Messenger is here!

April 15, 2026

This week's release at a glance:

• Pastor’s Message
• Mom Strong! This Sunday
• Ministry of Belonging Lunch & Learn
• A Night on Broadway
• A Tapestry of Music Spring Concert
• Open Dance Classes
• Children’s Winter Clothing Collection
• Ministry of Belonging Youth Workshop
• High School Bible Study
• Summer Activities for Kids
• WoodsWork 2026
• New Adult Ed Class: Reading & Feeding
• Date & Time of Service for Jacqui Stone
• Tech Volunteers Needed
• Lost & Found
  

Pastor's Message

There is a hunger that no meal can satisfy. You have probably felt it—not in your stomach, but somewhere deeper. It is the hunger for meaning, for genuine connection, for a life that feels like more than a series of tasks to be managed and obligations to be met. It is the longing to matter, to belong, to know that your time on this earth is adding up to something real.

Jesus knew that hunger. And in the sixth chapter of John's Gospel, he speaks directly into it: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever—and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

It is a startling claim, starting with the idea that the “living bread” that Jesus gives is his flesh. And the purpose that Jesus identifies for doing this—for the life of the world—is the one that will be our stewardship theme this year, because it encapsulates not only why Jesus came to us in a human body, but why and to what we have been called together as the Church, the “Body of Christ.”

For the Life of the World is a three-sermon series drawing on John 6 and several companion texts as its source. At its heart, it is a series about what the church is for—not just as an institution, but as a gathering of people who have received something they cannot keep to themselves.

The organizing movement of the series is simple: Rooted. Gathered. Sent. Each week takes us a step further along a journey that begins with encounter—a personal, living encounter with Christ—and ends with commission: the recognition that we have been sent, as Christ was sent, into the life of the world around us, for the well-being of the world around us.

This is not a series about abstract theology or biblical minutiae; it is about the deep sense that a church understands its own life and calling. And it arrives at a season in which our congregation is ready to be wrestling with the question of where God might be leading us, and what future God might have in store

for us.

This Sunday, we begin where every genuine movement of faith begins: with a question about what we are actually hungry for. Before we can talk about going anywhere or doing anything, we need to sit with the extraordinary claim that Jesus makes about himself—that he is the bread of life, that he gives a life abundant beyond what we could produce on our own, and that this life is a gift, not a reward. This week is an invitation to encounter that gift and its abundance freshly—to find the strength and nourishment of being rooted in that promise.

In the second week, we turn to why we are gathered as a community. The bread of life, it turns out, is not meant to be kept. It is broken and given—that is simply the nature of bread. This week follows the image of breaking and sharing into unexpected places: a road outside Jerusalem leading to the village of Emmaus, where two grieving disciples encounter a stranger who walks with them in their confusion and loss. The week presses us toward a question that is both ancient and urgently contemporary: What would it look like for us to redefine gathering” not as coming in together and inviting others to join us, but going out and walk with people where they already are—before they've asked the right questions, before they've found their way to our door?

The third Sunday, on May 10 (I will be away at a national gathering of senior pastors on May 3), is Pledge Dedication Sunday, and this series closes that day by naming our calling plainly, digging deeply in the sixth chapter of John. The "world" of John 6:51—the kosmos, as the Greek text says—is the whole world: the world God so loved, the world that is hungry in ways it cannot always name, the world that we are sent into as those who carry Christ’s living bread. This final week considers what faithful generosity looks like in practice, drawing on Jesus' own commissioning of his disciples in John 20: "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." It is a charge, and an invitation—to understand everything we do, including the way we give, as participation in the abundance of Christ’s grace and calling towards us.

We are in a season of great crisis in our world in many ways, but as is often said, every crisis is an opportunity. I believe that Woods is powerfully and providentially situated to minister to the world in this very moment, when so many people are so hungry for words and relationships of grace, welcome, community, purpose, reconciliation, and peace. We have the history, the identity, and the common calling to share the living bread that can feed such hunger; all we need is to take the opportunity with new conviction and intentionality, following Christ out to meet people along the way and accompany them on their journey, a journey on which so many people find themselves hungering for something different, something better, something more; something truly abundant.

I hope you will join us for all three weeks, and I encourage you to take this opportunity to bring someone new with you—a friend, a family member, a neighbor; anyone you sense might be carrying one of those hungers that no ordinary meal can satisfy. Because Jesus came for the life of the world; and loving the world can start as simply as caring for just one person who is hoping someone will see them, stop, and say, “can I walk with you for a while?”

Peace and blessings,

—Pastor JC

Church News

Mom Strong! This Sunday

Mom Strong will be meeting this Sunday, April 19, 9:30AM, in the Fireplace Room.

It’s easy to fall into routines—show up, listen, leave—but growth doesn’t happen in comfort. It happens when we’re honest, when we push ourselves, and when we’re willing to step up in ways we’ve been avoiding.

Discussion topic: Where Am I Holding Back? Not what you’ve already worked through—but are dealing with right now, in this season:

• Where are you shrinking instead of stepping forward?
• Where do you know you could show up differently—but aren’t?
• What’s one area of your life that needs more courage, effort, or faith right now?

This isn’t about guilt—it’s about ownership and growth. We look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday.

Ministry of Belonging Lunch & Learn

Adult Education is sponsoring the Ministry of Belonging Lunch & Learn on Sunday, April 26, 12:30–1:30PM. In tandem with the youth workshop on Saturday, Dr. Sarah Leer will help us to learn about how to become a more welcoming community, particularly with people of LGBTQ+ identities.

If you have questions but don’t know who or how to ask, or are wondering about the best way to support all of God’s children, you are welcome to join us for lunch and discussion in the Founders Room.

This is a free session, but we are requesting that you register for meal planning purposes.

A Night on Broadway

Join us Saturday, May 23, 5:30PM, for an exciting evening of music and fine dining! Over a delicious Italian dinner, we will enjoy performances by local, talented musical theaters singers: sopranos Sarah Kent and Jenna Augustine; and tenors Dillon McCarrick, Lucas White, and David Merrill. Together, they will serenade us with popular musical theater songs, and classical favorites. And this year, special guest appearances by local musical theater dancers: Matthew Walter, Brayden McDowell, Summer Moore, Jacob Hahn, and Meridian Toalepai.

Dinner Menu: Pasta, salad, New York cheesecake. (catered from local Squisito Pizza and Pasta). Gluten-free options will be available.

• Doors open at 5:30PM
• Dinner begins at 6PM
• Performance starts at 6:30PM

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at www.woodstix.org. For questions, please email Pam Ward at pward@woodschurch.org.

A Tapestry of Music Spring Concert

Join us for our spring concert, A Tapestry of Music, featuring American composers and the greats that influenced them on Saturday, June 6, 7PM.

Come and hear music by Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, John Williams, J.S. Bach, L. Beethoven, J. Brahms and more—it’s a concert truly interwoven through time! Performers include the Woods Church Adult Choir, Elysian Dancers, vocal and instrumental soloists, and a special piano solo by Jung-hoon Park.

The concert is free, but a ticket is required. Please register at www.woodstix.org. For additional information or questions, email David Merrill at dmerrill@woodschurch.org.

Open Dance Classes

Join our Worship Ministry for a series of free dance classes this spring! Professional teachers are offering a variety of dance styles, including jazz, musical theater, contemporary, tap, yoga, and more!

Classes are open to anyone ages 12 and up in and outside the Woods community. All experience levels are welcome, though classes are taught at an intermediate level with options for beginners and advanced students.

Our first class is on Sunday, April 12, 2–3:15PM,in Fellowship Hall. Please note that there is no dance class on April 19.

For more information, please email Alyssa Barlis at alyssabarlis@gmail.com.

Children’s Winter Clothing Collection

Spring is here! It's time to switch over wardrobes to summer clothing. As you pack up your cold weather clothes, please consider donating any outgrown children's clothing sizes T2 to Youth 10. We're collecting winter clothing and coats through April 26 to be sold at the Bazaar next fall. Look for the big blue bin in the main lobby. All proceeds benefit the mission partners of Woods!

Youth News

Ministry of Belonging Workshop

Youth grades 8–12 are invited to join us on Saturday, April 25, 10AM–1PM, for an insightful and meaningful workshop with Dr. Sarah Leer. The goal of the workshop will be to explore what it means to cultivate a truly open and accepting space, with a focus on queer identities. We will spend time learning about various identities and the corresponding appropriate terms, take a look at how the Bible encourages us to not just tolerate others, but to love them, and explore the practicalities of how to make a space intentionally open and welcoming to all people.

Save the Date for WoodsWork 2026

Woodwork 2026 will be held Monday–Tuesday, June 22–30, in Richmond, Virgina. Woodswork is a Woods Church organized and planned high school mission trip. Fifteen HS youth advisors and 7 adults (the Woodswork Committee) work together under the Woods Youth Ministry to plan the trip. Trip participants build/restore houses for people experiencing homelessness, perform other construction related mission projects, and participate in fellowship, recreation, and worship. Woodswork focuses on reaching out through service and reaching in through spiritual renewal.

Woodswork has been partnering with Habitat for Humanity for more than 40 years, providing new and refurbished homes and other mission related projects.

Children's News

Summer Day Camps for Kids

This year, Woods will be offering more than one camp. You will select which camps your child(ren) would like to attend from the additional items selection. Please remember to print out the the attached below form(s) for the camp(s) you will be attending.

Register online and keep reading for more information on the programs that are available.

Art & the Bible

I Am Who I Am: God in Scripture and the Arts

From Monday–Friday June 6–10, children in K–grade 5 will participate in an innovative approach to Bible study to explore biblical images and names of God through the Bible, paired with their creativity and artistic expression. An Art Reception will take place Friday at 2:30PM, sharing the children's work with their friends and family.

The week-long day camp will include two snacks; participants will bring their own lunch. Water will be provided. The cost is $425/child. Scholarships are available. Registration is limited.

Questions? Please contact our Children's Ministry at children@woodschurch.org.

The program was developed by the Center for Excellence in Christian Education, Union Presbyterian Seminary.

Vacation Bible Study Day Camp

Be Strong and Courageous | Joshua 1:9

This year’s VBS program will take place Monday–Friday, July 13–17. Children in grades K–grade 5 will learn how God helps us to be strong and courageous. How does God encourage us? How is God with us? We will explore the sights, sounds, feels, and joys of Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” What does this look like in our community, in our times?

The week-long day camp will include two snacks; participants will bring their own lunch. Water will be provided. The cost is $425/child. Scholarships are available. Registration is limited.

Questions? Please contact our Children's Ministry at children@woodschurch.org.

The program was developed by Kat Green, national spokesperson for children and Biblical Literacy and Director of Children's Ministry at Woods Church.

VBS Express

During VBS week, kids 2 years old through grade 5 are welcome to join us at VBS Express from 4–6 pm. It’ll be all aboard to travel through Bible stories with songs, movement, art, and fun! You’ve got wings!

The cost is $50/child with a $100 family max. VBS Day Camp registration includes participation in VBS Express. No meal will be served, but a snack will be provided to all participants.

Education & Small Groups

Reading & Feeding: Gourmet Bible Study for the Growing Soul

Without a whit of pre-existing Bible knowledge, we invite you to learn and orient your mind and thinking to build a Biblical world view. Any Christian, regardless of experience, can be inspired for growth by God’s word.

Jesus calls the Word of God food for our souls…no matter how long you’ve been eating, you need to eat again—and perhaps have new culinary experiences.

Reading & Feeding is designed to look at Scripture with fresh eyes, ears, and hearts to receive insight for vibrant discipleship.

Join us on Sundays through May 17, 11AM, in Room 208, as we approach the Bible as a resource to feed our souls and fuel our spiritual journey. Breaking down pre-existing notions, cultural misunderstandings, and the false assumption that the portrayal of God in the Old Testament is somehow “less Biblical” than the Christian New Testament, we will explore this guiding document of the Church.

Weekly Bible Study

Lead Pastor JC Austin and our Interim Pastoral Associate Sarah Wilson offer a weekly Bible Study on Wednesdays, 11AM, to examine the upcoming Sunday’s scripture readings before they are presented in worship.

Join us on Zoom and gain a new understanding of scripture and enhance your worship experience.

Mission News

A Thank You from SPAN

SPAN (Serving People Across Neighborhoods) profusely thanks the congregation of Woods Church for the very generous Lenten Bag donations. Over 120 blue SPAN bags were filled with food and personal items, and donated to help our brothers and sisters in need. A heartfelt "thank you" to all who could participate!

Church Family News

Date & Time of Service for Jacqui Stone

A Service of Witness to the Resurrection for Woods member, Jacqui Stone, will be held on Friday, April 17, 1PM, in the sanctuary.

Jacqui was a member of Woods Church since 1987 and served as an Elder, a deacon and Sunday greeter.

Please keep Jacqui’s husband, Jim, and all of their family and friends in your prayers.

Tech Volunteers Needed

Easy to learn! We’re currently looking for volunteers to help with running slides and cameras during our worship services. This would be a great opportunity to support our church behind the scenes and/or pick up a new skill or two!

If you’re interested in helping or have any questions, email Eric Willner at ewillner@woodschurch.org.

Lost & Found

Please check the Church Office’s Lost & Found for items that you are missing. Items will sit on the counter for one week and then will be housed in the sliding cabinet under the staff mailboxes. The collection will be donated at the turn of the next season, so please check the cabinet if you are missing something!

Water bottles, jewelry, and eyeglasses often turn up—have faith!