Summer Gospel Sing-Along & Potluck Supper begins June 4

One of our favorite summer traditions is back! On Wednesdays in June & July, we will have a gospel sing-along at 5:15 PM in Room 105, followed by a potluck supper in Drowota Hall at 6:00 PM. Bring food suitable for potluck sharing!

Due to enhanced preschool security, the west entrance won't be open until after 5:00 PM. If arriving earlier, use the entrance with the small white bridge facing Hillsboro Pike or the side door to Drowota Hall near the kitchen

Intro to Woodmont June 1

If you’re new to Woodmont, then we want to see you at our next Intro to Woodmont luncheon on Sunday, June 1, 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

"The Gospel of John" begins this Sunday

"The Gospel of John" is a Sunday summer Bible study led by Woodmont's Executive Pastor, Jay Hutchens, that begins May 18 and runs through July at 10:45 AM in Room 232 (upper level across from the youth room).

John’s Gospel is completely unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke!  In this summer study, Pastor Jay will talk about how John served as a “Discipleship Manual” for early Christians to grow in faith, live in community, and love on the people around them.  All through John, Jesus claims to do the work of his Father (John 5:19) as an encouragement to disciples then and today to continue the ministry of God’s healing, reconciling, and community building.

The class will also talk through how to pick a Bible translation, what it means for the Bible to be “inspired,” and how/why the gospels differ from each other!  Ultimately, the group will see what John's specific story is to tell about Jesus that enlivened and empowered the local faith community!

A helpful resource for this class is N.T. Wright’s Study Guide on John (in the N.T. Wright For Everyone Bible Study Guides).  You can purchase that study guide on Amazon at tinyurl.com/yc5dwaxt

For more information, you can email jayhutchens@woodmontcc.org

Click the button below to register!

This class is being offered in conjunction with The Connection Class - a class designed especially for visitors and new members at Woodmont!

This edition of the newsletter contains our leadership nominations for the upcoming church year which will begin on July 1. I want to thank everybody who has agreed to serve in these roles – board, elder, deacon. They are all very important for the life of Woodmont. We continue to be blessed with many great leaders from which to choose. The nominating committee had a very challenging job this year. 

Anybody who wants to lead must pay attention to their spiritual tank. If the tank is empty or close to empty, leadership will be very difficult, if not impossible. Leading in the church takes ongoing work and development. Those who want to be spiritual leaders in life need to have these six core traits as they seek to follow Christ’s example:

1.  Character – It’s who you are that matters. Character is formed over time, and the foundation is laid early in life. We all fall short at times, but character is built through the trials and tribulations of life. Patterns of behavior matter. 

2.  Courage. Nobody can lead anything without having the courage to do so. Why? Leaders are criticized and projected upon all the time. Courage combined with resilience will make all the difference. 

3.  A Positive Attitude. Nobody wants to follow a cynic who is always negative and pessimistic. True leaders always inspire hope and focus on the good. 

4.  Teachable. Life is a classroom and we must never stop learning and growing. Once you stop learning, you can no longer lead. This involves being able to listen empathetically to the concerns of others. 

5.  Relationship-focused. Effective leaders surround themselves with other leaders and form relationships with those they lead. Trust is built in the process as the currency of relationships. This is true in the church, business, education, politics, and any other field. The healthiest spiritual leaders form and maintain strong relationships. 

6.  Humility. Leaders must work to overcome pride and maintain a deep sense of humility. Being wrong and apologizing are always signs of strength. 

Please pray for all of our current and nominated leaders as we move into the future! Our congregational meeting will take place on Sunday, June 22nd.

2025 Leadership Slate

The nominations are in for our 2025 Treasurer, Board, Elders, & Deacons! Our annual congregational meeting and election is Sunday, June 15, at 10:40 AM. Installation of our newly-elected leaders is Sunday, June 29, as part of our 11:00 AM service.

"Generous Hearts" campaign update

Our 2025 stewardship campaign is wrapping up! If you haven't already, click the button below to make your pledge quickly and conveniently online so that we can plan for another amazing year of ministry together.

Mother's Day & Child Dedications

May 11 • Photos by Matt Diffenderfer

Aliya Nour Rose, daughter of

Tim & Sara Rose

Cline Jane Patton, daughter of

Zach & Lindsay Patton

James Bankston McCauley, son of

Robert & Windom McCauley

"Friendship, Empathy, & Trust" this Sunday, May 18

Clay Stauffer • “Timeless Values in a Chaotic World” series • Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 & Luke 10:25-37

Our worship schedule this Sunday is:

• 8:30 AM – Continental breakfast in the gym
• 9:30 AM – Informal service in the sanctuary
• 9:40 AM – The Bridge service in the chapel
• 9:40 AM – Middle school service in the youth room
• 11:00 AM – Traditional service in the sanctuary
• 4:00 PM – Final youth group of the year in the youth room

New time for Worship Night May 27

Our monthly Worship Night is on Tuesday, May 27, at the new time of 6:30 PM in the chapel. This is a 30-minute, full-band, casual service meant to give you a midweek uplift and reset. Come for some encouragement, music, and fellowship! Questions? Contact moriah@woodmontcc.org

"A Service of Contemplation" June 1

Woodmont's Chancel Choir will share a service of contemplation on Sunday, June 1, at 5:00 PM in the sanctuary with scripture and meditations from Dr. Clay Stauffer. This will be an hour of peace and reflection as we begin the summer months.

YP Sunday School series "Dream Big" starts June 1

Our Young Professionals group starts a new, 5-week Sunday School series focusing on the book Dream Big by Bob Goff on Sunday, June 1, at 10:45 AM at Campbell West. This will be an inspiring Biblical conversation about claiming your purpose and the group would love for you to join them! For more info, email Moriah Domby at moriah@woodmontcc.org

In response to many questions concerning what the “Geezers” men’s group is all about, I’d like to share with you what one of our members – Dick Kendrick – had to say. The group liked what he says.

- Roy

Geezer: Odd, eccentric, or unreasonable old man—a mildly disparaging term. Considering the above definition, you wonder why anyone would use the term "Geezers" as the name of a men’s group, but that’s what we call ourselves. Truth is some of us might just fit that definition but we don’t seem to mind. We most certainly are old by anyone’s standard, and from time to time, more than one of us could be considered eccentric.

I have been part of this auspicious gathering of men for over two years and have enjoyed every hour. Among the things I enjoy most about our time together is learning each other's life stories; where we come from, what our professions were, what our passions are, the history of our personal Christian faith, as well as the history of Woodmont Christian Church. Having the luxury of being in the company of men who have grown up in Nashville and are longtime members of the church is special and something I find to be highly unusual.

Being a lifelong gardener, I relate most of life and its experiences to gardening. Genesis 2:15 says we are here to tend the garden. If you use a little imagination, you can think of the gathering of Geezers as a garden to be tended, cultivated. This garden is one where, with a little tending by Roy, we reap combined years of experience, failures and successes.  We share how we have learned to live and what’s important in life; how to fail and keep moving forward; how to receive and give encouragement; and yes, even how to forgive. In learning how to live, we have ultimately learned how to love others.

My last garden was surrounded by a picket fence and I had to enter through a gate. In a sense, when entering through that gate, I left my cares and worries on the outside and was able to spend time in a state of peace. Though I didn’t always realize it, in the quiet of the garden, I was listening to God. By force of nature, a gardener is an optimist, someone who sees opportunity in every difficulty. Gathering with my Geezer friends, I find myself among planters and growers who are realistic about life, have faced the difficult times, and turned them into opportunities.

As peers we share losses. When one of us gives up the Spirit, we are quick to acknowledge that each of us faces death in the not-too-distant future, and because of that, we understand the broad beneficence of the Divine. It is at such times that I realize the importance and consider it an honor to be part of this group of Geezers. Even though we have come face-to-face with age itself and run into a wall of unrelenting physical weakness and frailty, we plough on. We recognize how blessed we are to have been given the privilege of living long enough to be a true Geezer.  

So, my friends, I say “Geezer on" and in the words of Winston Churchill, “Never, never give in.”

Blessings and prayers,

-Dick

Leadership Woodmont spring retreat

The twenty-sixth class of Leadership Woodmont completed their time together with their spring retreat in April. They started together in September and met each Monday night. Their commitment to the program and the care and devotion they developed for each other were such a blessing and gift for Randy Smith and Fran Stewart, the leaders of this class. From profound study and reflection to just incredible laughter and rooms full of caring love. Each member ended with a next steps plan as to how they are called to use their gifts in this time and place.

This class will be recognized during our services on May 18. At the end of this summer, all twenty-five years of this program will be celebrated.

There is real magic in the words written by Beth Patillo, the author of all the written material for this class. There is also so much gratitude for all the members who have said yes to the invitation over the last twenty-five years and to our church for the unwavering support and encouragement it has provided from day one.

The members of this class are Anne Trainer, Anne Cooper, Jan Wall, Kathy Parolini, Laura Alexander, Grace Dent, Russ Phillippi, Michael Ribas, Bob Faricy, Greg Cashion, and Steve Kemmerling.

G.E.M.S. May 27 meeting

Rev. Adam DeVries, founder of The Crowded Table will be speaking at our next G.E.M.S. meeting on Tuesday, May 27, at 11:30 AM in Room 200.

Adam also serves the youth ministry at First Presbyterian and Westminster Presbyterian Church. A Nashville native and a graduate of Sewanee, he received a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Youth Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary, and is an ordained Presbyterian Minister, and a certified spiritual director. He and his wife, Sara, have been foster parents to over 20 children in their home to date, so he knows of which he speaks.

The Crowded Table was organized to “To equip local churches to provide practical support to Davidson County foster families and their caseworkers.” Adam lives in Nashville with his wife, Sara, and their two girls, Parish (16) and Nealy (14). He comes with great enthusiasm and the heart of a servant.

The other day I had one of those conversations with friends about TV shows we’d watched recently. We were trying to identify actors we didn’t remember the names of by comparing them to other actors who looked like them, and then explaining what the stories were about based on ones with similar plots but with varied time periods or characters. Each one sparking another suggestion, “Oh, it’s not that one, but if you like that kind of thing, it reminds me of another show that came out recently, have you seen (fill in the blank)…?” All of it the same, but different.

It’s amazing to think of how many stories, both fictional and real, are the same but different. Oftentimes learning about other people’s stories can be triggering or inspiring based on how much the same but different they are from our own situations and experiences. The storylines of our lives change season to season, sometimes in a subtle, almost unnoticeable way, other times in a dramatic way where you come out the other side feeling unrecognizable to yourself.

May 10th was the two-year mark of my husband’s passing. A mark on my life line that has become a very clear divide between the before and after. It has created a life for me, a me, that is the same in some ways but also completely different. I am not alone. Most of you have a distinctive moment or moments that have left you with a mark of your own.

Grief year two has been the same as year one, but different. Moving forward seems a lot like moving on to the untrained heart, but it’s very different. I am the same Moriah as the Moriah on May 9th, 2023, but different enough that I’d like to go back and give her a hug and protect her from all the well-intentioned people who are about to tell her, “Time heals all wounds,” because I know now it doesn’t.

Part of healing means you let yourself feel the waves of grief that can come out of the clear blue now and hit you with the exact same pain from when the loss first happened, knocking the wind from your lungs and disorienting you for a moment. But then, it’s leaning into the hope that there is a deep breath coming afterwards and it will feel different.

My faith in Christ and the gift of life He so generously brings, gives me a hope that my husband is the same but different now too. It allows me to hear his voice in my mind and feel his protection around me without diluting it down to just a fond memory. Trusting the scriptures that say my faith in Christ makes me a new creation, and that I am created for good works which were set out for me, helps me to get up every day and live in the life that is a different I never would have chosen for myself.

God knows us the same as when He first stitched us together. But He also designed us to be renewable. Holding onto authentic truth while being flexible to change around and within us, and allowing that for others, is a balance we walk as followers of Christ. It can be a challenging practice.

This week, stepping into year three, I honor the marks on your lifeline that have kicked off the same but different in you. I can say with full confidence in grace that God is part of both.

5th grade retreat at Deer Run

May 2-3

Proposed amendments to Woodmont's bylaws

The Official Board has proposed amendments to the Bylaws of the Church, which will be on the agenda for approval at the annual meeting on June 15, 2025, at 10:40 AM, along with the 2025-2026 Budget approval.

If you would like a copy of the full text of the proposed amendments, you can click the button below or you may contact the church office.

In summary, these proposed amendments primarily refine the number and terms of the Deacons, and the appointment process for the Chair of Deacons, which changes the Board proposes due to the continued growth of the congregation. The Board also proposes to revise the process for future modification of the Bylaws - currently the Board determines the necessity for any bylaws amendments and then informs the congregation, and the proposed Bylaws amendments are not formally approved by the Board until after allowing the Church membership the opportunity provide comments to Board members as to the proposed amendments. As the Church continues to grow that process would be streamlined to allow the Board to make any Bylaws amendments, other than amendments which would modify the “Powers Reserved to the Congregation” set forth in Section III. D. of the Bylaws (approval of the annual Church budget, amendment of the Church Charter, ratifying the call of a senior minister, merger, consolidation or dissolution of the Church, and borrowing money in excess of 20% of the total estimated value of all Church assets or in excess of 20% of the annual Church budget).

Memorial Day fundraiser

Woodmont’s grilling ministry is hosting its third annual Memorial Day fundraiser offering pulled pork shoulders in 1 & 2 lb. bags. Pre-orders will be taken until May 21 on a first-come, first-served basis, and pickup is the weekend of May 24 & 25 at Woodmont.

At pickup time, you can pay via cash or check made payable to Woodmont Christian Church with “Burnt Offerings” in the memo line. Payment can also be made on Realm by selecting "Miscellaneous Payment" in the memo line and typing "Burnt Offerings Fundraiser." To order, click the button below.

Proceeds from this event will go towards funding future mission and outreach projects. Questions? Contact wccburntofferings@gmail.com

Vacation Bible School 2025 registration is live!

VBS is June 24-27, 9 AM to noon, and it is for children and students from rising pre-K4 through rising 5th grade. Click the button below to register. We can't wait to go road trippin' with you!

Calendar

Sunday, May 18

8:30 AM Continental Breakfast, Drowota Hall

9:00 AM Grace Notes Rehearsal, Kids' Commons

9:30 AM 21st Century Class, Boardroom

9:30 AM Disciples Class, Room 105

9:40 AM Middle School Service, Youth Room

10:45 AM The Life Class, Bay Room

10:45 AM Reflections Class, Room 200

10:45 AM Connection Class, Room 232

11:00 AM Points of View Class, Room 105

3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall

4:00 PM Youth Group, Youth Room

4:00 PM Youth Mom's Group, Campbell West

Monday, May 19

3:00 PM "Geezers" Group, Boardroom

Tuesday, May 20

10:30 AM Book Club, Room 100

6:00 PM Leadership Woodmont 2.0, 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, May 21

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

6:00 PM GriefShare, Campbell West

6:00 PM DivorceCare, The Bay Room

6:15 PM Disciples Women's Bible Study, Room 200

6:30 PM Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary

Thursday, May 22

10:00 AM Sit & Stitch, Gathering Hall

10:30 AM "Journey to the Heart" Women's Bible Study, Boardroom

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, May 23

3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall

Saturday, May 24

10:00 AM Al-Anon, Drowota Hall