Calder Woods Welcomes New Chaplain, Mike Wood

A native of Southeast Texas, Chaplain Wood will minister to senior adults at Beaumont’s only nonprofit, faith-based continuing care senior living community.

Senior living community Calder Woods welcomed its new chaplain, Mike Wood, last week. A Southeast Texas native and veteran chaplain, Wood will minister to residents of Calder Woods, Beaumont’s only nonprofit, faith-based continuing care community for senior adults. Wood will also work to grow relationships with the greater Southeast Texas faith community.

“We are excited to welcome Chaplain Mike Wood to the Calder Woods family,” said Calder Woods Executive Director David Ummel. “Mike is a man of great faith who I believe will be able to forge strong connections with residents and help them continue their spiritual journey.”

Wood grew up in Nederland, Texas and graduated from Lamar University in Beaumont with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He later received his Master of Arts in Religion and Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

Earlier in his career, Wood served as a minister of education/administration in churches in Corsicana, Cedar Hill, and Austin, as well as the Golden Triangle area. He more recently served as a unit chaplain for 13 years with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In 2020 and 2021, his last year with TDCJ, Wood supervised chaplains in Region III, covering Beaumont to the north and south to Brazoria.

“One of the greatest inspirations for me is reconnecting senior adults with a renewed sense of purpose and appreciation for their life and life experiences,” said Chaplain Mike Wood regarding his call to work in senior living.

“My ministry style is very relational,” added Wood. “I love people. I love hearing their life stories. I discovered some time ago my purpose in life is to prepare the saints for the work of ministry. Because of this, I am grateful to serve an organization like Buckner Retirement Services and work at its Beaumont community, Calder Woods.”

In 1998, Southeast Texas faith leaders approached nonprofit Buckner Retirement Services requesting a faith-based senior living community be built in Beaumont. Buckner answered the call, and Calder Woods opened its doors in 2000 to serve the area’s senior adults.

Calder Woods is a 17-acre community providing affordable senior living in Beaumont’s growing west end. As Beaumont’s only faith-based, nonprofit Life Plan Community, Calder Woods offers a full continuum of senior living and care on site, so residents can have the peace of mind knowing their address can remain the same despite changing medical needs. The community is operated by Buckner Retirement Services.

For more information, visit BucknerCalderWoods.org.

About Buckner Retirement Services, Inc.:
Buckner Retirement Services is a nonprofit senior living organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for senior adults and their families by promoting an active, healthy lifestyle while maintaining their independence and dignity. Buckner Retirement Services is part of Buckner International, a global faith-based ministry serving more than 350,000 people each year in Texas and six countries worldwide. For more information, visit BucknerRetirement.org.

Information Contact:

Christopher Ruth
Senior Director of Public Relations
Buckner International
630-536-9139 (cell)
cruth@buckner.org