A Sunday on Highway 297-A
Tucked along Highway 297-A on the north side of Cantonment, Pinewoods Church gathers a multi-generational Presbyterian Church in America congregation that takes seriously both the rhythms of historic worship and the casual warmth of a small church. The congregation describes itself as "planted and growing in the love of Jesus," and the life of the church shows it: a Sunday that begins with Sunday school for every age at 8:45 a.m., continues into a reverent but relaxed worship service at 10:00 a.m., and stretches into the evening with a student ministry gathering from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Senior Pastor Joel Treick has led Pinewoods since 2012 and lives in Cantonment with his wife Kate, their two children Lily and Jack, and three dogs named Augustine, Geneva, and Maggie. The church's address, 2198 Highway 297-A, Cantonment, FL 32533, sits in the same neighborhood many members call home, and the building itself is arranged so that the Sanctuary is flanked by the Christian Education Building and the Fellowship Hall, with a youth space nicknamed "the Mike" tucked below the playground.
Worship That Is Reverent and Casual
Pinewoods describes its Sunday service as both "reverent and casual," with a "come as you are" feel. Members and visitors follow a Biblical pattern of liturgy drawn from the wisdom of Christians who have gone before them. The church sees this order as deeply meaningful and formative over time, intentionally relational rather than empty ritual, connecting worshipers with God and strengthening their ties to one another. Services are livestreamed for those who cannot be on campus.
The service is also intergenerational by design. Children begin in the sanctuary with their parents, and before the sermon they are led to Children's Church, which runs until 11:15 a.m. in the Christian Education Building. This means families with young children do not have to choose between worshiping together and giving their kids an age-appropriate lesson.
Children's Ministry: From Nursery Through Fifth Grade
Pinewoods treats the Christian Education Building, which sits to the right of the Sanctuary, as the home base for everything aimed at younger members. The nursery serves infants through three-year-olds from 8:45 to 11:15 a.m. on Sunday mornings, so parents can attend Sunday school and worship without juggling childcare. Two Sunday school classes meet in the education building: one for kindergarten through second grade and one for third through fifth grade.
The aim of the children's ministry is to cultivate a gospel-changed community that loves children and applies the teaching of God's Word to their hearts, working in partnership with parents to focus on the heart. The congregation's prayer for every child is that they grow to worship God, serve others, and follow Jesus.
Student Ministry at "the Mike"
Sixth through twelfth graders belong to a student ministry that meets in a building the church simply calls "the Mike," located below the playground. Sunday mornings from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m., students gather for donuts, prayer, and studying Scripture together. Sunday nights from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the same space fills with the smell of a shared meal, the noise of games, and a slower-paced study and prayer time.
Student Director Gramm Phillips oversees the work, and Associate Pastor of Family and Discipleship Shawn Dean is closely tied to the ministry as well. The student ministry's stated goal is to equip students with a faith that will last, to be a place where every student feels completely accepted and supported, and to walk alongside parents in raising their teens. A separate Instagram account keeps current students and their families connected between Sundays.
Life Groups, Men's Breakfasts, and Women's Bible Study
The small-group life of the church runs through Life Groups, which meet on different nights during the week for Bible study, prayer, friendship, and support. Pinewoods describes Life Groups as a safe place to share your life and discuss tough questions, and Connect lets newcomers view which groups meet on which nights.
Men meet weekly at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday mornings at iHop on Pine Forest Road for a Men's Prayer Breakfast. The early hour is intentional: the group jokes that if they waited much longer they would not be able to find a big enough table, and the time slots neatly before work for men who want to start the day in fellowship and encouragement.
Women's ministry is organized around a three-fold mission: fulfilling the Titus mandate, nurturing the inner spiritual life, and engaging wisely with current culture. The ministry runs two Bible studies on the book of Colossians, one in the morning with childcare available and one in the evening without, and it coordinates care for major life events such as baby and bridal showers, meals for those dealing with illness or a death in the family, and funeral hospitality. Periodic evenings of prayer and worship supplement the teaching rhythm.
SALT Ministry: Caring for the Older Adults
The church's senior adult ministry goes by the name SALT, and its mission has three parts: to provide practical assistance to older adult members when and where needed, to create fellowship and social opportunities for them to enjoy, and to position them as shepherds of younger members of the congregation. Pinewoods believes that older adults still have much to give and that lessons of faith shared across generations are vital for keeping younger families on the Lord's narrow path.
SALT hosts monthly birthday and anniversary celebrations in the Fellowship Hall, organizes participation in community events such as the Walk to End Alzheimer's, and offers educational seminars aimed at the practical needs of older adults. A dedicated contact person, George Beckett, fields questions from those wanting more information.
Reaching Out: Disaster Response, Safe Harbor, and Waterfront Mission
Outreach at Pinewoods is described as both missional (sent out into the community) and attractional (inviting the community onto the church campus), with the conviction that people are drawn to Christ when they see the love the congregation has for one another. Three long-standing partnerships shape the church's outreach.
The Pinewoods Disaster Response Ministry operates as a first-responder capacity within the Presbyterian Church in America's Mission to North America disaster network. The team maintains a fully equipped first-responder trailer, a bulk donation storage and distribution network, a mass feeding program, and the capacity to shelter volunteers and community members. It trains volunteers year-round so the church can support PCA congregations and their surrounding communities in the aftermath of both natural and man-made disasters.
Pinewoods also partners with Safe Harbor Pregnancy Medical Center, where volunteers sew baby blankets, serve as mentors through the Positive Parenting Program, and help with house projects for new households.
The third major partnership is with Waterfront Rescue Mission in Pensacola. Every third Thursday, Pinewoods volunteers meet at the mission at 5:15 p.m. to serve dinner to the men there and spend time at their tables. The church also drops off staple food items, supports the Waterfront thrift stores, and recruits men and couples to mentor residents in the mission's addiction-recovery transitional houses. Volunteers age thirteen and older are welcome, and the mission asks everyone to wear a hat while serving.
What Pinewoods Believes
The church's statement of faith begins with the Bible, which it holds to be the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts, infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice. Pinewoods believes in the Holy Trinity, one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
On salvation, the church teaches that human beings are sinners in need of God's grace and are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, who died on the cross to take away sin and whose perfect righteousness is imputed to those who believe. Apart from Christ, people are dead; in Christ, they have new life. The Christian life of gratitude is then lived by the power of the Holy Spirit, who indwells God's people and gives them strength to live changed lives.
Pinewoods also confesses the bodily resurrection of Jesus, his ascension into heaven, and his bodily return to judge the living and the dead, with final salvation resting on God's grace given to all who believe rather than on human works. As a Presbyterian congregation, Pinewoods receives the ecumenical creeds of the church (the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed) along with the Westminster Confession of Faith and its catechisms as reliable summaries of what the Bible teaches about God, humanity, and the Christian life.
Sermons, Reading Plans, and Giving
Sermons are posted online in audio form on Spotify and as video. The most recent series include a walk through Acts titled "Church on Fire," an Advent series on the Mothers of Jesus, a sequence through the Elijah narratives, and expository series through 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Senior Pastor Joel Treick is the primary preacher, with guest and pulpit supply from a long list of pastors and ministry leaders.
The church offers a 2026 Bible reading plan alongside a Seeing Jesus Together devotional journal to help members read and meditate on Scripture daily. A separate 5 x 5 x 5 New Testament reading plan is available as a downloadable PDF for those who want a different pace.
Online giving is available through the church's Church Center portal, and newcomers can sign up to get connected through the same system. Service times, directions, and a registration link are available for visitors.