Spring Woodmont Social

Come join us for our third Woodmont Social on Saturday, April 13! This is an off-campus event welcome to all ages. Woodmont Socials are a great chance to have some big fun and meaningful fellowship with members from different services and small groups. Invite your friends and make some new ones, bring the family, and enjoy an afternoon of food, drinks, and games at Nashville's favorite local brewery.

Questions? Contact moriah@woodmontcc.org and RSVP by clicking the button below!

"Pathways to Healing" tomorrow

Join us in person or online for an informal panel discussion of the differences between spiritual direction, therapy, and coaching! We will attempt to answer all your questions about the purpose of each of the Center for Hope and Healing’s ministries and how they can help you navigate hopes, challenges and all life has to offer.

Jay Hutchens will be the moderator and will take your questions so if you can’t be there in person, submit your questions to Jay or Vicki Askew beforehand at jayhutchens@woodmontcc.org or vaskew@woodmontcc.org.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday night in the Carpenter Chapel!

Intro to Woodmont luncheon is Sunday, April 21

If you’re new to Woodmont, then we want to see you at our next Intro to Woodmont luncheon on Sunday, April 21, at noon in the boardroom! This is a chance to meet with Clay and some of our leaders to learn more about Woodmont and if God is calling you to make this your church home. Lunch is served and you are warmly invited! Childcare is available with an RSVP to tammy@woodmontcc.org

What an honor to celebrate the baptisms of our disciples class on Sunday! I am so thankful and happy for this special group of young people in our church. 

The month of April is a time for all of us to think about what it means to give back and make a difference. During our 2024 stewardship campaign “Loving God, Loving Nashville,” we are asking Woodmont families to make a commitment to support the church mission for another year (July 2024 through June 2025). 

We seem to live in a culture with an economic system that, to some degree, fuels itself on coveting and desire. Social media has certainly exacerbated this. Are we not told over and over again by marketers and advertisers that we deserve things that are bigger, better, and nicer than what we have? Are we not told that we would be so much happier if we just went out and bought whatever it is they are promoting because we deserve it? Isn’t the American Dream predicated on the fundamental concept of having a better life than the previous generation? We don’t just want to give our kids what we had – we want to give them something bigger and better, right? And then we wonder why we are never satisfied and why so many feel entitled. 

There was a study done at Princeton a few years back asking the question, “What level of household income does it take in order to be happy?” They used Gallup data from roughly half a million Americans and here’s what they discovered. The comfortable income standard for happiness in the United States is somewhere around $75,000. In other words, once a household income is above $75,000, they found that there is not a significant correlation to increased happiness. Clearly, they forgot to survey the people of Nashville for our input. That number needs to be adjusted for today’s dollars as costs have certainly risen in recent years. Their argument is once you get above $75,000 (or whatever the current number is), your happiness level does not go up in proportion to your income. Sure, you might have a nicer car or a bigger house but your basic needs are still being met. 

There was another study done at Harvard over a 75-year period. They tracked 268 male students who graduated from Harvard between the years of 1938 and 1940, men who are now well into their 90s in order to find out what makes for a happy and meaningful life over the long haul. Guess what they discovered? Love is what matters most. Connection to other people and forming friendships is what matters. Moving from self-centeredness to connection is what matters, and working through challenges and adversity in life makes us who we are; without them, we cannot build character and learn resilience. They found that money and power, although important in achieving business success, do not necessarily equate to more happiness unless they are accompanied by the other things that bring us love, connection, and joy. Believe it or not, there are some lonely billionaires still looking for purpose.

Duke theologians Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon once said, “Our problem as humans is not that we are full of desire, aflame with unfulfillment. Our problem is that we long for that which is unfulfilling. We attempt to be content with that which can never satisfy….What we want is power and status. Alas, we find that no matter what we have acquired, there is always someone we envy.” We should heed the words of Paul: “I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty.” 

Genuine gratitude for what we already have can help eliminate fear and anxiety, envy and jealousy. Generosity is an expression of a healthy faith. Please join me in continuing to support the mission and ministries of Woodmont.

Make your pledge online!

Our 2024 stewardship campaign is underway! Click the button below to make your pledge quickly and conveniently online.

An Evening of Hope & Remembrance

March 27

Maundy Thursday

March 28

Good Friday

March 29

Houses of Hope Build April 20

Woodmont is a missional church! We will be working with Hopeforce International to build two more houses in April! So far, Hopeforce has partnered to build four of these homes to date.

These houses will go to an economically depressed area in Oklahoma. They were struck by a tornado two years ago and really need our help!

As we get information on the families involved, we will relay that data to the church membership. We are doing two houses this time to spread the transportation cost across those homes. We will only be providing the walls for the homes this time versus the roof, windows, and doors as we have done before. This will reduce our financial responsibility quite a bit. An organization in Oklahoma will be picking up the cost for the second home with us, Woodmont, providing the labor to build the walls.

Use our Signup Genius to select the shift(s) that you would like. If you have questions, contact Beth Sowell at (615) 512-2242.

Outreach Ministry Fair April 21

On Sunday, April 21, in conjunction with our stewardship campaign, we will be highlighting 12-15 outreach ministries that we actively support due to your continued generosity. Please make the time to visit the tables before or after services that day to learn more about these ministries and how you and your family can get involved in one or more of them!

Easter

 March 31

We had an interesting conversation in a staff meeting recently as we were discussing David Brooks' new book, "How to Know a Person." The question was asked about the number of people to which one can really be fully attuned. For each person it's different. I joked that for me the number is around 12 but for Clay, the number is around 2000!

The idea that there's a limit to the number of "stable relationships" we can cognitively process arises out of research in the 1990’s by anthropologist Robert Dunbar who concluded that the number was close to 150. It's called the "Dunbar Number."

That prompted me to think - "Who are my 150?”

Perhaps phrased another way - recognizing that it's impossible to be in deep, meaningful relationship with everyone, is there a group I could identify with whom I would choose to have more than simply a casual relationship? Whom would I seek instead to "accompany" - as Brooks describes in his book - or journey alongside through life in a curious, acutely interested, genuinely supportive way?

Pastors have been trained to be faithfully responsive to all who come looking for relationships and community. It's embedded in our emotional wiring. It's also one of the reasons pastors experience burnout at such an alarming rate. It's impossible to keep pace and be exactly what everyone needs at any given time as a spiritual guide and friend.

But imagine a church so spiritually healthy that all of the leaders are intensely aware of their "Dunbar number." They are highly intentional about pouring love and encouragement into their group, being present to each other during life's more challenging moments, sending cards to celebrate someone’s achievements, and being available as a sounding board when someone just needs to talk through what's on their mind.

As we enter the time of our annual stewardship campaign, we are made aware of how connected we are together in our mission to BE the body of Christ for our community. In the work we are called to do, it's "all hands on deck." And the joy of our faith is in knowing that God is always at work renewing in us a heart spiritually fashioned to bless and build-up others.

As you think about who your 150 might be, just know that God has set you apart for important work - to carry the presence of Christ in a way that heals spirits and changes lives. Isn't it amazing that God sees in us the ability to be - by God's grace - the hands and feet of Jesus?

Baptism Sunday

April 7

This Sunday, April 14: "Loving God, Loving Nashville" series

9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.:

Roy Stauffer

“Being Wealthy & Christian Too”

Luke 12:29-34 & I Timothy 6:17-19

9:40 a.m. The Bridge:

Jay Hutchens

“Leveraging our Love!”

Mark 6:30-44

Our schedule this Sunday is:

• 8:30 AM – Continental breakfast in the gym
• 9:30 AM – Traditional service in the sanctuary with livestream
• 9:40 AM – The Bridge service in the chapel with livestream
• 11:00 AM – Traditional service in the sanctuary with livestream
• 4:00 PM – Youth group in the youth lounge

Book Club April 16

You're invited to read The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict and join the Woodmont Book Club on Tuesday, April 16, at 10:30 AM in Room 100 for discussion and coffee. Questions? Contact Betty Williams at byotwilliams@comcast.net.

G.E.M.S. April 23

Hope Hines, former NewsChannel 5 anchor and sports director, will be speaking at G.E.M.S. on Tuesday, April 23, at 11:30 AM in Room 200.

Hope enjoyed a legendary 40-year career in broadcasting and is a member of the Sports Hall of Fame. He'll be speaking on the past, present, and future of sports, especially regarding significant changes.

Hope joined NewsChannel 5 after graduating from the University of Georgia. In 1975 he expanded his career becoming a play-by-play radio announcer for the Chargers, television play-by-play announcer for the New Orleans Saints, TV sports announcer, and play announcer for the Colts. He returned to Channel 5 in 1983 until his retirement.

Watch "The Heart of Christianity"

Church calendar

Sunday, April 14

8:30 AM Continental Breakfast, Drowota Hall

9:30 AM 21st Century Class, Boardroom

9:30 AM Disciples Class, Room 105

10:45 AM Pathways Class, Boardroom

10:45 AM Reflections Class, Room 200

10:45 AM Connection Class, Room 100

11:00 AM Points of View Class, Room 105

3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall

4:00 PM Youth Group, Youth Lounge

5:30 PM Jubilation Rehearsal, Choir Room

Monday, April 15

11:00 AM Visitation Group, The Bay Room

3:00 PM "Geezers," Boardroom

5:45 PM Spiritual Gifts & Ministry Strengths, Room 105

6:30 PM Leadership Woodmont, Campbell West

Tuesday, April 16

10:30 AM Book Club, Room 100

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, April 17

6:00 AM Roy Stauffer’s Men’s Group, Room 105

7:00 AM Clay Stauffer’s Men’s Group, Boardroom

8:00 AM Men’s Bible Study, Room 105

5:45 PM Disciples Women's Bible Study, Room 200

6:30 PM Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary

Thursday, April 18

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 Nar-Anon, Room 105

8:00 PM AA Meeting, South Hall 

Friday, April 19

11:30 AM Celebration of Life - Steve Lowry, Sanctuary

3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall

Saturday, April 20

10:00 AM Al-Anon, Drowota Hall