West Groton Bible Church welcomes a new pastor

For more than 20 months, West Groton Bible Church (WGBC) had been seeking its next pastor since its former pastor, Travis Formoso, moved on to another ministry in September 2022. While it may have taken longer than anyone could have anticipated, the timing was ideal for Pastor Chip Wood and his wife, Karen, and certainly for the congregation at WGBC, who appear to be delighted with their choice after waiting so long for just the right fit.

Raised in Constantia, New York, Chip is the youngest of seven children who spent their childhood with their parents, Lynn and Elaine, on their 700-acre chicken farm.

“We had 7,000 chickens at one point,” Chip said. “My dad [Lynn] was also a carpenter, so he named me `Chip’ on purpose and thought it was pretty funny.”

Chip is a 1986 alumnus of Paul V. Moore High School in Central Square. He attended CiTi BOCES’ carpentry program, inspired by his dad. Chip was also involved in drama and music.

“From the day after I was born until I left for college, I attended Constantia Center Independent Baptist Church,” Chip said. “In high school, I took a college trip with my church youth group to Baptist Bible College in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, and it was there that a professor in a Bible class inspired me because he made the Bible come alive. I went there because I wanted to be taught by him, but when I got there, he had retired!”

Nonetheless, Chip forged ahead and earned his bachelor’s degree in music and Bible in 1990. He also met Karen, who had come there from Berkshire, New York, where she grew up.

Karen attended Brooktondale Baptist School, where she was point guard for its basketball team. She played piano and was involved in anything having to do with music. She graduated in 1987 and earned her bachelor’s degree in music education and Bible in 1992.

“I always had a love for music and for missions,” Karen said. “I took two mission trips in college to work with the Ojibwa Native Americans in Kenora, Ontario, and [I] always taught piano lessons, and still do today.”

Separately, Chip had taken a solo mission trip to São Paulo, Brazil to build pulpit furniture for a church, so he and Karen had a shared interest in missions, but it was the college’s traveling gospel music team, which they were both involved in, where they actually met. They dated through Chip’s college years and were married in June 1990.

While Karen finished college, Chip worked for UPS and managed a Christian bookstore in Scranton, Pennsylvania, after which they moved to Seaford, Delaware, where Chip was the youth pastor in a local Baptist church and Karen taught fourth grade, coached basketball and gave private piano lessons for two years.

Chip and Karen next moved to Cortland. Chip had taken a position as youth pastor at Bible Baptist Church there, and Karen taught high school English, Bible classes and elementary music at Cortland Christian Academy. They remained there for three years. They added their daughter, Elizabeth, to the family in 1995, followed by their son, Johnathon, in 1997, before the next adventure began for the Wood family in 1999.

“There was a summer camp for children ages eight to 18 in Tyrone, New York called Lamoka Lake Baptist Camp, and Chip became its first full-time director when it became a year-round camp,” Karen explained. “We actually worked there together.”

For the next 15 years, work together they did, adding their daughter, Katherine, to the family in 2003, and living and growing as a family while they also poured their hearts into those they were serving and ministering to at the camp. Then, in 2014, another opportunity presented itself to Chip in Cleveland, Ohio.

“I became the director of church facilitation under the Baptist Church Planters Mission Agency,” Chip said. “We traveled around and helped churches by facilitating the educational aspects, like developing curriculum for children’s ministries and training educators to teach it.”

Nine years later, in the fall of 2023, the Woods made the decision to move back to Dryden to care for their aging parents. They began sending their resumes out everywhere locally.

“It was the first time in our lives that we didn’t know what job we were going to before leaving our current one, but we couldn’t continue to travel and take care of things here,” Chip said.

Karen began working as a third-grade teacher’s aide at Dryden Elementary School in January 2024. She also continued teaching piano lessons. In the meantime, they began visiting area churches to find one they wanted to attend.

“When we came to West Groton [Bible Church], we fell in love with it right away,” Karen said. “Members of the congregation encouraged Chip to apply for the pastor’s position, so he did, and [he] was voted in on his first day in the pulpit, April 7!”

“I am so glad to be back in upstate New York,” Chip said. “I have met some great people already and look forward to meeting more and to having a dynamic ministry in the Groton area.”

“The love of the people at our church is amazing,” Karen added. “They have reached out in so many ways. Their love and generosity has been pleasantly overwhelming!”

Chip and Karen welcome all to come and meet them. Their Sunday service is at 10:30 a.m., with Sunday school just prior at 9:30 a.m. They also hold prayer meetings in their home, 858 Cobb St., at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, to which everyone is also welcome.

Groton on the Inside appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Submit story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com or text or call Linda at 607-227-4922. 

In brief:

A note of thanks to the community

The Friends of the Groton Public Library would like to thank the Groton community for a successful campaign to repair the library chimney. The goal was met thanks to the generosity of local businesses and citizens, including many “Friends” who are no longer residents but who remember the library’s role in their lives. The century-old library building continues to be preserved to serve the needs of our community members.

Steak’s on!

McLean Church, 50 Church St., will offer its famous Delmonico steak dinner from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 18. The $23 dinner also includes baked potato, salad, vegetable medley, beverage and homemade pie! Reservations are highly recommended by Friday, May 17 by calling 315-496-9432. Take-outs are available.

New pantry hours

Effective immediately, Groton Community Cupboard has new hours. Sundays are 10:30 a.m. to noon, Mondays at noon for those needing assistance and all others 12:30 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays. For emergency food, contact Jean at 607-382-4581.