From The Pastor:

Pastor Michaele Wood

Dearest Congregation,

I am writing to officially notify you of my planned retirement from installed ministry in the PCUSA and as pastor of
Kanapaha Presbyterian Church as of June 30, 2026.  This has not been an easy decision to make.  I have thoroughly enjoyed pastoring this congregation at Kanapaha Presbyterian Church these past seven years.  However, after much prayer and consideration I feel it is God’s will for me to move in a new direction in my personal journey.  I feel this is the time for change for both myself and the congregation.  We will travel through Lent together, celebrate Easter and Pentecost, and share communion together in worship on June 7, 2026 which will be my final sermon.

I am sincerely grateful for the love, support, and fellowship that the congregation has shown me and my family during my tenure.  I am confident that Kanapaha Presbyterian will continue to be an outreach of Christ's love in the local community.  It is my hope that we can walk through the next few months strengthening our committees, our leaders and addressing the concerns of the congregation.  I want to make this transition as smooth as possible for you as a congregation.  May you all come into agreement for the next part of the journey.  

During my time here we have celebrated the victories of life together.  We have weathered the storms of life as a community and have even successfully faced a global pandemic.  We have come through a time of recovery dealing with the after effects of the pandemic in both the physical and spiritual worlds.  Our leaders have risen to the challenges we faced and new leaders are poised to lead KPC into the future.  Because we know that Christ is head of the church, we have confidence that God will provide all that is needed to continue Christ’s ministry in this portion of the vineyard.

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve.  I look forward to seeing the spiritual vitality of the KPC community as you grow Kanapaha Presbyterian Church into the new vision God has for this next season in your journey.

Blessings,
Rev. Michaele RJ Wood
 

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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