Bits from Beth

February 26, 2026

Dear Friends:

For the last two weeks, we have been sharing space in the Great Hall with the Ouachita County Election Board as early voting began February 17th. Why are they using our location instead of the Courthouse across the street? The elevator has been out at the Courthouse and given its age, they have had trouble getting the right parts. We love our Great Hall. Our women’s exercise group is sharing the space. We shared the space on Ash Wednesday. And Monday, the space was utilized by Sue’s Table and the quarterly give-away we have. Fairview United Methodist Church hosted Sue’s Table, providing a great meal of homemade burgers with baked beans, chips, and homemade cakes for dessert. The Election Commission joined in the fun and a good time and fabulous meal was enjoyed by all. And next Monday, we will do it all again. It is a wonderful witness for our ministries.

We started a Sermon Series on the Sermon on the Mount and will continue it through Lent. Last week we finished with Chapter Five and will start Chapter Six this Sunday. While Chapter Six appears prominently in the Scripture for Ash Wednesday, it contains The Lord’s Prayer which will be covered in the Worship Service on March 8th. We have books on the Lord’s Prayer we will give to the children during the service. We hope to see you there.

Several years ago, many large churches discovered that you do not wait until seventh grade to build a youth group. Research showed that children who were not act in church in the fifth grade will likely never become a regular in youth ministry. We have active fifth graders and will be looking for ways to engage them more regularly. Our first two confirmation classes will be held during Spring break – Monday-Tuesday, March 23rd & 24th from 9:00AM until 2PM. It will be open to fifth grade and older. We will have more classes scheduled during breaks. Your new pastor will pick this up so we can have Confirmation in the fall or spring.

The message from the Sermon on the Mount and the core of United Methodist theology is “God is Love.” The Bible is not a book of do’s and don’ts. It is about relationships and how far God will go to redeem God’s creation and reconcile all God’s people. It is how we are to care for one another and care for creation. It is about forgiveness. Jesus tells us then shows us what it means to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our Lord.

Grace and peace,

Beth