Have you ever been so engrossed in something or so excited about something that you forgot to eat, drink, or use the toilette? Maybe on the rare occasion. For most adults, you’ve matured and become more aware of yourself and surroundings. So this level of excitement is unusual. Yet, sometimes it still happens. I’ve seen this more commonly in children. As they encounter new things or get excited about a new adventure, they become so focused on what lies in front of them, they forget to take care of themselves until it’s too late. 

We recently got a new puppy. One day, she met so many new people and went so many new places that all she wanted to do was play and get belly rubs. We had limited time at the food bowl, and every time she was presented with an opportunity to eat, she wanted to play instead. The next day, she was hungry!
I wonder how many of us do this to ourselves spiritually.

The spring weather has turns our winter frowns upside down, and the sun is makes the outdoors fun. Soon, we’ll be busy at the lake and river, with hiking, camping, and swimming. From the moment we get off work, we’re looking to maximize our enjoyment and pleasure. 

Yet, let’s remember to pause and nourish our souls. We nourish our souls through corporate worship, reading scripture, prayer, receiving the sacraments, and acts of mercy, aka serving others. 

Just as we long to dip our feet in the water, we must remember to dip ourselves into worship. The act of corporate worship is only one hour, but it’s just enough time to nourish our souls for the journey ahead. It’s not all we need, but it will keep us from finding ourselves in dire need. 

Right now, we’re learning what it means to live out our faith as the early Christians did. We’re learning what it means to believe, What Christians universally believed since the beginning. How their belief affected their life, and how our belief affects our life today. 

When we come together like this to worship, there’s a spiritual power at work making us the people of Jesus. They called this, “The Way.” The way of Jesus leads links us into the body of Christ. In this way, we nourish ourselves and one another. This not only make us part of the Kingdom of God, but also the kin-dom of God.  We become true sisters and brothers, mothers, and fathers, children, and grandchildren, who care for and nourish all our souls so that each of us can mature, grow healthy, and not starve. 

 Grace and Peace, 

 Pastor Daniel 

It's that time folks!  We are finally planning a new church directory! The value of an up-to-date church photo directory is undeniable, now more than ever. A church directory helps people put names to faces. Remembering who everyone is — and who “belongs” with whom — can be challenging. Seniors might know most of the other seniors, and youth might know most of their peers, but it’s unlikely that all members can identify one another.

A directory also helps new members and staff can get up to speed quickly. A compilation of faces, names and contact information is especially useful for people who are new to the congregation, whether in the pews or in leadership. Learning lots of names is much easier when a current photo directory is handy.

A church directory also encourages relationships. Achieving a family-like feel and building community are important goals for First United Methodoist Church. But personal connections can’t happen if people are strangers! A photo directory provides a sense of belonging and indicates that members are part of a special group.

If you have not already done so, please take a minute and fill out the online form (one profile per family member). We want to make sure the contact information we include in the directory is up to date.  INFO UPDATE FORM

Photo appointment slots are filling up so use the button below to schedule yours!

Please join us for our last Fellowship Dinner of this school year on Wednesday, May 1st at 5:15 pm. Come and enjoy some fellowship with wonderful conversation and great food. Fellowship dinner is free of charge to all but donations are accepted and appreciated.

Thursday, May 2nd is National Day of Prayer.  This year's theme is "LIFT UP THE WORD - LIGHT UP THE WORLD" and is based on 2 Samuel 22:29-3. We would like to invite you to pause at noon that day and 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 5th 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. Please make plans to attend the reception to congratulate this gear's graduates and wish them luck on their next chapter! Here are this year's graduates:

Kylie will be attending the University of Central Arkansas and double majoring in Theater and Chemistry with hopes of of becoming a family physician.

After graduation, Trace will be entering the workforce.

Abby will be attending the University of Central Arkansas and majoring in Chemistry with hopes of becoming a pharmacist.

Isaiah will be attending the University of Missouri and majoring in Wildlife Management.

Kraigen will be attending Arkansas Tech University and majoring in Music Education.

After graduation, Levi will be entering the workforce.

Landon will be attending the University of Central Arkansas and majoring in Music Education.

Stewards:
Vicki Kauth
Christine Valenti
Jo Wolf

9:00 Servers:
Aaron Hosman
Bev Thompson
Elaine Miller

11:00 Servers
Jeff Quick
Tom Kiley
Larry Olson

Thank you to all those who brought peanut butter for the Backpack Food 4 Kids program last month. We collected 502 jars of peanut butter!!! These will all be given out during the month of May!  Thank you for your continued generosity and support!

Backpack Food 4 Kids is hosting an Appreciation Reception on Wednesday, May 8th for all Backpack volunteers and supporters. If you would like to see how it works, how we pack about 300 bags of 10 items to feed kids on the weekends, join us at 8:00 am. Or feel free to join us at 8:30 so that we can thank you for all you do to make this program possible. We’ll have goodies! 

Be sure to grab a muffin during the 10:00 hour in the UMAC Commons on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12th as we celebrate all the women who are influential in the lives of others. 

While you are grabbing a muffin with mom on Mother's Day, May 12th, be sure to stop and snap a photo in front of the Mother's Day Photo Wall!

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!

Sunday, May 12 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. Be sure to welcome them as official members of our church family the next time you see them.

Begining in June, we will be reinstituting our section shepherd program. A Section Shepherd's job is to make sure everyone in their section feels welcomed and included and to let them know that we are happy they are here and we miss them when they aren't. Section Shepherds will have a lanyard identifying him/her. If they have not caught you before or after the service, be sure to catch them. They want to get to know you!

We are looking for Section Shepherdsfor both services.

A Section Shepherd should:
Be friendly
Care about people
Be able to notice when people in your section are missing
Be willing to check on them when they have missed several weeks. 

Please contact Kathy Bauer at 870-321-0019 or Kellye Cannon at 870-421-1022 if you are interested in serving as a Section Shepherd.

Sunday, May19th, wear red to church to celebrate Pentecost Sunday. Don't forget to snap a picture and use the hashtag #fumcmhwearsred 

Shelves of coral reef clothed in the vibrant colors of diverse sea creatures bring a new meaning to the concept of living water. Scuba Vacation Bible School will light up our church with glistening water and colorful undersea beauty. At Scuba VBS we will take kids deep into an amazing undersea adventure where they’ll experience the ever-flowing, never-ending love of God. Kids will launch into rotations that reinforce relevant Bible Points and immerse them in new adventures. They will love the catchy Scuba VBS music! And at Imagination Station, kids will experience faith-building, eye-popping experiments in a hands-on way. At Scuba VBS, kids will be immersed in the Word and discover what living water is really all about!  

We need many volunteers for this awesome under the sea adventiure!  If you can help, please contact Laura Law at llaw@fumcmh.org

Wednesday, May 15th 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 for burgers and hotdogs!  We hope you will come to help us usher in the summer!

By the time you read this, the General Conference of The United Methodist Church will be wrapping up. General Conference is the quadrennial meeting of the world wide United Methodist Church. Representatives from North America, South America, Europe, Eurasia, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Philippines gather to discuss the world wide mission of the church, how we will fund it, how we will organize it, and if there needs to be any changes to our polity. 

This year, they met in Charlotte, NC. The General Conference works very much like the US Congress, except anyone who is a member of the UMC may submit legislation. The GC’s ultimate role is executive. They vote to decide what will become part of our church law and discipline. 

While numerous topics and issues have been submitted for discussion, we are just now seeing what will actually be addressed. As all the proposal come in, they are divided into categories handled by committees responsible for those categories. All committees are delegates duly elected by their local annual conferences. Arkansas has eight delegates, four clergy and four laity. Once a piece passes committee, it will be brought before the plenary. Then the whole of GC will vote on it. Non-constitutional matters require a simple majority to pass (51%). Constitutional matters require a super majority (67%), and a ratification by annual conferences. Unchangeable rules, our core doctrines would require a 90% and a ratification by annual conferences. 

Major topics up for discussion include the following: 

Retirement provisions for clergy. Many clergy have a salary far below their educational means. In other words, they could do something else and make a lot more money. Retirement is often based on life income. The UMC has always strived to partner with clergy to provide a retirement that would help them not retire in poverty. 

Regionalization for North America. This would treat regions of Annual Conferences in North America, currently called Jurisdictions, to be reformed and allow governance similar to Central Conferences. Central Conferences are regional areas outside of North America that allow special addendums to the Book of Discipline that helps them perform ministry within their context. 

Removal of Language. There are a number of pieces seeking to remove language from our discipline that removes certain prohibitive language when it comes to sexual ethics and marriage. I imagine this is highly dependent on regionalization. 

Social Principles. Our social principles are non-binding guides to help us deal with the moral and ethical dilemmas we face in the world such as war, abortion, alcohol and drug use, and even things such as women’s rights, workers’ rights, and human rights. 

There are more, yet those are the big ones that I continue to see. You can find out more here: 
https://www.resourceumc.org/en/churchwide/general-conference-2020
or
https://www.umnews.org/en/news/a-beginners-guide-to-general-conference

If you have more questions, I am willing to meet with you to discuss more resources and help you reflect. As always, be in prayer. Pray for our local church here at FUMCMH, our annual conference (state wide church), and our worldwide church. Pray that we move wisely and do what needs to be done in order to effectively make disciples of Jesus Christ. Then pray how you can work and serve with us to make that happen. 

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 15th will be our final day of Wednesday afterschool activities for the summer.  We are having our "Last Blast Celebration" with outdoor water inflatables, water balloons, etc. We will be grilling hotdogs and hamburgers! Parents and members of our church family are invited to join us for dinner at 5:15pm. Parents, you may want to send swimwear/water clothes and towels with your kids that day or bring an extra set of clothes and a towel when you pick them up.

Registration is now available for VBS on the church website. Our theme this year is SCUBA - Diving Into Friendship With God. Shelves of coral reef clothed in the vibrant colors of diverse sea creatures bring a new meaning to the concept of living water. At Scuba VBS we will take kids deep into an amazing undersea adventure where they’ll experience the ever-flowing, never-ending love of God. Join us June 17th-20th from 9:00-11:30 each day as kids will be immersed in the Word and discover what living water is really all about! Scuba VBS registration can be found on the church website at fumcmh.org and under the Children’s Ministry tab or sign your child up now using the button under the VBS section of this newsletter.

We will need lots of volunteers for this "under the sea adventure"! 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. 

God bless!

Laura Law

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GENERAL FUND
In memory of Calvin Czeschin
Jennie Johnson
Gregory Daniels
In memory of Sissy Czeschin
Jennie Johnson
Gregory Daniels
Thomas Sharp Family
Jack & Kay Wilson
Edward & Lynn King
Madison City Telephone
Barbara Graham
Gregory & Susan Ashcraft
Edward & Jo Ellen White
Patricia & Kelly Shay
Buddy & Lynn Lovell
Greg & Michele Elders
In memory Harry Johnson
Kenneth & Margaret Johnson
In memory of Zo Holley
Elton & Mary Kirby
Virginia Schumacker
Buddy & Lynn Lovell
Greg & Michele Elders
In memory of Bob Jones
Betty Fulton
Judy Recer

BACKPACK FOOD 4 KIDS
In memory of Bob Jones
James & Ann Maus
Elton & Mary Kirby
Tommy & Jo Strickland
Phil & Vicki Garner
JJ & Jeanne Lynch
Neal & Janet Wheeler
Marti Gilbert
Sara Zimmerman
Bill & Mary Margaret Pearson
Randy & Susan Norcross
In memory of Sam Rickon
Judy Recer
Neal & Janet Wheeler
In memory of Sissy Czeschin
Glenda Bodenhamer
Tommy & Jo Strickland

MUSIC
In memory of Zo Holley
Terre Ware
Barbara Crotts
Bill & Mary Margaret Pearson
Randy & Susan Norcross
In memory of Ed & Coni Baldwin
John & Beth Morrell

CHILDREN
In memory of Zo Holley
Terre Ware
In memory of Sissy Czeschin
Bill & Mary Margaret Pearson

MISSIONS
In memory of Bob Jones
JJ & Jeanne Lynch
Darrell & Gwen Zoch

PASTOR'S FUND
In memory Calvin Czeschin
Randy & Susan Norcross
In memory of Sissy Czeschin
Randy & Susan Norcross

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.