About
Our Beliefs
Lutherans believe that all humanity is born into Original Sin, resulting from Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Because of this, we sin daily in our thoughts, words, and actions.
Immediately after the Fall, God promised a future Savior. Jesus Christ redeemed us from sin by His death and suffering, paying for our sins with His blood. His Resurrection guarantees our own resurrection and eternal life in Heaven.
All these blessings come through faith in Jesus Christ. Lutherans believe that faith is not a choice we make, but a gift from God who chooses us to be His children. We trust God in all life situations—He has a blessed plan for us, loves us, and carries us through our trials.
Even when we sin, we remain God’s chosen people. When we confess our sins, God forgives us and frees us to continue living as His own (1 John 1:9).
Our Mission
To boldly confess the pure, authoritative truth of the Bible—God’s inerrant Word—teaching the full deity and atoning work of Jesus Christ, the Son. Committed to doctrine, unity, and the Great Commission, we strive to lead all people to saving faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior for an abundant life led by the Holy Spirit.
Meet Paster Gregory Michel
Born and raised in the Denver, Colorado area, Pastor Gregory Michel is the husband of 26 years to his bride Sue (nee Schierbecker). They married in 1996 at her home congregation—Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church in North St. Louis County, Missouri. One-month prior in that same year, he graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis with a Master of Divinity degree. Pastor and Sue met at Concordia University Chicago (River Forest) where he graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theological Languages and Mathematics, and she the following year with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with a specialization in Parish Music.
Prior to accepting the call to Shepherd of the Coast Lutheran Church, Pastor Greg served at Peace Lutheran Church, New Berlin, Wisconsin (2017-2022), St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Milan, Illinois (2005-2017), St. Peter’s & Trinity Lutheran Churches, Wausau, Wisconsin (1998-2005), and St. John’s Lutheran Church, Hannibal, Missouri (1996-98). He has also served as a facilitator in the Synod’s PALS program (Post Seminary Applied Learning and Support), chairman for numerous district pastoral conferences, a pastoral advisor for Orphan Grain Train, and a board member for a Lutheran high school as well as local Little Leagues. Currently, Pastor Greg is also serving as president of the parents’ board of Bradley University, where his son attends.
Sue has served in various church capacities as communications coordinator, an organist, children’s choir and instrumental ensemble director, soloist and cantor, and Sunday school and VBS music director. She previously taught in Lutheran and other Christian schools and for several years served as a tutor and director in an international homeschool organization. In addition, she has had several years of experience in training the family’s pet therapy dog, which she took on visits to hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries, and other settings.
Pastor Greg and Sue are blessed with son Jonathan (age 22) and daughter Rebekah (age 18)—both born in Wisconsin. From the start they homeschooled their children and continued all the way through high school graduation. Jonathan is a senior at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois with a major in Sports Communication and minors in Journalism as well as Advertising & Public Relations. Rebekah is a freshman at Concordia University in Irvine, California with a major in Commercial Music and a minor in Musical Theater.
Our Staff
Kathy Chaffrin
Office Manager
Sue Michel
Praise Team Leader
The Gospel
God is wonderfully rich in His grace. We experience His Gospel through His Word, our Baptism, the Lord’s Supper and our ongoing confession of sin and absolution.
His Word
The Holy Spirit uses the Gospel Word to create and sustain our faith in Christ as Savior, gathering individuals into the church fellowship as we actively proclaim and receive His Word.
Our Baptism
In Holy Baptism, God’s Word combines with water to wash us from sin, granting forgiveness, rescuing us from death, and delivering the promise of eternal life through new birth in the Holy Spirit.
Lord's Supper
The Lord’s Supper is the true body and blood of Christ, received under the bread and wine, which sustains faith, offers divine comfort, and serves as a foretaste of the Heavenly Feast to come.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
In worship, we confess our sins and receive absolution— the assurance of God’s forgiveness through Christ— delivered by the pastor as His representative or by fellow Christians.
Shepherd of the Coast’s History
Shepherd of the Coast began in June 1987 when 10 Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) pastors contacted the English District of the Synod to recommend beginning a mission congregation in Palm Coast, FL.
The first Bible Study class met on January 2, 1988 which included some members from Forrest Lutheran Church in Silver Springs, FL. The first Sunday worship service was held on March 6, 1988. Dr. George Bornemann and his wife Helen commuted from Oveido each weekend to lead worship and teach Bible class. Rev. Ted Richer accepted the call to become the first Pastor in 1989.
Also in 1989 the small congregation purchased its current 10-acre site on Pine Lakes Parkway. A multipurpose facility, completed in October 1992, opened in June 1993 as a preschool facility, the Open Arms Lutheran Child Development Center. After expanding in 1996, it was eventually closed in June 2017 due to declining enrollment. The facility now serves as our Fellowship Hall.
The Rev. William Douthwaite III became SOTC’s Pastor in June 1996. Ground-breaking for SOTC’s new sanctuary took place on December 4, 2004. Our first worship service was held there on February 16, 2005. It was dedicated to the glory of God on March 6, 2005.
Worship Schedule
SUNDAY SERVICES
8:15 a.m. – Contemporary Worship*
11:00 a.m. – Traditional Worship*
*Holy Communion is served at both worships weekly
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
9:45 a.m. – All Ages
Become a Member
Interested in becoming a member of Shepherd of the Coast Lutheran Church? Find out how to become a member.