Messenger is here!

April 8, 2026

 This week's release at a glance:

• Pastor’s Message
• Open Dance Classes Begin April 12
• A Night on Broadway
• A Tapestry of Music Spring Concert
• Children’s Winter Clothing Collection
• Ministry of Belonging Lunch & Learn
• Ministry of Belonging Youth Workshop
• High School Bible Study
• Summer Activities for Kids
• WoodsWork 2026
• New Adult Ed Class: Reading & Feeding
• A Thank You from SPAN
• Prayers for the Family of Jacqui Stone
• Tech Volunteers Needed
• Lost & Found
  

Pastor's Message

The Sunday after Easter is sometimes referred to as “Low Sunday,” given the relative contrast between the packed pews (chairs) on Easter and the often sparse attendance the following Sunday. But I prefer the more positive convention of “Joy and Laughter” Sunday, which has its roots in the early church. This tradition is based on the concept of Risus Paschalis (Easter Laughter), describing the Resurrection as the ultimate “cosmic joke” which God played on the Devil, “tricking” death and mocking the power of the grave. Priests in the Middle Ages used jokes and other humor in Easter meditations to induce laughter in their congregations, seen as a physical expression of the transformative joy of salvation.

While the tradition faded in the Western churches with the more solemn approach to worship of the 17th and 18th centuries, the 1980s saw a resurgence of “Easter Laughter” as a reminder that Eastertide should continue as a celebration, rather than simply a return to “business as usual.”

No small number of you have asked whether we still intend to go ahead with Joy and Laughter Sunday, given the state of the world at hand. Indeed, our worship will include joy and laughter as we continue celebrate the joy of salvation through Jesus’ resurrection. But our worship will also include lament and prayer and heartfelt petitions to God for the state of our war-torn world, for the wellbeing of our fellow siblings in Christ, and for God’s justice and mercy to bring peace to Creation.

As Christians, we have the obligation to live faithfully in a world full of contradictions and conflict. We live with the tension between experiencing the joy of transformed life through Jesus’ resurrection and feeling profound lament for the suffering, death and destruction resulting from the ways of the world. We are called to laugh with joy because Christ is risen. We are also called to do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with God. These are all expressions of our faith, and are not mutually exclusive.

So on Sunday we will laugh together and praise God with joy; and we also will raise our lament, prayers and intercessions to God together for our siblings in Christ and Creation. All these things we do through faith in the Living God.

He is risen. He is risen, indeed!

—Sarah Wilson, Interim Pastoral Associate

Church News

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.

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.

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.

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, April 12–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

Prayers for the Family of 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!