Coming soon to a service near you!!  On January 21st we will try out a new way to find volunteers! It is called Volunteer Accelerator. This ministry tool was developed by the people at Ministry Architects. You might remember Ministry Architects as the group that we employed in a search for a new youth director!  Sure enough they sent us Kyra Anthony!  Through a series of events, we ended up with a credit from MA that we decided to use to match volunteers to opportunities for ministry.  For this reason we have decided to call our version of Volunteer Accelerator, “Ministry Match”! On January 21st, we are having “Cell Phone Sunday”! You will use your cell phone to take a short quiz and get possible matches immediately! How exciting! And don’t worry about forgetting your phone, or not having a smart phone we will have paper copies available! Won’t it be exciting to see some opportunities for ministry for yourself, that you might not have even thought about!  

With Ministry Match, we won’t have to keep thinking of the same names over and over again. We will discover how new members and even visitors can get connected in meaningful ways!

You will be hearing much more about this in the weeks to come. Our prayer is that you will approach this with an open heart and be ready to think about new places in ministry to volunteer!

If you have any questions, please see Hollye Lee or Kellye Cannon. We are your Ministry Match team!

We will be taking down the greens on Sunday, January 7th at 2:00pm.  If you are available to help, it would be greatly appreciated. Many hands make light work!

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. Kyra recently sent out an email to see if we have any eligible students this year to have a Confirmation class this Spring.  If your student is in 8th grade or above and has not yet been confirmed, please contact Kyra Anthony. Once we see if we have numbers to have a class this year we will set a date.

Our annual Chili Cook-off and Youth Dessert Auction will be on Sunday, January 28th 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 and the best decorated booth. 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. 

We hope to see you there! 

Studying Scripture is one of the most important ways we learn about God. FUMCMH presents personal Bibles to each third grade student as a statement of their growing faith development and as recognition of their being old enough to study Scripture on their own. We celebrate the tradition of presenting Bibles to our children in 3rd grade and above as a gift from the congregation. It is our prayer that this gift will be a starting point for a deeper relationship with God through Christ, enhanced through the study of God’s word. Bibles will be presented at the worship service you regularly attend.

Sunday, January 14th we will present bibles to those in 3rd grade or above who have not yet received one during the worship services. That afternoon at 4:00 pm in the UMAC, children 3rd -5th grade are invited to Bible Exploration where we will help them navigate through their bible and show them tools to help them use it.

Wesley kitchen will resume meals on Monday, January 8th. Preparing the meals each week is this dedicated group of friendly, long-term volunteers who make savory home-cooked, hearty meals and delicious desserts.  The dining room atmosphere is comfortable, and all are welcome!  The Monday meal is a great place to relax and socialize with new friends while enjoying a nourishing meal. To participate, arrive at 4pm and enter through the west side door under the red canopy.  Check in with the staff member at the receiving desk and head to the kitchen to get your dinner tray.  There is no charge for this meal. For more information or if you have questions, contact the church office at 870-425-6036 Monday through Thursday between 8:00am and 4:00pm.

Do you sometimes wonder if it’s worth the trouble to save can tabs for the Hackler Intermediate School’s student needs?  We have been able to donate at least six gallon bags each year thanks to your generosity.  It takes 200 pounds of tabs for the school to receive $80.00 cash. Students are in grades three, four, and five. 

You might be surprised to know all the good Hackler does for the children with needs.  With parental permission, school personnel are able to laundry clothes, give the children food, showers, toothbrushes, haircuts, and school supplies. Sometimes a child who never gets to eat in a restaurant is taken (with parental permission) to one of the local places like McDonald's. When children are hungry or dirty and these basic needs aren’t met, it can be hard for them to learn.  This is why the can tabs are so appreciated.

Many thanks to all of you who have donated can tabs.  If you would like to collect more tabs for the students’ needs, please bring your tabs from vegetables, soda pop, and pet food cans, etc., to the First United Methodist Church office.

Thank You!
Pat Rush

2024 giving envelopes are in.  If you receive numbered giving envelopes every year, you can pick them up in the Narthex, outside the sanctuary. If you do not get envelopes but would like to, or if you do but no longer wish to, please contact Alisa Hale.  

On Thursday, January 4th Thursday Morning Joy Women's Fellowship & Study Group will begin a new study entitled  “ Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World” by Joanna Weaver.  This  10-week study will focus on “Finding  intimacy with God in the Business of Life” and will include a 20 minute video lesson each week.  We will be using the main book for this study (not the study guide) which costs $10.00 if ordered through class.  Thursday Morning Joy meets Thursday mornings at 9:30 AM in the Seeker’s Classroom, #213.  New members are always welcome -  just come, listen and try us out.  It’s a great way to spend a Thursday morning!  Call or text Sandra Bainbridge at 656-3950 for more information or to order a book.

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had wonderful Christmas and New Year's holidays! Starting the new year off is alwaysd exciting!  I can't wait to see what 2024 brings!

This month, we have Bible Presentation and Explorartion. We will be presenting bibles to our kids who are 3rd grade and up who have not yet recieved one on Sunday, January 14th during worship. That same day, from 4:00 to 6:00pm, all children 3rd grade and up are invited to bring their bibles to participate in bible explorartion! This is a fun event where we play games and receive tools that help us navigate the bible. 

You have probably all recieved the email about Wednesday meals stopping until further notice. We are hoping that someone steps up to lead this ministry so that we can reinstate them.  So, beginning January 10th, there will be no meal on Wednesdays. Please remember to pick your kids up promptly at 5:15pm.

Welcome to our newest acolytes this year; ZaneLoftis, Annslee Havens, Connor Lashley and William Thompson! They are all doing a bang up job!

Mark your calendars for the Chili Cook-off and dessert auction on Sunday, January 28th at 5:00 pm. You can find details in this new3sletter. It's so much fun!  You won't want to miss it!

We will be stating the next quarter of our Dig In curriculum when we return on January 10th. See you all then!

God bless & have a warm and wonderful January!

Laura Law

Hello FUMC and 605 Student Families,

The past month since my arrival has been very busy and fulfilling. I would like to say thank you again to everyone for making me feel so welcomed and accepted here in Mountain Home. I also greatly appreciate your generosity during this time and all of your help.

As for the youth related information, I am so excited to say that we have 20 people attending Veritas this February. I am ready to take such a great group of students and chaperones on this trip.

We also have many other exciting opportunities coming up for the youth, their families, and the congregation.

First being our Annual Chili Cook-Off and Dessert Auction. Please join us January 28th at 5:00PM in the UMAC for some wonderful chili, some fantastic desserts up for auction, and a great time together supporting our youth missions.
Coming up in March we will be attending Winter Jam 2024. This will be March 15th in Springfield, MO. This is an opportunity to get to worship God together and share a fun concert experience. It is $15 at the door of the concert, and we will have sign ups in February for carpooling. Keep an eye out for those coming.
And finally, for now, coming to us April 5th-6th is Young Christians Weekend hosted by Silver Dollar City. We will be attending this with a group of students to enjoy music, speakers, and some time in the park together. This sign up will be coming out soon as well, so keep an eye out for an informational email and getting your youth signed up for this event.
I hope to see many of our students taking advantage of all of these opportunities and so many more that will be available to them throughout the year. Please let me know if you ever have any questions or would like to volunteer with our youth, we would love to have you.
Thank you all so much for the support you give the student ministries!

Blessings to you all,
Kyra Anthony

MUSIC FUND 
In memory of LeRoy Buffon 
Anonymous

GENERAL FUND
In honor of Greg & Michele Elders
Bonnie Elders
In memory of Carol Wood 
Robert Wood 

As a new year begins, we would like to take the time to say thank you for your giving in 2022.  Your giving to the General Fund allows us to operate our many ministries throughout the church and provide safe and beautiful facilities. 

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 Alisa Hale 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 Alisa Hale at 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.

Prayers After Loss:
Family and friends of Calvin Czeschin
on his passing.

Concerns:
Johnny Brown (01/02/23)
Marty Steele (12/18/23)
(Roxy Koop)
Jeanette Thorne (12/11/23)
(Johnny Brown’s sister)
Jeannie Alley (12/11/23)
Vicky Parks (11/30/23)
(Kelli Camp)
Ursula Fry (11/21/23)
(Carolyn Densmore)
Doug Dethloff (11/13/23)
Mackenzie Cole (11/09/23)
(Christine Rohr)
Barbara Sandberg (11/05/23)
Sue McMillan (11/05/23)
(Sheila Partee)
Bonnie & Darrell Benham (10/31/23)
Joe Wallace (10/29/23)
(Jean Wallace)
Marilyn & Fred Kobialka (10/29/23)
Russel Jones (10/29/23)
Gene Rowland (10/29/23)
(Paula Bodenhamer)
Sam Rhoades (10/22/23)
Ashley Thompson (9/24/23)
Andrea King (9/17/23)
Shirley McDowell (9/3/23)
Carolyn Whisenant (7/30/23)
Clark Knight (7/30/23)
(Tommy & Brenda Knight’s grandson)
Cathy Millison (7/9/23)
(Christine Rohr)
Janice Callicott (6/25/23)
(Umeca Pickett’s sister)
Glenda Small (5/7/23)
(Kellye Cannon)
Sissy Czeschin (4/30/23)
Joan Beckham (4/23/23)
(Kevin Beckham’s mom)
Peggy Pawlak (4/23/23)
(Sheila Partee)
Ron Czanstkowski (4/23/23)
(Sheila Partee)
Susie Welby-Bennet (4/16/23)
(Sue Storm)
Carol McKee (4/9/23)
Bob Dickerson (4/9/23)
Deborah Harrison (3/26/23)
Kristine Doornbos (3/12/23)
(Bill & Donna Kimes’ daughter)
Kim Miller (2/26/23)
(Justin Long)
Scott Cain (2/5/23)
(Jill Chandler’s son)
Ruth Clark (1/8/23)
Lyn Yarborough (11/27/22)
(Christine Rohr)
Rexene Watson (11/13/22)
(Dr. Tom Yoder’s sister-in-law)
Jackie Knight (11/6/22)
Nancy Reed (10/16/22)
(Mary Margaret Pearson)
Doug Engle (9/4/22)
(Beth Pierson’s brother)
Bobby Myers (8/14/22)
(Gail House’s cousin)
Terri Chapman (6/26/22)
(Cindy Long’s sister)
Denise Rohr (5/22//22)