Pastors' Welcome

Pastor Bruce Jones

Welcome to Southside!  I am a relative "newcomer" to the ministry of Southside United Methodist Church.  My family and I moved to Jacksonville in the summer of 2006 when I was assigned to be the pastor.  The Jones family consists of myself, my wife, Haley, and our two children, Spencer and Sydney.  Now that we are fully settled, I want to tell you . . . we love this church!

Like so many others, we have found that our "family" has suddenly expanded into a huge network of loving Christians who care deeply for us.  Southside's motto is, "Building the Family of God."  Well . . . it's absolutely true.  We are a great big extended family in Christ Jesus.  We worship together, pray together, rejoice with one another and support each other through thick and thin.

I invite you to experience our church family yourself.  And please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if I can be of any assistance to you.  God bless!

Pastor Dale Tedder

How can we connect you into the life of Southside's Ministry of Discipleship?

Each month, in our church newsletter, The Spire, you learn about Southside's many opportunities for educating, equipping, and encouraging you in your faith. We call this our "Ministry of Discipleship." Our church family's mission statement reflects our commitment to discipleship. It says that our goal or purpose is to "build the family of God into faithful disciples of Jesus Christ." That's why we're here.

On the human level, becoming a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ takes hard, continuous, and intentional work. No one becomes a faithful disciple by accident. Yet, with the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through God's Word and God's people, we are able to "grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

If you have not yet connected with one of our discipleship ministries, I want to encourage you to prayerfully consider doing so. Through Bible studies, small groups, Sunday school classes, one-to-one discipling, etc., we are strengthened in our walk with God. This is important because our walk with God, as Christians, will take us in and through every sphere of life. Whether you are looking for personal spiritual development or becoming a godlier husband, wife, father, mother, employee, employer, church member, neighbor, citizen, etc., our Ministry of Discipleship can help educate, equip, and encourage you on your way.

Please do not hesitate to let me know how I can serve you as you seek to become a more faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.

Blessings,
Pastor Dale