It’s Not Always About Winning

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics ended on August 8, 2021, after more than two weeks of intense competition from the world’s greatest athletes. Technically though, it was the 2021 Tokyo Olympics because of a yearlong delay thanks to COVID-19, and the virus’s presence in this year’s games was heavy on the minds of everyone involved, from athletes to organizers of the games, to everyone watching at home.
Invite God To Change Our Conversations

It seems to me that we Christians are engaging in more and more conversations about the future that leave us feeling stuck, frustrated and hopeless. The result? All too often we end up cynical at best or polarized at worst. Which is exactly why it’s time to do something we should have been doing all along – invite God to change our conversations.
Centershot Ministries Teaches Biblical Truths Through Bows and Arrows

Since the early 2010s, St. James UMC in Little Rock has hosted its Centershot Archery ministry for kids and adults of all ages who are interested in getting involved in the world of archery.
Understanding Our Diversity Leads to Changed Lives

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Building the Kingdom of God Through Small Community Libraries

The library isn’t even open yet, but kids are arriving. They come in groups; some are dropped off by their designated grown-up, others arriving on bicycles, still more walking up to the doors. In Altheimer, a small, rural community in Jefferson County, the library has become the place to be for children who are out of school for the summer.
Ready, Set, Read Aims to Break the Summer Reading Slump
Paragould FUMC keeps kids reading when not at school

For nearly a decade, Paragould First UMC has aimed to break the summer reading slump with its Ready, Set, Read summer program, a weeklong event that encourages kids in the area to continue reading and learning during the summer months.
The View Is Always Better at the Top

Have you ever looked up from the bottom of a mountain and thought to yourself “there’s no way I’m getting up there”? Life is like that sometimes, too.
Reframe and Rename Volunteering

No matter the size of your church, staff are not hired to do it all! The church is a community of Christ-followers that work together to share and teach God’s love.
A Word Audit

When I find free moments to reflect on my life and ministry, I often think about the words I use to describe what I’m experiencing. If the words are positive, uplifting and energetic, I know I feel good about what’s going on. If they are negative, it’s equally obvious. And if they are snarky (and, yes, that’s a theologically appropriate term), I know there’s something going on in me I need to figure out.
The Arkansas Conference Staff Shares What They’ve Learned From Caste: The Origins of our Discontents
Staff book study furthers the discussion on racism and caste systems in the United States
Desiring to further explore issues of racism and caste in the United States after our study on implicit bias ended, the Arkansas Conference staff began a new book discussion series exploring author Isabel Wilkerson’s New York Times best-selling novel Caste: The Origins of our Discontents.