Author · Publisher · Pastor
About Larry
Born in the hills of Eastern Kentucky, Larry M. Arrowood has spent more than half a century in ministry, most of it in Seymour, Indiana, and has written thirteen books along the way.
Larry Arrowood is a preacher who writes, and a writer who has never stopped preaching. His novels range from the hollows of Eastern Kentucky to a Shenandoah Valley town in the Civil Rights era, and from a scientist’s laboratory to the first hour of the end of the world. His books for the Christian life, on suffering, temptation, doctrine and the balance of grace, faith and works, come from more than fifty years of ministry.
He lives in Seymour, Indiana, with his wife, Nancy, who is an author too. His books reach well beyond his own church and denomination: they are written for any reader who loves a good story, and for anyone who has wondered whether they still matter to God.
A life in chapters
From the hills to Sandy Creek
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Boyhood
The Cumberland Plateau
Larry Arrowood was born on the Cumberland Plateau of Eastern Kentucky and attended a one-room schoolhouse. The mountain people he grew up among, their strange vocabulary, their independence and their hard times, come back again and again in his fiction, most of all in We Saved Ourselves, Kinda and Troublesome Blue.
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Schooling
A calling, and an education
He graduated from The University of Findlay in Ohio, with an emphasis in psychology and religion, and from Apostolic Bible Institute in St. Paul, Minnesota, with an emphasis in religion. He also studied briefly at Urshan School of Theology.
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1972
First years in Seymour
Larry and his wife, Nancy, first came to The Tabernacle in Seymour, Indiana, in 1972, serving as assistant pastor until 1975.
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1982
Indiana Bible College
The Arrowoods returned to Seymour in 1982, when Larry became the first executive vice president of Indiana Bible College, then located in Seymour. He served five years, and in that time founded Seymour Christian Academy, known today as Sandy Creek Christian Academy.
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1989
Lead pastor
In 1989 the Arrowoods came back to Seymour once more, this time with Larry as lead pastor of The Tabernacle. They have served the church and the community ever since.
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2008
Bloodroot
His novel Bloodroot, the first of The Shenandoah Series, was named ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year in fiction/mystery, and won the Editor’s Choice, Publisher’s Choice and Star awards.
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2016–2023
One campus at Sandy Creek
Sandy Creek Christian Academy moved to the growing Sandy Creek property in 2016, and in 2023 The Tabernacle moved its church there too, bringing church and school together on one campus.
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2024–2026
A new church
On Father’s Day 2024, Pastor Arrowood led the congregation into building a new church. Two years later, on Father’s Day 2026, it was complete.
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2026
Passing the mantle
In November 2026 he hands the lead pastorate to his son, Aaron Arrowood, and remains involved in ministry at the church. There are still books to write.
The publisher
Woodsong Publishing
Larry founded Woodsong Publishing, a Christian publisher in southern Indiana, out of years of experience in writing and publishing. Its books are inspirational novels and books on specific subjects of faith, by Larry and by other authors.
Woodsong exists for writers with a message to share who can’t get past the gatekeepers of traditional publishing. Most manuscripts will never make the cut in that highly selective market, but Larry is convinced many of them deserve to be in print.
The name came from home. Until recently a woods bordered the back of the Arrowoods’ property, and in the early morning its sounds were an inspiration, especially to a writer.
The church
The Tabernacle at Sandy Creek
Larry and Nancy Arrowood have served The Tabernacle at Sandy Creek in Seymour for more than forty years. Today the church, Sandy Creek Christian Academy and Sandy Creek Childcare share one campus on North Sandy Creek Drive, with room to grow.
Visitors are always welcome. Services are Sundays at 4 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7 p.m., with Spanish services on Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 7 p.m.
5707 N Sandy Creek Dr, Seymour, IN 47274
Visit sandycreek.church (opens in a new tab)