Signups for Walk Thru Bethlehem are now live!

For over 40 years, Walk Thru Bethlehem has brought the story of Christmas to life in the Nashville community, and in our church’s families. It’s a core ministry of our congregation involving 200 costumed roles in addition to building roles, backstage roles, and help-from-home roles for all ages!  This ensures everyone has a part to play in Building Bethlehem at Woodmont.

It takes all of us at Woodmont to build Bethlehem each Christmas! Simply put, we need you— and also, we want you to get to experience the joy and mystery of the Christmas story in this unique and beautiful way.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of something truly special— and just plain fun!

Visit woodmontchristian.org/walk-thru-bethlehem today and click the buttons at the bottom of the page to sign up for your role!

Churchwide Thanksgiving Dinner is tomorrow, Nov. 16, , followed by Dr. A.J. Levine

Our Wednesday night classes conclude on Nov. 16 at 5:30 PM with our Churchwide Thanksgiving Dinner in Drowota Hall followed by Dr. Amy Jill Levine with a special lecture called “What Jesus Means by Loving Your Neighbor” at 6:30 PM in Carpenter Chapel.

DivorceCare "Surviving the Holidays" workshop tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 16

6:00 PM in the Bay Room

While sponsored by DivorceCare, our "Surviving the Holidays" seminar is created for anyone bereaved, lonely, and grieving. If you're dealing with loss this time of the year, we would love to see you there.

College-aged Advent Bible Study begins Nov. 30

For four weeks during Advent, join us for our college-aged Advent Bible study, open to all college and graduate students both in Nashville and away for school.

Celebrate this Advent season by diving deeper into the gifts of Hope, Love, Joy and Peace, with a curated advent devotional written specifically for you. Physical and digital copies available by contacting Moriah at moriah@woodmontcc.org. Meet, connect and find deeper purpose and grounding this Christmas!

Young Professionals & Young Adults "Friendsgiving" Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022

Over the past five years, I have had the chance to do some intentional work with high school seniors in Nashville. These are seventeen and eighteen year olds who are busy filling out college applications and preparing to make that major life transition in the near future. Along with their head of school, my primary goal is to get them to think about the bigger picture of life, matters of character, values, relationships, and to reflect upon the kind of person they want to become. In the process, I have also tried to pass along wisdom and hard lessons that I have learned from the generation ahead of me. Here are some of the things we have discussed.  

Know your priorities and live them. Develop a spiritual life at a young age. Don’t work too hard at the expense of your family. Find the sacred balance between work and family. Enjoy every stage of life as it comes because it all goes by quickly and you can’t turn back the clock. Be kind to everyone because kindness is a manifestation of love. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Listen more than you talk. Work hard and then play hard. Make faith a priority in your marriage and family life. Be proud but not prideful, confident but not arrogant. Maturity comes with age and experience. Disappointment is inevitable. Be gentle and compassionate. Try to become a person that others will admire. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be optimistic and positive. Don’t dwell too much on the past which you cannot change.  

Learn to enjoy what you’re doing so you never have to work a day in your life. Guard your reputation and don’t compromise your character. Stay focused on meaningful objectives and live with the end in mind. Beware of seeking instant gratification. Many of the things worth doing take a long and sustained effort. Lead by example. Don’t ask others to do things you wouldn’t do. Be humble and keep your ego in check. Learn to live within your means. Money doesn’t solve every problem. Remember that relationships matter most so nurture them and invest in them. Take nothing for granted and don't develop an entitled mindset.  

Spend quality time with your children because they will grow up faster than you think. Carve out regular time for rest and to nurture the soul. Travel with your family whenever possible to make memories that will last forever. Give it your all, whether at work or at home. Follow the example of Christ. Take care of your health at a young age because it only gets more challenging. Marry somebody who can put you in your place whenever necessary. In relationships and marriage, avoid criticism, defensiveness, and especially contempt. Cultivate friendships that will last a lifetime. Tell the truth, even when it’s hard and inconvenient. Be true to your values and be the same person no matter who you might be around. Love others even when they’ve hurt you, and don’t forget the importance of forgiveness and letting things go. Approach every day as a gift because we never know about tomorrow. Don’t worry incessantly and needlessly. Trust that things will turn out fine, even if it’s not what you had planned.  

I learned many of these things from mentors when I was young. My hope and prayer is that our younger generations, who are growing up in a challenging world, will continue to gain wisdom from those who have gone before us.

Welcome, new members!

Our 2022 Angel Tree

We have about 30 people left on the Angel Tree, including 10 children!

The Woodmont Angel Tree benefits children and families at Fannie Battle Day Home. Sign up online at Angel Tree 2022 SignUp. Full instructions and bag tags can be found on the Signup Genius, and printed copies of both are by the Angel Tree in the Gathering Hall and by the Angel Tree outside the Chapel. 

Gifts should be brought to the Gathering Hall by noon on Sunday, Nov. 27, which is Thanksgiving weekend, so plan accordingly. Thank you for supporting Fannie Battle Day Home! 

Contact Tracy Crawford crawfordbt@icloud.com or Ann Wiles annwiles@gmail.com with any questions. 

Smoked turkey fundraiser deadline is tomorrow

The grilling ministry, now named “Burnt Offerings,” will be doing it’s first fundraiser by offering smoked turkeys (12-14 lb) for this Thanksgiving. Pre-orders will be taken until Wednesday, Nov. 16. It will be limited to 50 for this first event, first come first serve. Turkeys will be fully smoked and ready for pick-up Tuesday, Nov. 22, at Campbell West. Proceeds from this event will go towards funding future Mission and Outreach projects. 

Payment for turkeys can be made via cash or check at time of pickup OR if you want to pay online via Realm, please use the “Miscellaneous Payment” fund and indicate in the memo field that it is for a smoked turkey.

To place an order, contact Rob Smith by Nov. 16 at robeycotton@gmail.com or (901) 490-2110.

Every year in November, Anne and I spend three days in the Smoky Mountains high above Gatlinburg. Some years we hit it when the fall leaves are at the peak of color. A couple years ago it snowed. This year it was rainy the first day, but absolutely beautiful the next two – blue skies, brilliant sunshine, and some of the fall colors still there.

Each year different couples from Woodmont have gone with us. Last year was the largest group with five couples. This year there were three couples. The schedule is basically one of quietness, rest, reading, taking walks, and then enjoying close fellowship around the table in the evening. 

The night we sat out on a little deck around the table was a perfect autumn evening. The temperature just right, in the 60’s, with a beautiful full moon. After eating, we began to share some of our life stories, especially how each couple met each other and what attracted them to each other leading to marriage. We shared the highs and lows, good times and bad of our lives, and how that had a lot to do with what we might want in a marriage partner. 

Every one of us had been through some very difficult times in our lives (Who hasn’t?). Looking back, we realized that whether we realized it at the time, God

was very much working in our lives, in the midst of the hardest times. We may not have realized God’s presence at the time, but we now know we wouldn’t have made it through if God had been there for us. 

It’s like Frederick Buechner says in his memoir Telling Secrets:

“Maybe nothing is more important than that we keep track, you and I, of these stories of who we are and where we have come from and the people we have met along the way because it is precisely through these stories in all their particularity, as I have long believed and often said, that God makes himself known to each of us most powerfully and personally.” (page 30)

“God is present in the events of our lives not as their cause but as the one who even in the hardest and most hair-raising of them offers us the possibility of that new life and healing which I believe is what salvation is.” (p. 31)

“… even tragedy can be a means of grace that I might never have come to any other way. As I see it, in other words, God acts in history and in your and my brief histories not as the puppeteer who sets the scene and works the strings but rather as the great director who no matter what role fate casts us in conveys to us somehow from the wings, if we have our eyes, ears, hearts open and sometimes even if we don’t, how we can play these roles in a way to enrich and ennoble and hallow the whole vast drama of things including our own small but crucial parts in it.” (p. 32)

As we enter into this season of Thanksgiving, may all of us be grateful that God is with us – especially in life’s most difficult times – whether we are aware of it or not. It’s like the saying, “I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining.”

“Seen or unseen, God is there.”

- Roy

Joy Anyway - a Christmas Carol Collection from The Bridge Band 

Since its beginning, Woodmont and The Bridge have been blessed by the many marvelous music makers who have been part of our community. One of the things The Bridge musicians enjoy doing as a team is to record a Christmas carol together each year.

Now, all the carols have been compiled together in a Christmas compilation titled "Joy Anyway." The title track features The Bridge band in addition to Woodmont's own Michael Graham on rollickin' organ in the holly-jolliest way!  

We hope this music brings you Joy- and Hope, Peace and Love, too. 

You'll find it on all digital platforms listed under The Bridge worship pastor's name, Andra Moran. Please help us share this music to usher in Christmas and to introduce our congregation to your friends and family.

Merry Christmas from all of us in the Bridge Band! 

Direct links:

Apple Music 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/joy-anyway/1599505388

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/album/2VGnGCtMWkPlMYwQNlC2QQ

Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_n1cCp70wjcwB0JkXP-_etOz_jXly6dFB8

Caught in the act of service: Lori Buck

Deacon Lori Buck arrives early on her assigned Sunday mornings to prepare communion for worship. Woodmont deacons are nominated by the congregation and serve the church for two years doing a variety of tasks like welcoming guests, communion preparation, and small-group leadership. We are grateful these spiritual leaders give their time, talent, and treasure to further God’s kingdom. 

There is immense power in living out of community. It's no accident that in Luke's narrative of the church being formed at the end of Acts 2, we are given a vivid depiction of sold-out Jesus followers who can't get enough of being together. They meet daily in people's homes, they share meals, and they tell stories of how their new-found faith has transformed their lives!

I'm reading two books that have the word "Us" in the title both taking a different angle on the power of Community. "The Power of Us" (Jay J. Van Bevel, PhD and Dominic J. Packer, PhD, Little Brown Spark, 2021) is a study on how our personal identity - including our beliefs and values - is shaped, often unconsciously, by the communities to which we belong. The second book, "The Sacred Us" (Justin Kendrick, David C. Cook, 2022) comes from a theological perspective, outlining how discipleship - growing deeper as a committed Christ-follower - occurs most deliberately and profoundly within the context of the church. Both books recognize the intrinsic quality of our social relationships to give us a sense of our own purpose in life!

Imagine the ways our social networks shape us. Our notions of "success" are generally given to us most of the time without ever being explicitly stated. Even the "bohemians" we know fall into step as a collective reaction to countervailing social mores. "WE are not that!" We dress alike, speak alike, believe alike, and aspire alike and we do it thinking we are making autonomous choices to be different from everyone else. Bavel and Packer observe, "The social groups we belong to shape the very experience of what it is to be an individual. The ways in which you strive to be an independent self are influenced by the norms of the group you identify with". (The Power of Us, 24)

So what if "being different from everyone else" wasn't all it was cut out to be?

Or put another way. What if we recognized that not only is the formative power of our relationships inescapable but could be harnessed in such a way so that moved us in the direction of those things that really mattered in life?

This is what we see early in Acts. The church's mission arises out of a shared identity - WE are the people of God's kingdom (and not the empire of Rome!). Because of Jesus (not Caesar!), OUR lives are forever changed.

I asked my Sunday School class this past week what it was they thought people should experience when they come to our church. We agreed that we wanted Woodmont to be welcoming and warm and friendly. But pressed to go deeper, we identified that Woodmont is a place where people encounter the presence of Christ that heals us and the propels us forward together into kingdom-shaped mission.

I LOVE being a part of an intentional community that SHARES that sense of purpose and calls out of me the BEST version of myself. And here's the most beautiful part of it. Our "offering" on Sunday morning when we're with our church family is so much more than something I drop in the offering plate. When I bring encouragement, and love, and laughter, and joy, I help to shape the very thing that then empowers OTHERS to carry Christ healing presence to their workplaces, to their child's ball-teams, to their community service organizations, to the stranger in the line at Publix.

All because WE choose to BE community that welcomes God's Holy Spirit to move in us.

Much love,

Child dedications - 9:30 service

Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022

Photos by Steve Lowry

John Litchfield Dent, son of Paul and Grace Dent

Riley Marie Hampton, daughter of Hailey and Berry Hampton II

Iverson “Ivy” Grace Leonard, daughter of Michael and Gabrielle Leonard

Elizabeth Ramsey Moore, daughter of Trey and Mary Moore

William Tidwell Moore, son of Trey and Mary Moore

Child dedications - 11:00 service

Henry Scott Futch, son of Hunter and Blair Futch

Camille Catherine Schadel, daughter of David and Ana Schadel

Olivia Reid Schadel, daughter of David and Ana Schadel

Date: March 4-10, 2023 (a family spring break trip is in the works for March 2024)

Adult Trip: Age 18+

Cost: $1450 + airfare to Guatemala City. We will likely have a $200 pp stipend available from Woodmont's Mission Committee to put toward each person's trip.

Each traveler will arrange their own airfare; Unbound will give everyone a window for arrival, and the first and last nights will be spent in Guatemala City.

Rooms: This is a small(ish) group/trip as staff in countries such as Guatemala are just stepping back in to travel. There are 9 rooms at the Center in San Lucas, and the large dorm rooms are housing only 2 people on this trip, so space is somewhat limited. We could have from 9-18 people. Single travelers are welcome to room with a friend.

Sponsored Friends: If you have a sponsored friend through Unbound, you will get to meet them on the trip. There are a few variables, but we have always had a great opportunity to build friendships and further relationships. 

Stacy King from Unbound/Kansas will be accompanying the group and Jerry Johnson is the Woodmont lead! This is our 9th trip to Guatemala!

Feel free to reach out to me, Jerry, Stacy at Unbound, or any of the past travelers to ask all the questions you'd like to ask. Unbound is wonderful to travel with and provides a glimpse into the people and sights of Guatemala that you would only get if you were staying at a close friend's home in a foreign country!  

For a mission awareness trip packet info and registration, contact Jerry Johnson at jjwestwind@aol.com

Woodmont's Guatemala group from 2019

Father-Son Campfire 2022

Photos by Steve Lowry

Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022

Dr. Ben Curtis "Living with God in Darkness & Light: The Eyes of Frederick Buechner" tomorrow

Led by Dr. Ben Curtis and sponsored by the Center for Healing & Spirituality, this session begins at 6:15 PM in Room 105.

Frederick Buechner, who died recently, was a novelist and theologian. He wrote a spiritual memoir, Telling Secrets, which encourages honesty and the gift of hearing God in small things. In these three sessions, we will trace the arc of healing through his losses and avoidance. The right events at the right moments lead to grace and acceptance, becoming an inspiration for our own lives. 

Walk Thru Bethlehem costume checkout dates

Nov. 16 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Nov. 20 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Nov. 27 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Nov. 30 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Dec. 4 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Dec. 8 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM

This Sunday, Nov. 20

"Self-Control & Being Grateful” 

 Clay Stauffer

Psalm 100 & Philippians 4:4-13 

 “Fruit of the Spirit” series

Breakfast is back weekly

8:30 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

Troop 92 Christmas Wreath Sale

Our Boy Scout Troop is now selling beautiful Christmas wreaths with a large red bow for $35 per wreath on Sunday mornings in the Gathering Hall. Wreaths will be distributed the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Church members can pick up their wreaths from the new wing of the church on Sunday, Nov. 20. If a member cannot pick them up that day, the wreaths will be available for pickup from the church office during weekly office hours. You can also purchase wreaths online at this address https://scoutsales.org/?1313.28.2022

The Bridge Advent Decoration Day

Our Advent Decoration Day for The Bridge and Carpenter Chapel is Nov. 20 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Contact Andra Moran or Tammy Morgan to sign up to help! This year, we're bringing in a 12-foot tree and will decorate with traditional Chrismons, or "Christ monograms," decorations of symbols that tell the story of the life of Jesus. On Nov. 27, the first Sunday in Advent, we'll hang some additional decorations during worship together. 

The Bridge Ornament Exchange

Throughout Advent, you're invited to bring in ornaments from your own collection to add to our exchange-display. Swap your ornament for one from another worshipper and bring a bit of your church family's love to your Christmas tree. 

One all-church service on Christmas Day and New Years Day at 10:00 AM in the sanctuary 

"You know the Spirit is in you and with you."

-John 14:17

On my birthday last year my friend Anne gifted me a beautiful piece of pottery by the well-known Southern potter, Tena Payne. It sits on my coffee table, my "glory jar." Sometimes it is filled with guitar picks, pennies, or chocolate.

In 2 Corinthians 4: 7-12, Paul compares the soul tucked into the human frame to a treasure kept in a clay jar. The metaphor would have certainly resonated with his first century audience because they all stored their most valuable olive oils and wines in terracotta amphorae. He urgently wanted the community in Corinth to know their lives were sacred with holy purpose. Eugene Peterson says, "We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives." Our mission is to share it. No matter how fragile our containers or the challenges life presents, ultimately our value is as a carrier of the Divine spark. Thomas Merton calls it “the pure glory of God within us.” We are living "glory jars" with the capacity to love and act in the world as God’s emissaries.

Some people discover earlier than others the amazing gift within their possession. A couple of weeks ago, Clay and Justin performed the funeral for Chris Smith, a fellow church member, and celebrated lacrosse coach in our community. There was not an available seat in the pews because they were filled with hundreds of kids to whom Coach Smith had taught lacrosse, but more importantly, had imparted how to live a meaningful, love-expressing life. Chris was one of the Potter's best "glory jars."

A minister once said, "we think our lives are all about us, but really it's all about God."

Shovel the ground on an archeological site in the Holy Land, and you are probably going to find the remains of ancient pottery. Those earthen jars were only meant to serve for a short time. Paul tells us in his second letter to the Corinthians, that we should never lose heart. Outwardly, we may appear fragile and perishable, inwardly God is renewing us every single day. He commands us to focus our attention not on what is seen, but what is unseen. The earthen jar is temporary, but its contents are eternal. Live from one's soul and the reward is a sacred existence.

I recently rediscovered the special book, A Book of Hours, by Thomas Merton. Merton writes, "We do not know we are full of paradise because we are so full of our own noise that we cannot hear God singing us and all things into beauty." I am learning that when I am tired, self-focused, too busy, and feeling a little lackluster, the world does not receive the best from me. No glory! 

Wherever you are, however chipped your pottery—persevere! You are incredibly valuable and God needs you to do what you were made for. Our daily work is to pass on love, the "glory in the jar!"

I hope you have a blessed week,

Woodmont Christian Church has been awarded a “Cool Congregations” award for the reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions of greater than 10% for the period of 2019 to 2021 from the nonprofit, Interfaith Power and Light (IPL). This award was presented to Clay by Steve Vining of the Woodmont Green Chalice team on Nov. 9. This award was achieved primarily due to the efforts of Sam Marsh who implemented many of the recommendations of a TVA energy audit conducted in early 2019. An additional benefit of the efforts to improve energy efficiency was a reduction in spending for the sanctuary and mansion portion of the church of nearly $11,000. A link to the full story on the IPL website is below.

https://www.coolcongregations.org/woodmont-christian-church/

Youth news

Watch sermon "Are You Being Faithful?"

Church calendar

Sunday, Nov. 20

8:30 AM Breakfast, Drowota Hall

9:30 AM Peace, Grace, & Truth Class, Room 200

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 Points of View Class, Room 105

3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall

4:45 PM Jubilation Ensemble, Choir Room

5:00 PM Leadership Woodmont, Campbell West

5:00 PM Youth Group, Carpenter Chapel

Monday, Nov. 21

11:30 AM Visitation Group, The Bay Room

3:00 PM "Geezers", Boardroom

5:30 PM Racial Reconciliation Group,Gathering Hall

Tuesday, Nov. 22

9:30 AM Women's Prayer Group, Boardroom

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, Nov. 23

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

6:00 PM DivorceCare, The Bay Room

Thursday, Nov. 24

Thanksgiving Day

Church office & building closed

Friday, Nov. 25

Thanksgiving Holiday

Church office & building closed

Saturday, Nov. 26

Thanksgiving Holiday

Church office & building closed