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Bits from Beth – May 2, 2025
Dear Friends,
We first want to welcome Tracy and Tina Freeman to our congregation. Tracy and Tina have been regular participants in worship and ministry and they decided to make it official this past Sunday. We were delighted to welcome their family and friends as Tracy was baptized and they both affirmed their faith. You probably notice many new visitors in our midst and I hope you will make sure they feel welcomed and encouraged.
You do not have to eat alone on Monday evenings. The goal of Sue’s Table was to connect community through good food and fellowship. This Monday we will be celebrating Cinco de Mayo, an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. The menu will be tacos and chicken enchiladas with refried beans and dessert. And, of course, chips and salsa. We are grateful to the many cooking teams who are generous to provide plenty of great food so no one goes home hungry!
Sue’s Table and our Food Pantry are two of the ministries that highlight what the Arkansas Annual Conference’s mission goals of
1. Following Jesus
2. Loving People
3. Sharing Grace
Every United Methodist Church in Arkansas is being asked to self-evaluate to see how we are meeting one or more of our Conference goals:
a. Is our worship welcoming and Spirit filled?
b. Are we identifying and equipping leadership for ministry in our church, our community, and the world?
c. Are we disciples who are engaged in relationship and service with diverse neighbors?
d. Do we have small group and intergenerational ministries?
e. Do we have relevant ministries for children, youth, and young adults?
f. Are we in connectional partnership with others?
g. Are we intentional in our work towards healing and reconciliation?
Thank you to Sally deFrance that put together two cleaning buckets for our Disaster Response Ministries. Many of our warehouse supplies were used up in the recent storms and the coordinators have asked churches to help restock. If you are interested in your class or small group participating, please let us know.
We will begin a new Sermon series on the Epistles of John this week. We know Luke and Acts were written by the same author as Luke told the gospel and Acts tells how the early church developed and responded. The Gospel of John and the Epistles of John operate in a similar fashion. The Gospel told the story and the Epistles of John talks about how that should shape your life.
We are so proud of our 2024-2025 graduates:
- Jayce Reynolds – graduate of Hampton High School
- Matthew Reynolds – graduate of Camden-Fairview High School
- Katelyn Elliott – graduate of Southern Arkansas University. She will begin physical therapy school at Harding University this fall.
- Claire Mosley – graduate of UAMS School of Pharmacy with a Pharm D degree. (That is a Doctor of Pharmacy for those who may be unfamiliar.)
One last word – Our Leadership Board has been working on a proposal to get the roof leaks in our church and our food pantry fixed. It will not be cheap. As soon as we evaluate the proposals before us, we will let you know the details.
We will be honoring them and our Mothers on May 11th in the 11:30am Worship Service and the luncheon afterward.
Hope to see you Sunday!
Grace and peace,
Beth
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