Get to know Palmwood Church
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to love God extravagantly, to love people with humility, and to mentor others to do the same.
Sunday Gatherings
The Palmwood Church family is authentically about building lasting relationships. To that end, we try to keep our worship gatherings relaxed, friendly and biblical. We believe that the Bible is God's timeless and timely Word, and we try to help people apply it to their daily lives. Our worship is essentially simple and almost "unplugged" by design, contemporary in style but including some of the great hymns of the Christian Faith. Our preaching is biblical, and our setting (being in the YMCA) is rather informal. We provide ministry for children, but they are also always welcome to stay with their parents as we worship Jesus together.
Time & Location
We meet at 11:00am on Sunday mornings in the Oviedo YMCA Family Center, 7900 Red Bug Lake Road in Oviedo (at the west entrance to the Oviedo Mall). Park in front of the building and enter through the main doors (under the purple archway).
Our Welcome Team is stationed right inside the door and can assist you.
What to expect
- We give guests a warm, heart-felt welcome
- We strive to foster a true, family atmosphere where kids are welcome and families worship together
- We dress casually (although jeans, shorts, business casual and “Sunday best” are also welcome!)
- We believe in the power of prayer and make it a significant part of our time together
- We love the Word of God (the Bible) and have made it the very foundation of our worship
Common Questions
***Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, things have changed in the protocols we must follow during our worship gatherings. Please review the information below. Feel free to contact the church for additional information.
Now that the CDC, the State of Florida and Seminole County have lifted their mask mandates, we are modifying our mask policy as well. Currently, the YMCA allows people who are fully vaccinated to be on the premises without a mask. They are asking non-vaccinated people to voluntarily wear a mask in public spaces for the time being. So for those who are vaccinated for COVID-19, you may now be mask free. For those who are not, please wear a mask in the public areas (i.e., lobbies, bathrooms, etc.), but you may remove your mask when sitting with your family in worship. We pray soon masks will be no longer needed.
The CDC has now modified their social distancing recommendations. We ask all who worship with us to be sensitive and polite regarding each person's physical distancing preference. For our part, we have now moved our chairs closer together for worship -- maintaining the recommended 3-foot distance between family clusters.
Presently, because of the added precautions due to COVID-19, we do not have our usual YMCA staffed nursery. Nursery-aged children are welcome to remain in the worship area. We promise that, while we understand they may be a little distracting to you, they will not be bothersome to our congregation. We all understand the temporary inconveniences because of our safety protocols. We have a plan in place to provide a nursery again in the near future.
Older children (ages 3-6) are welcome to come up for the children's sermon and then participate in the Palmwood Kids children's church, which is held next door to our worship area in the YMCA Meeting Room (turn left out the main doors of our worship space, third door on the left across from the TV lobby). All of our Palmwood Kids adult volunteers have passed a thorough background check. If you prefer, your children are always welcome to remain in worship with you as well.
Yes! Our Midrash Youth (“Learning to Live Like Jesus”) is for students in middle and high school. Our weekly meetings provide an emphasis on inductive bible study so that our teens can learn to study and understand the scriptures for themselves. We also have monthly fun gatherings (F3 – Fun, Food & Fellowship), and quarterly service outreaches so that serving others becomes a normal part of life. For more info: midrashyouth@palmwoodchurch.com or call the church at (321) 348-0020.
We strive in all that we do to love God extravagantly, to love people with humility, and to mentor others to do the same.
God has given us a wonderful opportunity to partner with the Oviedo YMCA to serve our community.
We understand and so does God! People come to the YMCA to work out. You may have seen us worshipping and felt drawn in to investigate. You are welcome regardless of how you’re dressed – and whether or not you were here when the worship gathering began – really! Our greeters will help you find a place to sit. We’re truly glad you’re here.
With the extra precautions due to COVID-19, we have stopped passing a common offering plate. There is a basket available near the back of our worship area for those who may wish to give an offering; however, we consider our Sunday offering to be Palmwood “Family Business” and no guests are ever expected to contribute. If you want to, that is entirely your choice. We are encouraging everyone who gives to consider our safe and secure online giving options through the website, the Palmwood App or direct bank transfer (ACH). If you have any questions, feel free to contact the church office at (321) 348-0020.
If you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, then by all means! We have an “open” communion, which means that you do not have to be a member of Palmwood Church to join us in this celebration. However, we do believe that this sacrament is reserved for those who have professed their faith in Jesus. If you have not made this commitment yet, we'd suggest you just sit quietly while others participate -- no one will be concerned, we promise. Because of the added sanitization concerns due to COVID-19, we are now using pre-packaged communion supplies on communion Sundays. You may pick up your package(s) at the door to our worship area as you enter. We also provide pre-packaged gluten-free communion wafers for those who need them. A member of our Welcome Team will be available to assist you.
You are free to participate at whatever level you feel comfortable. We project the words to our worship songs, but you may also simply want to watch and listen if the songs are unfamiliar. If you have a bible with you, great! Look up the scripture references and follow along as we read from the Word of God. If not, no problem! We also project the words on the screen. And please note that you are always invited to take a bible, at no charge, from the Welcome Table if you do not have one of your own but would like one.
Yes! Palmwood Church has several weeknight LifeGroups and will also be holding some new Bible studies here at the YMCA this fall. Ask at the Welcome Table for more information.
We love questions! And we want you to feel free to ask. If your questions need immediate answers, we have team members at the Welcome Table and greeters just inside the door of the worship center. You can identify them by their Palmwood Ministry Team badges. Ask your question to anyone wearing a Palmwood badge.
Our pastors, John Kimball (Lead Pastor) and Michael Brinkley (Assistant Pastor) also serve as YMCA Chaplains. We have regular hours here in the Oviedo Branch of the YMCA. Ask at the Welcome Table for more information.
Plan a visit
Would you like to meet with one of the pastors? Would you like to be our guest for Sunday worship or to check out a LifeGroup? We would love the opportunity to make your first visit a great one by connecting you with one of our leaders who can serve as an ambassador for you and your family when you come. If that would be a blessing to you, please call the church office at (321) 348-0020. Our staff will be delighted to help you.