First United Methodist Church
121 Harrison Ave. SW
Camden, Arkansas
71701
870-836-6871
fumccamden@sbcglobal.net
Encouraging and equipping believers to make disciples through their loving service to all.
Sunday School at 9:30am
Al Rose & Wesley Class meet on the 2nd Floor
Ellen Horseman's Class meets on the 3rd Floor
Young Adult's, Children & Youth Classes meet on the 3rd Floor
Worship at 10:30am in the Sanctuary
®
Check Out Our Weekly Email Want to join our email list?
Click here
Meetings this Week!
Wednesday @ noon - The Message of Jesus Study
Wednesday @ 5:30pm - Friends on a Mission (Library)
Wednesday @ 5:45pm - Leadership Board (Three Floor)
Wednesday @ 6:30pm - Youth Bible Study
Wednesday @ 6:30pm - Hand Bell Choir Practice
Wednesday @ 7:30pm - Chancel Choir Practice
No Youth or Grief Group this Sunday!
This Weeks Sermon:
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
The full worship service is broadcast on FM 97.1 on Sunday mornings at 9:00am.
Bits from Beth – March 14, 2025
This week, the South District Board of Ordained Ministry met twice. We met on Wednesday at St. Luke UMC in Pine Bluff and we met Thursday at FUMC in Arkadelphia. We will have another meeting by Zoom later on a Saturday for those bi-vocational pastors who cannot meet during the week. Every Local Pastor and every Certified Lay Minister and every Lay Speaker that is currently serving a church is required to meet with our Committee once a year for approval. Ellen Horseman and I serve on the Board so we get the privilege of meeting these men and women and hearing their stories. Our Board also meets in the Fall and Spring to certify candidates for ministry. The group we interviewed ranged in age for late 20s to 90 years old.
It is a blessing to serve on this Board even though at times, we are
called to make difficult decisions. This week, we were blessed over and over and over. Some of the churches are as small as five people but they do great things. Mt. Olive UMC feed 110 families a month with their Food Pantry in Fordyce. Thornton UMC does amazing community work. Many of the churches have reading programs for children or backpack feeding ministries. We heard story after story of God at work in south Arkansas.
This Sunday, we will be looking at Jesus as the Light of the World. There was a hymn we sang when I was a child that I have not seen in any of our hymnals but I will never forget the chorus:
Come to the light, ’tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me;
Once I was blind, but now I can see:
The Light of the world is Jesus!
The Gospel of John talks about Jesus as light more than any other gospel. Jesus did not just declare himself to be the light of the world, in the next chapter, we find Jesus healing a blind man. For the first time in his life, the man saw light. And then no one believed him.
Our worship services often remind me of light and not because we have large lights. There is a certain light that expresses itself in joy when we start our tradition of greeting one another. People are laughing and smiling and it warms the room and my heart. That joy continues when Cynthia begins her prelude. You can feel the Holy Spirit in our Sanctuary and that is a great thing because you never know when someone has had a very bad week and they need to experience God. You also never know when that person is going to be you.
See you Sunday!
Grace and peace,
Beth
In 2020, we contracted with Lifetouch to produce a church directory that was to come out that spring. Then COVID hit. We did not receive the directory until 2021 and they had left out many of the pictures we had supplied but we had no recourse because they went out of business. There are now few options for publishing a directory so we have gone to an online directory. Over the past three months, our Church Administrator, Erin McAllister, has been carefully inputting data and rounding up pictures. You can access it through your email but only if the church has an email for you. You must use the email the church has on file. Click on the link below, put in your email and create a password. It will email you a confirmation link for you. Click on it and you should be in the directory. You can edit your information. Replace the picture or correct the information. If you see someone you know with no information, send us an email update and we will correct their information. Please do not text Erin outside of office hours asking for help. We will be glad to help you on Sunday morning or during office hours. We want our devoted staff to have time with their families.
Link to Apps:
First United Methodist Youth
Online Giving with Tithely:
We now provide you with the option to give your tithes and offerings online. You can make contributions to the General Fund, Capital Improvement Fund or the Mission Fund. It is quick and easy to setup. Click the button below to get started. If you have any questions please contact the church office for assistance.
Please let us know if you would like to volunteer for any of our missions. We can always use extra hands and feet and most importantly loving hearts.
Sues table and food Pantry
First United Methodist Church has a program called Sue's Table that offers a free meal every Monday night at 4:45 pm . One plate per person no carry outs. We will start serving at 5:00pm. We also have a Food Pantry that is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday from 9-11 am. Thank you.
Our feeding program participate in and distribute USDA TEFAP (emergency feeding assistance program). This organization is an equal opportunity provider and follows USDA nondiscriminatory policies .
We are a USDA distribution site
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Latest News...
Click on the weekly email, or Friday update button or the Sunday worship bulletin button above.
Please click on the links above for monthly YOUTH SCHEDULE, FOOD PANTRY SCHEDULE and SUE'S TABLE SCHEDULE.
Visit our Preschool Page to see the latest Monthly Newsletter.
Be sure to visit our Facebook page and check out our weekly email to see all our church has to offer in the coming weeks!
Previous Sermons:
Thornton Lecture Series
Previous sermons can be found on Libsyn. Previous worship services and Sunday school lessons can be found on our YouTube Channel. See the icons below: YouTube- Facebook- Libsyn
