2022 Woodmont Ministry Fair is Aug. 21 & 28 in the Gathering Hall and Chapel Atrium from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Discover your “spiritual gift,” sign up for a serve team or small group, & learn how you can make a difference at our church!
Join us for our 2022 Ministry Fair two Sundays in a row: Aug. 21 & Aug. 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Gathering Hall & chapel atrium area.
|
|
Introducing "Dinners for 8"
It’s incredible how much the Bible talks about food! It’s almost as if God wants us to share a meal together!
Coming in September, sign up now for “Dinners for 8” at Woodmont! Meet over dinner with some amazing people from our church once a month in September, October, and November.
Here’s how it works! Give us your name and contact info and we’ll group you with eight “Woodmonters.” You’ll meet eight new people you may have never met before, with whom you can share your story and get to know better - the kind of people who could very well become your friends for life! You can meet at someone’s home, a favorite restaurant, or a fun location like a park and bring potluck. It's your choice!
Fill out this registration form and we will help you find your "Dinners for Eight" group. On Wednesday, Aug. 31, we’ll let you know the group you’re in with some suggestions on your first meeting!
|
|
YP & Young Adults Nashville Sounds baseball event this Sunday, Aug. 14, 6:00 PM
We've got a private suite with catering and premiere seating reserved for our Young Professionals, Couples, & Young Adults Group! Don't miss a chance for great fellowship and America's favorite pastime while we watch our Nashville Sounds take on the Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves feeding team).
The game begins at 6 PM at First Horizon Park and carpooling from Woodmont is available at 5 PM.
This is a great event to invite friends to, so make sure to email moriah@woodmontcc.org to reserve your spot! See you there!
|
|
Church is Built on Relationships
by Clay Stauffer
|
|
Relationships matter in life. The quality of your relationships will always determine the quality of your life. It’s a simple and timeless truth. The pandemic was so difficult because relationships were cut off. We were told to stay apart. Christianity is based on the opposite of “social distancing.” Jesus had issues with many aspects of organized religion, but he was a master of cultivating relationships. |
|
My friend Rubel Shelly, who has taught and preached at Woodmont, wrote a great book years ago titled I Knew Jesus Before He Was a Christian…and I Liked Him Better Then. In the book, Rubel talks about the fundamental difference between the INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH and the RELATIONAL CHURCH. This is a fascinating comparison. Here is what he says:
Institutional Church – Church is about getting our needs met through persons and programs
Relational Church – Church is about relating to God and others in authentic unselfishness
Institutional Church – Scripture is a law book that is to be studied for its rules and formulas
Relational Church – Scripture is the narrative of God’s patient and redemptive love for humans
Institutional Church – Salvation is helping people get ready to go to heaven when they die
Relational Church – Salvation is divine rescue from an empty, vain, wasted life right now
Institutional Church – Salvation is about people doing the right things
Relational Church – Salvation is the unmerited gift of God’s grace
Institutional Church – Stresses the distinction between being “in” and “out”
Relational Church – Sees us as pilgrims in search of God and is far less inclined to be judgmental
Institutional Church – Known for being exclusive
Relational Church – Known for being inclusive
Institutional Church – Emphasizes being right
Relational Church – Confesses its inadequacy
Institutional Church – Being a “faithful church” requires avoiding people who are in error
Relational Church – We “grow together” to accept, hold accountable, and purify one another
Institutional Church – Church exists for “people like us” and makes others feel uncomfortable
Relational Church – Church is for reconciling diverse people and groups
Institutional Church – Often heard: “Church must pay more attention to my needs!”
Relational Church – Often heard: “Church is a community where we learn to be unselfish”
Institutional Church – Challenges insiders to help frame the institution’s life and function for the benefit of the few
Relational Church – Functions as a loving community willing to support and nurture all who seek God with sincere hearts
Institutional Church – External symbols and coded vocabulary are very important to identity
Relational Church – External symbols and coded vocabulary are avoided whenever possible
Institutional Church – Worship is a defined, limited series of actions – sometimes marked off by a closing prayer before secular things
Relational Church – Worship is a way of life that envisions all its activities under God’s will - with all things made sacred by the Spirit
Institutional Church – “Missions” is the church’s task of taking the gospel out to foreign cultures
Relational Church – “Missions” is infiltration of the church’s neighboring community
As we prepare for the end of summer and fall kickoff, I hope and pray that Woodmont will continue to make every effort to be a relational church that follows the Greatest and Second Commandments of Christ. Shelly makes it very clear that there are different ways to “be the church.” Some are healthy. Some are not. Some are vibrant. Some are not. Life is about relationships. We must first be passionate about our relationship with God and passionate about our relationships with other people. Civility, respect, honesty, and compassion are ways that we build bridges and make friendships in life. We are having a special series Wednesday evenings in September on “Faith & Civility in the Public Square.” The Golden Rule has always been a timeless mission statement for all of us to live by.
|
|
P.S. Looking forward to Our Ministry Fair on Sunday mornings, August 21 and 28. |
|
This Sunday, Aug. 14: "Jesus Brings Healing & Renewal"
Clay Stauffer
"Why Our World Needs Jesus" series
Luke 13:10-17 & I Corinthians 4:7-12
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
|
|
Next Sunday, Aug. 21, is Homecoming & Promotion Sunday with breakfast at 8:30 AM |
|
We are kicking off Homecoming Sunday this year with a special breakfast at 8:30 AM in the gym!
Homecoming Sunday is also Promotion Sunday, when all our children move up a grade. Having children registered prior to that morning makes that day run smoothly for children and parents alike. If you have not registered yet, please click the button below. We appreciate your partnership in making this year in ministry successful!
|
|
America's Favorite Pastime
By Moriah Domby Pirtle
|
|
Growing up we spent a lot of time at the minor league baseball games, most of which were with our church. I loved the smell of the grass and dirt, the crack of the bat hitting the ball, and the excitement that builds like a wave around a whole group of fans who’ve waited patiently for some real action when a ball goes flying way out of the park! I’ve always loved the sport, but looking back, those baseball games with church were so much more than hot dogs and home runs. After a buttoned up morning service, we’d all get back together in the afternoon at the ball park and I’d see our minister in a baseball cap, a deacon chowing down on his third corn dog, the choir director in blue jeans shouting out her opinion on the ref’s call. From a little kid's perspective, it was almost like they were different people. But there was something so comforting about knowing that the people who spoke beautiful prayers into my heart, and who were guiding me towards God’s love and sacrifice, were the same people four hours later with ketchup on their t-shirts. There is something so powerful about having fun in fellowship. Taking the relationships we create and build in church outside the walls where messy hotdogs and bad calls and real life are happening, giving them a chance to grow and bloom into deeper friendships. At Woodmont we like to call that "Sharing Love," one of the 3 cornerstones of our mission here. Sharing life is sharing love, and the enrichment gained can be lifelong.
I invite you to participate in as many opportunities you can to share love and fellowship with small groups and mission groups. One of these opportunities is coming up this Sunday, August 14! The Young Professionals and Young Adults groups will be heading to the Nashville Sounds game. It starts at 6 PM with a carpool option from Woodmont. Tickets are provided and include food, suite and premiere seats. This is great event to bring guest along as well! Please reach out with any questions and your RSVP. I look forward to seeing you there!
|
|
"Faith & Civility" series Wednesday nights in September
- What role should faith play when it comes to public leadership?
- How can Christians model civil discourse between people with different political views?
- Why is there so much dehumanization in today’s politics?
- Where do we go to find facts and truth?
- What does it mean to be a “purple church” that brings people together?
These questions and more will be explored on Wednesday nights in September beginning September 7 at 6:15 PM in Carpenter Chapel. Dinner will be served beforehand in Drowota Hall. We will hear from many different voices including Vanderbilt Dean John Geer, Professor Samar Ali, David French, and others.
Make plans for an interesting series this fall!
|
|
Introducing Woodmont Ministry Fair 2022!
by Farrell Mason
|
|
Do you remember your fifth grade science fair? Every child got to proudly set up his or her science project and then teachers and fellow students walked around the gymnasium to learn about them. The baking soda and vinegar volcano always stole the show!
We are a church with a passion for serving others! In this spirit, we are launching the 2022 Ministry Fair at Woodmont with over twenty booths on Sunday, August 21 and 28. We plan to make it a tradition!
One of the takeaways from our churchwide visioning process this spring was the need, especially after two years of Covid, to share and celebrate all the things we do to love our Woodmont family and the larger Nashville community. Our mission individually and as a thriving church community is to connect the dots so that God’s goodness, hope and very real and living presence is far greater than the “doom and gloom” propagated on the 24/7 news cycles, in the political arena, and social media channels. The pandemic certainly pinned our wings, but now it is time to fly again. We have already announced that Walk Thru Bethlehem is coming back this Christmas! The plan is to set up booths in the Gathering Hall and down the hallway leading to the lobby of Carpenter Chapel. The goal is for all of us to visit each booth and then pick at least ONE ministry at Woodmont to commit your heart, gifts, and time for the year! To enhance the experience, we will provide a “Spiritual Gifts” inventory to help you determine what especially speaks to your heart. I think you are going to come away saying, “I had no idea we did all of that,” and feel so inspired by your church and want to get more involved.
Some of the ministries that have already signed up for the fair are:
Walk Thru Bethlehem (I suggest you sign up your entire family) 2.) The Super Somebodies 3.) Pickleball 4.) Fall Hamilton Schools 5.) Love Your Neighbor (Refugee Ministry). You will find me at 6.) Congregational Cares where you can become a part of our meaningful Cards Ministry, cook for our Faith Freezer, sign up on the Woodmont Meal Train to bring meals to members in need, help create and distribute our new “Hope Tool Kits,” and so much more.
Woodmont is a community that loves well. Email this week Jay Hutchens (jayhutchens@woodmontcc.org) if you have a ministry that needs a “booth” in the Ministry Fair. I invite you to grab a cup of coffee and donut and walk the fair!
The Ministry Fair will launch on Homecoming Sunday, August 21, and Sunday, August 27!
|
|
Super Somebodies work group
by Beth Sowell
"Someone should do something about..."
Have you ever thought that? Do you have a "Honey-Do" list? Then you understand how the Super Somebodies works. We have a list of minor repairs and work to do on the Woodmont campus. Can you help? Of course! Just click the button below and fill out our form.
I would like to do this differently this year - you come when it is convenient for you! I will be there most Mondays, but we will take you when we can! Once a month? Once a week? When you have a free day? Great! Fill out the form and mark your preferred jobs and contact information. I will get back to you. Call me with any questions or problems!
|
|
Rescheduled Beekeeping Show and Tell |
|
The Green Chalice team at Woodmont will be hosting Craig Petersen this Sunday, August 14, to talk about bees, pollination and the importance of environmental stewardship. Craig will be showing a bee observation box along with photos of bees being active in the environment. Craig will also encourage discussion and answer questions from the children about the role of bees as pollinators and how we can better care for them in our gardens. Interested adults can also attend in the Children’s Commons below Carpenter Chapel. The presentation will begin at 10:00 AM. |
|
Watch youth Panama City Beach highlight video |
|
Watch latest sermon "Battered Hopes, Shattered Dreams... & God" |
|
Church calendar
Click here for a full listing of all events on Woodmont's campus
Sunday, August 14
9:30 AM 21st Century Class, Boardroom
9:30 AM Disciples Class, Room 105
10:45 AM Reflections Class, Room 200
10:45 AM Connections Class, Room 100
11:00 AM Pathways Class, Boardroom
11:00 AM Points of View Class, Room 105
3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall
6:00 PM YP & Young Adults Nashville Sounds game
Monday, August 15
11:30 AM Visitation Group, The Bay Room
3:00 PM "Geezers", Boardroom
5:30 PM Racial Reconciliation Group, Gathering Hall
Tuesday, August 16
9:30 AM Women's Prayer Group, Boardroom
2:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall
6:00 PM YP & Young Adults, Campbell West
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, August 17
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
10:30 AM CWF Board Meeting, Room 200
5:00 PM DivorceCare training, Room 107
Thursday, August 18
10:00 AM Sit & Stitch, Gathering Hall
1:00 PM Mahjong Group, Gathering Hall
2:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall
5:30 PM Handbells Rehearsal, Choir Room
6:30 PM Andra Moran Virtual Vespers, Zoom
6:30 PM Nar-Anon, Room 105
8:00 PM AA Meeting, South Hall
Friday, August 19
3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall
Saturday, August 20
10:00 AM Al-Anon, Drowota Hall
|
|
Prayers for our church family
CONGRATULATIONS TO:
- Mary & Trey Moore on the birth of their son, William Tidwell Moore, on July 23. Grandparents are Jean and Robert Ramsey. Great-grandparents are Liz and John Ramsey.
NEW CONCERNS:
- Beverly Small
- Pam Groom's brother, Brad Jones
- Ginger May
- Stephanie Bowman's grandmother
- Richard Duncan's sister-in-law, Carol Duncan
CONTINUING CONCERNS:
FAMILY/FRIENDS OF MEMBERS:
- Mari Kate Hopper's father
- Joe Roberts’ brother, Byron Roberts
- Betty Williams' step daughter, Trilby Williams
|
|
Our elders invite you to join them in prayer
- Please continue to pray for the Kentucky Flood Victims and all who are affected by this summer's extreme weather.
- Please pray for Teachers and Students as they begin a new school year.
- Pray for our homeless brothers and sisters as they survive the extreme heat and help them find shelter.
- Pray for our Church Members and Leaders as we kick off Fall at Woodmont!
|
|
July 17: $41,266
July 24: $52,848
July 31: $33,118
Aug. 7: $62,377
|
|
Growing disciples of Christ by seeking God, sharing love, and serving others. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
