Shepherd of the Hills, Winchester VA

04/05/2026

Jesus is risen!

Easter Sunday worship, streamed live on April 5th, 2026John 20:1-18What do you feel when you take a walk through a cemetery where loved ones are buried? Sadn...

04/05/2026

It might be rainy out there today, but we have a covered entrance, and a whole lot of Easter joy in here! HAPPY EASTER!

(If you can’t make it, we do stream! We just want to share the good news with you any way we can!)

https://www.youtube.com/live/nb-YWj1Dv7A?si=TPbFCFkVnQJdFKDk

04/03/2026

Worship tonight ended without the traditional blessing. That's not because God's blessing isn't on his people, but because the story (and our worship) doesn't end with Jesus in the grave.

On Sunday, we'll resume our worship with the joy and peace of the good news of Jesus risen from the dead!

God bless you on Saturday, and see you on Sunday!

01/25/2026

Snow Cancellation & At-Home Worship Information -

Because of the snow and ice we are anticipating in our area overnight, we will not be gathering in person tomorrow morning. However, just because in-person worship is canceled doesn’t mean all our worship has to be canceled! It simply means that our worship will be in our homes instead of God’s ...

10/08/2025

Disciples of Jesus need to learn how to pray. And learning to pray is not like many of the other things we learn to do in our lives. Once we know how to write our name, tie our shoes, or ride a bike, the learning is done. There is virtually no danger we will forget how to do those things. Not so with prayer. Learning to pray consists of a lifetime of persistence. So, what is the cause of persistent prayer? The precious promises of God. “God is not human, that he should lie. . . . Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19). God cannot lie. So, we know every promise he makes us—to forgive, to provide, to help, to be with us—he must keep. When we persistently go to God in prayer and press him to keep his promises, God does not view that as nagging. He loves it! Because it demonstrates that our faith grasps not only that he can do what we ask, but that he will . . . because he promised.

10/06/2025

“Every why hath a wherefore.” That was Shakespeare’s poetic way of saying that very little happens by chance. Generally there is an agent behind an action. There is cause and effect. And to navigate life well, it is vital we understand both. If you want to effect a healthy heart, you need to know the causes of heart disease. Before a major purchase causes you to go into debt, you need to think about the effect it will have on your budget. If you want the peace of being close to God, you need to know what causes that effect. Again, to navigate life well, it is vital we understand cause and effect.

In this final series of our church year, we will be looking at those themes with the understanding that “every why hath a wherefore.” Join us to see cause and effect in God's kingdom!

08/03/2025

August 2025 Newsletter -

"But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

07/06/2025

July 2025 Newsletter -

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love."

06/04/2025

June 2025 Newsletter -

Sometimes Jesus says things that only make sense to us after the storm has passed. On the night of Maundy Thursday, just hours before he would be betrayed, Jesus told his disciples, "You will weep and mourn... but your grief will turn to joy." At the time, they were confused. He had been talking abo...

05/02/2025

May 2025 Newsletter -

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me tha...

04/18/2025

Instead of claiming the reward that was rightfully his for his perfect obedience, Jesus claimed the curse that we've earned by failing to live up to God's holy law. On Good Friday, he willingly offered himself as the sacrifice that paid for all our failures. When he died, he took our sins and guilt to the grave with him! (Spoiler alert) Jesus rose from the dead three days later, but your guilt stayed dead and buried!

Listen to a message for Good Friday on our podcast by following the link below!
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/sothwinchester/episodes/Dead-and-Buried---A-One-Time-Sacrifice-Buries-All-Time-Guilt---Good-Friday---April-18--2025-e31neq6

04/17/2025

You were born locked in a contract with God. Obey him, be completely perfect, and he will love you and bless you. The problem is that this contract is impossible to keep! You can't be perfect like you are supposed to be for your end, so you can't expect God to love you and accept you either. That's just the deal.
Holy Thursday provides us an opportunity to celebrate the new covenant that God offers. It's completely different from the old contract, the old covenant, that could never save you. We can let the old covenant lie dead and buried because of the wonderful new covenant that God established with us!

Listen to a message for Holy Thursday on our podcast by following the link below!

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/sothwinchester/episodes/Dead-and-Buried---A-New-Covenant-Buries-An-Old-Contract---Holy-Thursday---April-17--2025-e31m7pe