Congratulations to our graduating seniors! |
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Youth Sunday, May 15
Celebrate with us this Sunday, May 15, as our youth group leads our 9:30 & 11:00 AM services! This is a great opportunity to hear from a wide variety of voices as they make the big step from high school to college. These students have grown up at Woodmont and are looking forward to your advice, support, and encouragement on this very special Sunday that only comes once a year.
8:30 AM to 9:15 AM - Breakfast in Drowota Hall
9:30 AM – Informal service in the sanctuary with livestream
9:40 AM – The Bridge service in the chapel
11:00 AM – Traditional service in the sanctuary
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Visioning task forces report this Monday, May 16
On Monday night, May 16, at 5:30 PM in Carpenter Chapel, each of our twelve 2022 visioning task forces will be reporting to the congregation. Everyone is welcome to attend and hear what they've been working on!
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Intro to Woodmont is next Sunday, May 22, at noon in the Boardroom
During Intro to Woodmont, Clay answers all of your questions, gives a tour of our church campus, and walks us through what God is calling this church to be and do, in order to help you make an informed decision about joining us in fulling our mission here at Woodmont. It’s a great opportunity to discover more about our church and if God is calling you to make this your church home! Lunch is served and you are warmly invited!
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Morgan-Scott Mission Trip
Woodmont will be spending the weekend of May 19 through May 22 at The Morgan-Scott Project! Many have been asking, so now is the time to get on board! For those that don’t know, The Morgan-Scott Project ( https://morganscottproject.org/) serves those in greatest need in the Morgan and Scott counties of TN, which are typically two of the most economically challenged counties in the state. We will help with lots of projects, including repairing homes. Some of us will go up the evening of Thursday, May 19, but you can come up Friday as well. They have a guest house for us to sleep in, and we always have a great time together! To sign up or if you need more info, contact steve@woodmontcc.org or call (615) 390-3458. We look forward to having you join our team!
P.S. It would be greatly appreciated if someone wants to go to help with meals or to have a group prepare meals that we can take with us!
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Visioning Night - May 16
by Clay Stauffer
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This Monday evening, May 16, the Woodmont elders and I will be hosting a “vision night” in the chapel at 5:30 PM where we will hear brief reports from all the task forces that have been meeting this spring. Many different leaders in multiple areas of ministry have been praying and brainstorming for the future of Woodmont and what God is calling us to be and do. Current and future leaders are strongly encouraged to attend and this is also open to members of the congregation. The visioning recommendations are being passed along to the Woodmont Board and elders for dialogue and consideration. I am grateful to everybody who has been working on the visioning process. Hope you can join us for a very important evening! |
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Stewardship update
Below is an update of where we are at in our 2022 stewardship campaign.
We are thrilled to have had a strong response over the last few weeks and are closing in on our goal! If you haven't made a pledge yet, you can do so quickly and conveniently by clicking the button below.
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Moriah Domby Pirtle to lead young adults ministry |
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We are excited to announce that Moriah Domby Pirtle is now moving into the role of Young Adults Director this month!
Moriah has been on staff for six years now working as our Youth Music Director, which she is continuing to do. She has also been leading worship at our 9:30 AM service over the last year and leading our young adults visioning team, who will we hear from on Monday night.
We are grateful to see Moriah expand her role at Woodmont and can't wait to see what the future brings!
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Brock & Corinne Kidd with Harrison, Mary Katherine, Ella Grace, & David |
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Two Good Things
by Roy Stauffer
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Covid has led to a lot of changes. Some are only temporary. Others are permanent. One of the good things that I would call a “long haul benefit” of Covid is that churches now offer worship services online and in person. It’s good because a lot of people who can no longer come to church physically can now feel fully a part of the church online. It’s not a good thing because some church members who could be in church choose to stay in their bathrobes and pj’s and watch online. We’re glad to have online, but anyone will tell you there’s nothing that compares to being with others in person.
One of the major things we have discovered in our series of “Visioning” conferences is that there are so many things going on in and through Woodmont that most members, even the most active members, don’t know about. As a result of Covid, some of our Sunday School classes and small groups are offered online as well as in person. Even as recently as last week I discovered how many church members don’t know this. You can check the website, or call Amber at church and let her know you’d like the link sent to you that will allow you to join a Sunday School class online. In addition, you can join a weekly online Bible Study as my 11:00 Sunday School class (the Reflections Class) is a Bible Study. Right now we are working our way through Mark’s gospel and are up to chapter 14. So, if you’re used to being in Sunday School each week, but are no longer able to attend in person, you can join online.
When Covid got into full swing, the Monday afternoon Men’s Group (affectionately called “the Geezers”) started meeting online (through zoom). When we started back to meeting in person at church, we still kept the zoom aspect so some of our members who can’t be there in person can be there online. Last Monday, for example, we had 25 men present in person and 4 online - one in Naples, FL; one in Palm Beach; one who can no longer come in person; and one who chooses to still not get out much because of Covid. We meet from 3:00-4:00 every Monday in the Board Room. Any man who’s interested is welcome to join us. But, you’d better get there early if you want a seat at the table rather than around the walls of the room.
The other piece of good news I want to share with you is that we’re just a couple of weeks away from the start of our summer Sing-A-Longs and Potluck Suppers. Beginning Wednesday, June 1, and running through at least mid-July we will gather at the church (Room 105) at 5:30 for 45 minutes of singing favorite gospel songs with a live musical accompaniment - sometimes as many as 15 different players on guitar, mandolin, harmonica, violin, bass fiddle, spoons, you name it.
After 45 minutes of spirited singing, we go to Drowota Hall where we share in an always delicious, and always good & plenty potluck supper. We share the dishes everyone has brought - salads, meats (especially fried chicken), vegetables and casseroles, rolls and bread, and DESSERTS - banana pudding, chocolate pie, pineapple upside-down cake, coconut cake, you name it!
It's a great time of fun, food, and great fellowship for all ages. It all starts again at 5:30 on June 1, Wednesday. Don’t miss it!
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Child dedication
Archie Akbari, son of Austin & Grace Akbari
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Child dedication
Liza & Mary Dyer, daughters of Neil & Casey Dyer
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Child dedication
Charlotte Shannon, daughter of Trevor & Christine Shannon
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Leadership training just announced! |
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Clay Stauffer and Jay Hutchens are scheduling leader training sessions for elders and deacons and other leaders for two consecutive Wednesdays in June - June 8 and 15.
On June 8, Clay and Jay will share expectations, thoughts, and encouragement for our elders and deacons.
And then on June 15, Ian Cron, a nationally-renowned enneagram teacher, author, and podcaster will be presenting specifically on "The Enneagram and Leadership."
Both sessions will be at 6:00 PM in the chapel after a potluck dinner. Stay tuned for more details!
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The Power of a Small Group
by Jay Hutchens
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Susan and I had just finished officiating a small wedding at Woodmont on a Saturday morning and had headed over to Josephine's On 12th for brunch when I got the text message.
"We haven't talked in ages! What's going on?!"
It was from a friend of ours and her husband now living in Phoenix we had known while pastoring Promise Church in Jackson. She had graduated from Union University, moved to Arizona, had two children, and was finishing up seminary in Phoenix. They had begun attending an Anglican church, where she was now training to be a PRIEST! Honestly, I couldn't think of anyone more qualified.
And now she was asking if I'd preach her ordination service.
"Of course! I'd be honored!" I texted back.
Our relationship had been forged as Bree and her then-boyfriend, Charles, were students at Union, looking for a smaller, more intimate church setting in which to get plugged in and serve. Because of Bree's musical abilities, she very quickly began helping to lead worship on Sunday mornings. Both she and Charles could also be counted on to serve dinner whenever we hosted Room In the Inn at the church!
But the main place where we had pressed deeper into relationship was our mid-week small group that met in Susan's and my living room. We had a group of fifteen or so, ALL from different backgrounds, vocations, family types, and stages of life. Union students, a pizza delivery expert, a hairdresser, a house-flipper, an older retiree, a pacemaker consultant, a teacher, a rancher, and a few others gathered for food and a Bible Study on Tuesday nights.
We talked about EVERYTHING! Usually, we had a book or a video to set up our conversation. But the conversation would always take a turn to something someone was either celebrating or struggling with that week. Over time, as people came to know each other, our group became an indispensable source of encouragement and support. It might sound cliche, but we laughed hard and cried hard at the things people were experiencing in their lives. As we did, we found ourselves being knitted together in tightly woven relationships. Relationships that have persisted for years and several life-changes into the future.
That's the power of a small group - connecting people into life-sustaining friendships where we know that we are not alone on our journey and at varying seasons where we will pour in or draw from the well of support and encouragement offered.
At Woodmont, we talk about "Seeking, Sharing, and Serving" as core values. All three are essential markers in our faith development. Seeking God in Worship. Sharing Love in a small group. Serving others in our community. There's no one precise model for how it's done or how they all fit together and yet faith maturity always contains all three in some measure. One of the most powerful experiences of Susan's and my lives was the season where we hosted a group of folks from all ages and all walks of life and then just let the Holy Spirit do what the Holy Spirit does - form us into Christ-formed family.
It'll be an honor to preach Bree's ordination next year. I want to tell her congregation in Phoenix just how powerfully I've seen the Holy Spirit at work in her faith life in the ten-plus years I've known her and how blessed they will be to have HER as a pastor! I can speak to that now because of some incredible love (and food!) we shared in a small group that met for a season in our living room.
God is doing work like that in small groups at Woodmont right now and I can’t wait to hear the stories!
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VBS registration is now open! Sign up today for the best week of the year!
Woodmont Kids' annual Vacation Bible School (VBS) is daily from June 28 to July 1 and registration just opened! Click the button below to sign your children up!
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Bethany Hills Family Camp Memorial Day weekend
Have you ever wondered what Bethany Hills Camp is like? Are you hoping your kids will want to go to camp but you want to experience it with them?
Now is your chance to check it out! This Memorial Day, Bethany Hills is offering a family camp. This is a low-key, come-and-go event. You may arrive anytime on Friday, May 27, after 3 pm and depart anytime before Monday, May 30, at 11 am. Your family can stay in a cabin or a room in the lodge. Couples are welcome, too! There will be time for hiking, worship, swimming, a service project, and maybe a canoe trip down the Harpeth River!
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GEMS May 24 meeting
Earth Day has already passed this year, but respecting and caring for our planet continues every day. On May 24, GEMS will host Urban Green Lab, a Nashville non-profit that is working to ensure all of us know the basics of sustainable living, and how small changes in our daily lives can have a compounding effect over time. Woodmont’s own Green Chalice will join us for a fascinating discussion. Call the church office for reservations for lunch ($11) and program at noon, Tuesday, May 24.
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Watch full interview with Steve & Deb LaForge on our ministry to Ukraine |
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Watch sermon "Motherly Wisdom" |
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Church calendar
Click here for a full listing of all events on Woodmont's campus
Sunday, May 15
Youth Sunday
8:30 AM to 9:15 AM Breakfast, Drowota Hall
9:30 AM 21st Century Class, Boardroom
9:30 AM Disciples Class, Room 105
9:30 AM Challenge Class, Room 200
10:45 AM Reflections Class, Room 200
11:00 AM Connections Class, Room 106
11:00 AM Pathways Class, Boardroom
11:00 AM Points of View Class, Room 105
5:00 PM CWF Circle 7, Campbell West
Monday, May 16
11:30 AM Visitation Group, The Bay Room
3:00 PM "Geezers," Boardroom
Tuesday, May 17
9:30 AM Women's Prayer Group, Boardroom
10:30 AM Book Club, The Bay Room
6:30 PM Alateen (ages 12-19), South Hall
6:30 PM Parents AL-ANON Group, Room 105
8:00 PM AA Meeting, South Hall
Wednesday, May 18
6:00 AM Men's Small Group, Room 107
7:00 AM Younger Men's Bible Study, Boardroom
8:00 AM "Original" Men's Bible Study, Room 105
5:30 PM Racial Reconciliation Group, Gathering Hall
5:30 PM Grace Notes Rehearsal, Kids' Commons
6:30 PM Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary
Thursday, May 19
10:00 AM Sit & Stitch, Gathering Hall
1:00 PM Mahjong Group, Gathering Hall
5:30 PM Handbells Rehearsal, Choir Room
6:30 PM Andra Moran Virtual Vespers, Zoom
6:30 PM Naranaon, Room 105
8:00 PM AA Meeting, South Hall
Friday, May 20
3:00 PM Pickleball Group, Drowota Hall
Saturday, May 21
9:00 AM Bridge Picnic, Campbell West
10:00 AM Al-Anon, Drowota Hall
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Prayers for our church family
SYMPATHY TO:
- The family of Jim Jarret, a former choir director at Woodmont, who died May 4
NEW CONCERNS:
CONTINUING CONCERNS:
FAMILY/FRIENDS OF MEMBERS:
- Cathy Williams’ aunt, Shirley Brooks
- Joe Roberts’ brother, Byron Roberts
- Kimmy Bennett’s uncle, Joe Driscoll
- Betty Williams' step daughter, Trilby Williams
- Pam Groom's brother, Brad Jones
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Our elders invite you to join them in prayer
- Thank you for this time of celebrating undergraduate, masters and PhD graduations. Blessings as the next chapter of life unfolds
- Impact of Visioning initiatives as we look towards the future
- Our church staff and their families. May they feel our support and appreciation
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Giving
April 17: $50,563
April 24: $40,500
May 1: $91,406
May 8: $34,943
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Growing disciples of Christ by seeking God, sharing love, and serving others. |
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