Jim and his wife, Sheryl, having known each other since high school in South Carolina, were married in 1981. Sheryl is the Mission Outreach Coordinator at First Presbyterian of Norfolk.

Their three sons are high-energy young men: Ross is a senior at the University of Mary Washington, Adam is a senior at Maury High School, and Zach is a freshman. The Wood household is rounded out by their rowdy dog, Tusker, that they got as a puppy during their stay in Kenya.

Jim served on the Norfolk Homelessness Taskforce upon the request of a member of the City Council and has helped gain more support and funding for Ghent Area Ministries, an organization supported by Norfolk churches to provide for those in desperate economic need.  He has also taken an active role in developing a Stateside Nicaragua Vida Joven Board to encourage American churches to help the ministry of Young Life in that Central American country. 

Jim’s passion for sharing Christ is lived out through his preaching and teaching, pastoral care and his love for outreach. Having led dozens of mission teams, his involvement in the Body of Christ in Russia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Kenya is deeply felt and long-term. 

During Jim’s sabbatical leave (September 2006 – February 2007), he, Sheryl, Adam & Zach lived in Kenya on the grounds of Nazareth Hospital, where First Presbyterian supports vital AIDS and hunger ministries.  Demonstrating their love and commitment to the people of Kenya, they, along with their son Ross who came there for Christmas vacation, were adopted into the Kikuyu tribe.

Running, surfing, backpacking and reading serve to re-create Jim’s life when the Atlanta Braves are losing.  His most recent life-goal was reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,340 ft.) with his oldest son, Ross, in January of 2006.