The church will be closed on Thursday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day.  Have a safe and happy holiday.

Should Christians force their religion on people? And, should we force people to convert to Christianity?

Recently, Louisiana recently passed a law mandating all public school classrooms to display the 10 Commandments. In similar fashion, Oklahoma mandated that all public schools must teach the Bible and Ten Commandments. I’m all for people reading and learning about the bile. The wisdom and morals found within are foundational to our western civilization. They’re part of the bedrock of our culture and society. Yet, is mandating religious teaching the best way for Christians to share the gospel and make disciples?

The First Amendment of the US Constitution provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This was created specifically to guarantee that the government would not impose religious doctrine upon the people. It gave people the freedom to choose their own religion or no religion at all. This was important to our nation’s founders because they experienced what it was like for their previous government to impose specific religious belief. 
When we declared independence from England, it included their state church. That church, the Church of England still exists today. As Methodists, our theology is not too different. Yet, back then, the state church was married with the government and often held great sway. There were many other churches and denominations aside from the Church of England. England had a brutal and bloody history of imposing religious beliefs on its people as the monarch of the day swung from Roman Catholic to Protestant to something in between.

World governments have a long history of marrying state religion with political power. For example, the writers of the Magna Carta included individual and church rights and freedoms. King John’s answer was to gain support from Pope Innocent and declare it unlawful. A violent response broke out on both sides.

I grew up in Oklahoma and most high schools already offered Old Testament as Literature as an elective. In my school, it was usually listed right beside Greek Mythology. In Louisiana, a Hindu priest made a request, considering the new law, to display some of their ancient religious Sanskrit writings from the Bhagavad Gita to be displayed in public classrooms alongside the Ten Commandments.

Perhaps the elective route is better than forcing this on students.

There is wisdom in the government not forcing religion on the people. If we allow the government that much power, then the question becomes, which religion? Which denomination? Are we all to submit to the pope? Are we all to become Pentecostal? Are we all to become fundamentalists? Are we all to become universalists? Are we all to become atheists?

The marriage of church and state is always a dangerous thing. Governments long for the influence of the church and churches often long for the power of the state. Mixing the two is often compounds the worst of each. The result is often destructive. Anytime the church leaves a wake of destruction and pain, it’s on the wrong path.

Anytime we force our faith on someone, we risk making them hate us. Equally, faith by force is not faith at all. Forced conversions are not true conversion. They must be of the heart. If we mandate our faith on people, the most likely result is resentment. We hear about cults using indoctrination, brainwashing, and what many groups practice as a form of torture. Let us not be counted among them.

Jesus said teach, show, serve, and most of all love. No where did he say force.

There’s a reason Rome hung him on a cross. It wasn’t because he was forcing others to follow him. Instead, he was showing people a better way, his Kingdom way, that was opposed to Rome. Jesus and Rome (the government) cannot both be your king. You will love one and despise the other. If we try to mix them into the same thing by our own power, then we make idols and go astray.

There is a better way. Paul preached at Mars Hill about the Unknown God. He didn’t begin by telling people what they were doing wrong. He didn’t force the people to agree with him. He presented his persuasive position to those willing to listen. He began by finding common ground and praising them for something they were doing right. Then he showed them a better way.

Jesus is that better way. Not the Ten Commandments. Not the Bible. Not the Bhagavad Gita. Not any religious writing. Rather, a real life relationship that leads to the transformation of our heart and mind. We achieve this by living like Jesus, taking up our cross, following him, and doing as he said to do. Truly, his way is the better way. This is how we make life better and you better at life through Jesus Christ.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Daniel

Communion Stewards
Ben Luelf
Vicki Kauth
Angie Van Dolah
Jo Wolf

9:00 Crossraods Servers
Tina Benton
Sheila Partee
Fran Thueson

11:00 Traditional Servers
Sandra Bainbridge
Neil & Jill Chandler

To all the lovely people who hugged me and said that they would miss me, I will miss you too! You are a very special part of my life and worth missing. Thank you for the fabulous party, delicious goodies, sweet cards and the room full of love

Sharon

This year during our VBS our mission project was to help keep our local homeless community hyrdated during the hot summer months by bringing their loose change each day of VBS to donate to a summer water drive. The children and their fasmilies donated $471.43 to our Hope For All homeless mission! A big shout out to Hiram Shaddox for donating the prizes for the VBS crew that collected the most! 

Join us this Summer as we will be watching Season 2 of The Chosen. This is a multi-season TV Series about the life of Jesus. It imagines Jesus through the eyes of those who knew him in 1st century Galilee. Weare gathering on Monday evenings at 6:00 pm in the Seekers classroom, Room #213.

Welcome to our newest members! The folowing people have recently become official members of our church family here at FUMCMH:

Kyra Anthony
Scott & Rhonda Noble
Janice Williams

Congratulate them and introduce yourself if you haven't already! Also, if you are interested in joining the church, please contact Pastor Daniel.

Join us on Thursday, July 11th at 6:30 in the Seekers Classroom 213 for an Administrative Board Meeting. We will be discussing some important issues and making some tough decisions.

All ladies, please join us on Wednesday, July 17th at Noon for a summer luncheon. Bring your favorite salad and get acquainted with other women at FUMC-MH. There is a sign up sheet located at the Hospitality Desk or call the church office to RSVP. We’d love to see you there! Hosted by the Monday Morning Ladies Life Group.

The chancel Choir will be taking a break from Wednesday evening practices beginning July 10th.  They will resume practice on August 14th at 6:30pm.  This would be a great time to join the choir if you are interested.

We will be going to the 1:45 matinee at Sun Valley Cinema on July 17.  The church bus will depart from the church at 1:15pm.  Adults, if you are free and would like to help out and go with, let Laura know. The matinee tickets are $8 each and the kid's tray is $8.50.  

The Youth will be taking a trip on Friday, July 12th to White Water in Branson. The bus will be leaving at 9:15 am and will return 9:00 pm(tentatively). Cost is $45 per student(scholarships are available if needed). Please contact Kyra Anthony by Monday, July 8th at 12:00 pm if you would like to attend.

Every year Wesley Kitchen shuts down for a couple weeks during the summer.  This year we will be closed July 22nd & July 29th.  We will resume meals on Monday, August 5th. 

The Baxter County Fair will be here before we know it and we have our spot secured. The dates for this year are Wednesday, August 21st - Saturday, August 24th. Be on the lookout in the next couple of weeks for a sign up sheet so you can get first dibs on your favorite time and day to volunteer!

OMP exists to transform lives through worship, fellowship, and hands-on mission. We’ve found that many Arkansans cannot safely access their homes, or may have difficulty in completing minor repair and care projects needed for their homes. We meet this need by bringing youth and adult volunteers together in a Christ-centered program designed to impact lives through the projects completed, the lessons learned, and above all the relationships built.
 
Students and adults from 605 Students and other churches across the state came together June 23-June 28 to serve in Maumelle and North Little Rock. 
 
Students participated in ramp building, yard cleaning, house painting, and many other projects throughout the week. 
We were able to make new friends, worship, laugh, share meals, grow in faith, and serve together all throughout the week! 
 
This trip was a wonderful time for FUMC members to get to know each other better and make wonderful connections across the conference. 
 
It was a pleasure to serve, and we are so grateful for this opportunity. Thank you to FUMC for all of your support through your prayers, your willingness to walk with us in projects like these, and your support in events like the Chili Cook-Off that allow us to sponsor students for trips like these throughout the year. 605 Student Ministries could not exist without you! 
 
We loved our trip to OMP and look forward to more trips like this in the future! 

Hello All!  

What a great summer we are having so far!  Thank you to the many volunteers who helped with SCUBA VBS!  It was a huge success and the kids had a blast diving into friendship with God! Adult and Youth Volunteers had just as much fun and we couldn't have done it without them! We have a few more events this summer so mark your calendars!

Laura Law

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GENERAL FUND
In memory of Roxy Koop:
Sharon & Steve Fabich
Vicki Kauth
In memory of Calvin & Sissy Czeschin:
Kenneth & Janice Sutton

BUILDING FUND
In honor of Betty Fulton:
Darrell & Gwen Zoch
In memory of Roxy Koop:
Darrell & Gwen Zoch

WESLEY KITCHEN
In memory of Lyndle McCurley:
Shirley Poynter
In memory of Johnny Brown:
Margaret Schmidbauer

VBS
In honor of the children:
Seekers SS Class

Prayers After Loss:
Family and Friends of Johnny Brown on his passing.
Family and Friends of Glenda Small on her passing.

Concerns:
Katie Barnett (07/02/24)
(Terre Ware)
Connie Acheson (06/25/24)
Barbara Hagebock (06/24/24)
Peter Peitz (06/20/24)
Lori Cravens (06/16/24)
(Fran Thueson)
Johnny Johnson (06/09/24)
(Christine Rohr)
Heidi Garner (06/04/24)
(Phil & Vicki Garner’s daughter in law)
Pam Franklin (06/04/24)
(Sharon Fabich)
Don Alkire (06/02/24)
(Cassie Alkire)
Jeni Benton (06/02/24)
(Tina Benton’s Sister-In-Law)
Paula Flippin (05/19/24)
(Tina Benton)
Jody Whitesell (05/19/24)
(Betty Bennett)
Chris Sinning (05/17/24)
(Paula Bodenhamer)
Jo Wolf (05/16/24)
Joleen McBee (05/15/24)
(Charleen Ahrenstorff’s daughter)
Mike Densmore (05/14/24)
Raeleigh Ahrenstorff (05/14/24)
(Charleen Ahrenstorff’s granddaughter)
Sam Bryant (05/12/24)
(Scott & Jennifer Bryant’s son)
Bob Dickerson (05/12/24)
Carolyn Helvey (04/30/24)
(Jill Chandler)
Rebecca Johnson (04/16/24)
Gordon Knight (04/15/24)
(Tommy Knight’s brother)
Rexene Watson (04/03/24)
(Tom Yoder’s sister-in-law)
Nancy Reed (03/31/24)
(Mary Margaret Pearson)
Beverly Killbourn (03/20/24)
(Lucy Monger’s sister)
Pat Harris (02/25/24)
(Tina Benton)
Diane Lucas (02/25/24)
(Tina Benton)
Chris Humphrey (02/20/24)
(Donna Bohaty’s daughter)
Vera McDermott (02/19/24)
Barbara Sandberg (02/19/24)
June Wilborn (02/06/24)
Don Abel (02/01/24)
Kate Melnik (01/07/24)
(Tom Yoder)
Marty Steele (12/18/23)
Jeannie Alley (12/11/23)
Vicky Parks (11/30/23)
(Kelli Camp)
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)
Shirley McDowell (9/3/23)
Clark Knight (7/30/23)
(Tommy & Brenda Knight’s grandson)
Joan Beckham (4/23/23)
(Kevin Beckham’s mom)
Peggy Pawlak (4/23/23)
(Sheila Partee)
Susie Welby-Bennet (4/16/23)
(Sue Storm)
Carol McKee (4/9/23)
Scott Cain (2/5/23)
(Jill Chandler’s son)
Ruth Clark (01/08/23)