July 2026 Messenger Newsletter
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July Messenger

First United Methodist Church
July 2026 Messenger Newsletter
July 2026

July 2026

Rev. John Fleming

Rev. John Fleming

Appointed Again!

If you were in one of our worship services on Father’s Day (June 21st), you heard me say that at the conclusion of this year’s Annual Conference, our Bishop, Laura Merrell, fixed the appointments for the coming conference year.  What that means is that the appointments for the next year are finalized. I will have to tell you that I don’t take this process for granted. It is an honor to be appointed to serve a church as pastor. And when our Bishop fixes the appointments, I am always grateful for being appointed. This is my thirty-third year under appointment. 

The practice of sending or the appointment of pastors to churches is as old as the founder of the Methodist movement. John Wesley believed that there was the threat of complacency if a pastor stayed in one location for too long. I won’t go into the process here, but if you’d like to know more, I’d be happy to tell you more. 

What I’d like to do here, though, is to tell you how excited I am that we have this next year (and hopefully many more) together. If were able to pull back a curtain and see what the year has in store for us, we would see that there will be weddings and memorial services, baptisms and confirmations, Bible studies and small group meetings, youth activities and children’s events. We will continue to do some benchmark ministries such as Vacation Bible School and our Easter Extravaganza. There will be Christmas Eve services and there will be Easter celebrations. There will be Wednesday afternoon activities and our More Than a Meal ministry. There will be a Christmas Cantata and there will be special services during Holy week. New people will come to join our church family. And these are just the things that we know about. 

I would like to share a goal I have for our new conference year. I want to see our study ministries grow. I’d like to see more small group gatherings and classes on Sunday mornings and throughout the week. I’d love to see families come to learn and then to worship together or to come to worship and then stay for classes. I’ll be sharing more about that as August approaches. Please do consider this, this year. 
Susie and I are happy to be here! 

Hope Always, 


John Fleming

For more infomation visit:

mailto:jfleming@fumcmh.org

Email Pastor John
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

The church will be closed on Thursday, July 2nd in observance of Independence Day.  Have a safe and happy holiday.

Communion Sunday

Communion Sunday

July 5th

Communion Stewards
Charlene Ahrenstorff
Susie Fleming
Vicki Kauth

9:00 Crossraods Servers
Kraigen Partee
Sheila Partee
Donna Meng

11:00 Traditional Servers
Bruce & Marilyn Loveless
Charlene Ahrenstorff

 

95th Birthday Celebration

95th Birthday Celebration

for Bernice Koonce

Sunday, July 5th there will be a Cake and Punch Birthday Reception honoring Bernice Koonce on her 95th Birthday! Please join us immediately following the 11:00 am service in the Parlor as we celebrate this special milestone and give thanks for Bernice’s many years of faith, friendship and blessings. Your presence is the only gift needed; however, cards and birthday wishes are warmly welcomed.

Thursday Morning Joy

Thursday Morning Joy

On Thursday, July 9th, we will begin a new 5-week study on “The Mission of Jesus”, part of the ‘That the World May Know’ series of studies by Ray Vander Laan.  These studies will consist of Ray’s videos done onsite in Israel and will focus on Jesus confronting evil along with his crucifixion, ascension and finally Pentecost.  There is no book to buy or homework for this study, just come, watch, discuss and learn. 

Thursday Morning Joy meets Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 AM in the Seeker’s Classroom, #213. Visitors are welcome any time to check us out. We have bible study along with fun, fellowship, prayer, and coffee. It’s a great way to spend a Thursday morning! Call or text Sandra Bainbridge at 870-656-3950 for more information.

White Water

White Water

Youth Trip

605 Students and Friends, we are heading to White Water Park on Friday, July 10th! We would love to have you join us on this trip. The cost is $45 per student (scholarships available). Please let Kyra know if you would like to attend by Monday, July 6th. More information about the day will be coming soon!

For more infomation visit:

mailto:kanthony@fumcmh.org

Email Kyra
Kidz Bowling & Ice Cream

Kidz Bowling & Ice Cream

Tuesday, July 14th • 2:00 -4:00pm

Children and Parents! We are planning an afternoon of bowling and ice cream on Tuesday, July 14th! The bus will leave the church at 1:45pm so please have your kids to the church (the office door) by 1:40pm. If you know your child will be attending this event, please let me know via text or email so we can get a basic headcount. We will have a game of bowling at Driftwood Lanes followed by ice cream at Baskin Robbin's. Fun, Fun, Fun! The cost will be $8 per person for bowling and ice cream. Scholarships are available. Be sure you wear or bring socks for bowling! Pickup afterwards will be at 4:00pm by the church office!

Community Fellowship-Sourdough Class

Community Fellowship-Sourdough Class

July 14th 5:30pm

Join us on Tuesday, July 14th at 5:30 pm in the CWC for a fun evening of one of the latest trends to take off, Sourdough. LeeAnn Blevins our Baxter County Extension Agent will be here to take us through the sourdough process. This will be a free class to attend. Stop by the welcome desk to sign up or call the church office. We hope to see you there!

Musical Bingo & Pie Social

Musical Bingo & Pie Social

July 26 • 4:00pm

On Sunday, July 26th, at 4:00pm we will be celebrating Pastor John's reappointment to FUMCMH with a fun night of pie, fellowship and musical bingo! Bring your favorite pie to share and your bingo skills and join us for this fun event for all ages!

Mission Possible

Mission Possible

July Food Collection

Thank you to everyone who generously donated applesauce and fruit cups for our June food collection. Throughout the month of July, we will be collecting granola bars and fruit bars to include as easy snacks in our Summer Feeding boxes. Any remaining granola or fruit bars will be donated to the Backpack Program to help provide snacks for students when school resumes in August. Donations may be brought on Sunday mornings or dropped off at the church office during regular office hours throughout the week.

Summer Giving

Summer Giving

Summer is here and as vacations come and go and lake days are numerous, we ask that you think about automatic giving this summer. This is a great way to maintain your financial support for your home church even when you are away!

There are two ways to do this:

1. Set up an automatic ACH draft from your bank. All we need to set this up for you is your name, account number and routing number or a voided check which has this information on it. 

2. Set up recurring online donations through tithe.ly from our website at fumcmh.org/give. There are fees involved with this method but you can choose to cover the fees if you like. Please keep in mind that if you choose not to cover the fees, your giving will reflect the amount you choose to give minus those fees lowering your giving slightly.

 

For more infomation visit:

https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=70de9057-6864-11ee-90fc-1260ab546d11

Give online now!
Welcome New Member

Welcome New Member

Lisa Peak

Welcome to our newest member! Lisa Peak became an official member of our church family here at FUMCMH on June 21st! Please congratulate her and introduce yourself if you haven't already! Also, if you are interested in joining the church, please contact Pastor John.

 

For more infomation visit:

mailto:jfleming@fumcmh.org

Email Pastor John
New Name Tag Design

New Name Tag Design

Order yours today!

We’ve decided to switch our church nametag supplier to Ozark Printing! This will help us to both save on shipping costs and support a local business. To celebrate, we’ve also updated the design. Just like always, new members get their first name tag for free. However, if you’re interested in purchasing a nametag with the new design, you can do so for $13.50. Just stop by the Welcome Desk or the office to order one.

Chancel Choir

Chancel Choir

The Chancel Choir will be taking a break from Wednesday evening practices beginning July 8th. They will resume practice on September 2nd at 6:30pm. This would be a great time to join the choir if you are interested.

For more infomation visit:

mailto:tware@fumcmh.org

Email Terre
Wesley Kitchen

Wesley Kitchen

Wesley Kitchen will be closed for the annual 2 week summer break on Monday, July 20th and Monday, July 27th.  We will return serving the meal on Monday, August 3rd.

Backpack Blessing!

Backpack Blessing!

Sunday, August 9th will be a day of celebration! We will begin the day with special worship services that will include participation from children, youth and teachers, etc. We will bless all who are beginning the new school year as well as their backpacks and school bags! Be sure to bring yours that day! Then we will return that evening from 5:00-7:00pm for our Back to School Bash that will include waterslides, water balloons, pools, pool games, slip 'n' slide races and water kickball! We will have pizza for supper and cookies for dessert.  All are welcome to join us!

Back to School Bash!

Back to School Bash!

Water • Pizza • Fellowship • Fun!

Join us on Sunday, August 9th as we usher in the School year with water, pizza, fellowship and fun!  There will be water slides, pools, water games, water balloons and more! Everyone is invited. Feel free to bring lawn chairs!  We will have tables for eating and canopy tents for shade! Come enjoy the fellowship and fun!

Bushels of Blessings

Bushels of Blessings

VBS Mission Project

This year during Rome VBS, our mission project was Bushels of Blessings! Each day as Families entered the marketplace they children had the opportunity to visit our Produce Stand and donate towards our Bushels of Blessings Mission Project. Each day, kids tossed their daily donations into the fountain to help feed local children and families in our community through our Summer Feeding Program. We raise over $100.00 for Summer Feeding!

Children's Ministry

Children's Ministry

First Kidz Corner

Hello All!  

What a great summer we are having so far!  Thank you to the many volunteers who helped with Rome VBS!  It was a huge success! Both kids and adults had a fabulous time! We couldn't have done it without the 45+ volunteers! We also had a wonderful time when we went to the movies to see Toy Story 5! Our next summer activity will be Bowling and Ice cream on July 14th! Be sure to let Laura know if you and/or your child will be going! 

 
Have a safe and happy Independance Day!
Happy Birthday United States of America!

Laura Pedigo

Join FirstKidz on Social Media!

      

Use the links above or search:
Facebook: "First Kidz" or search our username: @fumcmhfirstkidz
Instagram: @fumcmhkidz

For more infomation visit:

mailto:llaw@fumcmh.org

email Laura
Youth Ministries

Youth Ministries

605 Student Ministry

605 Students, Families, and Friends, 

June has come to a close- in what feels like the blink of an eye! This past month we have embraced summer, shared in some wonderful meals together, had some amazing conversations, enjoyed a day at Silver Dollar City, and so much more. 

I am excited to see what July brings to us as a group- and here is some important information.  

I am so excited to welcome our upcoming class of 6th graders to 605 students! Here in July you are invited to join us for all of the youth activities and we cannot wait to start seeing your smiling faces! 

Parent Emails- 6th grade parents, starting the beginning of July you will be receiving our weekly Parent Email, parents of our other 605 students you should be getting these weekly already. For this weekly email we are updating the system that we use so many parents can gain the important youth information without some of the extra things they may not want. This change-over may take a little time and I would greatly appreciate your input and feedback. If you think you should be getting this weekly email and for some reason you are not- please let me know. If you are getting this email and you would like to not be receiving it for some reason- please let me know! I want this system to work for all of us and I am doing my best to streamline and communicate in the best ways. 

This system is also how I send out information about upcoming trips for youth! I hope those emails are helpful in gaining knowledge about the trips we take and determining if your student wants to attend! 

Band App- for those that are newer to our group, upcoming 6th graders and their families, or those who have yet to join; we use the band app to help students and parents stay up to date on what is happening with 605 Students. This group also allows for more instantaneous updates when events change or something comes up rather than hoping an email is read and received. If you are not yet a part of that group check out the first parent email of the month or reach out and we can get you connected. 

Monthly Newsletter- during the school year, a youth specific newsletter is mailed to your home address each month. You may have discovered this at the beginning of summer with the 605 Students Summer News. If you find that you are not getting these newsletters in the mail, please let me know and I will make sure you are on the mailing list and your information is up to date. 

All of these ways of communicating are meant to help you get information in a way that is most helpful to you and with as much clarity as possible. Each way of communicating also provides opportunities for different amounts of depth and to give all of the details and upcoming announcements to families. I hope this sneak peak into some of the 605 Student systems is helpful to you. 

Now for the important July highlights and full calendar: 

Lunchin’ with the Lord: 605 Students will meet for lunch and conversation on Wednesday July 1st, July 15th, and July 29th. Each meeting will happen at 12:00PM but the location will change each week. Check parent emails, the band app, and our social media for updates on where those lunches will happen. 

Day at White Water: Students in upcoming 6th grade through graduated 12th graders are invited to join us for a day at White Water Park! Please RSVP to Kyra by Monday July 6th for that trip! 

Youth Movie: Mark your calendars for Friday July 17th. We plan to go see the new live action Moana this day. More information will be coming to you soon on this pop-up summer event. 

Assembly: For those that have signed up for this summer Conference those dates are July 20th-24th. More information about the trip itself will come to you and your families as we get closer to this trip. 

Full July Calendar:
July 1st: Lunchin’ with the Lord @ 12:00PM 
July 6th: RSVP date for White Water Park 
July 10th: Day at White Water 
July 15th: Lunchin’ with the Lord @ 12:00PM 
July 17th: Youth Movie Night @ Sun Valley Cinema 
July 20th-24th: Assembly @ Hendrix in Conway 
July 26th: Church wide Music Bingo and Pie Fellowship 
July 29th: Lunchin’ with the Lord @ 12:00PM

Kyra 
 
Join 605 Student Ministries on Social Media!

       

Facebook: FUMC Mountain Home Youth
Youtube: 605students_fumcmh
Instagram: 605students_fumcmh

For more infomation visit:

mailto:kanthony@fumcmh.org

Email Kyra
Memorials & Honorariums

Memorials & Honorariums

June

SUMMER FEEDING
In memory of Mary James:
Carolyn Youngblood
In Honor of our volunteers:
Bill & Mary Margaret Pearson
In memory of Wesley Werner:
Cathy Roshon

WESLEY KITCHEN
In memory of Mary James:
Shirley Poynter

BACKPACK FOOD 4 KIDS
In honor of Kathy Bauer:
Sara Czeschin
In memory of Don Webb
Cathy Roshon

PRAYER GARDEN
In memory of Don Webb:
Debby Bodenhamer
Paula Bodenhamer
Pat Bodenhamer

Prayer List

Prayer List

Prayers after loss:
Patti Werner & family on the loss of Wesley Werner

Concerns:
Harper Graves (06/25/26)
Kristi Nelson (06/23/26)
Dennis & Donna Slankard (06/21/26)
(Gail House)
Bob Dickerson (06/21/26)
Kristine Doornbos (06/14/26)
(Bill & Donna Kime’s Daughter)
Brantley Gracy (06/14/26)
Melissa Morgan (02/09/26)
(Dianna Blackburn)
Bob Budolfson (06/10/26)
Peggy Weber (06/10/26)
Karen Bryant (06/08/26)
Shirley Argo (05/31/26)
Naomi Tallmen (05/31/26)
(Henry Caststeel’s Aunt)
Keith & Venita Stafford (05/31/26)
(Pat Johns)
Bonnie Benham (05/21/26)
Hannah Moore (05/07/26)
(Rick Steiner)
Ruth Ramaker (05/04/26)
(Kristi Nelson’s Mom)
Joyce Cameron (05/07/26)
Steve Morris (05/03/26)
(Sheila Partee)
Gary Patterson (04/26/26)
Deb Spears (04/26/26)
(Mike & Sue Strop)
Wesley Werner (4/26/26)
Jo Wolf (04/15/26)
Curtis Gomez (04/12/26)
(Christine Rohr)
Tammy McCanless (04/05/26)
(Massey Everett)
Ann Grice (03/29/26)
(Joyce Smietanski)
Hannah & Isabell Rodriguez (03/12)
(Dianna Blackburn)
Markie Morgan (03/10/26)
Roger Steele (03/10/26)
Eldon Hellums (03/08/26)
(Whitney Rodgers Grandfather)
Glenda Bodenhamer (03/03/26)
Peggy Turner (02/26/26)
(Christine Rohr)
Jeff Allen Monninger (02/23/26)
(Tom Frase)
Sarah Kee (02/22/26)
(Vicki Kauth)
Teresa White (02/01/26)
(Eileen Howe)
Mary Margaret Pearson (01/27/26)
Jody Horne (01/21/26)
(Brenda Knight)
Krew Hudson (01/18/26)
(Classmate of Emma Jones)
Ruth Clark (01/08/26)
Bob McKuin (12/29/25)
(Vicki Garner)
Kim Freitag (12/28/25)
(Carole Freitag)
Rexene Watson (12/28/25)
(Tom Yoder’s Sister-in-Law)
Rachel Goostree (12/16/25)
Jennifer Thogmartin (12/14/25)
(Paula Bodenhamer)
Tim Wallace (12/14/25)
(Vanessa Ford)
David Callahan (12/03/25)
(Ruth Greer)
Katie Ammon (11/30/25)
(Vicki Kauth’s Sister-in-Law))
Helen Brown (10/19/25)
(Libby Seftar)
Jonathan Edington (09/28/25)
(Teresa Kenyon)
Vickie Martin (09/24/25)
(Tim Nelson’s Aunt)
Virginia Cornett (09/16/25)
(Lucy Monger)
Wyatt Sitzberger (09/15/25)
(Freddie Garner’s Great Grandson)
Kathleen Carr (08/24/25)
(Sue Storm)
Chris Holm (08/05/25)
David Francis (07/22/25)
(Denny Francis’ Brother)
Lois Nichols (07/20/25)
(Joyce Holsted)
Bruce Burr (06/15/25)
Jaymeson Miller (06/08/25)
Lisa Dennis (06/08/25)
(Mike Densmore’s Niece)
Jack Chance (05/06/25)
Mona Brewer (04/22/25)
Teresa Kenyon (04/01/25)
Bryan Tomlinson (03/17/25)
(Gail House)
Natalie Tyson (03/13/25)
(Mary Margaret Pearson)
Mike Thompson (02/25/25)
(Bev Thompson’s Son)
Nancy Cox (02/16/25)
(Christine & Cleo Holm)
Kate Melnik (01/13/25)
(Tom Yoder)

For more infomation visit:

https://fumcmhorg.elvanto.net/form/1393a17f-3261-11e6-9f8a-06023090f36d

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605 West 6th Street
Mountain Home, AR
USA 72653

870-425-6036

office@fumcmh.org