1. Purchasing a new stuffed animal to bring to church with you next Sunday, or by Feb. 10th and leaving in the pew/seat next to you.

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1 The third annual Men's Summit on Tuesday, February 19, 2013 will be a night of special activities. Tickets are now on sale and are only $10 and each ticket admits two. All the men in First United Methodist Church are urged to buy a ticket and bring a son, grandson, friend, or neighbor. An Iraqi war veteran, Chaplain, Colonel Walter "Bubba" Smith from Hot Springs Village is the featured speaker, but there is much more to the evening for the men. Chaplain, Colonel Walter L. Smith, an Iraqi war veteran, will be the speaker at the third annual Men's Summit at First United Methodist Church in Hot Springs. The meeting is set for Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at the Christian Life Center on Pratt Street in Hot Springs. The theme for the meeting is "Be brave and very courageous" and is taken from scripture in Joshua 1:7. Chaplain, Colonel Smith has a distinguished career as a US Air Force reservist. He was the highest ranking Air Force officer in Iraq during one of the largest military movements in U. S. history. This occurred as US military forces were being removed from Iraq as the war ended and American military personnel were moved out of the country. Chaplain, Colonel Smith will tell of his experiences in Iraq and discuss the effect of war on soldiers and their faith. He will discuss the challenges of being courageous in the heat of battle and will conduct a question/answer session following his talk. His war experiences were life changing for him and those whom he served. His background includes a degree in Religion from Hendrix College, Master of Divinity in Theology from St. Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, Mo. and Doctor of Ministry Degree in Religion from Drew University, Madison, New Jersey. He is a native of Nashville, Arkansas and has strong ties to Hot Springs. He worked with Rev. David Wilson as the associate pastor of Oaklawn United Methodist Church in 1977 and has been Senior Minister of Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church in Hot Springs Village since He also volunteers as the chaplain for the Arkansas State Police and is on the Garland County Habitat for Humanity board. He and his wife, Diane, have two children and two grandchildren. Diane is currently the principal of Park Elementary school in Hot Springs.

2 Michelle Wilkins, , Ext. 130 or cell YOU can help spread God s LOVE! This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. - John 15:12 This month our Kids ROCK mission project is to collect stuffed animals to give to children in crises through the Cooper-Anthony Child Advocacy Center at Mercy Hospital. We are asking the congregation to help us by: 1. Purchasing a new stuffed animal to bring to church with you next Sunday, or by Feb. 10th and leaving in the pew/seat next to you. 2. Love & hug on any of the animals in the pews/seats each week and say prayers for the children that will be receiving them. Kids ROCK will then collect the animals during our February 10th Kids ROCK mission meeting and deliver them to the children. Thank you for your participation! Vacation Bible School July 22 July 26, 2013 Monday Friday 9:00am noon (in the Christian Life Center) Registration is now open for children who have had their 3rd birthday by August 2nd, 2012 through those who have completed 3rd grade by May of (Rising 5th & 6th graders look for CAMP 56 info!) Enroll online today! Click the link below, or paste it in your browser! WE NEED YOUR CREATIVE MIND! Our VBS Directors are searching for creative minds to help design/create this year s VBS stage set and decorations for the classrooms/hallways! If you have been blessed with the gift of being artistic...this is your CALL! Join our VBS Decorations Team! You will have the opportunity to work with others who share your passion for the arts while giving back to God through your talents!!! Please text/call Michelle Wilkins (501)

3 INFANTS & TODDLERS (E.C.A.) Early Christian Awareness in the Christian Life Center, Rm #105 & #107 Infant & toddler classrooms are some of the most unique places in the church. Between the diaper changes, snacking, and rocking, there are small windows of playtime that are amazing opportunities to teach children about their loving heavenly Father. The curriculum we use is designed to help our little ones know that God made them, God loves them, and that Jesus will be their friend forever. PRE-K SUNDAY SCHOOL 3 s, 4 s, & 5 s in the Christian Life Center, Rm #117 & #118 How wide and high and long and deep is the love of Christ, Ephesians 3:18, NIV. Can you measure it? That s what we re investigating this month! Can we even measure how much Jesus loves us? How big (picture a preschooler s arms open wide) is His love? In February, we will tell the stories that Jesus told when He was trying to communicate how much God loves us. The story of the lost sheep where the shepherd loved his one sheep so much that he left 99 to go and find him. The story of the Prodigal Son that demonstrates how much God loves us even when we walk away from Him. The story of the Good Samaritan (a preschool favorite), which shows us how we are to love others like Jesus loves us. And finally, the story of Zacchaeus, a wee little man who learned he was loved even though he had made many, many bad choices. We will share all these stories of love so that our preschoolers will know that they too are loved. They are loved by Jesus with a love that is so wide and high and long and deep that they could never really measure it no matter how hard they try. K-4th GRADE SUNDAY SCHOOL in the Christian Life Center upstairs Rm # s 208, 210, 214, & 216 In February we will be learning all about PEACE. Peace is part of God s character. And He wants us to reflect peace in our relationships with others. Peace is proving you care more about each other than about winning an argument. Peace is more than just not fighting and saying the right things to keep people happy. Peace is living in a way that shows you care more about others than about being right. It s about building strong relationships through mutual trust. The monthly memory verse is: So let us do all we can to live in peace and let us work hard to build each other up, Romans 14:19, NIrV. That is exactly what God did for us when He sent Jesus to make peace with us. Peace cost Him something great, but out of His love for us, He gave His all.

4 CLUB 56 9:30am FOR 5TH & 6TH GRADERS! in the Christian Life Center upstairs, Room 215 In February we will be learning all about MONEY & TIME! We re in a society where many kids have more discretionary annual income than many Third World families have total annual income. And they have more free time than kids of any other generation. Today kids struggle with whether to spend their money at the movies or to buy the latest CD. They wonder if they should spend their afternoons at the mall or the recreation center. How kids spend their money and their time may not seem to be much of an issue to the culture at large. But it s an issue to God. Stewardship the use of one s resources in accountability to someone else may be a new topic to your fifth- and sixthgraders. They need to learn, though, that how they use their resources affects others and that God holds them accountable for what they do with what they have. These four lessons will help kids uncover why stewardship is important, and they ll teach kids skills for using their money and time in ways that please God. CAMP 56 Mission Camp! July 22nd-26th 9am-noon each day *For rising 5th & 6th graders ONLY! Check-in & out each day at the FUMC Christian Life Center Invite your friends from school and the neighborhood too! Register online today:

5 February is Comeback Month at the Underground! If your teen hasn't been to Youth Group in a while, or gotten out of the habit over the holidays, February is a great time to reconnect! We will start the month with our Super Bowl Party on February 3rd, beginning at 5 PM and featuring a giant bowl of nachos! Parents, remember to bring tortilla chips BEFORE Sunday night's event. We will be studying the book of Habakkuk on Sunday nights during February and continuing our Wednesday Night study understanding how the Bible fits together with it's major themes and big story. Also, beginning this Sunday, February 3rd, we will be moving to one single Youth Sunday School hour at 9:30 AM. Bart Patton, bpatton@fumchs.com Ext. 123 I'm excited to update that we have 18 students attending ACCYM Veritas Conference this year in Rogers, Arkansas. It will be March 1-3. Be in prayer for our group as we experience this conference time with 1,000s of Methodist youth from across the state! We also have over 22 currently registered for our Beach Break Spring Break Trip. March 17-22, 2013: The Underground will be at Laguna Christian Beach Retreat in Panama City Beach, FL for Spring Break! It will be a fun week of Bible study, worship, and fellowship in the Gulf sun! The Gable Bradley Band will be leading us in worship, and we will enjoy the beautiful, private beaches of Laguna Christian Retreat. $375 per person ($350 Early Bird Rate and $335 Early Bird Special Family Rate). The Early Bird Special Family Rate is for families with siblings and mulitiple family members attending Beach+Break. The Early Bird Rate and Family Rate Deadline for deposit is February 3, You must have paid the $100 deposit by or before 2/3/13 to get the Early Bird and Family Rates. Get signed up by turning in your deposit to Bart in an FUMCHS Underground Special Events Envelope (available at the Underground). 2/3/13 - Beach+Break Early Bird Registration Deadline 3/1/13 - ACCYM Veritas Retreat Rogers, AR $75 3/3/13 - NO UMY 3/17/13 - Beach+Break Panama City Beach, FL $375 3/17/13 - NO UMY 3/20/13 - NO Wednesday UMY Fuel 3/24/13 - NO UMY 3/31/13 - NO UMY-Easter 4/6/13 - Pyramid Night 4/12/13 - Camp Calcutta Retreat $35 4/14/13 - Parent Forum 3:00 pm Underground 4/21/13 - Super BINGO 5:00 pm Underground 4/28/13 - Eggs & Elvis Youth Fundraiser Dinner 5:00 pm Cupp Hall

6 Big Holy Audacious God Goal Report to Board of Stewards I m here to report that your BHAGG group will be gearing up at the end of this month with plans for how we as a congregation can best move into our neighborhood. To review our history, we met as a congregational team the first five months of last year after the churchwide ReVisioning process discerned that we needed to more fully move into the neighborhood and this was a Big Holy Audacious God Goal BHAGG. In other words, we couldn t do it ourselves. So your BHAGG team read books and articles, we studied the demographics of our area, we walked our neighborhood and we prayed. By summer we had discerned that we needed to take a next step of listening to our neighbors our leaders, our community help organizations, our schools, and the neighbors that lived by us. So we invited these individuals in August, September and October to share with us and other church leaders (at Quapaw Community Center) just what we needed to hear to be more fully in this neighborhood. The minutes of these listening sessions are available online on our facebook page ( You can also get to it through our website and look for community roundtable. Please like us when you visit, so more people will become aware of what we are doing. I have my own discernment of what God may be calling us in our next steps, but God may be whispering in your ear too. I do know that there has been an overall theme shared of awareness of individuals that we meet, of needs, of desires. We so often in our busy lives fail to see others. It has made me more intentional in my interactions with those around me. Simple hellos and inquiring how they are doing has been a simple start. Awareness of those walking the streets and what they are wearing (are they warm enough) what they are caring (children, groceries, etc.) and their demeanor (are they happy, do they seem tired, are they beat down) has been a whispering in my ear from God. But discernment of this goal is a corporate one, a church-wide one. God may be speaking to you as well as to our team. So if you have been praying with us and discerning some next steps for our church, and God has been speaking to you, please let your pastoral staff know what you have heard. Our next meeting will be Monday (week) and we will take the next steps of putting into place some plans. Other churches have been encouraged to do the same. We will meet together as a community roundtable the last of February and will share together what God has put on our hearts. Hopefully, we can then work together as a community toward building up the Kingdom in this 1 mile radius of Grand and Central. With God s vision and the spiritual gifts that have been entrusted to us, I have great expectations that this goal can be lived out. Dinner Groups Come join the fun of our small group dinner clubs! Each group consists of 8-12 people (singles/couples of all ages) who arrange to meet monthly for dinner at a time and date to be chosen by each group. You may choose to meet at someone's home and bring a dish or go out for the evening. This is a great way to make new acquaintances whether you have been around for years or just started visiting. Registration closes February 18th. We will have a kick-off dinner late February to introduce you to your group. Let's make this our best year ever!!!! To register, fill out the form below and place in offering plate, or Teresa Holt , ext. 116/ disciple@fumchs.com or register online at Name (s) Phone

7 Women of all ages are invited to join us for a Valentine Dessert Get Together on Sunday, February 10th, 5:00-6:30 at the home of Judith Honey, 112 Ravenwood Place. We will carpool from the church at 5:00 p.m. to cut down on the car congestion around her home. You are invited to bring a dessert if you have a favorite, but it is not necessary. Please RSVP to tholt@fumchs.com or online at "The Foundation Sunday School Class, Christian Life Center 211, will be doing an overview of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University beginning Sunday, January 13, 9:30 am through February 3. Anyone interested in participating is welcome. There is no cost involved for this overview and discussion" Any other class that would like to participate in this type of study, see Teresa Holt. Meet your Stephen Ministers I am Jim Mayes and I've been a Stephen Minister for 6 years. I really enjoy and appreciate the opportunity to help other people through a crisis or setback in their lives. Being a Stephen Minister has helped me to carefully listen to other people. It has given me the opportunity to observe how God s presence in their lives has helped them through their situation. Stephen Ministers care God cures. Candy Poirier, cpoirier@fumchs.com Ext. 117 David McKemie Chrissy Egleston Carolyn George with son Kyle Roper & Pastor Zach Roberts

8 Helen Wilson Circle meet at Phyllis Wittman s home at 351 Sunset Bay. Meet at Walgreen s (bypass) to carpool at 9:30am Jane Murphy Circle Holy Grounds Café in the Christian Life Center at 1:30pm O Brien-Thornton Circle Shelton Room, Christian Life Center at 10:00am Rogers-Moore Circle Media Center, Christian Life Center at 10:00am New Legacy Circle Forming... An informational meeting of the UMW New Legacy Circle will be held on Feb 19 th in the youth Underground at 5:30 pm a light meal will be served. For more information please contact Nan Clem, Stacy Hudgens, Julie Holt, or Judy Mattox. If childcare is needed contact the church office by noon Feb 14 th. Make a note that the Outreach Committee will be having their meeting on Tuesday, February 5 th at 1:30pm under the Sanctuary in room 109 (New Covenant Classroom). Wednesday, February 6 th we will be having another great Gumbo Cook-off in the Christian Life Center s Cupp Hall at 4:45pm. This will kickoff Lent which begins the next Wednesday, February 13 th. Come and bring your best gumbo and the church will have rice and King s Cake ready to share. If you are planning on bringing gumbo, call Candy Poirier at ext BRING SOME GUM- BO AND AN APPETITE. We are in need of bus drivers for the church bus on Sunday mornings. You will need a CDL license to drive the bus. We have had a couple retire and move from Hot Springs and we are short some drivers. If you are able to help with this, call Candy Poirier at ext. 117 for more information.

9 OPEN ARMS POUNDING A GREAT SUCCESS The Open Arms pounding was a great success Sunday. We have a great start on the pantry thanks to all of you. If you were unable to see this great space that has been so beautifully turned into an outreach to the community, you need to come and see what has been transformed under the Sanctuary. The pantry will be open beginning next Tuesday, February 5 th from 2-4pm. The recipients make their appointment on Tuesday mornings for that day. Pastor Zach will council and help them with what they are in need of. We will be accepting donations continuously and if you would like to make any donations, please label it Open Arms. We are still accepting food donations to the Jackson House on the first Sunday of each month. These donations are immediately taken there. Please mark those with Jackson House. All donations for both Open Arms and Jackson House may be left in the Christian Life Center s Welcome Center. Thank you again for partnering in ministry with these two vital outreach opportunities to the community. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20 After having to take a week off due to the sleet Hot Springs suffered, your volleyball team just could not get back into bump, set, spike rhythm at the January 22 nd game, losing to First Baptist in two straight games. FB is a strong team and we couldn t seem to keep the serve each time we got it. But we always enjoy playing in large part to a great encourager on the team, the retired old man as he affectionately calls himself - the fabulous Rocky White! Rocky loves playing volleyball and even coached the girls volleyball team back in the day at Wilson Jr and Sr. High Schools. At our first practice before the season started, he decided he better go right out and buy some knee pads. And he has been putting them to good use ever since, always willing to get down on his knees to keep the ball alive! Seems like we re always scraping him off the floor (LOL). Remember, we play every Tuesday at the Oaklawn Church of God gym at th Street. Check the bulletin for game time and come cheer us on. Hope to see you there!

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11 Wednesday, January 30 8:30 am Pilates (CLC 202) 9:00 am Ho Hum Low Impact Exercise (CLC 205) 4:00 pm Intercessory Prayer Group 4:45 pm Wednesday 1 st Dinner (Cupp Hall) 6:00 pm Executive Team Meeting (CLC 209) Large Group Bible Study (Cupp Hall) Confirmation Class (CLC Library) It Starts at Home (CLC 209) Single & Parenting (CLC 211) Wednesday Night Kids Wednesday Night Youth 7:00 pm Chancel Choir ConneXion Practice Thursday, January 31 9:00 am Disciple IV (CLC 201) 1:00 pm History Committee Meeting (History Room) Friday, February 1 8:30 am Pilates (CLC 202) 9:00 am Ho Hum Low Impact Exercise (CLC 205) Sunday, February 3 8:15 am Worship (Sanctuary) 9:30 am The ConneXion (Cupp Hall) Sunday School 10:45 am Connect Groups Disciple I (CLC 211) 10:55 am Worship (Sanctuary) 5:00 pm Sunday Night Youth (Underground) Monday, February 4 8:30 am Pilates (CLC 202) 9:00 am Christian Believer (CLC 211) 9:30 am Disciple II (CLC 203) 11:00 am Celebration Handbells 12:15 pm Made to Crave (CLC 204) 5:30 pm CDC Training (Shelton) Tuesday, February 5 9:30 am Faithful, Abundant, True (CLC 207) 1:30 pm Outreach Meeting (Outreach Room) 5:15 pm Men s Summit Planning Meeting (Shelton) 5:30 pm Spanish Class (CLC 209) 6:00 pm Stephen Ministry Training (CLC 207) Genesis Class (Shelton) 6:30 pm Cub Scouts (Underground) 7:30 pm Co-ed Volleyball Oaklawn Church of God Wednesday, February 6 8:30 am Pilates (CLC 202) 9:00 am Ho Hum Low Impact Exercise (CLC 205) 11:00 am Retired Old Men Eating Out 1:30 pm Knitwit Meeting (CLC 205/207 4:00 pm Intercessory Prayer Group 4:45 pm Wednesday 1 st Dinner (Cupp Hall) Annual Gumbo Cook-Off 6:00 pm Large Group Bible Study (Cupp Hall) Confirmation Class (CLC Library) Wednesday Night Kids Wednesday Night Youth It Starts at Home (CLC 209) Single & Parenting (CLC 211) 7:00 pm Chancel Choir ConneXion Practice Thursday, February 7 9:00 am Disciple IV: Under the Tree of Life (CLC 201) Friday, February 8 8:30 am Pilates (CLC 202) 9:00 am Ho Hum Low Impact Exercise (CLC 205) Sunday, February 10 8:15 am Worship 9:30 am Sunday School The ConneXion 10:45 am Connect Groups Disciple I (CLC 211) 10:55 am Worship 5:00 pm Sunday Night Youth (Underground) Kids R.O.C.K. (Cupp Hall) Soul Sisters (Meet in Atrium) Monday, February 11 8:30 am Pilates (CLC 202) 9:00 am Christian Believer (CLC 211) 9:30 am Disciple II (CLC 203) 11:00 am Celebration Handbells 12:15 pm Made to Crave (CLC 204) Tuesday, February 12 9:30 am Faithful, Abundant, True (CLC 207) 10:00 am Rogers-Moore Circle (Media Room) 1:30 pm Jane Murphy Circle (CLC 201) 5:30 pm Spanish Class (CLC 209) 6:00 pm Stephen Ministry Training (CLC 207) 6:30 pm Cub Scouts (Underground) 9:00 pm Co-ed Volleyball Oaklawn Church of God

12 Periodicals postage paid at Hot Springs, Arkansas. The First United Methodist Church Messenger [USPS ] is published bi-weekly by First United Methodist Church, 1100 Central Avenue, Hot Springs, AR Subscriptions are 50 cents per year. Postmaster: Send address changes to First United Methodist Church, 1100 Central Avenue, Hot Springs, AR UNDER CONSTRUCTION The church offices will be undergoing a minor facelift during the week of February 4 th -8 th. If you have any church office business please come to the Welcome Center at the CLC and someone will be happy to assist you. In Memory of Russell Jagoditsh, Betty Jagoditsh s husband Carolyn Tennyson Bobbie Horton In Memory of Todd Laing, Buddy & Sybil Laing s Son Saints & Sinners Sunday School Class George & Karen Dooley John & Sue Polk In Memory of Helen Parker, Joyce Whitfield s mother Ross & Carol Atkinson