A Note from Pastor Leslie

Last Friday and Saturday, the Presbytery of Arkansas met for its spring meeting at the University of Ozarks in Clarksville. It was a pretty momentous meeting- the consultant team from Ministry Architects gave its first report, we heard from three mission partners with exciting plans for the future, and approved a team to search for an interim General Presbytery to help lead us into our next steps. After lunch on Saturday, though, we did something that (luckily) rarely happens at a Presbytery meeting- we announced disciplinary charges against one of our own.

Pastors are not perfect and shouldn’t be expected to be. But they should be held accountable for their actions, especially when those actions bring pain and damage to other people. It was a heavy moment, listening to the 13 charges that represented abuse that went on for years.

As painful as that moment was, it reminded me of one of the reasons I love our church. As Presbyterians, we truly believe that we are better, stronger, and more faithful together than we are alone. We talk a lot about our “connectional church”, but that connectional nature was on display this weekend as we gathered as a community of churches to make sure that this instance of abuse didn’t get swept under the rug, but instead was named and admonished, in hopes that no one else will have to suffer in those ways again. It was uncomfortable, it was heartbreaking, and it was powerful.

Sometimes we, as people and as a church, are called to do hard things, to name hard truths, to bear witness to a stranger’s pain. But in those moments, we do well to remember Jesus’ words to us in the 18^th chapter of Matthew, that wherever two or three are gathered in God’s name, Jesus is in our midst. Each time we step into our sanctuary on a Sunday morning, we stand in the great tradition of knowing that gathering together as the people of God is precisely how we live into our calling as the people of God. And there is no one I’d rather do that with than YOU!

Time Change

Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead 1-hour before going to bed this coming Saturday night.

Deacon Meeting - Cancelled

The Deacon meeting scheduled for this Sunday at 11:30 a.m. has been cancelled. The next meeting will be Sunday, April 14, at 11:30 a.m.

2nd Annual Lenten Lunch Series

Each Monday in Lent, you are invited to gather as a Hot Springs faith community as we center worship around the “Fruit of the Spirit” from Paul’s letter to the Galatians and share in a simple lunch and some fellowship. We will begin at 12:05 p.m. each Monday in the host sanctuary with a brief time of worship followed by a soup lunch.

This coming Monday, March 11, the host church is First Presbyterian (213 Whittington Ave) with Rev. J. J. Galloway preaching.

If anyone is interested in helping out with lunch, please reach out to Helen Bumpas.

Muses "Celtic Spring" Concert

The Muses Project opens its 2024 performance season with Celtic Spring, a unique blend of traditional and contemporary Irish, Scottish and English ballads, upbeat folk songs, and inspiring sacred tunes, March 6-11.

• Friday, March 8, 7:00 p.m.: Woodlands Auditorium, 1101 DeSoto Blvd in Hot Springs Village. Tickets are $35.
• Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, 3:00 p.m.: Muses Cultural Arts Center, 428 Orange St. Tickets are $35.

If you love Celtic music, this show that promises to delight with musical weavings that will transport you to the Emerald Isles and magical woodland glades filled with mystery, song, and dance, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! Tickets are $35, online at www.themusesproject.org or call 501.609.9811.

Click this link for a special message from featured performers Chaski: https://youtu.be/dAMAc02809k

Easter Lilies

If you would like to contribute to the lilies that decorate the sanctuary for Easter, please click here for an order form. The deadline to order is Sunday, March 24. A list of donors, “in memory of” and/or “in honor of”, will be listed in the Easter Sunday bulletin. You may also contact the church office (501-624-5646 or office@firstpreshotsprings.org) to place your order.

Presbyterian Women's Spring 2024 Gathering

PW is planning to attend the Spring Gathering at Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center on Saturday, April 13. We will depart from First Presbyterian at 7:45 a.m. At the Gathering, items will be collected for Ferncliff's PDA Center 'Clean Up Buckets'. The cost is $25.00 per person and the deadline to register is April 1. For a registration form, click here. For a list of supplies needed, click here. The registration form and supply list can also be found on the table in the hallway outside of the Sanctuary.

Dear Church Family,

With all of the health issues and vacations coming up, I am having a hard time finding workers for Bargain Box on Wednesday afternoons from noon to 3:00 pm.

If you could spare a Wednesday afternoon sometime to work, please contact me. The work is easy and it is a lot of fun, plus we are helping our community by bringing in extra money each week to help those less fortunate.

Together we can continue to make a difference for the people in Garland county. Please volunteer today.

Thank you,

Michael Carr, Bargain Box Coordinator

(501) 627-2188

Mystery Member of the Week!

It is time again for another sleuthing mystery! We have asked a church member 8 questions about themselves. Do you know who it is? Happy sleuthing!!

(If you are asked to be a "Mystery Member", please keep in mind that it is okay if there are some people that may guess who you are. The purpose is for people that don't know you, to learn about you, and the ones that do know you, to learn something new.)

1.      Where were you born?

LaRochelle

2.      What was your first job?

Waitress

3.      What is your favorite vacation spot?

Mexico

4.      What movie or television show could you watch again and again?

Fatal Attraction

5.      What hidden talent do you have?

Cutting Hair

6.      What was your favorite subject in school?

Math

7.      What skill would you most want to wake up tomorrow and be able to do?

Design

8.      Why do you love First Presbyterian Church?

The congregation.