October was Pastor or Clergy appreciation month. Since it’s establishment in 1992, drawing from the Apostle Paul’s teaching to honor pastors, this month has been a season to observe and celebrate the contributions of church leaders. It’s a relatively new celebration when compared to days such as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. I’ve been a part of churches celebrating this occasion since 1997. To be fully transparent, most Methodist churches kinda miss the boat on this. I’ve served some churches who celebrated it on occasion, and some who never heard of it. As a pastor, it would be awkward to draw much attention about it to a new congregation. So, last year, when we celebrated it here at FUMC Mountain Home, I was touched. Both Fran and I’s hearts were warmed. We were still very new here and to experience your love and hospitality helped us feel more at home. I was grateful, thankful to serve such a warm and welcoming community. Then this year rolled along. October came and almost went. A few people wrote us notes or gave us cards in the spirit of Pastor Appreciation month telling us how much they loved us and were thankful we are here. They were sincerely special. Except, a few people pulled me aside and emphatically declared how disappointed they were in our church. “Why?” I asked. Their response was this was a month to honor their pastor and they hadn’t done anything. I explained that several had shown me appreciation and that perhaps this was one of those churches where it’s just not on their radar, and I’m thankful for last year and those who did this year. I was content with the smaller response. I know we’re loved. I know God has us here for a purpose.

Little did I know what awaited me on Sunday, October 30th. The appreciation celebration was certainly a surprise! I was blown away by your gratitude, kindness, and signs of affection and appreciation. The cake, cookies, candy, and the poster – goodness the poster – were absolutely amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it. The reception line and all the cards sharing your love overwhelmed my soul with joy. I am treasuring each one as we open and read them. Thank you!

I love this community and especially this church. I love all the people here! Maybe you’ve even heard me tell you “I love you.” I mean it. I believe when people love each other, a love complete, the Kingdom of God is more fulfilled in our lives. I am thankful we have that here. I pray we are able to serve together for many, many years to come.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Daniel

On Sunday November 6th, we will be remembering those of our church family who have gone on to glory since the last All Saints Sunday. At both services, names will be read, a bell tolled, and a candle lit for each of those we are remembering. 

On Sunday November 6th, as we continue with our Saving Grace sermon series, we focus on the importance of giving of our time, talents and gifts.  You should have received your annual stewardship packet in the mail.  If you did not receive one, please let the office know and we will get you one.  We ask that you prayerfully consider your estimated giving for 2023. Both financial gifts and giving of your time and talents are equally important parts of your spiritual walk. We have included both on your commitment cards.  Please fill out your cards as a family and bring them with you on Sunday, November 6th to be blessed.  If you are currently worshipping from home, you can mail your cards in using the envelope included in your packet or drop it by the church.  We understand that this is just an estimate of your giving the upcoming year and that circumstances may change, but this helps us greatly in determining the budget for the upcoming year as well as how we may conduct ministries in 2023.  Thank you in advance for your generosity.  If you have questions about giving to your church, you may contact Pastor Daniel.

A big thank you to all who helped out at this year's trick or trunk.  Depspite some sprinkles, we had an incredible turnout! There were 400+ people from our community!  We had at least 20 trunks and games, popcorn, a s'mores station, hotdogs, hot apple cider, a bouncy house and we raffled off some great prizes. This connectional ministry event was a huge success because of all the hands that made it happen.  What a wonderful way to show our community how much we care!  Photos from the event are posted on the church Facebook page so check it out!

The church office will be closed on Wednesday, Novenber 23 and Thursday November 24 for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

In this season of appreciation and thanksgiving, we followers of Christ set the standard for the world, for the nation, for our community, and even for our family. Thanksgiving comes out of love, specifically, God’s love for us. We claim to be people of love because we serve a God who is love. 1 John 4:11–21 explains how God is love. Those who love know God and those who don’t love don’t know God. You have shown love, you have shown God to one another.

Yet, there are a variety of ways to express love. There’s praise, affirmation, encouragement, empathy, assurance, affection, and correction. We see Jesus use all of these in his ministry. What we rarely see is complaining, disparagement, or derision.  

In fact, I have learned it is better to skip these forms negative talk. One of the most important things we can do as Christians and influencers of society is avoid complaining. Negativity is a poor motivator that usually leaves a bitter taste. Not only is it unhealthy for our families and friends, it’s also corrosive to our community. People have a radar for this kind of stuff, especially in the church. 

When people come to our church, they are already beat up by what’s out there in the world. If they sense our church culture is negative, they will not be back. Studies show after a bad experience, they may not go anywhere else. Therefore, let’s keep negativity out of the church. This doesn’t mean to be Pollyanna. When there are issues that need to be dealt with, let’s deal with them in the appropriate setting. There’s a tale of a king with two queens who picked at his hair until he was eventually bald. Today, so many churches pick themselves apart, they pick themselves to death.

Let’s not subjugate ourselves to lesser means of persuasion. Jesus said, we will be judged in the same way we judge others. Plus, it’s too easy to spot the splinter in someone else’s eye while ignoring the log in our own. We all have our faults. So, let’s not waste our energy and capacity for love by saying negative and hurtful words about one another, especially in our church. Remove the negativity from your faith walk. 

Instead, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, let’s find ways to be thankful. Count your blessings. Find ways to offer gratitude to God and one another. Let’s bring our praises into the House of the Lord. 

If we have an issue with something in the church or another area of our life, instead of complaining and hoping something changes, let’s seek God’s guidance, and let’s converse with one another in healthy ways. Together we can pray for the intervention of the Holy Spirit and trust God with our requests.

Most of all, let’s give thanks and be thankful in everything we do. Philippians 4:6–7 says, “Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. (CEB) This way, we can know we’ve done what is good, right, and pleasing in God’s sight. Ultimately, we can come together through Christ and find better ways to make life better and you better at life through Jesus Christ. 

Gracious and grateful, 

Pastor Daniel

No one wants to be alone all the time. We have a number of individuals in our community who live alone and have no local family. We want to help them connect with friends or make new friends who are willing to check-in on each other on a daily basis.

This is a new ministry based on an old program. We are recreating this and hope to bring it to life through you. If you’re willing to help facilitate connections within our community, please call the church or see Pastor Daniel.

If you would like to have someone call you, or you are willing to be a friend to someone and make a daily call to check on them, or if you know someone who would appreciate a regular call, please notify the church office so we can give their name to the Friends Care Checkmate team. Church office phone number is 870-425-6036.

Exercise Gals are at it in Room 308 of the UMAC (gym) every Monday and Wednesday at 9:30 AM. This group of women ages 70 plus have a routine of 21 age appropriate exercises that helps them stay fit and physically healthy. This is a free church activity and if you are a senior gal interested in making friends, having fun, and staying healthy, you’re welcome to be a part of this enriching exercise class. 

The Altar Guild will be having a meeting to Prepare for the Advent Seasonon Saturday, November 19th at 10:00am in the Conference Room #101. If you are looking for a place to serve, come to the meeting! For more information or to volunteer, contact Vicki Kauth.

Saturday, November 19th at 10:00am we will be fluffing the greens in preparation of the Hanging of the Greens and need some help.  If you have questions, contact Jill Chandler, otherwise just show up and help!

Sunday, November 20th at 12:30pm.  We will begin with a soup lunch, followed by a short devo. Then we will decorate!  Come and join the fun!

Are you free to celebrate in a manner worthy of a King who came to us not on a throne but in a manger? Who chose shepherds as his witnesses and the angels as his choir? Who came in the simplest forms to the simplest people and still managed to save the world? This Advent we are taking and making time to clear the chaos, the busyness, and the overwhelming everything so that we may more deeply experience Christ through a simplified Christmas. Simply Christmas, a new Advent and Christmas series by Pastor Daniel begins November 27th. 

Wesley Kitchen will be having their Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, November 10th. Wesley Kitchen will be closed on Thursday, November 24th for Thanksgiving.

Having an estate plan is the only legal way to have your wishes made known and acted upon. Through your Estate Plan, you have a wonderful opportunity to bless others in need while making a strong legacy statement to your loved ones about giving back to God.

As part of our Saving Grace stewardship efforts, Deborah Knox, J.D. will hold an Estate Planning Event open to the whole church on Wednesday, December 7th at 2:00pm. The cost is free. We will host this in The Gathering, Room #205.

Join us Friday December 9th at 7:00pm and/or Sunday December 11th at 11:00amf or this year's Christmas Cantata, The Seven Noels. Pepper Choplin's "The Seven Noels" weaves together THE FIRST NOWELL tune with original words to create a compelling frame for the beloved Christmas story. Written from different perspectives and propelling the musical narrative, the "noels" appear as short interludes between songs to describe imaginative visuals. Ranging stylistically from heartfelt ballads like "A Star" to the rhythmic and energetic "Unto Us a Child Is Born" and "Never Been a Night," "The Seven Noels" is sure to be a wonderful Christmas experience for all!

When angels appeared outside the town of Bethlehem proclaiming the greatest news the world had ever heard, they didn’t deliver their message to the “high and mighty,” but to the simple and lowly — shepherds! And, not just any shepherds, but easily-disregarded “night shepherds.” Little did they know that the promised king, the Messiah from the line of King David, was born that night, right there in Bethlehem, and would grow up to be both the Lamb of God, and the Good Shepherd! Glory to God In the Highest became Glory to God in the Lowest, too, as the very Son of God came to the world He created as a tiny baby in a lowly manger!

The children are hard at work on their Christmas play!  Mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 14th at 6:30pm and come be part of the fun when they present "Glory to God in the Lowest"!  

Hello families! What a great turnout we had for Trick or Trunk! We had about 20 trunks and 400+ people from the community came! Thank you to all who participated!

Thanksgiving is this month.  Let's try to have an attitude of gratitude and remember to thank God every day for the blessings he has given us!  There will be no Wednesday afternoon activities or meal the week of Thanksgiving. I hope you all have a blessed holiday.

Advent also begins this month. We will be sending home some Family Advent activities for you all later this month. The children have begun to prepare for the Christmas program.  I'm so excited about this year's program, "Glory to God in the Lowest". Ms. Kristi and the kids are working hard so mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 14th at 6:30pm. We will be sending listening CDs home soon to help the children learn the songs. 

We are also planimng to do a church float in the Christmas parade on December 2nd so look for more info to come about helping with that.

Feel free to contact me anytime!

Have a blessed month!

Laura Law

As we approach the season of giving thanks I find myself sitting and pondering often what I am thankful for. Family, friends these are things that easily pop into mind. However when I stop and really think about these I realize how lucky I am in fact to have these things. Not everyone has parents, significant others, children, or even true friends that they can celebrate this time of year. For many this time of year is full of depression, sadness, and bad thoughts. What this means for me and mine is that while many people draw inward and celebrate that which they have, we will be looking outward. Looking for those that may be in a different place this season. Seeing how I can tangibly touch the lives of those people. Earning the right to speak into their lives and most importantly sharing the love that our Father has for them. Although those people may not feel as if they have much to be thankful for, we share the greatest thing of all. That is the grace and love of Jesus.  

Events:
November 12: Service Saturday 
November 23: No Youth Group due to Thanksgiving

Here is our second installment of “Meet the Youth”:

Meet Jaycee Ahrenstorff! Jaycee is a senior at Cotter High School. She plans to continue taking nursing classes at ASUMH  after high school and get a degree to pursue nursing. Jaycee has a passion for athletics and fitness and has shown many strengths in ministry in the time I have gotten to know her. She has grown up in this church and has attended both services. You may have seen her recently singing with the praise band at the 9am service. When you see her in the hallways of the church be sure to say “hi.”

If you would like to stay in the know with all things First United Methodist Church Mountain Home, download our church app. You can access news and events, watch services, listen to sermons, receive important push notifications and more; all via your phone!  Simply click on the button below from your phone to download the app. You can also use the QR code above using your phone's camera.

This is the 45th year of Ingathering in the Arkansas Conference. That's 45 years of United Methodists feeding the hungry and supporting disaster relief. If you are unfamiliar with ingathering, this is when we put together and collect things like food, disaster kits and monetary donations to help those in need. 

We have had a month-long collection event leading up to our statewide Ingathering Service Event in Little Rock at the Arkansas Food Bank on Saturday, November 12. During October, churches are encouraged to “one-up” themselves by collecting more disaster kits and food than last year. You have a few more days to donate to this.

Our goal for the district is:
• 2500 items for Disaster Supply Kits.
• 25,000 pounds of food

Our goal for our church is:
• 250 items for Disaster Supply Kits or 150 kits
• 2500 pounds of food for our Angel Food Pantry

Details on the items in the disaster relief kits and more info is located in the hallway accross from the kitchen. If you have further questions, contact Debby Bodenhamer.

October 24th was the last day for Kathy Davis as part of our team at here FUMC Mountain Home. She has been a valuable member of our ministry since 2019 and we are thankful for her time and service with us.  Kathy has taken a position as Program Director at the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas. We wish Kathy the best in her new endeavor. God’s grace abound in and through us all. 

GENERAL FUND
In memory of Don Cox
Rob & Mindy Conner
Twyla Krawczyk
Vicki Kauth
William & Christen Bowen
Bette Gould
In memory of Shella Hagan
Marilyn Allen
Glynda McNair
Charles & Annadell Fowler
Frederick Dry
M.K. McAlister
Francis Hagan
Dianna Roller
Patty Shay
Larry & Jonelle Luman
B.R. Watson
The Harveys
Judith Strother
In memory of Kenny Stalder
Larry & Jonelle Luman
Bill & Mary Margaret Pearson
In Memory of Mary Ann Remington
Twyla Krawczyk
Peter & Jan Peitz
In memory of Larry Gobble
June Willborn
In honor of Carla Johnson
Bernice Koonce
In memory of Earl Kenny
Bernice Koonce

BUILDING FUND
In memory of Shella Hagan
Calvin & Sissy Czeschin

MUSIC
In memory of Kenny Stalder
The Grindle Family
In memory of Shella Hagan
Thursday Morning Joy

BACKPACK FOOD 4 KIDS
In memory of Shella Hagan
Margaret Schmidbauer
Charles & Floye Hurt
In honor of Joyce Holsted
Mike & Rita Billbe

YOUTH
In memory of Kenny Stalder
Phil & Vicki Garner
In Memory of Shella Hagan
Phil & Vicki Garner

THANKSGIVING BASKETS
In memory of Don Cox
Shirley Poynter
Beverly Thompson
In memory of Mary Ann Remington
Shirley Poynter
In honor of Jeannie Alley
Shirley Poynter
In memory of Shella Hagan
Shirley Poynter
In memory of Kenny Stalder
Shirley Poynter
In memory of Julia Pitts
Calvin & Sissy Czeschin

WESLEY KITCHEN
In memory of Don Cox
Margaret Schmidbauer

UMCOR
In memory of Don Cox
Judy Recer

Concerns:
Jackie Knight (11/6/22)
Guyla Morris (11/6/22)
(Shirley Poynter)
Pat Rush (10/30/22)
Nancy Reed (10/16/22)
(Mary Margaret Pearson)
Adam Welch (10/16/22)
Jerril Partee (10/9/22)
(Kraigen & Sheila Partee) 0
Vance & Melissa Duncan (10/9/22)
(Mike & Judy Kuenzli)
Pat Bodenhamer (10/9/22)
(Roxy Koop)
Stacy & Wayne York (9/25/22)
Nira Wilkerson (10/3/21)
Andrew Youngblood (9/11/22)
(Carolyn Youngblood’s husband)
Marilyn Kobialka (9/4/22)
Russel Jones (9/4/22)
Beth Pierson (9/4/22)
Doug Engle (9/4/22)
(Beth Pierson’s brother)
Jimmy Myers (9/4/22)
(Gail House’s cousin)
Don Owens (8/21/22)
(Johnny Brown & Gail House)
Monica McElyea (8/21/22)
Bobby Myers (8/14/22)
(Gail House’s cousin)
Don Pickett Jackson (7/31/22)
(friend of Carl Pickett)
Jim Tilley (7/31/22)
(friend of Bill & Annette Clements)
Terri Chapman (6/26/22)
(Cindy Long’s sister)
Nora Smith Conway (6/5/22)
(Annette Clements' mother)
Denise Rohr (5/22//22)
Buzz Johnson (5/15/22)
Mary Thane (5/8/22)
(Sharon Fabich)
Joe Bodenhamer (5/1/22)
Richard Henderson (5/1/22)
(Hazel Long’s nephew)
Darrell & Ann White (4/17/22)
(Iva Jones)
Nick Suntken (4/17/22)
(Gene & Linda Vornheder’s grandson)
Mike Thompson (4/17/22)
(Beverly THompson’s son)
Landy Roberson (4/10/22)
Rob Holmes (4/10/22)
(Phyllis Holmes’ son)
Peter Peitz (2/20/22)
Alan Erickson (2/20/22)
Marti Gilbert (2/13/22)
Ron Odegard (1/30/22)
(Sandy Odegard’s husband)
Doug Gregg (1/9/22)
(Clay Williams)
Glenda Bodenhamer (1/9/22)
Ed & Coni Baldwin (1/9/22)
Pat Garner (12/5/21)
Natalie Dixon (11/21/21)
Brandy Nelson (10/31/21)
Jim Brown (10/31/21)
Debbie Dickerson (10/24/21)
Josh Monderen (10/17/21)
(Kim McDowell’s son)
Jeffrey Smith (9/26/21)
(Carolyn Densmore)
John Taylor (9/5/21)
(Sandy Odegard’s daughter’s 
father-in-law)
Nick Mavromatis (8/8/21)
(Susan Dernick’s nephew)
Elden Lowe (8/8/21)
(Jill Chandler’s nephew)
Ima Moss (3/21/21)
(Carolyn Whisenant’s mother)
Karen Jackson (3/7/21)
(Mary Margaret Pearson)
Jerry Wilkinson (10/25/20)