It took 26 years for the Ray of Hope ministry to hit a significant milestone. On Sept. 19, it did just that.

A woman once pulled into the food pantry at Woodbine Church in a car newer than most, and pantry coordinator Ed Dean watched people notice.

For 26 years, when someone in Santa Rosa County has faced one of the worst days of their life, Bill Wright has often been the man walking in behind first responders.

A faith-based family clinic in Milton has raised a little over $200,000 toward a roughly $750,000 building that would house its parenting and life skills classes.

About 300 people filled the first service on Aug. 9 at Crosspoint Church’s newest campus in Pace, capping nearly a year of preparation and launching a teaching series aimed at helping parents pass on their faith at home.

Crosspoint Church will open its Pace campus on Sunday, Aug. 9, marking the first Santa Rosa County location for a church with roots in Okaloosa and Walton counties.

Charlena Jenkins spent a career helping others. Which left a toll on her knees and joints.

“I had to find some kind of exercise that was gentle on my joints that I could enjoy as I get older,” Jenkins said, who now works as a nurse. The former paramedic turns 70 next month.

She landed on bike riding years ago. What’s new is the company.

Jenkins is the founder of the Holy Rollers, a cycling small group at Christian Life Church in Milton. She has been a member of the church for the past seven years and on July 18, the group is set for their first ride on the Blackwater Heritage State Trail.

As families settle into the summer months, pastors across Santa Rosa County are encouraging churchgoers to use the extra time to join a small group, saying the smaller settings meet needs that Sunday worship services alone can’t.

A private school’s bid to expand its Milton campus with new classrooms was denied on June 22 after the Santa Rosa County Commission unanimously rejected the proposal, citing location and traffic concerns.

Father’s Day is just days away, and two Santa Rosa County pastors are weighing in on what scripture says about fatherhood, and where modern dads tend to fall short.
Pastor Doug Holmes of Christian Life Church said he pushes back against the idea that fatherhood means sitting at the top of a household hierarchy.