From Your Lay Leader..

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1 April, 2018 Happy 50 th Birthday United Methodist Church! Did you know that April 23 is the 50 th birthday of the United Methodist Church? It was on that day in 1968 while in General Conference in Dallas, Texas, that the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church (EUB) to form a new denomination The United Methodist Church. I remember well as a 14 year-old boy, active in my church s MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship), having to learn a new acronym. No longer were we in MYF, but henceforth we were a part of the UMY (United Methodist Youth). Come celebrate your United Methodist Church s 50 th birthday party with a special cake and coffee to be served on Sunday, April 22, between sanctuary worship services. Rev. Sieg Johnson Sr. Pastor From Your Lay Leader.. Communion, a sacrament! In the dictionary one definition says a religious or spiritual fellowship. Holy communion is the Lord s supper, not ours. The United Methodists practice an open table which means that Christ our Lord invites to His table all who love Him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another. For me, communion means that I recognize that Jesus gave his life for me. The bread represents the body that was broken to remind me that I have sinned, but I can start anew. The blood of Jesus was shed for the forgiveness of my sins and to show me the way. I feel cleansed after communion. Communion is usually served to the congregation the first Sunday of each month. However, communion is also served each Sunday between the first and second service in the sanctuary and is known as come and go communion. We also serve communion on Wednesday at 5:15 p.m. after a short devotion. Unfortunately, there are some that cannot attend a church service. Our church has a number of people that are willing to take communion to these members on the first Sunday of the month. We try to serve those that are in the hospital, rehab, nursing homes, or confined in their home. Using the bulletin, the hospital list and word of mouth, a list of these homebound folks is updated each month, and they are called to be sure they would like to receive communion. You can help by calling the church and give names of those that you think would like communion in their home. As I stated they will be called to be sure they want communion. Home Communion Givers serve many, i.e., caregivers, family members, hospital staff, etc. - anyone that requests the Lord s supper. We can always use more volunteers to serve home communion so prayerfully consider if this may be a ministry you feel called to be a part of. Art Jungnickel Lay Leader 700 Balearic Road Hot Springs Village, AR

2 COH Library Christ of the Hills is blessed to have an outstanding library! Currently we have approximately 3,000 books, many DVD s and audio books. All of these books are excellent resources for Bible study, prayer study, resources on religion and many other areas of interest. Did you know.we also have a large collection of fiction??? There is also a selection of children s and youth books. Be sure and stop by and spend some time seeing what our library may have to offer you in your reading. You are welcome to sit for a while and enjoy the quiet as you peruse the shelves or read a selection. Dottie Williams has been our librarian for many years and does an outstanding job ordering new material to keep our selections current, weeding out those books that are no longer relevant or extremely old, and keeping our card catalog up to date. By the way.you can access the card catalog on line through our web page.go to click on Ministries then click on Education. You will see the entry for the library and be able to access the card catalog. Our library stocks books on a wide range of subjects.. with a large selection of fiction books, DVD s, audio books and children s books, as well as many study and reference books. Each year, Earth Day April 22 marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Environment was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news. Although mainstream America largely remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in The book represented a watershed moment, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries, and beginning to raise public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and links between pollution and public health. Earth Day 1970 gave voice to that emerging consciousness and putting environmental concerns on the front page. This year, you are invited to an Earth Day worship service sponsored by the Village Interfaith Council. The service will be held on Sunday, April 22 at 3:00 p.m. at Christ of the Hills UMC. We hope you will come and celebrate Earth Day We have chosen a contractor, MCSE, LLC; the principle is Michael Schumacher. The winning bid was $1.34 million. MCSE is a local company with ties to Christ of the Hills and the Village. Michael is familiar with CoH as he was the Project Manager for Nabholtz when they built the Education/Music wing and he has worked with our Trustees in the past. Michael and our architect, are meeting to make sure they are in agreement in the details of the project (i.e. methods, materials, sequencing, etc.) To accommodate his schedule we have set April 15, as the tentative start date. The entire project is estimated to be completed within 9 months.

3 Sunday, April 15 3:00 p.m. Fellowship Hall Christ of the Hills UMC Presented by the Village Big Band Inspired by a sermon last summer, the Village Big Band will join Rev. Sieg Johnson in an afternoon of scriptural commentary with matching music. The idea emerged from the sermon s reference to the book of Hosea being represented musically by Country and Western music, specifically Your Cheatin Heart, which the band will play along with commentary by Rev. Johnson. A number of other musical styles will be matched with Biblical references. The program naturally begins with Genesis ( What a Wonderful World sung by Kenny McKay and band vocalist Maureen Morgan) and ends with Revelation ( Over the Rainbow, sung by Kenny McKay.) In between there will be other comments on scriptures matched with the band s version of disco, jazz, classical and soft rock. There is no charge for this program; everyone is welcome to come and gain new insight relating the Bible to modern music. Tuesday, June 12 Trip to Dickey Stephens Ball Park AR Travelers vs Northwest AR Leave COH 5:15 p.m. Price includes: Bus transportation from COH to Dickey Stevens Park & back All you can eat buffet Great seats along First Base Line $42 per person Sign up in the Information Center Payment guarantees reservation; payment must be received by June 1

4 Looking for BAKED GOODS Cakes, Breads, Cookies, Brownies Plan now to donate your favorite baked goods to the Annual Garage/Bake Sale on May 5. Cover your items in clear plastic wrap and label with the name of the item Please, no cream pies or other items that need refrigeration. Label items containing nuts, peanut butter, sugar-free or glutenfree. Items should be brought to the church before 2 p.m. on Friday, May 4. Baked items are VERY popular..there will be lots of buyers and the baked goods go fast.so let s have plenty of baked treats available for the shoppers! AR FOOD BANK VOLUNTEERS Tuesday, April 10 Thursday, April 12 If you can go either day, please contact Leila McCloud at or leilaann@suddenlink.net. 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. We can make a difference in the lives of those who are hungry. NOW IS THE TIME TO CLEAN OUT YOUR HOME AND STORAGE AREAS!!!! Do you have items in your home, garage and storage areas that do not get used and are in the way? It s time to gather those unused items and donate them to the UMW Garage Sale!!!! A successful sale requires lots of items to sell! SORRY, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT: Clothing, shoes (donate to United Methodist Outreach), pianos, large Christmas trees, picturetube TVs, magazines, VCR players/recorders and tapes. Bring items to the church on Thursday, May 3 or Friday, May 4. If you have items to donate but are unable to bring them to the church, the UMM will pick up items at homes on Thursday May 3 and Friday May 4. These pickups must be scheduled in advance. Do you have furniture, a large item or multiple boxes for the UMW Garage Sale RIGHT NOW???? UMW HAS A STORAGE UNIT AT BALBOA DRIVE STORAGE You may pick up a key from the church office and take your items to the storage unit. Please return the key to the office as soon as you are finished. WE ARE UNABLE TO PICK UP YOUR ITEMS UNTIL MAY 3 or 4. Call Paula Mathews ( ), Barb Meyer ( ) or Jan Koepp ( ) to arrange a pick up time for that date. Sign up now to help! Saturday, May 5 8 a.m.-2 p.m. All proceeds benefit local UMW missions. Sign-up sheets are located in the Information Center. Morning and afternoon shifts are available for May 3, May 4 and the day of the sale, May 5. There is also a sign-up for baked goods. Help make this sale a success by donating your time, baked goods and items for sale. Don t forget to come shop on Saturday May 5 and bring your relatives, friends and neighbors!!!l

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! MEN.ARE YOU ABLE TO HELP THE UMW? The UMW are having their ANNUAL GARAGE SALE on Saturday, May 5 th. We need drivers with PICKUP TRUCKS, TRAILERS, and/or VANS to pick up large items being donated by COHUMC members. Pickups will take place mostly on THURSDAY, MAY 3 rd and should be completed by noon on FRIDAY, MAY 4 TH. We will also need a driver and a helper to be available on Friday afternoon for last-minute pickups. In addition, the UMW have requested that we provide 4-5 men to be available on Saturday, the day of the sale, to assist with loading items into the vehicles of the buyers and to assist with taking down tables and helping to clean up. The UMM receives 10% commission on all proceeds from the sale There will be a SIGN-UP SHEET available at the meeting in April or you can contact Jay Chandler to volunteer to help. YOU CAN HELP Recycle Reduce Pollution Raise funds for missions Be sure to join us FRIDAY APRIL 13 TH at 7:30 a.m. Guest Speaker Rev. Dennis Brown Chaplain, Garland County Jail Ministry Upon the retirement of Chaplain Ed Losey, Rev. Dennis Brown assumed the position of Chaplain for Garland County Jail Ministry on January 1, Over the years, Rev. Brown has served as the director and chief development officer of many charitable organizations. Since moving to HSV, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Village Rotary Club, chaired the HSV POA Public Safety Committee, served on the Board of the Boys and Girls Club and held the position of Christian Education & Men s Ministry Team Leader at Village Bible Church. 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 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, PLEASE Used Printer Cartridges They cannot be damaged, remanufactured or refilled. NO INK TANKS (without print head). No laser toners, please Please support the mission work of the United Methodist Men by recycling used printer cartridges. A recycle box has been placed 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.). The United Methodist Men and their mission recipients thank you for your support!

6 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 organization: April: Project Hope Backpacks for Schools In the first 3 months of 2018, your Mission Commission has been able to donate to: Haven United Methodist, Teen Challenge of AR, Love Lunches, Arkansas Race Track Chaplaincy, Safe Haven, Camp Aldersgate, and Cooperative Christian Ministries & Clinic In the weeks following Easter and leading up to the May 6th Service at Lake Balboa, The Gathering will be exploring "What did Jesus Eat?" The post-resurrection stories are filled with Jesus sharing a meal with his disciples and friends. Join us as we have a meal with Jesus and draw closer to our risen Lord! APRIL FOOD DONATIONS: Haven UMC-Hot Springs Place items in the baskets at The front door and at the Fellow-\ Ship 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. Preparing an estate plan is good Christian stewardship - saying thanks to God, expressing your love and concern for family, and showing charity toward others. Easter at Christ of the Hills Maunday Thursday, March 29 7:00 P.M Worship and Communion at Christ of the Hills UMC Good Friday, March 30 The 7 Last Words of Jesus Christ 12 p.m.-3 p.m. at Christ of the Hills UMC 3:00 p.m. Worship Service at Christ of the Hills UMC Please join us on Good Friday, March 30 between 12:00 and 3:00 PM for a self-guided meditative experience centered on the Seven Last Words of Christ. At 3:00 PM, we will have a Good Friday Service commemorating the death of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday, April 1 Sunrise Service 6:30 a.m. at Balboa Pavilion Traditional Services at COH 8:40 & 10:10 a.m. The Gathering Praise & Worship Service 10:30 a.m.

7 Dear COH Friends..... Your caring helps To all my special and new friends at COH. I m hone now and recuperating very well from a broken hip and thigh bone which needed a rod to get me up and about. I would never have made it without the support and prayers from COH. Rev. Sheila was there for me through the times. She was a gem. Thanks to all the staff members also. My blessings to all of you, Dorothy Shaw The United Methodist Women would like to thank everyone who gave donations toward the Easter Baskets. Because of your generosity, we were able to reach our goal and provide food baskets for those in need in the Mountain Pine Area. The UMW is so grateful to the members of this congregation who always step up to help those who are less fortunate. What a blessing to be a member of Christ of the Hills. I just want to express my thanks for all the prayers and well wishes received during my recent surgery. Special thanks to Pastor Sheila for the prayers and staying with Harry and I while I was waiting to go into surgery and for her and Pastor Patti's hospital visits. I know that all those prayers (and maybe previous workouts with COH Sweatin' in the Hills exercise classes!) contributed to my faster than usual recovery time. Also, our Care Zone 24 went above and beyond to provide meals for a whole week after I returned home, and we are very thankful for that. Please continue to keep me in your prayers as I receive follow-up treatments. Blessings to all, Shirley Baldwin Thank you to everyone for all the cards, phone calls, prayers and visits during my illness. COH, you are the greatest! Blessings, Rev. R.T. Jarrell Stephen Ministers are members of Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church who have gone through 50 hours of training in providing high quality Christian care to individuals experiencing a crisis or challenge in their life. Stephen Ministers are led by Stephen Leaders who have been through an additional 50 hours of training in Leadership. Stephen Ministers are each assigned a care receiver and meet with that care receiver for about an hour each week. This caring relationship will last for as long as the care receiver needs it. When someone requests a Stephen Minister, our Stephen Leader for Referrals Coordination, Rev. Who Are Stephen Ministers? Patti Butler will meet with that person, explain what Stephen Ministry is, and help determine whether Stephen Ministry is the kind of care that person needs. That person is then matched to one of our available Stephen Ministers who call that person and begin meeting. Everything a care receiver says to his Stephen Minister is kept confidential. The Stephen Minister does not try to solve problems; rather they listen, care, pray and help the care receiver find his/her path to healing and wholeness. For more information call Rev. Patti Butler at

8 Wednesday, April 18 6:00 p.m. $10 per person Join us as Beaver and Wally Cleaver learn lessons in Christian honesty from Grandpa and Grandma Cleaver. Featuring our own Christ of the Hills young people, this throwback to one of America s favorite TV comedy shows stars Saxon McMurray as the Beaver; Lachlan McMurray as Wally; Greggor McMurray as next-door mischief maker Gilbert; Angela Coriaty as HSV-TV meteorologist and Chloe Clark, Christian Stelz, Jack Wurz and Ben Romero in special TV commercials. Rounding out this cast of stars are COH members Chuck and Myrna Miller as Grandpa and Grandma Cleaver; Carol Bodge as June Cleaver and Mark Wiley as the Golf Pro. Produced by Faith and Ron Heinrichs, this special movie will entertain and enlighten you. Catered by The Daily Dish, your TV Dinner tray will include Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans, a roll and dessert. Tickets will be available in Fellowship Hall between services on Sunday, April 8 or in the office during the week. Be sure to purchase your tickets early - seating is limited! 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