Spring Fling this Sunday

This Sunday, April 28, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, is the Woodmont Spring Fling hosted by our Woodmont Kids and Youth Ministries at Campbell West (the former parsonage house behind the church).

We will have dinner prepared by our fantastic group, "Burnt Offerings," games, inflatables, and fun! Please click the button below to RSVP so we know how much food to prepare.

Worship Night tonight

Our next monthly Worship Night is in the chapel tonight, Tuesday, April 23, at 6:00 PM! A short, 30 minute, full-band, casual service. Come as you are for a mid-week uplift and encouragement with music and the word - a perfect way to fill your spirit!

VBS registration is open

Vacation Bible School 2024 registration is officially open! VBS is June 25-28 from 9:00 AM to noon and it is for children and students from Rising Pre-k4 through Rising 5th Grade. Friends outside of Woodmont are certainly welcome! We can't wait to have another fantastic summer!

Woodmont Family,

This Sunday, April 28, is Commitment Sunday for our stewardship campaign, “Loving God, Loving Nashville.” I am grateful to Martha and L.A. Galyon for their leadership on the campaign. THANK YOU to those of you who have submitted commitments and we prayerfully ask for others to do the same this Sunday. 

It was inspiring to walk through the mission and outreach fair this past Sunday. Everything we do at Woodmont – worship, small groups, mission, outreach, Sunday school, youth group, music ministries, healing ministries, recovery ministries, special classes, taking care of our property, keeping our talented staff – is dependent upon our collective generosity. Jesus said, “Love God, love your neighbor.” That is what we seek to do at all times – “Seek God, Share Love, Serve Others.” 

Please join me in making a commitment to supporting Woodmont for another year. We take these commitments, add them all up, and try to set a responsible budget in the coming weeks. You can submit a pledge card or send it electronically below.

With sincere gratitude for your support,

-Clay Stauffer 

The chart above indicates our recent stewardship growth, enabling us to provide our church community, Nashville, and beyond more ministry, outreach support, and mission work. Each year, our goal is to increase stewardship participation.

Make your pledge online!

Our 2024 stewardship campaign is wrapping up! Click the button below to make your pledge quickly and conveniently online so that we can plan for another amazing year of ministry together.

Welcome, new members!

Marshall Neal & Jean Anne Cogdell

Child Dedication

Charles “Charlie” Walter Benditzky & James “Jack” Robert Benditzky, twin sons of Chris & Meghan Benditzky

Houses of Hope Build

Saturday, April 21

We want to hear from you!

Our visioning team has been working hard to plan for the future growth of our church. Where do we want to be in three years? In five years? What challenges do we currently face? What is God calling us to do? 

If you haven't already, please take a few moments and fill out this brief congregational survey so we can gather additional input from the church family about Woodmont’s future. It is important to the visioning committee that we hear from as many members as possible.

Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier at Woodmont June 12

On Wednesday, June 12, Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier will join Clay in Carpenter Chapel at 6:30 PM to discuss "Higher Education, Ideology, & Free Speech."

A visionary leader and lifelong academic, Diermeier is dedicated to advancing Vanderbilt's mission and values at every level across the university's ten schools and colleges. Born in Berlin, Germany, he is a first-generation college graduate who most recently served as the Provost at the University of Chicago.

Diermeier became Vanderbilt University’s ninth chancellor in 2020 after an extensive search. In the years since, Chancellor Diermeier has led an ambitious program of expansion and improvement in the spirit of Vanderbilt’s motto, "Crescere aude," or “dare to grow.” Under his leadership, the university has risen in stature, topped the $1 billion mark in research expenditures, successfully launched a $300 million fundraising campaign for Vanderbilt athletics, and reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to free expression and civil discourse

I have always believed Woodmont is such an incredibly beautiful place both physically and in the hearts of our members. In the heart of Green Hills, there is something special about this corner. When our founding members came to this spot, I don’t believe they could ever imagine what this place would become 80+ years later. What their vision would inspire for the thousands and thousands of people and multi-generations to come. But I know and believe that they would be proud of where we are and where we are going.

Our building and campus have continued to grow and expand. Our missions and outreach have continued to help thousands in and around Nashville and the world. Our children’s and youth ministries let students grow, ask questions, seek answers, be inquisitive of their faith, and have some fun, too. I have personally benefitted from having small group discussions with our older elementary students learning and leaning into their faith.

Each ministry within this church has a purpose and a plan to further the words and teachings of Jesus. I know, like so many of you, that Woodmont is different. And we are different in the most beautiful way. We love deeply, we give generously of our hearts and dollars, and we love God and we want others to do and feel the same.

Thank you, Woodmont, for continuing to love this community as much as I do. We will continue to do great things with you as our partners.

Commitment Sunday, April 28: "Keep Shining the Light!"

“Loving God, Loving Nashville" series

Clay Stauffer

John 1:1-5, 8:12 & I John 1:5-7

Our schedule this Sunday is:

• 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
• 4:00 PM – Spring Fling Family Fun Event at Campbell West

As we head into Commitment Sunday, we want to share some details of last year's budget with you:

• Outreach, major components: $134,000 awarded as cash grants to local non-profit organizations, $36,000 for the Habitat for Humanity build, $28,000 given directly to the Disciples Mission Fund, $15,000 to support Walk Thru Bethlehem, $20,000 to Mission Trip Scholarships, $6,000 to The Nashville Food Project, $5,000 for Fall-Hamilton Elementary, $2,000 for Youth Mission Projects and the addition of $1,000 for Disaster Response Travel and $1,000 for the Green Street Homeless Ministry.

• Personnel: Three full-time ordained ministers (Clay, Jay, & Roy), two part-time ordained ministers (Farrell & Justin), two full-time Youth Directors (Katie & Jake), Children's Ministry Director (Abby), Young Adults Director (Moriah), Music Director (Michael), Bridge Leaders (Andra & team), Business Administrator (Chris), Communications Director (Matt), Connections Director (Tammy), Missions Director (Jerry), Executive Assistant (Amber), Administrative Assistant (Jan), Parish Visitor (Anne), Accompanist (Sarah), Property Manager (Sam), Custodians.

• Property facts: $160,000 for building repair and maintenance, $140,000 for electricity, $100,000 budgeted directly to the Tom Mathias Reserve Fund, $44,000 for A/C contract, $50,000 for gas bill, $40,000 for grounds maintenance, $42,500 for water and sewer, $10,000 for telephone and internet. A significant investment has also been made in upgrading our campus security, improving our livestream equipment, and adding personnel to run additional safety and A/V gear. The property budget still includes a contingency line for unforeseen expenditures.

• Your generosity and open heart changes lives and enables us to bring more people to Woodmont resulting in a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, send our members to provide solutions for people in peril in Morgan & Scott counties, send our members across the country with Hope Force International, serve Nashville through DivorceCare, GriefShare, Walk Thru Bethlehem, Heavenly Helpers, Room In The Inn, Fall-Hamilton Elementary and more. Your support fulfills and expands our mission to seek God, share love, and serve others.

With recent security upgrades in the wake of the Covenant tragedy, Woodmont has limited access through the Woodmont preschool space during normal pre-school hours, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. In order to move through these areas, you will now need an authorized code or key fob. 

For virtually all church meetings held at Woodmont during the week, normal fob access is sufficient for access if one enters through the "bridge entrance" in the east parking lot (facing Hillsboro Pike). This entrance grants access to all second-floor meeting spaces from the sanctuary to the chapel and ground-level meeting spaces from Room 105/gym/kitchen to Room 100. 

We appreciate greatly everyone's cooperation as we keep our children safe throughout the week!

-The Woodmont Christian Church Property Committee

We celebrate the Leadership Woodmont Class of 2023-2024 of Anne Arney, Mary Glynn Williamson, Robin Heyne, Mimi Klipstine Clay, Lauren Clanton Smith, Rob Quinn, Charlie Biter, Ray Meeks, Marshall Alexander, Walter White, and John Bearden. They started in August and continued together until April. Each week they gathered to focus on spiritual leadership, spiritual gifts, and spiritual practices. Each one has now set an action plan that honors their gifts and responds to what they feel God is calling them to do now.

Leadership Woodmont began in 2001. Beth Pattillo wrote the program. With this class, two hundred sixty-six Woodmont members have participated. Randy Smith and I facilitated the class of 2023-2024 and gratefully honor their work and commitment to this time.   

2023-2024 CWF Slate of Officers

Thank you to all of the wonderful women who have served in leadership of our Christian Women's Fellowship (CWF) group this year!

Executive Committee:

President: Martha Elzen

President-Elect: Nan George

Program: Nancy Barrett and Kasey Clymer

Devotion: Julia Tanner

Hospitality: Linda Collins and Mandy Lowe

Membership: Dayna Turney

Secretary: Jill Groswirth

Treasurer: Anita Baltimore

Past President: Polly Keith

Standing Committees:

Historian / Bulletin Board: Patricia Taylor and Rhonda Phillipi

Service: Joy Greene

Sunshine Jana Coode

Visitation: Liz anne Allen

Flowers: Carol Hankla And Carolyn Thomas

When you support Woodmont, you reach people beyond our church's walls. We believe that as God has been generous to us, so then we too should be generous to others as a church body. The non-profit organizations we supported with outreach funding this year include:

ABLE Youth

Alameda Christian Church

Autism Career Training

Barefoot Republic Camp

BrightStone

Building Lives Foundation

Charis Ministries

Disciples Divinity House

Disciples Mission Fund

Eastwood Christian Church

Edgehill Neighborhood Partnership

El Ayudante, Inc.

Faith Family Medical Clinic

Family & Children’s Service

Fifty Forward Living At Home Services

First Steps, Inc

Harvest Hands Community Development Corp.

Hope for Justice

Insight Counseling Centers

Justice Industries

Lambscroft Ministries (The Cookery)

Leaving the Cocoon

Men of Valor

Minister’s Discretionary Fund

Morgan-Scott Project

My Bag, My Story

Nashville Food Project

Nashville Tools For Schools

The Next Door

Oasis Center, Inc.

Project Connect Nashville

Providence School, Kenya

Rejoice School Of Ballet

Renewal House

Room In The Inn

Safe Haven Family Shelter

Second Harvest Food Bank

Shower the People

Siloam Family Health Center

Tennessee Innocence Project

Woodmont Baptist Church Food Pantry

In addition to this list, we also support organizations by providing space for their weekly meetings, including Al-Anon, Alateen, Alcoholics Anonymous, Boy Scouts of America, DivorceCare, GriefShare, Nar-Anon, & others!

Church calendar

Sunday, April 28

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

3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall

4:00 PM Spring Fling, Campbell West

Monday, April 29

3:00 PM "Geezers," Boardroom

Tuesday, April 30

10:30 AM Book Club, Room 100

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 1

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 DivorceCare, Bay Room

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

6:30 PM Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary

Thursday, May 2

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, May 3

3:00 PM Pickleball, Drowota Hall

Saturday, May 4

10:00 AM Al-Anon, Drowota Hall

Dear Woodmont members,

Over two months ago I put a dear friend, Judy Armonat, on the cares list because she was scheduled to have her right shoulder replaced. I talked to her yesterday, and she asked me to thank the congregation for their thoughts and prayers. She shared with me that on the morning of her surgery, she was very anxious and scared, but just before the surgery she felt an overwhelming sense of calmness. What a powerful example of prayer in our everyday lives. Thanks so much for your prayers!

-Patricia Taylor