Messenger is here!

March 18, 2026

 This week's release at a glance:

• Pastor’s Message
• The Prince of Egypt Musical
• Service of Wholeness, March 25
• Maundy Thursday Dinner Church
• Children’s Winter Clothing Collection
• Lenten Devotional
• Download Our Lent Brochure
• Youth Dinner Church
• High School Bible Study
• Sunday Kindness Crossroads
• Pop-Up Programming for Kids
• Summer Activities for Kids
• WoodsWork 2026
• Adult Education Offerings for Lent
• Opportunities to Serve During Lent
• Adult Mission Trip, April 20–25
  

Pastor's Message

Friends, this Sunday, March 22, the Session has called a Congregational Meeting at 10:30AM to receive and act upon the report from the Congregational Nominating Committee about whom they have discerned is called to ordained ministry here at Woods Church as Elders and Deacons. We also will be considering and electing the inaugural members of the Board of Trustees that you established at our last Congregational Meeting with changes to the church bylaws, along with members of the boards at the Severna Park Community Center and the WoodsWise program for Sunrise Senior Living. In addition, we will be electing members of the Congregational Nominating Committee itself.

This seems like a good moment to remember what all goes into this work and why it is so important.

Presbyterians hold the right of the people to discern and elect their own leaders to be sacrosanct. While almost everything in the life of a Presbyterian congregation is ultimately under the authority of Session, the leadership of the church is chosen directly by the congregation. You, as the congregation, elect the nominating committee, and then it is the Nominating Committee’s job to go out and look for those within the congregation who have the gifts, skills, vision, passion, and faith to fulfill the office(s) in question—and at this particular time in the life of our congregation. Typically, they begin their work in the early fall, which includes both their own internal conversation about potential candidates and your suggestions that come in through the written nomination process that we do every fall. After a number of conversations, they begin establishing a list of those whom they think are best to ask, and then go out and ask them if they would consider serving.

Not everyone who is asked to serve agrees with the Nominating Committee’s assessment of their call to service! But that is both fine and to be expected.

In the Presbyterian Church, we understand a calling to have three elements: 1) the providential call: the gifts and skills to do the work involved; 2) the personal call: the individual having a sense that they are called by God to use those providential gifts in a particular ministry; and 3) the congregational call: the church itself recognizing those gifts and issuing the call to the individual. If any one of those three elements is missing, for any office, then it is not a true call, at least for that moment.

In presenting its report, the Congregational Nominating Committee is declaring that they have found the first two elements of call to be in place for the people they are nominating. It is up to you, the congregation, to confirm that the congregational call also is present, which is the significance of your vote this Sunday.

Following this call on Sunday, those elected will proceed with a period of training that will be validated by the Session later this spring, and then an service of ordination and/or installation will be scheduled for them. But for this week, we are focusing on issuing that congregational call through the elections.

Click here to review a list of people that this year’s Congregational Nominating Committee is bringing for your consideration and potential election to serve. Please take the time to review those carefully, to consider them, and pray over them and our nomination process. Please also take a moment to offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the faithfulness and hard work of your Congregational Nominating Committee over these months of discernment; I want to say a special word of thanks for Elder Janna Kintzley and her indefatigable leadership as chair of the committee.

I look forward to being with you in the meeting on Sunday, and to us taking up this crucial and sacred responsibility in the life of the church.

Peace and blessings,

—Pastor JC

Church News

The Prince of Egypt Tickets Are Now Available

On Thursday, Friday, & Saturday, March 19–21, 7:30PM, & Saturday, March 21, 2PM, Woods Church will present The Prince of Egypt, a sweeping, epic musical featuring music and lyrics by Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, with a book by Philip LaZebnik.

This powerful story follows two brothers—one destined to rule as Pharaoh, the other called to rise up and free his true people. Both must confront a destiny that will change history forever.

The cost is $20 per ticket.

Important Notes:

• Due to the inability to fully blackout all windows in the performance area, matinee performances will have ambient sunlight entering the space.
• This production includes strobe lighting effects, loud noises, and scenes depicting fighting and stage combat.
• This show depicts intense situation and thematic elements adapted from the book of Exodus. While children are welcome to attend, parental guidance is suggested.

Service of Wholeness

There will be a Service of Wholeness on Wednesday, March 25, at 6:15PM, in the Sanctuary. This is a deeply spiritual service of prayer, laying on of hands and anointing by the pastors and elders for those experiencing emotional or physical concerns.

If you would like to attend, please contact Maureen Adams at 410.647.2550 or email her at madams@woodschurch.org.

Maundy Thursday Dinner Church

As you know, Maundy Thursday begins the three-day cycle of worship services commemorating Holy Week for Christians. Specifically, it is the remembrance of Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples, right before he was arrested, in which he instituted the celebration of the Lord's Supper, or Communion, and gave his disciples the "new commandment" to love one another as he has loved us ("Maundy" comes from the Latin for "mandate," or commandment).

This year, Woods will be leaning in to the power of both the Last Supper and the Lord's Supper on Maundy Thursday, April 2, with a contemplative-style Dinner Church, which is why we are beginning a bit earlier than in previous Holy Weeks. We will gather informally from 6–6:30PM in Fellowship Hall, with dinner itself beginning promptly at 6:30PM, with an opening prayer. Then, following the Scriptural account that says Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper "after supper" (Luke 22:20), we will have a Communion service after dinner that will include contemplative prayer and songs, scripture, a brief pastoral reflection, and Communion.

We hope you will make a point of joining this meaningful and communal start to our Holy Week observances at Woods!

Children’s Winter Clothing Collection

Spring is almost here! And soon we can switch over our 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 April 12–26 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!

Lenten Devotional Now Available

Our Lenten devotional, Discipleship in a Divided Age, is available. Click here to download a copy.

This daily devotional helps to anchor us in scripture and guide our spiritual practices during this sacred season. This devotional follows the Gospel of Matthew and speaks directly into our moment. Through daily reflections, thoughtful questions and weekly visio divina practices, this resource invites us to live faithfully amid division and uncertainty.

Download Our Lent Brochure

Our Lent brochure provides information about all the worship services, programs, and special activities taking place at Woods Church during the Lenten season. We invite you to explore the many opportunities for prayer, reflection, fellowship, and spiritual growth as we journey together toward Easter.

For complete details on dates, times, and events, click here to download a copy or pick one up at the church.

Youth News

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

Sunday Kindness Crossroads

Kindness Connection for Lent is back with Kindness Crossroads. Find Ms. Kat at the Sunday School crossroads, lower level, following the 9:30AM service to make your Kindness Connection at the crossroad of Sunday’s stories and your week. You can make a path from Ash Wednesday to Easter—because Kindness Connections count!

Pop-Up Programming

Fridays in March are popping up some extra fun! The children of Woods and our community are popping in for an immersive Bible Study! This Friday, March 20, will be "Road trip" themed with Moses and the exodus. Next Friday, March 27, will be "Feeding the Sheep" with a Matthew 25 emphasis of service and caring for others.

Lunch will be provided by "All about Lunch," the caterer for the Woods Child Development Center.

Registration is limited and closes a week before the event. Tell your friends, neighbors, and family to sign up today! If you have questions, please contact Lindsey Miller at lmiller@woodschurch.org.

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

Passed Our Limitations: The Power of Community

I’ll Push You is the story of two friends who embark on a spiritual journey across the Camino de Santiago. What makes their pilgrimage remarkable is that one friend pushes the other who is confined to a wheelchair. Their book provides insights into friendship and community while exploring spiritual truths that remind us to embrace life even when we experience limitations.

Like the themes in the book, the emphasis during Lent is self-reflection, simplicity and spiritual discipline. Join us on Sundays, February 22–March 22, 11AM, as we explore spiritual disciplines that push past our limitations and draw us closer to God.

Class will be held in Room 208 and on Zoom.

Incarnated Spirituality: Integrating Heart and Head

Our society compartmentalizes life on multiple levels. We have mental health and physical health. There are entire schools of psychology that focus on emotional health, and millions of pages have been written about spiritual health. But life is messy and in reality, these multiple facets of our life are intimately related. Affliction in any one area affects the others. Purposeful-focused walking is one of the best ways to break the barriers between mental, physical, and spiritual health. Walking helps the body and the mind to become synchronized so that through self-reflection we can draw closed to God.

For five Sundays during Lent, we will incorporate walking, spiritual practices and other experiential lessons to focus attention inward. Through this process we can recognize the holy places that feed our spirit.

We will meet on Sundays, March 1–29, 3:30PM, in Founder’s Room, for brief instruction on the day’s walk and meditation. We will walk for about an hour (4–5PM) at various locations and return to Woods around 5PM for fellowship and sharing the experience. Participants unable to walk for an hour will have an experiential lesson at Woods.

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

Opportunities to Serve During Lent

During the season of Lent, our Missions Ministry is encouraging you to serve our local and international communities in two ways.

• Serving People Across Neighborhoods (SPAN): Continue to fight hunger during Lent by stopping by the Missions Table behind the Welcome Desk on Sundays, February 22–March 22, and pick up a blue SPAN bag with an attached list of needed items. Fill and return your blue SPAN bag on or any time before 3/22/26. The attached list also has a QR-code to order from Amazon and ship directly to SPAN. Thank you for your continued support of SPAN!

• Cuba UPDATE: Please pray deeply for the people of Cuba during this Lenten season. Unfortunately, the planned Mission Trip to Cuba has been canceled due to a severe fuel crisis that has led to the suspension of international flights. As a result, Cuba will no longer be receiving the much-needed supplies that were to be delivered during this trip.
  

Save the Date: Adult Mission Trip

Woods adults are welcome to join us on a Mission Trip, Monday–Saturday, April 20–25. We will travel to Richmond, Virginia, and work with the Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity affiliate. We are looking for 10+ volunteers.

Click the button below to download an informational flyer. Contact Tom Lerario at txlerario@gmail.com or Scott Rundle at srundle69@gmail.com with questions and/or to sign up.

Church Family News

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!