Woods, John A., 1914-1989.

AME pastor with churches in Albion and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Reverend John A. Woods was born on February 14, 1914 in North Carolina. In 1944, he graduated from Johnson C. Smith Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. Upon graduation, he organized the Bethel Presbyterian Church in Detroit and served as its pastor for eight years. Later Reverend Woods joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The Reverend Woods served as pastor of Bethel AME Church in Richmond, Indiana for seven years, and pastor of the Lewis Chapel AME Church in Albion, Michigan for three years. In 1964, the Reverend Woods became pastor of Bethel AME Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He served Bethel AME for 25 years until his death in 1989.

While pastor at Bethel AME, he aided in the growth of the church. One of his major accomplishments was to build a new church in 1971. He lived long enough to see the building paid for in the summer of 1989. To recognize his service to the community, the Ann Arbor City Council named December 25, 1987 as "Reverend John A. Woods Appreciation Day." The resolution of appreciation states, that Reverend Woods "has helped to build the Black community in Ann Arbor into a community that affirms the worth and dignity of all and works to end injustice and suffering."