Easter services

In addition to our four regular Easter services, we are once again offering a fifth service downstairs! If you arrive at the sanctuary for the 9:30 AM service and all the seats are full, we will have a live service for you with Woodmont staff leading live music, communion, and worship in Drowota Hall. The sermon will be streamed in from the sanctuary but everything else will be happening in the room.

Bring chairs & picnic blankets for sunrise service

We're asking everyone who is planning to attend the 7:00 AM sunrise service to consider bringing folding chairs due to significant growth in recent years in our expanded outdoor chapel. There is plenty of room on the grass and picnic blankets are also welcome!

Maundy Thursday service April 2

Our 5:30 PM midweek dinner moves to Thursday night this week, followed by our 6:30 PM Maundy Thursday service led by Andra Moran. Join us for this unique tenebrae (candle-extinguishing) service in the chapel! Click the button below to RSVP for dinner or childcare.

Good Friday service April 3

Join ministers from Woodmont and guest speakers from the Nashville area for an ecumenical service called “The Seven Last Words of Christ” at noon this Friday, April 3, with traditional liturgy and music from our chancel choir and vocal ensemble in the sanctuary.



Special guests include Dr. Mike Glenn of Engaged Church Network (former senior pastor of Brentwood Baptist), Rev. Margie Quinn of Vine Street Christian Church, and Dr. Rubel Shelly of Harpeth Hills Church of Christ.

Egg hunt moved to front lawn

We invite you and your family to another fun egg hunt this Saturday, April 4, at 10:00 AM! We will have inflatables, Nashville Coffee Cart, and of course, egg hunts! We can’t wait to celebrate!

Due to the current condition of the Campbell West lawn, the egg hunt has been moved to the grassy areas in front of the mansion and near the gym/front parking lot.

We are now in Holy Week, the greatest week of the year for Christians. We will have special services on Maundy Thursday at 5:30 PM and Good Friday at noon. We can learn a lot from Jesus' final days on earth. His decision to enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey fulfilled Zechariah’s prophecy and was an emphatic statement of who he was – he was the messiah. But his kingdom and his message was one of peace and not war. One of love and not conquest.  

In first-century Palestine, when a king would go to war, he would ride on a war horse. But when a king came in peace, he would ride on a donkey. Jesus entered Jerusalem in humility and peace. His message was a message of peace. His kingdom was a kingdom of peace. His life was a life of peace. His way was and still is the way of peace. And yet we still live in a very violent world – with many Christians forgetting that they serve the Prince of Peace. 

The kingdoms of this world are based on power and money, influence and status, intimidation and fear, force and violence. Jesus’ kingdom is based on love and forgiveness, grace and reconciliation, peace and hospitality, humility and service. Throughout his life and ministry, he showed that he came not to destroy, but to love; not to condemn, but to help; not to judge but to forgive; not to divide but to unite. Yet we still have a hard time grasping what this kingdom looks like today because it is so different from the world in which we live and the news that we watch. But we long for it. And we pray for it. And hopefully we are working for it.  

Jesus also calls us to peace in our hearts and in our personal relationships, where we don’t get angry, we don’t get resentful, and we don’t get worked up over little things. He says, "My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives." There are a lot of people in our world who are not physically violent, but who are emotionally violent, meaning that they harbor hate, resentment, they despise, they manipulate, and they are jealous.  These things do not lead to peace.

Holy Week reminds us that Jesus came to save us. “Hosanna” means “Save us now!” But how does Jesus save us today? Yes, he died on the cross. And there are many different theories of the atonement debated among theologians. But think about everything that he taught throughout his life and ministry.

He saves us from our selfishness.

He saves us from materialism.

He saves us from jealousy.

He saves us from lust.

He saves us from meaninglessness.

He saves us from judging others.

He saves us from self-righteousness.

He saves us from power struggles.

He saves us from anger and rage.

He saves us from addictions.

He saves us from arrogance.

He saves us from fear.

He saves us from hopelessness and despair.

He saves us from fearing death.

He saves us from ourselves.

We need Jesus in our lives because he saves us from all these things that we struggle with each and every day. And the way that Jesus saves us is through the cross. And the cross is a stark reminder to us of how the world often responds to his message – rejection, ridicule, intolerance. Many still don’t have time for it and still don’t want to hear it. It’s not convenient. It’s not easy. It’s not the way of the world. Too many still turn away his message. Let’s embrace it this Easter and allow it to change us!

Palm Sunday & Confessions of Faith

Sunday, March 29

This Sunday, April 5: "The Power of Easter!"

Clay Stauffer • John 20:1-18 & 2 Corinthians 5:17

Our schedule for this Sunday is:

• 7:00 AM – Sunrise service in the outdoor chapel
• 9:30 AM – Informal service in the sanctuary
• 9:30 AM – Middle school service in the youth wing
• 9:40 AM – The Bridge service in the chapel
• 11:00 AM – Traditional service in the sanctuary

No afternoon/evening youth activities due to the holiday.

Take your kids directly downstairs to Sunday School

Beginning this Sunday, we are no longer doing a weekly Children's Moment in our 9:30 AM worship hour. We will have a Children's Moment periodically throughout the calendar year on larger Sundays such as Promotion Sunday, Advent, Pancakes & Pajamas, etc. You can plan to take your kids directly downstairs to Sunday School and then find your seat in the sanctuary or chapel!

Easter parking

For Easter, Calvary UMC has asked us not to use their parking spots. Please feel free to park in the Woodmont parking lot or in the Boy Scout parking lot diagonally across the street, where the Hillsboro Pike and Woodmont Blvd. stoplight is. Traffic guards will be present to facilitate crossing both streets.

Outreach Fair April 19

Our next Outreach Fair is Sunday, April 19, in between services in the Gathering Hall and Chapel Atrium!

This is a unique face-to-face opportunity to learn more about the many ways Woodmont serves as the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. Find out more information about how you can get involved in a ministry!

If your outreach organization would like to host a table, contact Jerry Johnson at jerry@woodmontcc.org

Spiritual Gifts & Ministry Strengths begins April 20

Three Monday evenings - Spring 2026!

April 20, 27, & May 4, from 5:45 PM to 7:30 PM

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 20, 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 tammy@woodmontcc.org, Beth Pattillo at bethpattillo@gmail.com, or Jay Hutchens at jayhutchens@woodmontcc.org.

Spring 2026 Guatemala trip

March 13-20

Back in the 4th century, after Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire, the struggle for dogma and doctrine (what is right belief) began. St. Augustine, a powerful bishop in the Catholic Church, promoted the doctrine of “original sin” – that we are all born sinners and depend on Christ (and the Church) to save us. 

A British monk and theologian of the same period – Pelagius – challenged Augustine’s doctrine. He believed in “original goodness”… that we were created in the “image of God” and that means we were created good, not sinners. (“God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” – Genesis 31)

Because Augustine was much more powerful in the church than Pelagius, he accused Pelagius of heresy and had him excommunicated in 418. But Pelagius to this day has continued to influence what is known as Celtic Spirituality – Christianity, especially in Ireland and Scotland – with his thinking. And Celtic Spirituality has had a renewal of interest in our time. 

Because of Pelagius, one of the things we do not hear in Celtic Spirituality is the doctrine of substitutionary atonement. Because of Augustine’s influence and power, it links Jesus’ death on the cross with the idea of “original sin.” And this led to all the “theories” of the atonement, like:

• The Sacrificial Lamb theory – linking Christ’s death to the Old Testament practice of animal sacrifice to please God
• The Ransom theory – that Christ had to die to free man from sin
• The Propitiation, Expiation, or Satisfaction theories – a payment of penalty or suffering that appeases an offended God and others.

Celtic Spirituality also feels that the idea of “substitutionary atonement” opposes our deeper belief and experience in “forgiveness of sin.” True forgiveness is absolutely free. Does God freely forgive in love or demand a payment (ransom, sacrifice, propitiation, expiation, satisfaction, etc)? Substitutionary atonement seems to suggest that what is at the heart of God is judgment, not love. 

The Celts believe that what we see in the crucifixion of Jesus is a “revelation of God’s love.” And not only does it reveal God’s love but also the cost of love in an evil world. The evil world wants to get rid of truth, beauty, and love. But love is willing to sacrifice itself to bring new life to others.

In the early days of Christianity, when Christians were persecuted and killed (during the first and second centuries), the sign of the fish was the way Christians secretly identified each other. One would draw an arc in the dirt and the other would draw an intersecting arc, creating the profile of a fish. And the word for fish in the Greek language – ichthus – was an acronym for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.” But for the Celts, the fish specifically became a salmon. Why a salmon? This is the way J. Philip Newell describes it in his book Christ of the Celts (page 90):

“The salmon, strong and glistening with vitality, swims hundreds of miles in the open sea and climbs thousands of feet in the torrents of mighty rivers to give birth to new life. And in spawning new life, it dies.”

So they think of Christ as “The Salmon of Wisdom,” “The Salmon of Love,” the One who gives himself for the birthing of new life. May you find and feel that new life again as we approach Holy Week and Easter.       

CWF "You've Never Heard of Me: Confessions of a Midlist Author" April 7

The next meeting of CWF (Christian Women's Fellowship) is Tuesday, April 7, with dinner at 5:30 PM and the program at 6:00 PM, both in the gym.

Author and minister Beth Pattillo will share stories from her writing life — the joys, disappointments, and unexpected lessons that come with a creative vocation. She will also reflect on her fascination with “lost” women’s stories and why recovering overlooked voices continues to shape and inspire her work. Beth is also the creator of the Faith Leader program, which serves as the foundation for Leadership Woodmont.

Pickleball tournament April 18

Get your paddles ready for the second annual George Keith Memorial Pickleball Tournament on Saturday, April 18, from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM at Sequoia Swim & Tennis Club! This is our biggest yearly fundraiser for the youth scholarship fund, created to help all students participate in paid Woodmont youth events. This event is open to all ages, skill levels, and friends!

There are 64 spots to play, so sign up early to lock in your slot! Cost is $35/player. You will play a total of 5 matches, lasting no more than 15 minutes each. Click the button below to register!

WCPS spring auction

Woodmont Christian Preschool is collecting donations for its live and silent auctions! If you have an item or experience to contribute — such as a vacation home stay, concert or sports tickets, artwork, or something unique — please contact Hillary Barrett at hillarybbarrett@gmail.com. Your generosity helps support our preschool and make this event a success! Thank you! 

Going away party for Abby Akers - Sunday, March 29

Q3 Outreach Grants

The outreach grant committee met March 26 and awarded grants to the following:

Fannie Battle Day Home

The Next Door

Preston Taylor Ministries

Renewal House, Inc.

Room in the Inn

Insight Counseling Center

Isaiah 117

Church calendar

For a full list of everything happening at Woodmont, click the button below to view our church calendar.