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!

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.

We had a wonderful Easter celebration at Woodmont! This Sunday, we will keep the spirit alive by baptizing our young people. We are in the business of building Christian lives. Easter is not just a day. It is a season, a mindset, and a way of life. We celebrate with these families as their children take this big step. 

Preachers always feel the pressure to deliver a powerful and relevant Easter message. But how many different ways can you tell the story? Each gospel has a slightly different version of the story. There are always some in the pews who don’t buy the resurrection story. Their logical, rational, post-enlightenment mind just won’t allow them to go there. A first-century rabbi in Jerusalem was betrayed, arrested, crucified, died, and then rose on the third day? Really? How do you explain that? It’s a contentious debate, full of myths and theories, but here’s what I know: something supernatural happened on Easter. And even the best preachers cannot fully explain it. God raised Jesus from the dead. We call it faith for a reason. 

The church simply would not have survived this long if the Easter message were false. But what is the Easter message, and why is it life-changing? Easter proves that Jesus was who he said he was because without the resurrection, Jesus would have gone down in history as a great teacher, a great healer, a great moral leader, but not as God’s Son. Easter reassures us that there is life after death. There is an alternative reality that awaits us after physical death that still remains a mystery. There have been many accounts of “near-death experiences,” those on the operating table who leave their body for a short while and begin this incredible transition into a different realm.

Perhaps just as importantly, Easter proves that there is also life before death, no matter what we may endure. Nothing that this world can bring – divorce, depression, mental illness, betrayal, addiction, affairs, unemployment, cancer, financial hardships, war, fear, worry, disappointment, infertility, the death of a child, suicide – none of these things have the final say. When asked if he had been born again. Frederick Buechner famously said, "Let me tell you something - I have been born again and again and again." We can all relate to that.  

Easter reminds us that hope always remains, and despite the many small deaths that we die in this world, we can go on living and find joy and meaning again. We have to believe that with all of our heart. God gives us the strength to persevere and make it through the worst of situations. But perhaps most importantly, Easter reminds us not to live our lives in fear. Fear takes the joy out of life. Fear is a powerful force and can overwhelm us. Fear and anxiety abound in our digital age of constant interruptions and noise.

One of my mentors, Fred Craddock, once said, “Afraid, afraid, afraid, afraid, afraid, afraid. That’s the refrain of what we are and what we do. But don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid to live and love and laugh. Don’t be afraid to give and serve and care. Don’t be afraid to speak and do. That’s the message of Easter. Don’t be afraid.” If we take nothing else from the Easter message, may we understand that living in a constant state of fear is not God’s desire for our lives. Not now. Not ever. Cultivate an Easter mindset. Look for new beginnings. Christ has risen indeed!

Stewardship 2026

The chart below indicates our stewardship growth in recent years, which enables us to provide our church community, Nashville, and beyond with more ministry, outreach support, and mission work. Our goal is to increase stewardship participation each year.

Easter 9:30 & 9:40 AM services

Sunday, April 5

Baptism Sunday, April 12: "Building Christian Lives"

Clay Stauffer • John 20:19-23 & Romans 12:9-18 

Our schedule for this Sunday is:

• 8:00 AM – Full breakfast in the gym
• 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
• 4:00 PM – Youth group in the youth wing

Take your kids directly downstairs to Sunday School

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 Sunrise Service

Sunday, April 5

Father-Daughter Dance April 26

Rescheduled from February, our annual Father-Daughter Dance is now happening on Sunday, April 26, from 4 PM to 6 PM!

Because this event had to be moved due to the ice storm, we need everyone who's planning to attend to click the button and RSVP so we can get an accurate headcount. If you RSVP'd before, please kindly do so again! Thank you.

VBS 2026 registration now open!

VBS is June 23-26! Registration opens today and you can click the button below to save your spot.

Easter Egg Hunt  

Saturday, April 4

 "I think I can make this."

My daughter, Neeley, held the just-baked scone in her hand, eyeing the lightly browned, flaky layer of crust on top, breaking it open to a moist, flavorful interior - unusual for the typically dry scones we had eaten elsewhere.

We were near Shannon, Ireland, on a whim, enjoying afternoon high tea at Dromoland (pronounced Druh-MOW'-lan) Castle. As the assortment of sandwiches and pastries and desserts were served, Susan, Neeley and I ooohed and ahhhed over how each one offered a slightly variant tasting complement to the tea served.

"All I need is the recipe."

Which we asked for from a very amused front-desk clerk when we checked out the next day.

Neeley went back to the Daniel House - Samford's study abroad Location in South Kensington, London - and got to work. She sent us pictures of the first batch being eaten in the house kitchen by a handful of the twenty-two students in London this Spring.

"Not quite it."

Soon came pictures of batches two and three. She was getting closer, she texted us.

It was batch four that was the "Eureka batch." Texture, color, shape, moistness, and taste very nearly matched the scones we had enjoyed back in Shannon.

As a parent, I have loved seeing my child come alive at figuring out something she has been gifted to do (in a way, her father and mother have not!) and then working to find expression for that gifting. Her baking enthusiasm – amounting often to “persnickety-ness”! - translates well into other things Neeley does. She shows an interest. She tries it out. She keeps on going until she’s got it.

As a pastor, I have loved seeing members of Woodmont come alive as they connect to ministries that feel to them like a fulfillment of a personal calling to be more like Christ. They experience a “tug” on their spirits. They try something out. And along the way, they experience the passion that comes with serving others. They do this in a way that grows out of their giftedness - a giftedness that reflects how they have been uniquely crafted by God.

Beginning Monday, April 20, and running for three weeks (through May 4) our church will offer GIFTS + STRENGTHS - a workshop on discovering one's unique gifting for ministry. Led by Tammy Morgan, Beth Pattillo, and myself, we'll talk about spiritual gifts (and lifting up scriptures where we learn more about them) and then discuss how those gifts dovetail with one’s ministry strengths - the way our knowledge, experience, and skills come together to shape who we are. Participants will take two different assessments identifying their gifts and strengths! The best part of the class is when we talk through how all those gifts and strengths begin to point to some specific ways one can serve God’s people that are purposeful and fulfilling!

For more information on the class, contact Tammy Morgan - tammy@woodmontcc.org or go straight to our registration page at https://forms.gle/WGBgghMSTKdh7H7cA

Good Friday

Friday, April 3

Center for Hope & Healing open house April 26

You are invited to an open house to see The Center for Hope & Healing’s new space on April 26 from 10:45 AM to 1:00 PM! There will be food, coffee, juice, and activities for the whole family. Mark your calendars and join the team as they celebrate new beginnings in a space that will offer peace, calm, and a place to rest in God’s presence. 

RSVP to vaskew@woodmontcc.org or via text to (615) 779-0832.

Midweek Reset

The center's Midweek Reset is in the chapel from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM each Wednesday in April! This week’s offering is "Breathwork" and on April 15 it is "Exploring Your Inner Creative with Watercolors." 

Prison Ministry update

The next meeting for the Prison Ministry is Tuesday, April 7, at 5:30 PM in the boardroom. Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry will present their Christ-centered mission to support individuals in and leaving incarceration, as well as their families, with resources and services that empower them to build healthy, fulfilling lives.

Last week, the co-chairs of our Prison Ministry attended the Legislative Day on the Hill for Tennessee Alternatives to the Death Penalty.  Senior Advisor to Oklahoma Conservatives Concerned and Former Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board Chairman Adam Luck served as the featured speaker. Mr. Luck shared about how his pro-life position came to inform his work on the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board and led him to conclude that the death penalty is inconsistent with a pro-life position.

Following the keynote, the group made legislative visits to various representatives, including elected officials of Woodmont's district, Rep. Caleb Hemmer, and fellow Woodmont member Rep. Bob Freeman.   

Maundy Thursday

Thursday, April 2

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! 

Church calendar

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