As our church grows, so does our need to serve a greater variety of people; we find ways to serve our seniors, those retired from jobs or at least from bigger jobs. People who are single by choice or by unforeseen circumstances can find a place to grow and share at FUMC. The last and fastest growing group that has found a life in our church are the young ones. With only a handful of children and youth a few short years ago, we now enjoy the presence of children and youth in ministries throughout the church.

Retirees come in many age ranges. Our “seniors” have been retired for many years – but they still serve on ministries or committees that continue to be important to them. As our seniors move toward the retirement homes and even on to nursing homes, they are not forgotten – many of our ministries reach out to this cherished group of adults and find ways to celebrate their presence.

The younger group of “retirees” (around 50 – 70 years old), tend to be the leaders in our church. Many have come from very active lives in a church where they moved from; others have been so busy with jobs, that they really look forward to being able to commit more of their time to finding ways to serve God and church. And they often do that within the social groups they connect to in the church.

Our greatest opportunity to expand our evangelical heritage has come through the desire to give a younger generation new ways to express their faith, translate that faith into actions and make a difference in the world.

We welcome families with children into our church, whether they come from other church backgrounds, or have no previous church experiences to draw from. Our goal is to seek ways for them to encounter Christ.

We’ve recently created new positions in the children and the youth areas to help us reach out more effectively to this growing segment of our church. Though most of these families have one or two working parents, we invite them to serve on boards and short term task forces to make sure their needs are heard and understood as we continue to embrace that niche of our membership.

Singles are represented in most of the ministries within our church.

The S.A.L.T. (Single Adults Learning Together) Bible Study group meets the first and the third Wednesday each month at 7pm in Room 4. The group selects an area of study which may be a book of the Bible, or a spiritual growth study book. Leaders may rotate, depending on area of study.

The Out To Lunch Bunch meets once a month to travel to some interesting place, or go shopping, and usually have lunch before returning to the church.

First UMC offers exciting, interactive learning opportunities for people of all ages, beginning with our youngest children. Each Sunday during the 9:30 am worship hour we offer "Early Christian Awareness" for tiny tots and toddlers in our nursery. Classes for our children ages 5 through 6th graders start in our Contemporary Praise Celebration. After the opening praise song and a short talk they move to there classes down stairs. We currently are using PowerXpress rotation model Sunday School. In a rotational setting, the same Bible story or theme is taught for several weeks. Each week, children rotate to different stations. The story remains the same, but children encounter it in different ways. The more ways a child explores a story or concept, the more it is reinforced in their memories. Rotational learning is exciting for students; they experience Bible stories in ways that they learn best hands on. Your child could be doing crafts, drama, music, watching a movie or maybe even a science experiment.

Contact the Director of Children's Ministries, Carrie Drish, with any questions.

All the information that you need to know about what is going on with our children's programs is right here at your finger tips!
First UMC - Bella Vista Children's Ministry Blog.

We are empowering teens to live their daily life thru Christ by bringing them closer to God thru FUN, FELLOWSHIP, and FAITH. All teens 7th thru 12th grade are always welcome at any of our ministries’ classes, meetings, service, or outings.

Sunday School- 9:30 am – Teens meet in the Contemporary Service and sit together for Praise singing and then move down to the Youth room for Bible Study until 10:30am.

CrossWord – Wednesday evening youth group 6-730 pm in the youth room in the basement. During WOW Wednesday, teens can meet early at 5:30pm for meal in Becker Hall. Please bring $3 for meal.

Service Saturdays – service/mission work day once a month.

Fun Fridays – fellowship outing for the teens once a month. Example: bowling, movies, ice skating, etc.

Contact the Director of Youth Ministries, Danette Baker, with any questions.