Many of us have New Year’s Day traditions. For some, it is taking down the Christmas decorations. For others it is watching the endless supply of college football bowl games. For others it is a meal that includes things that are supposed to bring us good luck. Eating things like twelve grapes just before midnight, black-eyed peas, cabbage, collard greens, and hog jowl are all supposed to bring us some measure of good luck in a new year. 

I learned of a new “rule” this year. Supposedly you are not to do laundry on New Year’s Day. The idea there is that you will wash away any good luck coming your way. Here is another one that was new to me, I had never heard that it is considered good luck to hang onions on your front door as a sign of rebirth and renewal. In Denmark, it is considered a sign of friendship if someone breaks dishes and plates at your doorstep. 

I always eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day and I when I heard about it, I did not do our laundry, although the clothes were piled high in the hamper. 

There is something else that I like to do on New Year’s Day and that is to take a long walk. The weather this year was good for it. Early in the morning, I put on my walking shoes and walked through our neighborhood. I do this most days, but on New Year’s Day I slow my pace and contemplate. I think about the good things in my life in 2025 and I think about some of the things that I hope will happen in 2026. I thought about the two family memorial services we attended in Nashville for Susie’s dad and later in the year, for her aunt. I thought about our trip to Busch Stadium to see the Braves beat the Cardinals! I thought about our trip to the beach with our friends from seminary joining us there. I thought about the meals we shared around the table for Thanksgiving and at Christmas. There was a lot to celebrate in 2025. There were challenges, too. As I walked, I thought about trips we will take in 2026 and the family gatherings that we will have. I am looking forward to those things. 

And when I finished thinking about my personal life, I thought about our life together as a church. What we accomplished, together, in 2025. The meaningful times we shared. The worship services, the meals, fellowship times, meetings, and missions we did together. I thought about our members who died in 2025 and said a special prayer for their family members. And then I did some thinking about 2026 and what I hope will happen with our church in this brand new year. 

It's past New Year’s Day now, but I encourage you to do what I did. To think back on your personal life in 2025 and to look forward to the good things coming in 2026. And I encourage you to join me in celebrating the good things we experienced in the church in 2025, and to think about 2026. 

I think it is going to be a great year for our church! 

Hope Always, 

All elected church leaders are invited to attend this Lunch. You should have recieved an email invitation if you are on a Leadership committee for 2026. Pastor John will share the state of the church. This will include financial and attendance numbers and hightlights of some of our ministries. We will also consider the proposed 2026 budget as approved by the Finance Committee. The Administrative Council’s task is to adopt a yearly budget. The Administrative Committees will be encouraged to get organized before the end of our time together, setting meeting dates for the year. New committee members will recieve a description of their position and what is expected of their committee. This year’s meeting will be shorter, sweeter, and achieve our goals. I hope to see you in the Gathering Classroom for lunch. We will start the meeting promptly at 12:15 p.m. Please RSVP via e-mail to Hollye Lee if you are able to attend so we can plan for lunch accordingly. 

On Thursday, January 8th  we will begin an 8 week study of  “Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible” by Liz Curtis Higgs.  Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel were mostly good girls, but had their flaws (don’t we all)!  Books are $10 if ordered through class, and chapter 1 needs to be read before the first class.

Thursday Morning Joy meets Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 AM in the Seeker’s Classroom, #213.  New members are always welcome -  come anytime, listen and try us out.  We have bible study along with fun, fellowship, prayer, and coffee!  It’s a great way to spend a Thursday morning!  Call or text Sandra Bainbridge at 870-656-3950 for more information or to order a book. 

Sunday Evening Bible Study, Believe by Randy Frazee, led by Pastor John will start back on Sunday, January 11th at 5:00 pm in the Gathering Class, Room #205. This study was split into three 10 week sessions so you can join right on in with session 2. If you need a book and workbook please contact Hollye and we will get them ordered.

Seekers Sunday School Class will begin a new 5 week study on Jan 11th – Promised Land by Ray Vander Laan. 10:00am in Room #213.

You may have noticed that we have added a Blessing Box to the east side of the church(UMAC parking lot side). It is visible from 6th street and directly under a light for better visibility at night. A big thank you to Mike Cannon for building and installing our Blessing Box! Our Hope for All volunteers are keeping the blessing box stocked with meal kits and individual items, but you are welcome to place items directly in the Blessing Box if you notice it is low. As always, we appreciate donations for our Emergency Angel Food Pantry as well. The best items for the Blessing Box include shelf stable items such as canned items(pop top is good), microwave shelf stable meals, spaghetti, items in plastic jars(pasta sauce, peanut butter, jelly). If you have any questions please contact Carolyn Densmore or Hollye in the office.

2025 New Members
Dick DaRouse (02/17/25)
Linda & Denny Francis (03/09/25)
Scott Donaldson (06/08/25)
Julie Fleming (06/08/25)
Mel & Debbie Coleman (08/12/25)
Sherri Patton (08/24/25)
Tony & Julie Dailey (08/31/25)
Michelle Ludwig (09/07/25)
Ruth Greer (09/14/25)
Cindy Shepardson (09/14/25)
Jason & Kimberly Ballard (11/23/25)
Kelly & Vanessa Ford (11/05/25)
Randall & Susan Hollenbeck (12/01/25)

2025 Baptisms
Harper Graves

Join us this Wednesday, January 7th and Wednesday January 21st for More than a Meal at 5:15 pm. We will have our meal together and then a short devotional with Pastor John. You may sign up at the Welcome Desk, by calling the church office or by emailing Hollye using the button below.

We have a wonderful group of volunteers for packing our Backpacks but we are in need of a few more helpers to be on our Backpack delivery teams. These teams deliver the bins of packed food to each school. With enough volunteers this would only be once a month and around 2 hours on a Wednesday morning. If you would be interested in volunteering please contact Kathy Bauer at 870-321-0019 or by calling the church office. 

Our annual Chili Cook-off and Youth Dessert Auction will be on Sunday, February 1st at 5:00 pm. This is an event you won't want to miss! Make your best pot of chili and enter the contest or just come and eat the chili and vote for your favorite. There will be prizes for the best chili, best theme/decor. The cost is $5 per person to eat and vote.  Set up for those making chili is 4:00 pm.

Then be sure to stay for the dessert auction.  Everyone will recieve an auction paddle for bidding.  If you've never been, this can get quite exciting and competitive but in a fun way!  Bring your checkbooks because you won't want to miss the fun! If you are a baker, we would love for you to make your favorites to donate to the auction. This is our largest youth fundraiser and all proceeds go to youth missions and activities. 

Thank you in advance for those who plan to make desserts for the auction!

We hope to see you there! 

Confirmation is a special class for students to learn about why we believe in God, what we believe about God, our faith as United Methodists, and how this all applies to our personal lives. It is essentially a period of preparation for youth become members of the church and confirm their baptismal faith.

Due to some scheduling conflicts there has been a slight change in plans for this year’s Confirmation Class. We are shifting to a more accelerated 6 week class that will begin on Sunday, March 1st at 10:00 am. If you have a youth that is interested in Confirmation or you have any questions, please contact Kyra Anthony or Pastor John.

Happy New Year Families!

I hope you all had wonderful Christmas and New Year's holidays! We will continue with our Life of Jesus "Dig In" curriculum when we return on January 7th. See you all then! Also, mark your calendars for February 1st for our annual Chili Cook-off and Dessert auction!

Starting the new year off is always exciting!  I can't wait to see what 2026 brings! As we enter into a brand-new year, many of us are making resolutions about those things we know we have to do, like losing weight, exercising, eating healthier, and taking our vitamins. We also begin to list out what we need to do spiritually, like reading the Bible and praying every day, using our gifts and talents in God’s service, to be more loving, Christ-like, and obedient to God’s word.

And so, as we enter this New Year, we need a new beginning, which starts with a new heart and new spirit. This reminds me of the promise given to us by the Lord through the prophet Ezekiel.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

A New Heart
By sending Jesus Christ down to us here on earth, God showed us his own heart. And while he was here Jesus taught us to how to love. Today, with all that is happening in our world, our hearts are becoming hardened. But God can remove our stony heart and give us a heart that is open to all He has in store for us.

A New Spirit
God gives us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of power. In the Old Testament that word for Spirit is “ruach,” which means wind or breath. The Holy Spirit, therefore, is the breath of God. It’s really hard to do something when we cannot breathe. But God gives us a new spirit, a new breath of life to assist us in our times of need. Like the new heart, a new spirit comes to us by our faith in Jesus Christ. This is seen when the disciples first encountered the risen Jesus, and He breathes on them. This was the very breath of God saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22) Just as God breathed into Adam and made him into a living soul, and on the disciples after His ressurection, so Jesus breathes into us and makes us into new creations in Him.

A New Beginning
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Change comes from within. That’s what transformation is all about, it’s a change that takes place on the inside. And that’s the beauty of the promise given by God through Ezekiel is that we’ve been given a new heart and a new spirit, that is, God’s word written on our hearts, and the Holy Spirit being placed within us.

And so, as we look to start this New Year, let’s do so by asking God to give to us a heart that is new and a spirit that is renewed!

God bless & have a warm and wonderful January!

Laura Pedigo

605 Students, Families, and Friends, 
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I cannot believe it is 2026 already and that we are on the other end of this school year. Everything feels to be moving at lightning speed. I hope you got some time this Christmas and New Year’s season to slow down, rest, embrace the wonderful world that God has provided for you, spent some time with loved ones, and just found joy! 
 
Back in December our students were busy with different sports and activities, concerts, events, bible studies, parties, and all of the fun Christmas events. They sure kept me busy! I am sure you all were too! 
 
Here in January we are gearing up for so many wonderful things. Starting January 7th we are beginning our new series called Made To Be. In this series we are going to explore what makes us unique, and how we are to make a difference in the world. We are learning how God created us with a purpose and to do amazing things. This 4 week series will highlight; that you're made to know God and how the things you love might be exactly how God works through you because you’re made to be a light, to lead, and to make a difference. 
 
In January we will also have some amazing events while gearing back up for what the rest of the spring will bring. 
 
January 17th- high school students mark your calendars for our Dig Deeper Bible Study at 9:00AM. 
 
January 18th- High School Students are invited to join us for our High School Hangout at the church where we will enjoy a game/movie night. 
 
Looking ahead- Mark your Calendars for Sunday February 1st! This will be our annual Chili Cook-Off and Dessert Auction Fundraiser. 
 
Just to let everyone know there has been some changes to the confirmation calendar for the semester. We will not be starting on January 11th. If your student is interested confirmation or you have missed any of the important information please let me know and we can have a conversation about what that might look like for you and your student. Please reach out with questions and thank you for your flexibility. 
 
I hope this information helps and here is your full January Calendar: 
 
January 7th- First Youth Group of 2026! 
January 11th- Life Group at 10:00AM 
January 12th- Lunch at the High School 
January 14th- Youth Group
January 15th- Lunch at the High School 
January 17th- Dig Deeper @ 9:00AM 
January 18th- Life Group @ 10:00AM 
January 18th- High School Hangout 5:00-7:00PM at FUMC 
January 21st- Youth Group 
January 25th- Life Group @ 10:00AM 
January 28th- Youth Group

Kyra Anthony

ANGEL FOOD PANTRY 
In honor of Terre Ware & Shirley Poynter 
Randall & Susan Hollenbeck
Neil & Jill Chandler
Helga Chock
Phillip & Sheila Hyatt
Larry & Jonelle Luman

WESLEY KITCHEN
In honor of the kind staff
Bill & Mary Margaret Pearson

BACKPACK FOOD 4 KIDS
In memory of Bayley Swiderski
Freddie Garner

As a new year begins, we would like to take the time to say thank you for your giving in 2025.  Your giving to the General Fund allows us to operate our many ministries throughout the church and provide safe and beautiful facilities. Your giving to the Building Fund helps to retire our debt.

We would like to remind you of the various ways to give.

Check or Cash
This of course is the traditional means of giving.  If you choose to give regularly through this means, you can recieve a box of weekly envelopes to put your offerings in or simply use the orange giving envelopes provided in the pews/seat pockets on Sundays.  Contact the church office if you would like to have a box of envelopes.

ACH Draft
This is a monthly or semi-monthly draft directly from your bank account to the church. ACH is a simple way to give automatically.  It is free to you and free to the church.  Simply fill out this form and return it to the church office.

Online Giving
Online giving offers the convenience of automatic giving from a bank account or using a credit or debit card. There is a small charge to the church for each transaction but you can choose to cover this fee for the church by checking the "cover fees" box when you set up your giving. You can set up recurring giving or make a one time gift by accessing online giving through Tithe.ly. You can do this through our church app, from our website at fumcmh.org/give or by texting the word "give" to 844-431-6662.

Concerns:
Clark Knight (01/07/26)
(Tommy & Brenda Knight’s Grandson)
Angie VanDolah (01/04/26)
Bob McKuin (12/29/25)
(Vicki Garner)
Kim Freitag (12/28/25)
(Carole Freitag)
Rexene Watson (12/28/25)
(Tom Yoder’s Sister-in-Law)
Sue Rogers (12/28/25)
(Debby Bodenhamer)
Barb White (12/28/25)
(Debby Bodenhamer)
Nick Suntken (12/22/25)
(Linda Vornheder’s grandson) 
James Lough (12/21/25)
(Mike Densmore)
Dianna Little (12/16/25)
(Tina Benton)
Sarah Dwyer (12/16/25)
(Ruth Greer)
Rachel Goostree (12/16/25)
Jennifer Thogmartin (12/14/25)
(Paula Bodenhamer)
Tim Wallace (12/14/25)
(Vanessa Ford)
James Davids (12/07/25)
(Greg Freitag)
David Callahan (12/03/25)
(Ruth Greer)
Tommy Gracy (12/03/25)
Katie Ammon (11/30/25)
(Vicki Kauth)
Patty Shay (11/30/25)
(Terre Ware)
Mary Rouse (11/20/25)
(Ruth Greer)
Helen Brown (10/19/25)
(Libby Seftar)
Tara Gomez (10/05/25)
(Christine Rohr)
Jonathan Edington (09/28/25)
(Teresa Kenyon)
Vickie Martin (09/24/25)
(Tim Nelson’s Aunt)
Virginia Cornett (09/16/25)
(Lucy Monger)
Wyatt Sitzberger (09/15/25)
(Freddie Garner’s Great Grandson)
Vicki Kauth (09/07/25)
Karen Hargus (08/31/25)
(Rick Steiner)
Kathleen Carr (08/24/25)
(Sue Storm)
Chris Holm (08/05/25)
David Francis (07/22/25)
(Denny Francis’ Brother)
Lois Nichols (07/20/25)
(Joyce Holsted)
Bill Wagner (06/29/25)
Bruce Burr (06/15/25)
Jaymeson Miller (06/08/25)
Lisa Dennis (06/08/25)
(Mike Densmore’s Niece)
Jack Chance (05/06/25)
Krew Hudson (05/06/25)
(Classmate of Emma Jones)
Mona Brewer (04/22/25)
Teresa Kenyon (04/01/25)
Bryan Tomlinson (03/17/25)
(Gail House)
Natalie Tyson (03/13/25)
(Mary Margaret Pearson)
Mike Thompson (02/25/25)
(Bev Thompson’s Son)
Genie Widerstrom (02/18/25)
(Rebecca Williams)
Nancy Cox (02/16/25)
(Christine & Cleo Holm)
Bonnie Benham (01/19/25)
Kate Melnik (01/13/25)
(Tom Yoder)
Wesley Werner (1/7/25)
Pat Harris (12/01/24)
(Tina Benton)
Paula Flippin (12/01/24)
(Tina Benton)
Diane Lucas (12/01/24)
(Tina Benton)
Emily Jones Griffin (12/01/24)
(Teresa Kenyon)
Elden Lowe (11/19/24)
(Jill Chandler’s Nephew)
Sharon & Wendell Dennis (10/13/24)
(Debby Bodenhamer)
Jack Knight (09/22/24)
(Jill Chandler’s brother)
Ruth Clark (09/19/24)