When you are the child of a choir director, you are expected to participate in the music ministries during your growing up years. My father led the adult choirs at my home church and Margaret Harrison led children and youth choirs.  Our choirs met on Wednesday afternoons.  The children’s choir met first while the youth choir had their snacks and then the youth choir practiced while the children had their snack and a Bible lesson.

I remember a song that our youth choir sang one year. In fact, if you were to ask me to sing it in its entirety, I think that I still could (that is if you would not mind hearing me sing). The message and the chorus of the song is what I remember the most. These were the words…

            Every morning is Easter morning from now on.
            Every day is a resurrection day the past is over and gone
            Good-bye guilt, good-bye fear, good riddance.
            Hello Lord, hello sun.  I am one of the Easter people,
            God is in charge spread the word.
            Every morning is Easter morning.
            Every morning is Easter morning
            Every morning is Easter morning from now on.

My choir sang that song on an Easter in the mid 1980s and yet I still sing it every Easter season. I love the message of the song.  Once Easter happens, everything changes.  Guilt is gone and fear is gone. The things in the past that have kept us down, are gone. I am looking forward to celebrating what I know will be many Easter Sundays with you.

But before we get there, we must travel to Jerusalem with Jesus.  We call the last week of His life, Holy week.  In Holy week, we recount the last days of Jesus’ life and what happened during them. I think that it is easy to go from a Palm Sunday parade-like atmosphere to an Easter celebration with songs and flowers and a sermon.  So this year, I’d like to ask you to join me for our Holy week worship services.  We will gather on Thursday, April 17^th at 6:30 and tell the story of the last meal Jesus shared with His disciples. On Friday, April 18^th, we will gather again at 6:30, for a service where we will read the story of the last hours of Jesus’ life and extinguish candles as each scripture is read.

I hope you will join me as we finish our journey to Jerusalem and to spend time with Jesus so that this year’s Easter celebration will be even more special. 

Hope Always!

John

Stewards:
Christine Linville
Betty Fulton
Charleen Ahrenstorff
Ruth Greer

9:00 Servers:
Mike & Sue Strop
Kathy Bauer

11:00 Servers
Betty Fulton
Bob Martin
Janice Williams

This month's “More than a Meal” will be on Wednesday, April 2nd and Wednesday, April 16 at 5:15 pm. If you are planning on attending please sign up on the sheet at the Welcome Desk or you may mark next to your name in the attendance book how many will be attending. Example: John Fleming(2) or Jones Family(4). You can also RSVP using the button below. We also still need some volunteers to help with preparing the meals, serving and clean up. There are information sheets at the Welcome Desk if you are able to volunteer. Any questions please contact Aaron Hosman at 870-565-8367 or Hollye in the church office.

Easter Lilies are on sale now! Lilies can be purchased for $20 each. You can order by filling out a form at the church office, filling out an online form using the button below or calling the church office Monday-Thursday 8:00-4:00. Payment for lilies can be made by check to the church, online via the website at fumcmh.org/give or using the direct link provided after you have submited your order. Remember to type "Easter Lilies" in the notes/memo section. The deadline to order is Monday, April 14th by noon.

Holy Week is the week leading up to Easter from Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday.  At FUMC the week is full of impactful events to enrich your experience leading up to Easter Sunday. Each year, we start the week with a palm processional by our children at both services on Palm Sunday! It's great to see the young people of our church remembering and celebrating Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem! This year the children will also be singing on Palm Sunday! Thursday we will have our Maundy Thursday Service as we remember Jesus' time with the disciples in the upper room as he broke bread with them. Then on Friday we will have our Tenebrae service. This is a solemn and powerful service. The gradual extinguishing of candles symbolizes the approaching darkness of Jesus' death and the hopelessness in the world without God. The service concludes in darkness. We leave in silence to ponder the impact of Christ's death and await the Resurrection. Saturday is our Easter Extravaganza Family Event, Road to Resurrection. It has always been important to this church to provide an Easter event for children that focuses on Jesus and the true meaning of Easter. Then comes Easter Sunday! He is risen, we proclaim as we celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection! 

Too often most of our culture wants to go from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, and they don't want to encounter the pain and suffering that Christ went through in order for us to get to where we are today. The difficult days leading up to Easter Sunday are so very important. Yes it’s dark, but the days like Good Friday are there to remind us of our brokenness, our humanness, and our need to encounter the cross today. Experiencing all the days of Holy Week really helps us to understand and feel the immense joy of Easter Morning! For this reason, we encourage you to try to attend as many of these events as you can.

This Easter, let’s consider the wonder of God's power and His love for us. He made the ultimate selfless sacrifice for us that we may live forever. He did this because He loves us. He knows us. He knows what we have done. He knows what we are going to do. But He loves us regardless. God doesn't need our praise or our service to Him; He desires it. It’s not what we do for God that gets us into heaven and gives us a right relationship with Him. It is only by faith in Jesus Christ that we are able to experience these things.

April 13: Palm Sunday Services 9:00am & 11:00am

April 17: Maundy Thursday Service 6:30pm

April 18: Good Friday • Tenebrae Service 6:30pm

April 19: Easter Extravaganza Family Event 11:00am - 1:00pm

April 20: Easter Sunday Services 9:00am & 11:00am

As most of you know by now, Dave Grimwood our Director of Building Operations is retiring and his last day with us will be April 14th. Dave and Rebekah are moving to Branson to be close to their daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren. Dave's 20 years of hard work and dedication to this church has been such a blessing. We know we will never be able to replace him and we would like to honor him and celebrate him and Rebekah with a Farewell Reception on SUNDAY, APRIL 13th at 10:00 am in the UMAC Commons. Please make a point to stop by and thank him and congratulate he and Rebekah on retirement. 

Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and begins the series of observances focusing on the events of Holy Week. This Sunday is also often referred to as Passion Sunday, marking the beginning of the passion or suffering of Jesus leading to and including the crucifixion.  The Children will process with palm branches and sing at both services.

Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples in the upper room on the night before he was crucified. This service is solemn, marked by the shadow of Jesus’ betrayal. The service will include Holy Communion and the stripping of the altar in preparation for Good Friday & Easter Sunday.

First United Methodist Church of Mountain Home invites children & their families to join us for a Holy Week and Easter family Event, Road to Resurrection! This is a family-friendly event that gets families talking…and walking with Jesus! Scripture from the Gospels guide families through the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection in this hands-on experience. Our hope is that this interactive event will deepen and enrich your family’s Easter experience. Don't forget your basket as the event will conclude with an egg hunt!

Easter Sunday we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ! His resurrection marks the triumph of good over evil, sin and death. By laying down his life, Jesus paid the full penalty for sin, a perfect, spotless sacrifice. By raising from the dead, Jesus defeated the power of sin and death and purchased, for all who believe in him, eternal life! 

HE IS RISEN!

On Easter Sunday, April 20th, there will be coffee and goodies as well as a photo op down in the UMAC Commons so be sure to come down an snap your family Easter pic!

On Sunday, May 4th we will recognize and celebrate our Class of 2025 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 them and wish them luck on their next chapter! 

We would like to invite all our graduating seniors to be a part of both of our Senior Sunday services in which we will have a video celebrating you and all of your accomplishments, a gift from the church, the presentation of a cord to wear at graduation, and a reception. We also would like to provide senior families with yard signs to celebrate your student! We don't want to miss anyone, so please reach out to Kyra Anthony to get on our list by April 9th and include one senior picture of your student.  In this email, would you also include your student’s plans for after graduation. We then ask that you send in pictures of your student participating in church activities throughout the years, pictures of them as they have grown, and pictures of their greatest accomplishmentsfor the senior video that will be played on May 4th. These pictures need to be submitted by April 23rd. We also ask that parents put together a poster board to be displayed at the church during senior Sunday services and the reception. We hope that you will join us in this season of celebration and allow us to participate in this momentous occasion of your life. 

Scholarship applications for the 2025/26 school year are now available for graduating High School seniors who plan to pursue a post secondary education. Apply online from the youth page of the website fumcmh.org or use the button below. Application deadline is May1st to be announced at the school awards night. July 1st is the final deadline to apply for the scholarship.

Seekers will finish up our current study this Sunday. On Palm Sunday, April 13, we will have a special edition of class where we’ll take a close look at the beloved 23rd Psalm. Our class will not meet on Easter Sunday. But when we come back on April 27th we will begin an eight week study of the book of Hebrews.  This book has been called “the book of better things.” Hebrews encourages believers to persevere in Jesus whose atoning death, resurrection and ascension have given His people faith in His unshakable kingdom.  And it reminds us that in heaven a great cloud of witnesses spur us on to finish our race well.  

We hope you’ll join us!

Tom Frase

Hello Families!

We've had a crazy, busy start to Spring! Hard to believe it's April already! Hopefully those really cold days are gone! I'm ready to put my garden in! Palm Sunday is just around the corner and the kids have been practicing the song we will sing at the start of both services. We need the children to process with palms and sing at both services so please mark you calendars for April 13! You can leave after children's moment at 11:00 if you don't want to stay for all of 2 services.

We are gearing up for Easter Extravaganza on Saturday April 19th and we need your help! It takes many volunteers to pull off this event!  We will need help stuffing eggs, setting up for the event and help with the event itself. Please let me know if you can help. Thank you to everyone who brought candy for the egg hunt.

Believe it or not we are starting to look at VBS because it will be here before you know it! Look for more information on that to come!

God Bless!

 Laura

Happy April 605 Students, Families, and Friends! 

March was filled with so many amazing events including sports, concerts, lunches at the schools, packing boxes at the food bank, and a journey for the Winter Jam concert in Springfield! 

We also began our lesson series exploring how we are invited into what God is doing in the world and how with God the parties never stop. We are celebrating everything that God has done through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we enter April, we will be finishing up this series ending with Easter, and then we will begin our new series: “What If…?” Through this series we are looking at hurt, pain, and evil in the world and begin asking questions and wondering about what it could look like for us to make a difference in the world. I hope your students will join us for this series as we use it to end the school year! 

April is going to be a jam-packed month with so many amazing things happening, for students, in the church, and throughout the community. Please make sure to let me know what your student has going on this month so I can plan to attend as many things as I can before the end of the school year and support your students and your families as much as possible! 

This month we are also beginning preparations for Senior Sunday on May 4^th. If you have a senior this year or know of one that needs recognized please let Kyra know by April 9^th and send in one senior picture. All other pictures for the senior video need submitted by April 23^rd! We are excited as we enter graduation season for all seniors to help them celebrate. Also, senior parents keep an eye out for future emails and communication on what senior Sunday will look like and what is needed from you.

With all of that being said here is the highlights of what is going on this month and then the full calendar below! 

April 4-6: We are headed to Young Christians Weekend! I am excited for this opportunity to hang out with students, enjoy Silver Dollar City, and worship alongside so many other youth groups. 

April 13-20: HOLY WEEK! All students, families, and everyone is invited to join us for all of our holy week activities. Starting with Palm Sunday on Sunday April 13^th we will be journeying with Jesus through his last few days as he enters triumphantly into Jerusalem. We then will have Maundy Thursday service, Thursday April 17^th at 6:30pm, Good Friday Service Friday April 18^th at 6:30pm, Easter Extravaganza Saturday April 19^th11:00am-1:00pm (If you would like to help with this event please reach out), ending with wonderful Easter Services Sunday April 20^th at 9:00 and 11:00am! 

Full APRIL Calendar: 
April 2^nd: Youth Group 
April 3^rd: Lunch at the Junior High 
April 4^th-6^th: Young Christians Weekend 
April 9^th: Senior Name Submission Deadline 
April 9^th: Youth Group 
April 10^th: The Table Sunday School Class 
April 16^th: Youth Group 
April 17^th: Lunch at the High School 
April 17^th: Maundy Thursday Service @ 6:30PM 
>April 18^th: Good Friday Service @ 6:30PM 
April 19^th: Easter Extravaganza 11:00AM-1:00PM 
April 20^th: Easter and The Table Sunday School Class 
April 21^st: Lunch at Pinkston
April 23^rd: Senior Sunday Picture Submission Deadline  
April 23^rd: Youth Group 
April 27^th: The Table Sunday School Class 
April 30^th: Youth Group

Blessings and Happy April! 

Kyra Anthony 

GENERAL FUND

In memory of Roger Colbert

Charles Williamson
In memory of Kathy Gazaway
Charles Williamson
In memory of Greg Meng
Cathy Roshon
Roger & Linda Loewen
John & Lisa Moore

Prayers after loss:
Family and friends of Greg Meng on his passing.
Family and friends of Jim Callis on his passing. 

Concerns:
Teri Wilson (03/24/25)
Rexene Watson (03/23/25)
(Tom Yoder’s Sister-in-Law)
Bryan Tomlinson (03/17/25)
(Gail House)
Amber Harrison (03/17/25)
(Juanita Kelm)
Natalie Tyson (03/13/25)
(Mary Margaret Pearson)
Ruth Ramaker (03/02/25)
(Kristi Nelson’s mother)
Bobby Myers (02/27/25)
(Gail House’s Cousin)
Mike Thompson (02/25/25)
(Bev Thompson’s Son)
Bev Thompson (02/25/25)
Terri Sorzita (02/23/25)
Curtis Gomez (02/23/25)
(Christine Rohr)
Genie Widerstrom (02/18/25)
(Rebecca Williams)
Will Thompson (02/17/25)
(Billy & Ashley Thompson’s son)
Nancy Cox (02/16/25)
(Christine & Cleo Holm)
Sue Wepprecht (02/11/25)
(Sheila Partee)
Kelly Bertrand (02/11/25)
Bernice Koonce (02/02/25)
Bonnie Benham (01/19/25)
Ron Riddell (01/12/25)
(Sharon Hamilton)
Kate Melnik (01/13/25)
(Tom Yoder)
Wesley Werner (1/7/25)

Tommy Hawthorne (1/7/25)

(Gail House's nephew)
Estes Owens (12/30/24)
Aiden Garner (12/30/24)
Ashton Walker (12/30/24)
Kaden Brassfield (12/30/24)
Landen Haynes (12/30/24)
Diwan Blackburn (12/29/24)
Mark, Melissa & Jason Morgan (12/23/24)
Doug Dethloff (12/22/24)
Pat Harris (12/01/24)
(Tina Benton)
Paula Flippin (12/01/24)
(Tina Benton)
Diane Lucas (12/01/24)
(Tina Benton)
Emily Jones Griffin (12/01/24)
(Teresa Kenyon)
Bill Wagner (12/01/24)
Scott Cain (11/19/24)
(Jill Chandler’s Son)
Elden Lowe (11/19/24)
(Jill Chandler’s Nephew)
Tim Dorram (11/12/24)
(Yvonne Hall)
Matt Zipperer (10/29/24)
(Sue Storm)
Ruth Greer (10/29/24) 
Carol Hurley (10/24/24)
(Sharon Fabich) 
Sharon & Wendell Dennis (10/13/24)
(Debby Bodenhamer)
Jack Knight (09/22/24)
(Jill Chandler’s brother)
Ruth Clark (09/19/24)
Regina Gillihan (09/15/24)
(Bernice Koonce)
Wally Smietanski (09/10/24)
Sue Robinson (09/01/24)
(Marilyn Bonecki)
Denise Rohr (08/18/24)
(Christine Rohr’s daughter)
Ronald Robinson (07/29/24)
(Marilyn Bonecki)
Casey Craig (07/21/24)
(Tim & Amanda King)
Jerry Beaver (07/07/24)
(Sharon Fabich’s cousin)