of Life Lutheran Church is currently chartering here. To learn more about the Little Free Library movement, go to https://littlefreelibrary.org A Little Bit About Us About the church: This church is part of the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and it has been located at this address in Palm Valley for 27 years! We gather for worship at 9:45 a.m. each Sunday at 276 N. Roscoe Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach. About the people: One of the greatest strengths at Lord of Life are the people who are welcoming, friendly, and truly care. We are a little church with a big heart! Our congregants range in age and profession from a local principal, former realtor, AARP marketer, to retirees living the good life. Most of us have relocated to Florida from other states, with diverse interests and hobbies. We live in Ponte Vedra Beach or surrounding areas (Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and some snow birds who are with us during the winter).
About the building: The church property was formally a horse farm and we still worship in the stable! It's a wonderful casual environment to listen to a sermon, and be joined occasionally by a bird or anole! This structure has been renovated to include handicapped accessible restrooms and a full commercial kitchen. It has been open-air and we are in the midst of putting in A/C to keep us cool and warm as needed!
We love this rustic, humble, come as you are, place to worship. And we invite you to bring your well-behaved family dog with you too, if you like! They are God's creatures too.
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