New pastor doesn't judge by appearance
Looking for innovative ways to serve the community
By SHARON KERR Staff Writer

Woods

As a young man, Phillip Woods, the new pastor at Community Church in Jasper, ran from the church and everything it represented; he ran so far and for so long that he finally found his way right back where he started- in a church, preaching.

Woods is the 47th minister in his family. He said that growing up, he hated it when he saw churches label people and look down on them.

"I saw churches with the attitude that if you don't fit my mold, you can't be part of us," Wood said. "That is not the way it should be.

"We (churches) have hurt more people because they weren't our color or weren't the right financial group or didn't dress the way we think they should. We're going to have to answer for that," Woods said.

"I'm not about appearance and I don't care about dress," Woods said. "I think I can be effective here (in Jasper), and I know I am meant to be here."

Woods is not taking the place of Pastor Linda Ellermann, who has taken a much-needed vacation to celebrate her 30th wedding anniversary, according to pastors' assistant Pam Dixon. When Ellermann returns, she and Woods will co-pastor.

The Community Church is big in youth outreach efforts, according to Woods and Dixon. They are part of Kid Care America, an afterschool mentoring program.

Dixon said the program, now in its second year, was "horrible for the first nine months... and then it was like something clicked."

She said the schools and teachers started working with the mentors and the children began doing better. She described one boy who used to throw himself down and scream and roll, who is now a different child.

"We did Bible drills with him and he recently stood up in church and recited every single book of the Bible. The congregation gave him a standing ovation," Dixon said.

A life change For many years, Woods said he was a glass contractor, but when he sold that business in the year 2000, he became a full time minister.

"I always had a heart for the inner city," Woods said. He pastored a church in Houston, then Baytown where he established Eden Fellowship, which is still headed by wife Lisa Woods. It's mutual assistance for both of them; he helps her in Baytown and she will lend a hand in Jasper.

"Both churches have the same vision. We help people and we want to reach the hurt," Woods said.

Woods' voice is known worldwide from his OutlawChurch Radio Show, which was podcast worldwide. He is also part of the Motorcycle Ministries that includes The Tomb in Jasper.

Woods has preached in the rough border towns of Mexico and Guatemala and in some dark parts of Houston, but he was raised in East Texas and never really left.

"My family has been in this area, oh, like forever. I've hunted these woods all my life, raised cows around here all my life," Wood said, so when he inherited the family farm near Woodville, he began spending more time up here.

Woods said his son Mason, 10, loves Camp His Way, a Christian camp on Lake Sam Rayburn, and they both enjoy the lake and the outdoors.

One thing led to another, and now Woods is pastor at Community Church and has big plans for the future.

"I'd like to bring an accredited college in here to train inner city ministers, a PIT crew (pastors in training). I'm looking at private schools. I'd like to build a rodeo team. I want the bikers to come and the sportsmen and outdoorsmen. I want to be the people's pastor," Woods said.

Community

Community Church continues to serve Jasper as more than a church. During the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, it was the triage center for the EMS services and medical staff who volunteered to help after the storm.

The church is a designated disaster shelter. "We can empty the sanctuary and set up 500 beds within two hours," Woods said.

The building has a fullscale commercial kitchen, provided and still owned by the government, where they cook lunch for the needy, no charge, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They also serve as a food pantry and food distribution center.

On Dec. 1, they will clear the sanctuary for a medical camp sponsored by ETHAN (East Texas Health Access Network.)

The main hall and adjacent rooms will be divided into stations that will perform a variety of medical tests and screening procedures free to anyone who comes.

Woods said he will continue to look for innovative ways to serve the community. He is still learning his way around and trying to meet the people who can help him make a difference in the community.