A Message from Tracye Woodfin
During our service on Sunday, May 7th, Tracye Woodfin shared these words on behalf of her family: Grant, Ethan, and Caleb. After four years here with us in Richmond, the Woodfins will move to Greenwood, South Carolina for Grant to begin his residency. We will miss the Woodfins terribly, but we are grateful for our time with them and look forward to seeing what God has in store for this sweet, sweet family.
Scott Sauls says in his book, Befriend, “Real love, real friendship, is vulnerable. And risky. And costly. And discomforting. And disquieting. And agitating like sandpaper sometimes.”
When we moved to Richmond from Texas four years ago for Grant to begin medical school, our family did not know anyone here. When we visited City Church, we knew we had found our church home. All four of us felt loved, accepted and welcomed.
When our sweet boy Caleb suffered a sudden and devastating aneurysm 18 months ago, this City Church family held us tenderly and lovingly. It is incredibly difficult to know what to do when you are watching someone’s devastating loss. But members of this church spent hours in the pediatric intensive care unit, prayed continually, participated in Caleb’s memorial service and reception, brought us countless meals, decorated our home for Christmas, provided financial support, helped us move, sent letters, texts, and and are even planning to visit the cemetery for us after we move.
As we graduate this week from medical school and move in a few short weeks to South Carolina, it is impossible to express the depth of our love and gratitude to City Church. You have been the tangible love of Jesus to us in our grief, and have been invaluable support to us in our time of unbelievable loss. You continue to show us that our sweet Caleb is not forgotten, that he still matters to you too, and that you recognize that our family, and this world, has lost a treasure.
Thank you for being willing to show us real love, real friendship…that is risky, costly, and vulnerable.
Grant, Ethan, and I will continue to pray for you, and with you, for the time Jesus will return, as Revelation 21 says: and “wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”