From The Pastor:

Pastor Michaele Wood

Lord, I think I’m losing it.

You have kept me together through times of trial and raised me up from crippling injuries.

When doctors said I could go no further - you were my healer.

When parents could no longer help - you revealed how great a parent you had always been to me.

When I thought no one loved me - you overwhelmed me with your love.

When I thought I could no longer hear your voice – you sent a child with a word of encouragement

When I could not see the work of your hand - you painted the sunset with oranges and blues so spectacular that your presence could not be denied.

When I think trouble is about to take my last breath - you fill me with the Spirit and breathe your own breath into the deepest depths of my soul.

When I cried out in pain - you held my hand and taught me to pray.

This trial shall be as all the others.  The storms of confusion, the uncertainty of the next step in the journey are not hidden to you.  My concerns for family and church members, for my future and theirs is truly in your hands.

I shall not interfere but hold steadfast to faith in your providence and plan for all.  You have proven your love to me innumerable times.  I have the assurance that your love is more powerful than any fear known or unknown.   No threat takes form for you are near.  No enemy can overtake me, for you are my Salvation - a warrior that cannot be conquered.  You are a strategist that knows every move of the enemy and how to dismantle the enemies’ plans.  You are the Lord who brings vindication to one accused wrongfully.  Let me no longer hear the threats and words of discouragement from their lips.

Lift me to the heights of your glory and let me fly with the eagles.

Amen

Blessings,
Pastor Michaele

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Rev. Michaele RJ Wood was born the eldest of four children in Harrisburg PA. Her father was a Marine and Korean Veteran and her mother was a caterer. Michaele says, “Dad maintained order and discipline and mom added the spice.” She attended Catholic school through her junior year before graduating from a public school closer to home. It was during a school assembly about teen suicides that the message “God is love” became real and the Bible became a favorite read.

The years following high school were a hodgepodge of military service as an EMT / Practical Nurse and a liaison to the Military Police Units working narcotics, often accompanying them on the execution of search warrants and arrests. She met and married her husband during that tour and one year later put military service behind to be a mom to a new daughter. The following year she gave birth to twins.

In 1990, she was ordained as a minister in Kingdom Fellowship Ministries, a Charismatic fellowship, and assigned to Fountain Gate Ministries, an inner-city Harrisburg Church. There she served for 15 years as an elder, ordained minister associate and part-time instructor in Biblical & Church History for the ETS School of Ministry. She also held the position of Chief Financial Officer for a Harrisburg non-profit organization, while maintaining employment as a medical claims adjuster and raising a family.

The church grew quickly but the authoritarian form of government did not support the growth which led to problems of discipline and doctrine within the fellowship. This led her to a time of discernment. Seeking the help of a more experienced female pastor, who just happened to be Presbyterian, she was introduced to the Book of Order and Reformed Theology. Michaele states, “I had found the missing piece of my faith journey but the church I served was not ready

to change its style of government.”  In 2005, she became a member of Capital Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg. She was soon asked to serve on session and was ordained as an elder in the Presbyterian Church. Michaele completed the Dubuque CRE training in January 2006 and was then accepted to Lancaster Theological Seminary receiving her Master of Divinity in 2009.  In 2010, she was ordained by Carlisle Presbytery as  Minister of Word & Sacrament. Subsequently, she was  accepted as a member of the initial class of the “For Such A Time As This Program” leading to her installation as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Pontotoc, Mississippi,  where she served until December 2017. 

She now comes to Gainesville as the called pastor of Kanapaha Presbyterian Church and will be installed as the way is made clear.

Pastor Michaele holds an Associate in Human Services from Harrisburg Area Community College; a Bachelor of Christian Ministry from Chesapeake Bible College; a Master of Divinity from Lancaster Theological Seminary; a diploma from the CRE program at Dubuque Seminary, and Certificates of Completion in Spiritual Direction; Clergy Tax Management & Law (Chitwood); and Stewardship (Kirby-Smith).

She is the widowed mother to three adult children, grandmother to (10) ten grandchildren, great-grandmother to two boys, ages 2 years and an infant of 3 months, with another due in October. Saying of her journey thus far, “Life has not always been easy, but then, God didn’t say it would be. God did promise to give us strength to continue the journey even when it seems impossible, even when we are afraid, even when we aren’t sure where God is leading us.  And so, I look forward to our journey together.”

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