To all Mothers, Stepmothers, Godmothers, Grandmothers and all women who have been influencial in the lives of others, we say Thank You!  Thank you for all you have done and continue to do each and every day!  You are a true blessing!

Sometimes you’re on a roll, things are movin’ and groovin’ when suddenly a moment of clear perspective leads you to change directions. Sometimes, we change directions for a new opportunity. Sometimes, we change directions because it’s an easier road. Sometimes, we change directions because the Holy Spirit gives us an assignment.

Philip the apostle had such a moment. After the early church began to scatter to communities outside of Jerusalem and Judea, Phillip went to Samaria. There, he shared the good news of Jesus Christ and revival erupted! 

Then, an angel from the Lord spoke to Philip, “At noon, take the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert road. (Acts 8:26)

Suddenly, Philip is changing directions. Along the way he encounters an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, heading home after worshipping God in Jerusalem. The man is reading from the book of Isaiah (53:7-8). In those days, everyone read out loud. Philip overhears him and asks if he knows what it means. 

The man invited Philip to ride in his carriage with him. As they travel and converse about the passage, Philip shares the good news of Jesus with him. Upon hearing the good news, the man gives his life to Jesus. Suddenly, on this desert road they find a place of water and the Ethiopian asks to be baptized. “Look, water!” In the desert! They stop right there and the man is baptized!

What an exciting moment! We’ve had several of these “suddenly” moments this spring. A couple weeks ago, on April 23rd, Zane Loftis professed his faith in Jesus Christ and was baptized in church. Praise God! Next Sunday on May 7th, Wave Simmons and Lincoln Clements, who are both going through confirmation, will get baptized. Praise God! You are invited to witness this auspicious occasion as we gather together at Cotter Springs around 12:45 after church, located at Cotter Park. 

It’s these kinds of moments I live for. Seeing people give their life to Christ and getting baptized are some of the most beautiful and special moments in life. We all get to be a part of them.  In fact, these moments happened because someone shared their faith with them. That might’ve been you. If it wasn’t, it could be you. 

Maybe you are sensing a sudden change in direction led by the Holy Spirit. Even if you feel like you’re traveling through a desert, there is someone who needs to hear the good news of Jesus. The more you share, the more you invite, the more we see people’s lives change. That means the more baptisms we get to celebrate together. 

 Grace and Peace, 

 Pastor Daniel 

Thursday, May 4th is National Day of Prayer.  This year's theme is "PRAY FERVENTLY IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND AVAIL MUCH" and is based on James 5:16b. There will be community prayer on the Square from 12:00pm to 1:00pm and from 5:00pm to 6:00pm if you would like to join in. Our church is scheduled to pray at 5:15pm. If you can't be there to pray in person to pray, think about pausing during those prayer times to pray for your world, your country, your state, your local community, your church and all those in need of prayer. It's both powerful and amazing to think that we will all be praying at the same time. 

On Sunday, May 7th we will recognize and celebrate our High School seniors as they prepare to graduate and embark on the next phase of their lives. There will be a reception with refreshments in the UMAC Commons during the Sunday School hour at 10:00. Many of this year's graduates grew up in the church. Please make plans to attend the reception to congratulate them and wish them luck on their next chapter! Here are this year's graduates:

Jaycee plans to attend Arkansas State University Mountain Home and major in nursing.

Katie plans to attend the University of Arkansas Fayetteville, major in biology, and minor in Spanish.

Trey plans to attend the University of Iowa where he will major in Creative Writing and Film.

Thomas plans to enter the workforce after graduation.

Abby plans major in Psychology - 2 years at ASUMH then transfer to University of Central Arkansas.

Jadyn plans to attend Arkansas State University Mountain Home Tech Center and study 3D Design.

Jackson plans to attend Lyon College and major in Computer Science.

Maggie plans to attend Drury University and major in Chemistry and then attend med school.

Alea plans to attend the University of Tulsa and major in Political Science.

Be sure to grab some drinks and a muffin with Mom during the 10:00 hour in the UMAC Commons on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 14th. 

While you are grabbing a muffin with mom on Mother's Day, May 14th, be sure to stop and snap a photo in front of the Mother's Day Photo Wall!

Sunday, May 21 is Confirmation Sunday.  Our confirmands who have been gathering to study for several weeks will be confirmed that day and take their membership vows. They will be confirmed at the 9:00 service and then reaffirm their vows at the 11:00 service. There will be a reception for the confirmands in the UMAC Commons during the 10:00 hour so be sure to come down and welcome them as official members of our church family.

Backpack Food 4 Kids is hosting a celebration for it's volunteers at 8:30am on Wednesday morning, May 10th in the Backpack Building. Following our regular time of stuffing bags, we will take a moment to celebrate the incredible work of the past school year. We appreciate all our volunteers so much! We couldn't feed 300 kids every weekend without them and their faithful service. We want to recognize everyone who contributes to this amazing ministry. There will be some goodies and treats and we will have a group picture.

Anyone interested in volunteering or learning more about the Backpack Program is welcome to "come and see" any Wednesday during the school year at 8:00am.

Stewards:              9:00 Servers:              11:00 Servers
Vicki Kauth             Ray Bauer                    Christine Valenti
Beth Pierson           Kathy Bauer                 Bob Biehl
Betty Fulton            Sheila Partee                Kellye Cannon

Sunday, May 28th, wear red to church to celebrate Pentecost Sunday.  Don't forget to snap a picture and use the hashtag #fumcmhwearsred 

Registration is now open for VBS 2023! Join Daniel –– torn from his home and forced into the king’s service. Imagine the pressure of learning a new language and culture…and the shock of discovering your best friends have been tossed into a fiery furnace. Explore exotic sights and smells in a Babylonian bazaar! Kids and adults will find that they’re not much different from Daniel and his friends, who kept their faith in a faithless culture. Vacation Bible School is for kids Pre-K through 5th Grade.  It will be held June 12-15 from 9:00am to 11:30am. Register your child(ren) for VBS 2023 online from the Children's Ministry Page, with the QR code, or with the button below.  

We need many volunteers for this Holy Land Adventure!  If you can help, please contact Laura Law at llaw@fumcmh.org

A huge thank you to the Men’s Group who built the ramp for our shower trailer! Thank you Kelly Yeakley, Kevin Beckham, Kevin Oxford, Stacey Simmons, David Thompson, and Mike Cannon. Be sure to check it out!

Wednesday, May 17th will be our final Wednesdsay youth & children's ministry for the season as well as our last Wednesday evening Fellowship meal for the season. We are finishing up the school year with a bang! There will be inflatables and yard games and we will be having a picnic style meal! We will have tables, chairs and awnings set up outside. Festivities will begin for the kids after school and everyone is welcome to join us for dinner at 5:15ish.  We hope you will come to help us usher in the summer!

It's hard to believe it's May already and school is almost out! I have been so blessed by your children this year and have had so much fun with them! Wednesday, May 17th will be our final day of Wednesday afterschool activities and fellowship dinner for the summer.  We are having outdoor inflatables and yard games and will be grilling hotdogs and hamburgers so make sure you don't miss it! 

Registration is now available for VBS on the church website. Our theme this year is Babylon: Daniel's Courage in Captivity. We will explore exotic sights and smells in a Babylonian bazaar! Kids and adults will find that they’re not much different from Daniel and his friends, who kept their faith in a faithless culture! VBS is scheduled for June 12-15th. From 9:00am to 11:30am. Sign your child up now using the button under the VBS section of this newsletter.

Because we are doing a Holy Land Adventure VBS, we will need tons of volunteers! We will need folks for registration,  to do daily dramas, be a tribe leader, or be a marketplace shop keeper!  There's something for everyone! Please let me know if you are willing to help.

Parents, keep an eye out for summer activities that will be scheduled periodically throughout the season.  Also, remember to keep in mind anyone you might know who might be interested in the Children's Director Position and have them contact the church for more information.

God bless!

Laura Law

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Wave is a 7th grader at Pinkston Middle School here in Mountain Home. Wave runs cross country and track for the school. He plays soccer and basketball, does Robotics and anything else he can squeeze into his day. He truly enjoys living life to its fullest and trying as much as he can. 

I knew early on that Wave was awesome and has a special heart. I went and watched him run cross country once, like most runners when he finished his race he was breathing hard and tired. He stopped and said hi and took off again. Where to you might ask? Wave headed back out onto the course to cheer on all the runners that were still out there trying to finish. This shows the character of this young man. I tell you, he is one that you want to take the time to get to know. Say "Hi" when you see him!

Paperless bulletins are now available! You may have noticed the signs leading as you enter the worship space.  If you have a smartphone, you can use your camera to access the paperless bulletins and prayer list/announcements.  This way you can easily look at it throughout the week whenever you want. People watching from home can do this as well. Rest assured, there will still be paper bulletins available for all those who wish to have one.

Please pick up your giving envelopes by Sunday, May 14th.  They are in the Narthex outside the sanctuary.  If you no longer need the box set of giving envelopes, please let Alisa know so she can take you off the list for next year.  If are not currently using the boxed envelopes but would like to, please contact Alisa.

GENERAL FUND
In memory of Don Owens
Cathy Roshon
Jim & Ann Maus
Twyla Krawczyk
In memory of Andy Youngblood
Katherine Owens

WESLEY KITCHEN
In memory of Andy Youngblood
Shirley Poynter
In memory of Don Owens
Margaret Schmidbauer

If you wish to add a concern to our list, please contact the church office at 425-6036. You can also submit prayers to the prayer wall on the church app.