Local Outreach

At AwakenChurch, we work to empower our community to have an impact wherever they are. That’s why we help homegroups form “Neighborhood Initiatives” to reach out to their local Jacksonville community. These have included initiatives like homeless outreach, neighborhood block parties, trash clean up, serving at soup kitchens, and many more. AwakenChurch’s first church-plant, AwakenGlenn St. Johns, was formed as a result of these neighborhood initiatives.

Pray 4 Jax

Pray 4 Jax is AwakenChurch’s monthly community prayer initiative. The first Thursday of each month, our church members meet somewhere in Jacksonville to pray for our city and connect with people. Pray 4 Jax is often held at UNF, Jax Beaches, Riverside, Riverwalk, St. John’s Town Center, or somewhere else in our beloved city. You can find the details for our upcoming Pray 4 Jax under Announcements at the beginning of each month.

Local Partnerships

In addition to our neighborhood initiatives and Pray 4 Jax, we also strategically partner with local ministries, including Seamark Ranch, Foster Closet, Better Together, and local efforts of Samaritan’s Purse.

Seamark Ranch

Seamark Ranch is a local foster care community with a healthy family culture at its core. Boys and girls live in a two-parent home setting where they receive the love, nurture, discipline and consistency every child deserves. Our church is committed to help our Seamark families through regular “Seamark Workdays,” when our saints drive to the ranch to help with projects and build relationships with the children. We also provide financial support for their ministry to care for those who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned. Through this outreach, two of our long-time Awaken families decided to move their family to Seamark to become house parents and serve at an even deeper level, which we are so excited about! You can learn more about Seamark Ranch and the work they do by visiting their website.

Foster Closet

The Foster Closet is an organization that supports foster families in Jacksonville by providing resources and services to these family units. AwakenChurch partners with Foster Closet to host Parent’s Night Out (PNO) – an opportunity for foster parents to take a night off while our saints love on and share the gospel with their children. During these events, our saints typically invest time into the lives of 25-35 children who are in the foster system while blessing their foster parents. You can learn more about Foster Closet and their mission by visiting their website.

Better Together

Better Together is a faith-based organization that aims to keep families together and children out of foster care, by providing them with a temporary loving home and helping their parents work to build a better life. AwakenChurch partners with Better Together to support this mission by assisting with events and helping to meet the needs of families in Better Together programs. Plus, several of our families have become host parents for Better Together children! You can learn more about Better Together on their website.

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” -James 1:27

Samaritan’s Purse Afghan Resettlement Program

As tens of thousands of Afghan families were forced to leave their homeland, Samaritan’s Purse launched a resettlement program to help these families find housing, learn English, enroll their children in schools, and start building their lives in America. Many Afghan refugees have come to Jacksonville, and AwakenChurch has partnered with Samaritan’s Purse and our nation’s government to assist a family with their transition – while sharing Christ’s love. To learn more about the Samaritan’s Purse Afghan Resettlement Program, visit their website.