Easter Sunday, March 31

We will have four services on Easter morning!  Our schedule this Sunday is:

• 7:00 AM – Sunrise service in the outdoor chapel
• 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

We are expecting capacity crowds in all of our services for Easter! Please help us make room for everyone to be able to find a parking space by traveling to church in one car per family if possible. Thank you!

"The Power of Easter!"

Clay Stauffer

Matthew 28:1-10 & 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 

“The Life of Jesus” series

Holy Week Art Walk is live now!

Teach Us to Pray offers 12 images by renowned artist Scott Erickson. The images were unveiled Sunday and are now spaced throughout the upper hallway from the chapel atrium to the side sanctuary door.

The art walk is open during regular church hours until this Saturday at noon and can be approached either from the sanctuary side or the chapel side. Allow about 30 minutes for reflection and prayer as you walk through the images. Each image has a prompt to help you reflect more deeply as we move through Holy Week.

Questions? Contact Andra Moran or Tammy Morgan. 

Maundy Thursday

Our midweek dinner moves to Thursday night this week, followed by our 6:30 PM Maundy Thursday service led by Andra Moran. Join us this Thursday, March 28, for this unique tenebrae (candle-extinguishing) service in the chapel.

Good Friday

Join members and ministers from several Nashville-area churches for an ecumenical service called “The Seven Last Words of Christ” at noon this Friday, March 29, with traditional liturgy and music from our chancel choir in the sanctuary.

Our special guests on Good Friday will be Dr. Rubel Shelly of Harpeth Hills Church of Christ, Rev. Brian Marcoulier of Calvary Methodist, and Dr. Mike Glenn, who recently retired from Brentwood Baptist.

Chapel open for prayer & meditation on Good Friday

Good Friday, the day on which we acknowledge the death of Jesus, is when we all give deep thought and reflection to this Christian event. This weighs heavy on the hearts of many. Our worship committee would like to encourage you to take personal time to spend with God... alone in silence... praying... listening for the grace of faith renewal. A peaceful setting will be arranged in the chapel and it will be open on Good Friday from noon to 3:00 PM for a time of quiet meditation and prayer.

Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday

We invite you and your family to another fun egg hunt this Saturday, March 30, at 10:00 AM at Campbell West. We will have inflatables, ice cream from Friends Life, Nashville Coffee Cart, and of course, egg hunts! We can’t wait to celebrate!

We have now entered Holy Week, and we have a LOT happening the next few days at Woodmont. 

On Wednesday night at 6:30 PM, we will have a service of hope to mark the one-year anniversary of Covenant. It will be a time of music, prayer, honoring Covenant families, and remembering a young girl we lost a year ago. 

On Thursday night we will have dinner at 5:30 PM and a Maundy Thursday service at 6:30 PM in Carpenter Chapel. 

On Good Friday, we will have the service at noon of the “Seven Last Words of Christ” in the sanctuary and welcome a few guest ministers to give reflections alongside some of our ministers. 

Saturday at 10:00 AM is our family easter egg hunt and Sunday we will gather to celebrate the resurrection (7:00 AM Sunrise, 9:30, 9:40 Bridge, 11:00). 

I encourage you to spend some time in Matthew’s gospel reflecting upon Jesus’ final days in Jerusalem. A lot happened, all of which is very important to our faith. I am grateful to everybody at Woodmont for making Holy Week such a special experience for all. 

Palm Sunday 9:30 AM service, March 24

"An Evening of Hope & Remembrance" tomorrow

This Wednesday, March 27, we will host a special vigil in the sanctuary to mark the one-year anniversary of the Covenant shooting with hope, healing, music, and reflection at 6:30 PM called “An Evening of Hope & Remembrance.”

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 [email protected] and RSVP by clicking the button below!

The Woodmont Board met on Monday night, March 25. Here are a few highlights:

• Woodmont remains in a healthy financial position thanks to the congregation’s ongoing generosity

• The nominating slate was approved and candidates will now be asked to serve; Woodmont had the largest number of total nominations ever received

• The 2024 Visioning Committee continues to move forward with its work and master plan

• The outdoor chapel has now been renovated and expanded in time for Easter; thank you to George Keith for his oversight and hard work

• The spring stewardship campaign begins April 1; theme is “Loving God, Loving Nashville”

• The Disciples Class will make their confessions of faith this Sunday at 9:30 AM and be baptized April 7; the class has 50 members

• The board approved increasing the new elder class to 8 per year (from 7)

• Woodmont has now built 67 homes in Guatemala with plans to build 6 more; over 400 children and seniors have been sponsored through Unbound; 31 people went over spring break 

Spiritual Gifts & Ministry Strengths Class offered in April

Whether you’re a new member of Woodmont, a seasoned member, or somewhere in between, we want you to know the joy of serving God through employing your spiritual gifts (the what), augmented by using your ministry strengths (the how). By combining your gifts and strengths (what + how), you can find – and continue to find -- deep joy in your discipleship!

The first week of this class will provide an opportunity to name your spiritual gifts for the first time (through a spiritual gifts inventory) or, if you’ve been working with your gifts already, to focus on nurturing them and expanding them further. We’ll explore some spiritual practices that help undergird our gifts, and we’ll hear from folks who have been successful in putting their gifts to work as we begin to make plans for doing the same. 

The second two weeks of our class will center on understanding our ministry strengths. We will use the Gallup Clifton Strengths Finder as a very fruitful and customized way to understand our unique blend of strengths. We’ll look at how to nurture our strengths and how to pair them with our gifts so that we are fulfilling our call to ministry in deeply satisfying and effective ways.

The class will be led by Beth Pattillo, Jay Hutchens, and Tammy Morgan! We’ll start at 5:45 PM on Monday, April 8, and meet for three weeks in Room 105. Since there are a couple of things to do before class begins, please register so that we can get you the information you will need.   The registration link is https://tinyurl.com/y2fjukjt.

Also, dinner is included – your RSVP helps us make sure we have (more than) enough for everyone!

Questions? Let us know. Reach out to Tammy Morgan at [email protected], Beth Pattillo at [email protected], or Jay Hutchens at [email protected].

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 [email protected]

Years ago, a young man named Mike Dieckhaus moved to the city of Nashville to matriculate at Vanderbilt University. After graduation, Nashville remained his home. In time, he married a young woman named Katy and together they had two daughters: Eleanor and Evelyn. Tragically, Evelyn passed away on March 27, 2023, at the Covenant School.

In the wake of that unspeakable tragedy, Mike’s classmates in the Class of 2002 had an idea: “Let’s establish a scholarship in Evelyn’s honor,” they said. “Let’s endow a scholarship that would bear her name and last in perpetuity. This scholarship would allow a deserving student to attend Vanderbilt, Evelyn’s father’s alma mater and what brought him to Nashville years ago.” What a wonderful thought!

But there was an obstacle: Such a scholarship is costly. After all, one doesn’t just create this kind of scholarship by decree. No, paying and providing for a student’s education at one of the world’s leading institutions of higher education in a city with a high cost of living requires money – a significant amount of it.

By mid-summer, Mike’s classmates in the Class of 2002 had funded roughly 75% of the required amount. That’s a lot of money! But it’s not 100%, and 100% is needed for a scholarship to be established. Without full funding, this beautiful dream could not become a reality.

When I, a professional in the field of philanthropy, learned of this, I thought: “I know some folks who love the Lord and love the Dieckhaus Family. Surely, we can do something about this.” With that, I picked up the phone and called members of Woodmont Christian Church. I explained the situation and invited them to give.

Give they did – quickly, gladly, and generously. It was truly inspiring.

Some gave that very day. After speaking with them in the afternoon, they reported in the evening: “Done!”

Some gave a thousand dollars or more. “I’ve been looking for a way to help,” they said.

One couple with whom I spoke initially committed a hundred dollars, but later delivered a check for a thousand.

One woman – a widow and retiree living on a fixed income – gave fifty dollars. This is a large sum for her, but she gave it in a powerful reenactment of the story of the widow’s mite.

Some not only gave, but enlisted others to do the same. In one case, a dear woman went to her Sunday School class, explained the need, and took up a collection.

Other church members asked friends and neighbors. In some cases, these others had no direct connection to the church or the Dieckhaus Family. They gave simply because they had compassion.

In one case, I called a church member who happened to be camping in a R.V. while traveling through the Western United States. She was in the middle of nowhere with spotty access to phone and internet, but I eventually got through to her. Even though her R.V. had broken down and required towing and repair, she was bound and determined to contribute to the scholarship.

Ultimately, the Evelyn Dieckhaus Memorial Scholarship became fully funded.

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the tragedy, I want you to know a few things. Because of you, Woodmont Christian Church, Evelyn’s name will live on in perpetuity. Her name will be attached not to a horrific act of madness and violence, but to a life-transforming opportunity to attend one of the top universities in the world and Evelyn’s father’s alma mater. Unlike some, a deserving student will get to attend college without being shackled and chained to an iron ball of debt. This young person will do something that he or she could not otherwise do: attend Vanderbilt, spread his or her wings, and soar into a bright and open future.

Moreover, the Dieckhaus Family – Mike, Katy, and Eleanor – will have the chance to meet the scholarship recipient in person and tell him or her all about Evelyn, their beloved daughter and sister. Evelyn will have a lasting legacy. This named, endowed scholarship will give her a type of life beyond death.

All of this is because of you. So, allow me to say, “Thank you, Woodmont Christian Church! Thank you, thank you, thank you. And thanks be to God for his boundless love and mercy!”

"Linking Arms For Change" tomorrow

Voices for a Safer Tennessee, a nonpartisan coalition dedicated to prioritizing firearm safety, will hold the second “Linking Arms for Change” human chain event at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 27, marking the one-year anniversary of The Covenant School shooting in Nashville.

Voices for a Safer Tennessee asks the community to wear red and link arms to honor the memory of the Covenant victims and the hundreds of Tennessee lives lost to preventable firearm tragedies over the last year. This event will demonstrate the hope felt by Tennesseans that together we can strengthen policies that will lead to safer communities across our state.

After the overwhelming response to last year’s Linking Arms event which saw 10,000 Tennesseans come together, this year’s route has been extended by one mile to accommodate the participation of more community members. The goal is to form a four-mile chain of 13,000 people from Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt through Centennial Park and up Charlotte Avenue to the State Capitol. 

You can click the button below to register for the event. Questions? Contact Mark Drury at [email protected].

Order your Easter lilies

Each lily plant will be in a foil-wrapped pot, 14” to 16” tall, and will decorate the sanctuary on Easter Sunday. An insert in the bulletin is included on Easter Sunday listing the names of those who purchased lilies in honor and / or memory of and the names of those honored and / or remembered.

Following the 11:00 am service on Easter Sunday (March 31) your plant(s) may be taken home

Watch "Jesus' Final Days"

Church calendar

Easter Sunday, March 31

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

Monday, April 1

3:00 PM "Geezers," Boardroom

6:30 PM Leadership Woodmont, Campbell West

Tuesday, April 2

5:00 PM CWF Board, Room 200

6:00 PM CWF Meeting, Carpenter Chapel

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 3

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

6:00 PM GriefShare, Campbell West

6:00 PM DivorceCare, Bay Room

6:30 PM Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary

Thursday, April 4

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 5

Youth Regional Spring Retreat

3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall

Saturday, April 6

Youth Regional Spring Retreat

10:00 AM Al-Anon, Drowota Hall