Rev. Dr. Michelle Morris
Luke 2:8-20
The heart of A Christmas Carol is a man experiencing change after an encounter with 4 spirits. Probably the most dramatic moment in the birth of Christ is the appearance of the angels, spiritual beings who reorient the lives and faith of the shepherds on the field. Are we open to the same kind of change? (We will watch one of the standard versions of A Christmas Carol – Patrick Stewart, George C. Scott or Alastair Sim – whichever one is easiest to show.
DATES AT A GLANCE
Fun Friday - Friday, December 12, 1:30-3:30PM
Chancel Choir Christmas Cantata - Sunday, December 14, 11AM
Beer & Carols - Sunday, December 14, 5PM
Kids Christmas Party - Wednesday, December 17, 6-7PM
Spirited (PG-13) (Movie Night) - Friday, December 19, 6PM
Christmas Eve Services - Wednesday, December 24, 11AM, 3PM, 5PM, 7PM
Urgent Announcements
Staff Christmas Party Tuesday - Office Closed
Dec 12 Christmas Carol Friday Night Movie Cancelled
Tonights Christmas Carol screening has been cancelled, we hope to see you next week!
CANCELLED: December 12 - A Christmas Carol (traditional version)
Parking Lot Security Team Meeting Cancelled
Due to a miscommunication in dates the parking lot security team meeting has been cancelled.
Beer & Carols - Volunteers Needed!
We need your help! It takes a whole sleigh-full of helping hands to make sure this event goes off without a hitch. Can you help us? We promise it will be a jolly good time, all in support of the NWA Children’s Shelter. Plus, when you work a volunteer shift, you get to enjoy the rest of the event for free! We need folks to help with:
Guest Check-in
Table Ushers
Merch Sales
Food Serving
Photo Booth
Clean-up
Click the button below to see all of the available opportunities.
Thank you in advance for your gift of time and energy!
Purchase a Poinsettia
Poinsettias are now available for purchase through Dec 15! Click here to purchase. Forms are available in the Church office.
Community Events
Beer & Carols | Sunday, December 14th
All of your favorite Christmas carols and holiday hits will be led by the Beer & Hymns Band, joined by guest horn and string players from around NWA. We'll eat, drink, sing, and be merry while we support the work of the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter. All ages are welcome. Tickets on sale HERE
WHAT TO EXPECT
Sunday December 14, 2025
Rogers Metroplex
Doors open at 4:45, singing begins at 5:15, and we wrap up the night at 7:45
FOOD AND DRINK
Dinner, dessert, and 1 drink ticket are included with the price of admission. Cash bar is available all night.
SEATING
All attendees will have a seat at a table! There will also be cocktail tables so you can eat and drink comfortably.
CHARITY
Our charity for the month of December is the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter. They provide hope, every day, to the most vulnerable children in our community. Your ticket price and 100% of donations go directly to the shelter.
A Christmas Carol Friday Night Movie Nights
For the first three Fridays of December, we will be showing a different version of A Christmas Carol in Hines Hall at 6 p.m. We will provide dinner; you bring a comfortable way to sit (lawn chair, bean bag, blanket). Then on Sunday, the pastors will preach on the version we watched on Friday.
CANCELLED: December 12 - A Christmas Carol (traditional version)
December 19 - Spirited (note: PG13 for language and some adult themes)
Christmas Cantata — December 14
“Come Ye Faithful: A Service of Carols”
During our 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship, the Chancel Choir will present Come Ye Faithful: A Service of Carols, arranged by Hal H. Hopson. This beautiful cantata offers fresh arrangements of beloved Christmas carols, featuring chamber orchestra, soloists, and scripture readings that retell the Christmas story with warmth and wonder. Come, listen, and celebrate the joy of Christ’s birth with us!
Family Ministries
Youth White Elephant Gift Exchange
We’re wrapping up our last Sacred Threads of the year with a fun $5 (or something you already have!) White Elephant Gift Exchange. Bring a wrapped gift—funny, practical, or just something you’re ready to pass along!
No Kids or Youth Sunday School - Dec. 28
No Wednesday Night - Dec. 24 and Dec. 31
No Sunday Night S.A.L.T.
Youth will not meet this Sunday night. We hope our families celebrate the season at Beer and Carols!
Youth Leadership Council Applications
If you are a current youth student who wants to serve your peers and help shape the direction of our ministry, consider applying for the Youth Leadership Council! Members of this team give a voice to our programs, events, and overall vision—helping ensure that our ministry reflects the needs and ideas of the students it serves.
Applicants must be in grades 8–12 and have at least one year of regular participation in our youth program. Please complete all parts of your application and have your character references submitted by December 15.
Click HERE to apply!
Veritas 2026
7-12th grade students are invited to a youth worship weekend, February 27-March 1! Click here to sign up for Veritas by December 20th!
Christmas in Bentonville | Wednesday, Dec 10
Join us on December 10th at 6 p.m. for an exciting rendition of Jesus' birth, led by our children!
Kids Christmas Party | Dec 17
We hope our K-6th graders will join us to celebrate the Christmas season at our last Wednesday Night Kids of the year! We will have games, snacks and fellowship time!
announcements
Winter Coat Drive
Time to clean out family closets of outgrown or unused winter coats! FUMC Bentonville will be collecting new or used(clean, well kept) winter coats for children and adults for the next month. They will be distributed to area schools and Helping Hands in early January. Please take this opportunity to share with our community the coats that you and your family no longer wear. There will be a collection box in or near the church office.
Reserve the Date!
Our Creation Care Team wants to have lunch with you on Sunday, January 25 at 12:30pm (or just after the 11am worship service ends.) We are eager to share our 2026 plans and just as eager to hear your ideas for our church to be involved in Creation Care. More details will follow in January. For now, please reserve the date to join us!
Can you help Gateway by volunteering for Mock Job Interviews?
Gateway High School is looking for volunteers to guide students through mock job interviews, which will be held from December 11 to December 18. You do not need to volunteer every day, just a couple of hours will be very helpful. Gateway will even give you a list of questions to ask the students. Many of these students haven't experienced a job interview and the feedback helps them understand what an interviewer is looking for and helps them gain confidence. If you can volunteer for one or more interviews, please sign up at this Scheduling Link. Thank you in advance for your support!
Christmas Eve Services
Wednesday, December 24
11 a.m. - Traditional Service (Sanctuary)
3 p.m. - Family Service (Sanctuary)
5 p.m. - Contemporary Service (Sanctuary)
7 p.m. - Traditional Service (Sanctuary)
Join Bishop Merrill for Advent Devotionals
Advent Devotionals with Bishop Merrill, Dec. 4, 11, 18
This Advent season, we invite you to begin your mornings in prayer, reflection, and community. Join us on Zoom on Thursday December 4, 11, and 18 at 8:30 a.m. for a time of devotion and shared prayer as we prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ.
These brief gatherings are designed to fit before your regular workday — a simple, sacred pause to center your spirit and connect with others across the Conference.
Week 1 & 2: Led by Bishop Laura Merrill — reflections on hope and peace
Week 3: hosted by Conference Staff of Arkansas and Oklahoma — reflections on joy and love
Each session will include space for prayer requests shared live during the gathering. Whether you plan ahead or join at the last minute, you are welcome. Come as you are — there’s always room for you at this table of grace.
Let’s move into this holy season together — grounded in faith, connected in prayer, and filled with the expectant hope of Advent.
Blue Christmas: Christmas services for hope and healing
While the holidays are meant to be a time of joyous celebration, for many, it’s also a time of grief and heaviness. United Methodist Churches across the state offer services for those dealing with the loss of a loved one, marital problems, financial strains, and other heavy burdens to feel comfort and reassurance during a time of confusion and loss. These services, often referred to as “Blue Christmas” or “The Longest Night,” are provided in addition to the church’s traditional Christmas and Advent celebrations. Arkansas United Methodist Churches that are hosting a Blue Christmas service can be found here, along with service times and locations.
Christmas Offering
This year's Christmas offering will be split to benefit the Second Street Pantry and the Bentonville Book Bus, which delivers snacks and books to kids during the summer months. Remember that Christmas offering is given above your regular commitment, and it needs to be designated. Either choose Christmas offering on the drop down menu in online giving, put cash in an envelope and write Christmas offering on the envelope, or write Christmas offering in the memo of your check. Let's bless the families of our community this Christmas season!
Last Fun Friday of 2025
Dec 12, 2025 is the last Fun Friday of 2025. Join us in the Gathering Room at 1:30 for games and snacks until 3:30. It's a perfect way to share laughter, games, and snacks.
Dreaming Prayer
During the State of the Church address on November 16, Pastor Michelle encouraged all of us to pray this prayer as we dream about possibilities for our church and our land for the next few months. Also, if you want to pray with a group who will focus on this prayer and pray for our community at large, contact Johnna Kosnoff (
) about joining the Missional Prayer Team.
God of wonders and miracles,
Let me dream your dreams
And let me see your visions
So that I might do my part
To stop the nightmares of many.
Let my mind and my heart be open
So that I might know what doors
You want me to open
For the neighbors you call me to love.
Talk to you later/Amen
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