2019 Holy Land Journey of a Lifetime

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1 March, 2018 From Your Lay Leader.. Grace Garden Memorial Garden Are you aware of the Grace Garden? Are you aware of the Memorial Garden? As you walk out the kitchen door, turn right and continue through the parking lot past the UMM Can Trailer, you will enter Grace Memorial Garden. The area is divided into 2 parts; Grace Garden (on the left with the fountain in the middle) is for the internment of ashes and Memorial Garden (on the right) is for the spreading of ashes. In a few weeks you may want to walk through Grace and Memorial Gardens, sit and enjoy the peacefulness - it is really beautiful in the spring! Grace Garden is limited to members and their immediate family only. There is a $400 fee for the interment of ashes which is used to help maintain the area. This fee is not tax deductible and is nonrefundable. However, if you decide not to use your space in the future, you may transfer the money to the church and claim it as a tax deduction, which has been done. Memorial Garden, for the spreading of ashes, was added later but is also maintained under the Grace Garden Ad hoc Committee. To help defray the cost of maintenance there is a $100 fee, also nonrefundable. You will note there are brass plaques with the names of those in Grace and Memorial Gardens; those may be purchased for an additional charge. Our Maintenance Supervisor, Ken McAndrews keeps the area always looking beautiful and at times many volunteers have also helped with some of the larger jobs. Any plantings or replacements are funded by Grace Garden, not the church budget. If you are interested in volunteering or donating contact the church office. Do your family a favor and plan for your final resting place now. You can reserve a spot in Grace Memorial Garden at any time. Please contact the church office if you have any questions or would like to make arrangements Holy Land Journey of a Lifetime Informational Meeting, Monday, March 5 at 3:00 Rev. Johnson will lead his 14 th journey to the Holy Land in 2019, departing the U.S. on March 25. All who are interested in this trip are invited to attend an Informational meeting on Monday, March 5 at 3:00 in Class Room 1. Rev. Johnson s studies in seminary and at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor focused on ancient Hebrew language and culture, the foundation of his passion for leading faith-based travel to the Holy Land and other Middle Eastern and European destinations which have been key in the development of the Judeo-Christian faith. If you ve ever wondered what it might be like to walk where Jesus walked in places like Bethlehem, Nazareth, Capernaum, Jericho, and Jerusalem (and so much more), join us on March 5 or contact Rev. Johnson to receive a brochure. Art Jungnickel, Lay Leader 700 Balearic Road Hot Springs Village, AR

2 The Request for bids went out earlier this month to three contractors who expressed an interest in our project. As you read this we will be meeting at CoH with the potential bidders and our architect. The purpose of this meeting is to give the contractors a chance to see where they would be working and to study the existing structure they would be modifying. Our architect and members of the Building Committee will be there to answer any questions. We plan to open and review the bids the first week in March and select a contractor at that time. Sunday Morning 10:30 a.m. The theme for worship during the season of Lent is Seeking Holiness, 1 Timothy 4:7b- 11 is the setting text: Train yourself for a holy life! 8 While physical training has some value, training in holy living is useful for everything. It has promise for this life now and the life to come. 9 This saying is reliable and deserves complete acceptance. 10 We work and struggle for this: Our hope is set on the living God,who is the savior of all people, especially those who believe. 11 Command these things. Teach them. Each week a different spiritual discipline will be introduced, with our scripture coming from Jesus Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6 & 7. Sun. March 4 Matthew 6:19-21 Treasure: Simplicity Sun. March 11 Matthew 7:13-14 Lay it Down: Submission & Confession Sun. March 18 Matthew 7: How Will They Know You? Service Sun. March 25 Matthew 21:8-11 The Crowds Shouted: Worship Is your current will keeping up with you? Does it reflect your Christian commitments? Make sure your will is up-to-date. AR FOOD BANK VOLUNTEERS Thursday March 8 Tuesday March 13 UMW volunteers will be going to the Arkansas Food Bank on these 2 days. If you can go either day, please contact Kristi Chance or klchance61@gmail.com. We meet in the lower parking lot and leave by 8:00 a.m. with a return in the early afternoon. All women are welcome to share in this wonderful mission outreach. MARCH FOOD DONATIONS: TEEN CHALLENGE Place items in the baskets at the front door and at the Fellowship Hall entry door. If you wish, monetary donations are always accepted. Just put your donation in the offering envelope found in the pew and label it Food Pantry.

3 Choir Cantata Sunday, March 25 Palm Sunday 2:00 p.m. This musical and narrative journey will remind us that the path to freedom and salvation came with a significant price. Presented by the 60+ member choir and 18-piece orchestra, this worship service will consider and celebrate the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. Easter Season at Christ of the Hills The somber tone of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday call us to move behind the joyful celebrations of Palm Sunday and Easter, and focus on the suffering, humiliation, and death that is part of Holy Week. It is important to place the hope of the Resurrection, the promise of newness and life, against the background of death and endings. It is only in walking through the shadows and darkness of Holy Thursday and Good Friday, and realizing the consequences of a world separated from the love of God, that we can truly understand the light and hope of new life that we celebrate on Easter morning! Thursday, March 29 7:00 P.M Worship and Communion Sunrise Service 6:30 a.m. Balboa Pavilion Traditional Services 8:40 & 10:10 a.m. The Gathering Praise & Worship Service 10:30 a.m. Good Friday Friday, March p.m.-3 p.m. The Stations of the Cross 3:00 p.m. Worship Service

4 Tuesday, March 6 1:00-4:00 p.m. Tickets: $5.00 per person Sold in blocks of 4 or 6 ONLY Desserts and Beverages included Door prizes Silent Auction Games of any kind.tables of 4 or 6 Ladies AND gentlemen are invited to bring games of all kinds...bridge, backgammon, mahjong, bunko, dominoes, Monopoly, etc. Tickets are available during the week in the church office or between services in Fellowship Hall Sat., May 5 IT WILL BE HERE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!!!! The sale is only successful if there are lots of items to sell. GET READY NOW IS THE TIME to clean out garages, storage areas, closets and cabinets - any place where you put those things that are no longer used but are too good to throw away. Our UMW can sell those items at the Annual Garage and Bake Sale, so start gathering your donations. Include new, unused items for re-gifting. Other popular categories are sporting goods, electronics, knick-knacks, glasses, dishes, linens, books, records, CDs, DVDs, decorative items, collectibles, jewelry, furniture, and seasonal items. Proceeds go to local charities. SORRY, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT: Clothing (donate to United Methodist Outreach), pianos, large Christmas trees, picture-tube TVs, magazines, stereo consoles, VCR players, recorders and tapes. Each year, through the generous giving of our congregation, the UMW is able to arrange for Easter Food Baskets to be delivered to families in the Mountain Pine School District. These baskets are put together by the Arkansas Food Bank and delivered with the help of the UMM. This year we have many families in need. Please help us to again give these families a blessed Easter and to show how God loves and cares for them. Please write your check to COH UMW and designate on the memo line Easter Food Baskets. You may put your check in the offering plate or leave it in the office no later than March 25. Thank you for helping us to reach out to these families. If you have any questions, you may contact Martha Altom at UMW HAS A STORAGE UNIT FOR LARGE ITEMS FOR THE GARAGE SALE Do you have furniture, a large item or multiple boxes to donate to the UMW Garage Sale? If you have an immediate need for storage, we have a unit at Balboa Storage. You may pick up the key at the COH office. WE ARE UNABLE TO PICK UP YOUR ITEMS AT THIS TIME. Pickup will be arranged by the Methodist Men for May 3 rd and 4 th. If you have questions, please contact Paula Mathews ( ) or Jan Koepp ( )

5 All Christ of the Hills men (members and visitors) are invited to attend our monthly breakfast meetings, the second Friday of each month at 7:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. Come and join us for a great breakfast, a devotion, interesting speakers and good fellowship! AR FOOD BANK VOLUNTEERS 1 st Thursday and Friday 3 rd Thursday and Friday Leave the Upper Parking Lot at 8:00 a.m. All COH men are welcome to come and help Be sure to join us FRIDAY, MARCH 9 TH at 7:30 a.m. Our speaker will be Rev. Dr. Bubba Smith Former COH Sr. Pastor Bubba Smith has been burning up the highways traveling back and forth between Hot Springs Village and Smackover, AR where he is temporarily ministering to the United Methodist Church there. We know, as always, he will provide us with an interesting and entertaining program! We hope you will come, bring a friend and enjoy the best breakfast in town. YOU CAN HELP Recycle Reduce Pollution Raise funds for missions ALUMINUM CAN COLLECTION: Please support the mission work of the United Methodist Men by depositing your empty aluminum cans in the UMM trailer located in the far corner of the upper parking lot. Drive by any day of the week week and make your deposit. Your contributions are greatly appreciated! NOTE: PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CANS ARE SECURELY BAGGED -NO LOOSE CANS!! DRINK CANS ONLY.NO FOODCANS OR ALUMIMUM FOIL.DRINK CANS ONLY.. SAVE THE DATE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 Used Printer Cartridges Please support the mission work of the United Methodist Men by recycling used printer cartridges. You will find a recycle box in Fellowship Hall (under the table by the office door) for the collection of used cartridges by our church members, friends and neighbors. These cartridges must be genuine cartridges with print heads (HP, Canon, Dell, Apple, Compaq, Lexmark, etc.). They cannot be damaged, remanufactured or refilled. NO INK TANKS (without print head). No laser toners, please! ANNUAL UMM GOLF TOURNAMENT Diamante Country Club More information and registration form available soon Maximum 120 players Space for Mens and Womens teams

6 Noon Lenten Worship and Communion Service Each Wednesday from now until March 21, Christ of the Hills will offer a mid-day worship and communion opportunity. Commencing at 11:30 a.m. in the sanctuary, there will be a 30 minute worship and communion service. Each service will offer a brief devotional closing with communion. Following the service at 12:00 p.m., a light lunch will be available in Fellowship Hall. Teams of volunteers will coordinate and prepare the meals. This special Lenten Worship series will replace the 5:00 p.m. service during this time Join us during this special time in the church year to reflect and renew your faith. WE NO LONGER COLLECT CAMPBELL S SOUP LABELS The company has stopped the program and will no longer redeem the labels. UMW STILL COLLECTS: Box Tops for Education (General Mills products) Cancelled stamps Card fronts Aluminum can tabs Please place in the appropriate boxes under the United Methodist Women s bulletin board in the northwest corner of Fellowship Hall. Tuesdays March 27-April 24 4:30 p.m. Have you ever wanted to try yoga, but felt you weren t flexible enough, didn t have the right body, or felt you were too old? Consider an eight-week beginner yoga class taught by Alice Crawley and Pat Sisterhen. The class will learn basic yoga poses using props to support the practice. The book, Holy Listening with Your Body, Breath, and Spirit by Whitney R. Simpson, will be used as an additional at-home resource. A sign-up sheet will be located in the Information Center along with a student waiver form. Class size is limited to 20 so sign up as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please call Pat Sisterhen at The Stations of the Cross are an ancient devotion originating in the desire of Christians to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Their devotions were not processions related to the Stations of the Cross as practiced today but did involve a walking pilgrimage to the sacred places related to the crucifixion of Jesus. On Good Friday, (March 30) here at Christ of the Hills we will have a Stations of the Cross experience. Each of the 14 stations will have creative ways to remember Jesus journey to the cross and relate how each part of this sacred journey relates to our own lives. The Stations of the Cross will be available from noon to 3:00 p.m. so that you may experience them at your own pace. Join us for this spiritually moving time of devotion as we remember Christ s ultimate sacrifice for us on the Cross.

7 Dear COH Friends..... Your caring helps Caregiver-Grief Support Group 1 st & 3 rd Thursday, 11:00 AM Classroom 6 Call Art Jungnickel for more information Thanks to the generous giving by YOU, Christ of the Hills members, the Missions Committee was able to reach out to the community and the world by donating to the following organizations: March: Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic Starting Over Ministries Why Stephen Ministry? We have many needs for care in our congregation and community; people experiencing divorce, grief, terminal illness, relocation, empty nest, retirement, hospitalization, loneliness and many other stresses or challenges. Often people with needs suffer silently or do not request or receive the level of care they really need. With three pastors for a congregation of almost 1,000 members, you can quickly see why it would be impossible for our pastoral staff to meet every single need of every single person. Stephen Ministry expands the care COH can offer by equipping and organizing members to provide Christian care. This gives us a larger pool of people with the gifts, skills, and calling to bring Christ s love and care to those who most need it. Everybody benefits from Stephen Ministry. Those receiving care benefit because they receive prayer and support throughout the crisis they face. Stephen Ministers benefit through spiritual growth they experience being involved in meaningful ministry. Our pastors benefit because caring ministry is expanded. And, most of all, YOU benefit from the knowledge that special care is available to you, should you need it. For more information, please contact Rev. Patti Butler at Remember to set your clocks ahead 1 hour on Saturday night, March 10!!

8 Bell Ringer The monthly newsletter of Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church 700 Balearic Road Hot Springs Village, AR Rev. Siegfried S. Johnson, Senior Minister Rev. Sheila Jones, Associate Minister Rev Patti Butler, Associate Minister Rev. Kenny McKay, Minister of Music Office telephone: Office hours: Mon.-Thurs. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday 8 a.m.-noon Website cothumc@cohumc.com Sunday Morning Worship Services Traditional Services 8:40 a.m. & 10:10 a.m. The Gathering Praise & Worship Service 10:30 a.m. Mid-Week Worship & Communion 5:00 p.m. Wednesday Evening Sunday Nursery available Adult & Children Education classes We are a Stephen Ministry Congregation Sunday, March 25 Palm Sunday Choir Easter Cantata 2:00 p.m. Thursday, March 29 Maundy Thursday Worship & Service of Communion 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 30 Good Friday Stations of the Cross 12 p.m.-3p.m. Worship Service 3:00 p.m. Sunday April 1 Easter Sunrise Service 6:30 a.m. Balboa Pavilion Worship Services at Christ of the Hills Traditional 8:40, 10:10 a.m. The Gathering 10:30 a.m.