|
|
![]() |
July 2023
|
![]() |
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
The church will be closed on Tuesday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day. Have a safe and happy holiday. |
![]() |
Rev. Daniel ThuesonA More Peaceful Way From the moment I first walked into the Hot Springs Convention Center, I knew this year of the Arkansas Annual Conference would be different. What I discovered and experienced was a church that was more unified and collaborative than in years past. The whole event, themed “Come to the Table,” was filled with grace, collegiality, and hope for the future of the United Methodist Church. Historically, the convention center arena was laid out with a floor half full of long tables and hall full of chairs to be used as the bar of the conference and then bleachers on the front and back for spectators. This time, no long tables, no rows of chairs, and the bleachers were pushed back. Instead, round tables covered the whole of the floor. Centerpieces at the tables included cups, mugs, and tumblers from churches across the state. Moreover, the tables were used as a point for sharing communion and holding holy conversations about what God is doing within our congregations and communities. It was a beautiful thing to see our traditionalists, centrists, and progressive members come together to worship and share in God’s grace. Come to the table indeed! Much of the business of the annual conference includes hearing business reports of the different business committees, ministry committees, and church affiliated institutions. Time and again we received positive reports of how ministries are finding ways to do more with less while still representing Jesus Christ as United Methodists in Arkansas. Yet, it wasn’t all celebration and jubilation. Some dear friends and familiar faces were absent. There were moments of lament. When it’s all said and done, we will have lost about 17% of our churches and maybe 20% of our conference membership. That’s a significant loss. It’s also a significant reduction in funds to support parachurch ministries. These include Wesley Foundation Campus Ministries and other general funds for the greater church. As they should, everyone sees their mission and ministry as important. Nevertheless, some of the highlights were found in worship as we sung, prayed, and broke bread together. Whether it was alongside longtime friends, people representing our own congregation, or people we’d met for the first time. Some of these moments include encouraging words from our own bishop at the opening worship, exciting preaching at the ordination service, or heartfelt calls to continue on in Christ at the Celebration of Life service where we remembered clearly who joined the church triumphant in the past year. My overall favorite was also a first. While the conference worship ensemble led us with some fantastic worship music, Bishop Rev. Laura Merrill was preparing to consecrate communion. Then, I heard this voice singing the communion liturgy. I was looking around to see who it was. It wasn’t any of the band members. No, it was Bishop Merrill! She was singing the liturgy as she prepared the elements and we recited the congregational response. It was amazing and beautiful! I mean, I’ve never heard a bishop sing before, and she can sing! #BishopCanSing! Talking with friends afterwards, I heard someone call it Broadway Communion. I couldn’t help but call it Disney Communion, I was reminded of the old Disney Snow White movie where Snow White was gathering apples while she sang and the birds were singing with her. You’ll just have to go watch it. Anyway, don’t get any bright ideas. I don’t plan on leading us by singing a communion solo anytime soon — if ever! Final two thoughts, our church representatives, Rev. Tom Frase, Jeff Quick, and Debbie Bodenhamer will offer their thoughts soon and provide us a report. Last but not least, Bishop Merrill will be here at our church to preach next Sunday, July 9th, at both services. We will have a meet and greet reception in between them at 10:00 in the UMAC Common. I hope you will be there and bring a friend with you to service that day. Grace and Peace, Pastor Daniel For more infomation visit:
|
![]() |
Communion SundayJuly 2nd Communion Stewards 9:00 Crossraods Servers 11:00 Traditional Servers
|
![]() |
The Chosen Watch Party
Have you seen The Chosen? It is the first-ever multi-season TV series about the life of Jesus. It imagines Jesus through the eyes of those who knew him in 1st century Galilee. It is GOOD, it will challenge you, and it will lead you into the Bible. We hope to see you Monday evenings at 6:30pm in the Gathering Class Room #205. Popcorn is provided and you are invited to bring other snacks and drinks. We will not meet this Monday, July 3rd due to the holiday. We will resume on July 10th. |
![]() |
Service OpportunityFood Pack at the Food Bank Join us to pack food boxes at the Food Bank July 8th from 9 AM – Noon. This is a great way to represent your church, serve Jesus, and help the hungry in our community. |
![]() |
Visit from our New BishopBishop Laura Merrill Bishop Laura Merrill will be preaching at both services on Sunday, July 9th. There will be a reception for her in the UMAC Commons during the 10:00 hour so be sure to stay late or come early so you can stop by and meet her an say hello. Let’s spread the word and fill up our worship services to show her our support and what an amazing church we are! |
![]() |
Peanut Butter DriveMountain Home Food Basket During the month of July, we are collecting donations of peanut butter for the Mountain Home Food Basket. Please bring donations to the church office. |
![]() |
Dollar Sunday MonthHope For All During the month of July, all loose plate single dollar bills will go to Hope 4 All Homeless ministry to provide needed resources in our homeless community. Hope For All is also critically low on sleeping bags and tents if you would like to donate that way. Also, blankets may be on sale or clearance right now so it's a good time to pick some up. We will need these when the weather turns cold. In care you were not aware, there is a lot of work going into helping meet the needs of our local hungry and homeless population. Several members of our church are on the Mayor’s Homeless Initiative. We are a primary supporter of Hope For All which also runs the Hope House. Together, FUMCMH, Hope 4 All, and Real Life Church are working to help the Reach Center meet emergency shelter needs. Your prayers and support are appreciated. |
![]() |
Take a Fan to ChurchMonth of July Bring donations of new unused fans with you to church during the month of July to help others keep cool this summer. Fans will be distributed by the Ozark Center of Hope. |
![]() |
Seekers Sunday School ClassNew Study Seekers Sunday School Class has just began an 8 week study of The Letter of James. James is a book of wisdom and encouragement for everyday life. It shows what it means to live consistently in Christ. The new study began June 25th. It's not too late to join us! |
![]() |
Sisters of SupportNew Ladies Life Group Are you feeling lonely? Are you looking for support and friendship? A new ladies Life Group, Sisters of Support, is beginning on Tuesday, July 11th, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. We will meet every other week in the Gathering classroom. If you have any questions about Sisters of Support, please contact Jill Chandler, (870) 405-6302 or Fran Thueson, (479) 719-5000. If you are interested but would like to be part of an evening ladies Life Group, please email your contact information to Fran Thueson. If there is enough interest we may be able to form an evening group as well. For more infomation visit:
|
![]() |
Wesley KitchenDeep Cleaning Every year Wesley Kitchen shuts down for a few weeks during the summer. This year we will be closed the 2nd , 3rd and 4th weeks of July. So there will be no meal on July 13, 20th and 27th. We will resume meals on Thursday, August 3rd. |
![]() |
Kid's Movie MatineePre-K through 5th Grade We will be going to the 1:30 matinee at Sun Valley Cinema on July 12. The church bus will depart from the church at 1:10pm. Adults, if you are free and would like to help out and go with, let Laura know. We will either see Disney's "Elemental" or Dreamworks "Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken". The matinee tickets are $8 each and the kid's tray is $8.50. |
![]() |
Chancel Choir
The chancel Choir will be taking a break from Wednesday evening practices beginning July 12th. They will resume practice on August 23rd at 6:30pm. This would be a great time to join the choir if you are interested. |
![]() |
Queen EstherSight & Sound Theatre For those attending the July 15th trip to Branson to the Sight and Sound Theatre to see Queen Esther, we will leave the church at 12:45 pm. We will have dinner together after the show before heading back. If you have not already done so, please make your payment to the church. Make checks payable to FUMC and put “Queen Esther” in the memo section or pay online and put “Queen Esther” in the notes/memo section. |
![]() |
Children's MinistryFirst Kidz Corner Hello All! What a great summer we are having so far! Thank you to the many volunteers who helped with Babylon VBS! It was a huge success and the kids had a blast! They absolutely loved the market place. It was like traveling back in time! We have a few more events this summer so mark your calendars!
July 12: Kid's Movie Matinee • Depart at 1:10pm
July 26: Hickory Park Play Day & Scoop Ice Cream 1:00-3:00pm
August 1: Family Bowling • 6:00-8:00pm
August 12: Back to School Bash • 3:00-6:00pm
August 13: Blessing of the backpacks • both services
Have a safe and happy Independance Day!
Happy Birthday United States of America! Laura Law
Use the links above or search:
Facebook: "First Kidz" or search our username: @fumcmhfirstkidz
Instagram: @fumcmhkidz
For more infomation visit:
|
![]() |
Youth Ministries605 Student Ministry Happy July Students & Parents!
A huge thank you to Stacey Simmons who stepped up to take a group of our students to the OMP Camp in Silaom Springs. We can't wait to hear about the trip and the experiences that were had by all. Our youth council will be meeting soon to nail down a couple more summer activities so watch for details on that to come. Below are the currently confirmed activities.
July 8: Food Pack at the Food Bank 9:00am-12:00pm
July 9: Meet the Bishop and here her preach at one of the Sunday Services
August 1: Family Bowling • 6:00-8:00pm August 12: Back to School Bash • 3:00-6:00pm August 13: Blessing of the backpacks • both services Join 605 Student Ministries on Social Media!
Facebook: FUMC Mountain Home Youth
Youtube: 605students_fumcmh
Instagram: 605students_fumcmh
|
![]() |
Hickory Park Play DayAnd Scoop Ice Cream We are planning a play day at Hickory Park! We can't wait to check out the new inclusive playground! After we have played at the park for a while, we will head to Scoop on the square for some delicious Ice Cream! We will leave the church at 1:00pm and return at 3:00pm. |
![]() |
BowlingChildren & Youth Event Children, youth, and their families are invited to come bowling at Driftwood Lanes on Tuesday, August 1st from 6:00-8:00pm. make sure and wear or bring socks for renting shoes. |
![]() |
Back to School BashAugust 12th 3:00-6:00 This year we will be having our back to school bash here at the church. There will be water slides, water balloons, kiddie pools and more! We will have pizza and popsicles at 5:00pm. Bottled water will be available but you are welcome to bring your own drinks if you like. All are welcome to join us! |
![]() |
Blessing of the BackpacksSunday, August 13th Before school starts back, we would like to bless not only the backpacks of the students, but also the students themselves and the educators. Sunday, August 13th we will be doing the blessing of the backpacks at each service. All students are encouraged to bring their backpacks to worship that day to be blessed. Each student will recieve a backpack tag to place on their backpack as a reminder of God’s presence with them at school and the prayers of their church family too. We will pray over the students and educators an ask God to equip them with all they need for a wonderful 2023/24 school year. |
![]() |
Monthly GivingJune 2023 |
![]() |
Memorials & Honorariums
GENERAL FUND MUSIC |
![]() |
Prayer List
Prayers After Loss: Concerns: |