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Calendar of Events
Child Development Center
Caring Place
1100 Central Avenue
Hot Springs, Arkansas 71901
office: 501-623-6668
fax: 501-623-2293
fumchs@fumchs.com
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Youth
Missions
Jones Mill Project
First United Methodist Youth work throughout the year at Jones Mill, a small impoverished community just outside of Hot Springs. We have teamed up with Shorewood Hill Methodist Church, which is located in the center of Jones Mill, to help the local residents in various ways. Listed below are some of the projects we are involved in at Jones Mill:
Jones Mill Easter Egg Hunt
This is for children of all ages during the Easter season. We stuff thousands of plastic eggs with candy and coins and host a fantastic egg hunt. We also have found fun and creative ways to share the gospel of Jesus Christ during this event. It is a wonderful time for all who attend.
Summer Lunches and Fun at Jones Mill
Every Tuesday in the summer the Youth at First United Methodists church prepare and serve lunch to many kids and adults at the Shorewood Hills Methodist Church. It is really neat to work together on this project in small groups. The students cook lunch and set the dining tables for the meal. Then they ring the old church bell to alert the neighborhood that we are ready to serve. It is fun to watch the children of the community come running from all over the neighborhood to the church. After lunch we have special activities for the kids like art classes with Darby Logan, bingo, outdoor games, movies and pickles and popcorn. It is a great way for all the kids---First Methodist kids and the Jones Mill kids, to interact and share the love of God.
Back Pack Day at Jones Mill
Just before school begins, First United Methodist Youth sponsor about 25 children and help them get ready to go back to school. We raise money, gather supply lists, purchase and put together backpacks and school supplies for 1st and 2nd graders. These students, without our help, would not be able to afford new supplies. Shorewood Hills Methodist church host a Back Pack party and invites the kids form the community to come celebrate the new school year and receive their fully laded brand new backpack. There’s nothing better than new crayons! Right? What a joy it is for FUMC Youth to be part of this ministry.
A Special Family at Jones Mill
Working at Jones Mill has opened our eyes to many needs in our local community. This past summer we met a great-grandmother who inherited six great-grandchildren. Our heart went out to her immediately. We met her right after she received the children. She told us her story, with tears in her eyes, and told us of her many, many needs. She didn’t even have car seats, clothing or diapers! The Youth at FUMC jumped at this opportunity to serve this family. The next day, through emails and the generosity of our church members, we supplies her with 4 car seats (yes, her babies are little), clothing and diapers. Since then, we have raised money to help her with food, more clothing, Christmas gifts, a couch and much, much more. Some people adopt children from Africa; we have adopted a family from Jones Mill. It has been a wonderful opportunity serving this family in this capacity, but the best part is sharing the love of Christ through service. This great grandmother even said she just might start going to church at Shorewood Hill. What an awesome response to our service work.
Other Youth Mission Projects
Winter Coat Drive: Montgomery County Residents & Oaklawn Racetrack Workers
For the last two years, we have joined up with Joplin United Methodist Mission Team to collect coats for residents in the Montgomery County area and Oaklawn race track. Through this ministry we have collected close to 1000 coats. It’s nice to share Christ through the warmth of a coat.
Jackson House
One of our favorite mission places. The Youth at FUMC always love to work in the kitchen of Jackson House, where we prepare and serve lunch to residents in the Hot Springs area.
Food Drive Scavenger Hunt
In November our youth have fun collecting food for Jackson House and our own food pantry at First Church. We divide into teams and head out to various neighborhoods on a scavenger hunt to collect items on our list. Most of the items are non-perishable foods for the pantries, but we do throw in some different ones just for fun, like the ugliest Thanksgiving decoration, a Thanksgiving card and even a Thanksgiving prayer. This is a great event for all who attend, but one that also raises tons of food---literally.
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