Grace Church of Avondale: A Riverside Church of Healing and Restoration
Grace Church of Avondale sits in the heart of Jacksonville's Riverside neighborhood, on Herschel Street a short walk from the shops and shaded avenues that give the area its character. The church describes itself with a single phrase that shapes everything it does: a church of healing and restoration. That identity is felt in its worship nights, its prayer gatherings, and the way newcomers are welcomed through the doors at 3519 Herschel Street each Sunday morning.
Lead Pastor Roger Stark has guided the congregation for nineteen years and has been in ministry for more than two decades. He and his wife Gloria live in the Riverside area and are part of a multigenerational family, with several children and many grandchildren between them. Under his steady leadership, Grace Church has grown into a close-knit body that takes its name seriously, opening its arms to people walking through difficult seasons as readily as to those celebrating good news.
Sundays at 10:30 on Herschel Street
The main gathering of Grace Church happens every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM. Visitors who arrive earlier, around 9:15, can take part in Sunday gGroups, the church's term for its small classes that meet before the service. These classes give newcomers an easy on-ramp into the life of the church, and children's care is available for those who let the team know in advance. A current list of gGroups is posted on the church's groups page.
For those who cannot be there in person, services are livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel, and recent messages remain available to watch anytime. The Sunday gathering runs as a single combined service where the whole church worships together, an intentional choice that keeps generations connected in one room.
Grow in Grace: A Children's Ministry Built for Kids
The children's ministry at Grace Church carries the name Grow in Grace, and the team is vocal about its pride in it. Parents checking in their preschoolers and elementary-age children find a program designed to teach the foundations of the Christian faith in ways that children remember and talk about long after Sunday is over. The church describes the kids' area as world class and treats the next generation as one of its primary investments.
Volunteers who feel called to teach the next generation can fill out a serving form on the Grow in Grace page, and the church also reserves special events for families throughout the year, including a Back to School Bash with water slides, snacks, and cotton candy for preschool and elementary children, and a Live Nativity presented during the Avondale luminaria each December.
Groups All Over the City
Small groups are the heartbeat of Grace Church. The congregation calls them simply Groups, and they meet throughout the week in homes across Jacksonville, virtually by video call, and on Sunday mornings before the worship gathering. Some groups meet weekly, others every few weeks, monthly, or quarterly, so newcomers can find a rhythm that matches their schedule.
The church makes a point of welcoming people who do not yet attend Grace into these groups, encouraging seekers to keep attending their own home church while finding an additional community focused on Jesus. Childcare is generally not provided for weekday groups, though Sunday groups can arrange it if notified ahead of time. Online groups are available for those who live on the edges of the city or simply prefer to connect from home, and the church's groups directory on Church Center lists the current options.
Those who feel led to lead a group can apply through the Group Leaders page, where the groups director follows up within the week.
Worship, Prayer, and the Work of the Holy Spirit
Worship at Grace Church is led by Worship Pastor Amy Hollingsworth, and the tone is contemporary and expressive. The church regularly hosts extended times of worship and prayer that go well beyond the Sunday service. A monthly Gathering, hosted at the Herschel Street campus by The Gathering Co., brings people together for a shared meal, a favorite appetizer to pass, and an extended time seeking Jesus. Once a year the campus hosts a twenty-four-hour worship gathering to ring in the new year, with slots open for worshipers, singers, and dancers.
Healing is a recurring theme. The church has hosted multi-day Healing Revivals at its Herschel Street location, inviting the congregation and the city to gather for prayer and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. These events reflect the pastoral heartbeat of the church: that broken people can be made whole, and that prayer is central to the Christian life.
Missions and a Heart for the City
Missions Pastor Roland Cuevas oversees the church's outward-facing work. Grace Church is intentional about sending its members into the city and beyond, and missions shapes much of the church calendar, including outreach events like the Live Nativity during the Avondale luminaria, where children and adults from Grow in Grace portray the nativity for the neighborhood.
Church-wide fellowship nights double as fundraisers and times of connection, with the church gathering at local restaurants where a portion of the proceeds flows back to support the ministry. Men's ministry is also active, with the men of Grace hosting fishing and cookout parties at the Lovelace property on Garden Street, grilling, casting lines, throwing axes, and digging into the word together.
What Grace Church Believes
The beliefs page at Grace Church lays out a straightforward evangelical confession of faith. The church holds that the Bible is God's Word, written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit and without error, and that it speaks directly into daily life. God exists eternally as one substance in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each equal in power and authority.
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, the only way back into relationship with God. He lived a perfect life, died as a substitution for human sin, and rose again so that believers can have life. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, assuring them of their relationship with Christ, guiding them into truth, gifting them for service, and shaping them into the likeness of Jesus.
The church teaches that human beings were created in the image of God for relationship with Him, that sin broke that relationship, and that no human effort can restore it. Salvation comes only through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, as a gift that cannot be earned. The church itself is described as a local community of baptized believers, committed to Christ's teachings, working together in love to bring the Gospel to the world and to glorify Christ.
On the question of eternity, Grace Church teaches that people were created to exist forever, either eternally separated from God in Hell or eternally with Him through the forgiveness and salvation found in Christ.
Serving at Grace
Serving is built into the rhythm of life at Grace Church, and newcomers are encouraged to step onto a serve team from day one. The church frames serving as the fastest route to lasting friendships, since joining a team means seeing the same people every week before branching out into a small group together. Open teams include the Grow in Grace children's team, the Greeting Team that welcomes people at the door, and the Production Team that runs sound, video, and the livestream.
Forms for each team live on the Let's Serve and Grow in Grace Serve pages, and team leaders follow up quickly with anyone who signs up.
Visiting Grace Church of Avondale
The church sits at 3519 Herschel Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32205, in the heart of the Riverside neighborhood. Sunday morning worship begins at 10:30 AM, with gGroups meeting beforehand at 9:15 AM. Parking is on site, and the worship space is set up for one combined service. Visitors looking for a quieter entry point can begin with a small group during the week or join one of the church's online groups.
For those who cannot attend in person, services stream live on the church's YouTube channel, and giving is available through a secure online portal. The church's staff is small and committed: Pastor Roger Stark, Missions Pastor Roland Cuevas, and Worship Pastor Amy Hollingsworth, along with the directors and volunteers who lead groups, kids, and serve teams. Together they keep Grace Church a place where healing and restoration are not just words on a sign, but the daily work of a community rooted in Riverside.