IN THIS WEEK’S UPDATE
• Sunday Gathering: Learning to Move Again
• Elder Board Update after Service
• Financial Update
• Outside the Walls: Jamaica, ForColumbia, Food Bank
• Last Week’s Insights

SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2026
Wouldn’t it be great if forgiveness was as easy as simply saying, “I’m sorry, will you forgive me?” and the answer would be a simple and easy, “Yes, I will!”? Sadly, we know too well the reality of living in the fallen world, where we make mistakes and are hurt by others, resulting in broken relationships. As we’ll see Sunday, forgiveness is a part of reconciling and restoration, but it goes beyond the words of “I’m sorry, will you forgive me?” Join us as we explore what true forgiveness is and how it can lead to rebuilding trust, reconciliation, and restoration.


ELDER BOARD MONTHLY UPDATE
Join us this Sunday, March 22, for a brief update from the elder board following the service. The update will include information on the co-pastor search, financial results for February, and responses to questions submitted by the congregation.

We will gather in the auditorium approximately 10–15 minutes after the service ends. No childcare will be provided, but children are welcome to attend with their families. Please plan to pick up children promptly so our Kidcrest staff and volunteers can join us.


WOODCREST FINANCIALS
Please download the PDF for more details. Thank you.


OUTSIDE THE WALLS

HARMONS, JAMAICA
This April, a team from Woodcrest will travel to Harmons, Jamaica to serve alongside local partners. As part of the trip, they will bring supplies to support school and dental initiatives in the community.

If you would like to contribute, please consider donating any of the following items: full-size children’s toothpaste, backpacks, folders, glue sticks, erasers, pencils (12-pack), jumbo beginner pencils (12-pack), 24-count crayons, 8-count jumbo crayons, rulers, safety scissors, children’s brown socks (all sizes), and children’s underwear (boys and girls, all sizes).

Thank you for helping us extend care and support to our neighbors in Jamaica. Please bring donated items to the designated tub in the Woodcrest lobby or contact Kelly Wright by April 12.


FORCOLUMBIA - registration open
ForColumbia was founded in 2015 to bring Christians together to freely share the love of God by serving our community, side-by-side. We do this by organizing volunteers from Christian churches throughout mid-Missouri to serve individuals, non-profit organizations, and other public venues in an annual city-wide day of service.

Together, we've served our city for twelve years with 62 different churches this year serving 98 confirmed sites, and Woodcrest would love to have a presence again this year. Registration is open now through Sunday, April 12th. The event is on Saturday, April 25th from 9am-2pm. Registration T-shirts will be distributed on Sunday, April 19th at Woodcrest.

To sign up or for more information, go to www.ForColumbia.com


MOBILE MARKET - thank you
Volunteers from Woodcrest and friends served 163 households at the Food Bank Mobile Market on Tuesday. Our neighbors received ground beef, apples, salad, eggs, cereal bars, and snacks to help provide meals for their families.

Save the date for our next Mobile Market on Tuesday, April 21.


LAST WEEK’S INSIGHTS
Last Sunday, Matt Gordon explored what defeats joy and how wisdom helps us recover it.

Teaching from Ecclesiastes 8, Matt said that many of us lose joy because we shrink life down to only what we can see, control, or explain. But wisdom gives us a bigger framework, and that bigger framework changes how we live in the middle of real life.

He described four layers of reality that help us understand life rightly:

• The inexpressible: the mystery, greatness, and unseen work of God

• The expressed: God’s revealed story in Scripture

• The observed: the patterns of the world around us

• The personal: our own lived story, pain, hopes, and daily experience

Matt showed that when we live only in the personal layer, joy tends to collapse under pressure. But when our personal story is placed inside the larger story of God, we gain wisdom, perspective, integrity, and hope.

From Ecclesiastes 8:15, Matt called us to receive life as a gift from God and to let joy accompany us even in our toil.

Highlights:

• Joy is often defeated by a reduced view of life.

• Wisdom “brightens the face” because it gives perspective and composure.

• The resurrection matters because Christianity is about life winning over death.

• We can face broken systems, hard circumstances, and uncertainty without losing integrity or hope.

TAKEAWAY
Joy grows when our personal story is anchored in the larger story of God.

OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF
• Check out Kidcrest, our children’s ministry HERE
• The Loop: sign up for our student ministry newsletter HERE
• Watch services at WoodcrestWorldwide.org
• Engage on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Download the Woodcrest App: CLICK
• Last, but definitely not least: Set up a recurring donation