CHURCH NEWS

Bella Vista Lutheran Church

Bella Vista Lutheran Church has awarded two scholarships for the coming year. The recipients are Tim Colville and Isaac Hass. Tim will attend Northwest Arkansas Community College and Isaac will be attending the University of Central Arkansas.

The Men’s Discipleship Class continues on Mondays at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. They study Matthew 8. Please park behind the Fellowship Hall and enter through the basement door.

The Shepherd’s Food pantry is open every Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. They are requesting donations of healthy cereal, flour sugar and oil. A container for donations is in the Church narthex.

Sunday morning worship is 8:30 a.m. for the traditional service and 10:45 a.m. for the blended service. Sunday School and adult Bible classes are at 9:45 a.m. Bella Vista Lutheran Church is located at 1990 Forest Hills Blvd. (Arkansas Highway 279), and the church office telephone number is 479-8550272. For further information, visit www.bvlutheran.com.

Presbyterian Church of Bella Vista

The community is invited to a traditional worship service on Sunday, July 3, at 10 a.m. with Holy Communion. Christian Ed classes meet at 8:30 a.m. A nursery attendant is available. New friends are always welcome.

Members of the church will participate in a worship with the residents of Concordia Care Center at 3 p.m Sunday, July 3. Everyone is welcome to attend the worship and visit with the residents.

The church office will be closed on Monday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

During the summer months of June, July and August, the church is collecting snacks for kids. When the kids are out of school, they need easy snacks and lunch items such as granola bars, peanut butter and cheese crackers, and single-serve portions of fruit cups, macaroni, ravioli, soups, etc. The table for collection of food items is located in the connector hallway and will be delivered to Helping Hands for distribution.

The Presbyterian Church of Bella Vista is located at 1880 Forest Hills Blvd. Recent sermons can be heard on the church website www.pcbv. org, or like them on Facebook. Check their website calendar for other scheduled activities. Contact the church office at 479-855-2390 with any questions about activities or to speak with a pastor.

Highland Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Sunday School starts at 9 a.m. Sunday, July 3. At 10:30 a.m., Pastor Paul Seal will be speaking.

July 4, the office will be closed for the holiday.

The church is at 1500 Forest Hills Blvd. The church office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon.

For more information, call 479855-2780, email highlandchristian@cox-internet.com or visit HighlandChristianChurchBV.org.

Village Baptist Church

Village Baptist Church called Dr. Harold Johnson to serve as senior pastor in May. Harold, a native of Tennessee, is married to Ginger and they have two sons: Taylor and Hayden.

Harold previously served as pastor in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. Before coming to Village Baptist Church, Harold and Ginger, along with their sons, served as career missionaries with the International Mission Board, SBC, for 14 years and were church planters in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

Harold received his Bachelor of Arts from Columbia International University, Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Doctorate of Ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary researching Chronological Bible Storying.

Throughout all his ministries, Harold’s goal is to know Christ and to make Him known. Connecting lives, sharing truth, walking together and impacting the community are essential building blocks for today.

Village Baptist Church invites the community to visit in person or listen online at www.vbconline. net.

Bible Study begins at 9 a.m. Sunday morning, Morning Worship at 10:15 and Evening Worship at 6 p.m. Wednesday Prayer starts at 7 p.m.

Village Baptist Church is located at 380 Glasgow Rd. For more information, call 479-855-7775 or visit www.vbconline.net.

Village Bible Church

Wednesday, June 29, the Oasis Food Pantry will be open from 10 a.m. to noon. This ministry is available to anyone in the area who needs help with groceries and would appreciate the compassion and encouragement of friendly volunteers. The 5:30 p.m. dinner will be hamburgers with all the trimmings, plus salad and dessert. Donations will be accepted, and the community is always welcome. The dinner is followed at 6:20 p.m. by singing, devotions and prayer for adults. Activities will also be held for children. Nursery for infants and toddlers is available and the community is invited.

Sunday, July 3, Growth Group classes are offered for all ages at 9 a.m. followed by the 10:15 a.m. Worship Service with communion and, of course, the community is warmly welcomed. Pastor Mark Voll’s message will have a patriotic theme. Infant and toddler nursery and Children’s Church for kids are offered as well.

Tuesday, July 5, a men’s Bible study led by Dr. Ron Morris will meet at 7 p.m., and men from the community are always welcome. A ladies’ KniTTogether ministry and the White Cross Women’s Mission ministry also meet at 7 p.m. The ladies enjoy informal fellowship while working on projects that benefit needy children and adults in the area as well as a hospital in Congo. This too is open to any ladies who would like to come and learn more about it.

Village Bible Church is located at 1591 Forest Hills Blvd., Bella Vista. Church office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information, contact the church at 479-876-5764.

New Life Christian Church

New Life Christian Church, 103 Riordan Road, offers three Sunday services: 8:30, 10 and 11:30 a.m. New Life Kids programming for children birth through fifth grade is offered at all three services.

“What Do You Say About That?” is the title of the summer sermon series at New Life Christian Church.

Little Sprouts preschool is accepting enrollment for the fall school year. This Christian-based preschool is open to children 3 to 5 years old. For a tour of the facility and to meet the director, contact 479-855-1616.

New Life Christian Church is a non-denominational church. Office hours are Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and Friday, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Visit newlifenwa.com.

Highlands Church

The JAM Adult Sunday School Class meets every Sunday from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Visitors are welcome.

Samaritan’s Feet, in cooperation with local United Methodist churches from Bella Vista, Gravette, and Sulphur Springs, will host a shoe distribution event on Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Gravette United Methodist Church located on the corner of Second and Akron Streets in Gravette.

Highlands Church, a United Methodist congregation, is located at 371 Glasgow Road. For more information, call 479-855-2277 or visit www.humcbv.com or Facebook.com/humcbv.

Unitarian Universalists of Benton County

The Unitarian Universalists of Benton County are located at 1110 S.E. Evergreen St. (Little Einstein Montessori School) in Bentonville near the southeast corner of 14th and J streets. The Sunday service, which begins at 11 a.m., is preceded by coffee and social time beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, July 3, Rev. Betty McCollum will give the homily.

Sunday School is available for children through age 15. A Unitarian Universalist adaptation of Jerome Berryman’s book “Spirit Play” is the primary resource. The morning is structured based on the Montessori approach. As in Montessori, the key elements are the classroom environment and the teachers. These elements free the children to work at their own pace on their own activities after an initial lesson.

For more information, visit the UUBC website at www.uubcar. com, Facebook at https://www. facebook.com/UUBC.AR, MeetUp at: http://www.meetup.com/ Unitarian-Universalists-of-Benton-Co/, Twitter at https://twitter. com/UUBC1, and Tumblr at http:// uubcar.tumblr.com.

Unity Church of the Ozarks

Come to hear guest speaker the Rev. Jan Pittman presents “Following in Jesus’s Footsteps” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, July 3. Stay for the monthly noon prayer team meeting will following the service. They have a committed group of people who serve by holding in prayer those who request prayer support.

The regular meditation time (30 minutes) is Wednesday night at 7 p.m. followed by a book study.

The interim pastoral care minister is the Rev. Jan Huneycutt Lightner.

Rick Blough facilitates QiGong classes every Saturday at 9 a.m. Stay afterwards for a complimentary hands-on healing session.

Unity Church of the Ozarks meets at 10:30 a.m., Sundays, at 902 S.W. Second St., Suite E, Bentonville. For more information, call 479-721-2752.

Forest Hills Church

Forest Hills Church welcomes people of all faiths to worship this Sunday at 10:45 a.m. Guest Pastor Mark Kirby will preach this Sunday’s sermon, “Patriotic Medley,” from II Chronicles 16:9 and Isaiah 2:4. The adult Sunday School Class begins at 9:45 a.m., and the Prayer and Bible Study is led by Mark Kirby on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.

Forest Hills Church is an American Baptist congregation involved in various ministries within the church, throughout the Bella Vista community and worldwide. FHC is located at 1702 Forest Hills Blvd., across from Edward Jones Investments in the Bella Vista Highlands. For more information, call the church office at 479-855-3555, email foresthillschurch@sbcglobal.net or visit them online at www. foresthillschurch.info. You can also find them on Facebook at facebook.com/foresthillschurch. arkansas.

Bella Vista Baptist Church

Sunday Morning Services include 8:30 a.m. contemporary worship, 9:45 a.m. Bible Study/Sunday School , 11 a.m. traditional worship and 5 p.m. evening worship in the old sanctuary.

Wednesday evening prayer meeting is held at 5:45 p.m. in the old sanctuary. There are youth activities Wednesdays starting at 6 p.m.

The Men’s Prayer Breakfast, every Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall, is studying the book of Romans.

The church has a Senior Adult Fun Day the second Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. Bring your favorite snack, your favorite game, and come for fun and fellowship.

The senior adult ministries hosts “Ice Cream and a Movie” the fourth Friday of the month at 6 p.m.

Prayer Warriors are available from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week by calling 479-855-6644.

Bella Vista Baptist is a multi-generational church with weekly activities for children and adults. The church office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information is available by calling 479-855-3748 or visiting www. bvbaptist.com.

St. Bernard Catholic Church

St. Bernard Catholic Church is located at 1 St. Bernard Lane, Bella Vista. Mass is 5 p.m. Saturday, July 2, and 9 a.m. Sunday, July 3.

St. Bernard Vacation Bible School will be held July 11-15 from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration began in June. For information, please call the church office at 479-855-9069.

Bella Vista Community Church

Come for worship at 9:30 a.m. Sunday mornings with coffee fellowship before and after the service. Pastor Jeff Reed will be preaching Sunday, July 3. The sermon series through July 31 is “Summer in the Psalms.” Adult Bible Study starts at 8 a.m., and a staffed nursery is available as well as Children’s Worship for ages 4-12 during the worship service.

Vacation Bible School will be held July 25-28 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. for age 4 through incoming sixth-graders. All children from the community are welcome. This year’s theme is “Cave Quest: Following Jesus, The Light of the World.” Register your children online at bvcc.net or stop by the church office.

Caregivers’ (All) Support Group has changed their meeting day/ time. Beginning in July, they will meet the second Wednesday of every month. The next meeting will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, in the parlor.

For more information about the church, call 479-855-1126.

“Summertime - and the livin’ is easy;

Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high…” So wrote George Gershwin.

I remember summertime! I grew up on a farm — and the livin’ was not easy! I remember summertime! Cultivating acres of corn. Cutting wheat with a Binder and putting the bundles of wheat into shocks; later, threshing the wheat and hauling the grain to the granary. Cutting, raking, and hauling hay; putting the loose hay up into the hay loft in 90-degree weather. Tending the garden: plowing, hoeing, weeding and watering. Morning and evening — feeding the horses, milking the cows, slopping the hogs. Repairing the machinery when it broke down. Cooking meals over a wood stove. I remember summertime! The work went on from sunup till sundown. The livin’ was not easy!

“In the good old summertime; In the good old summertime;

Strolling through the shady lanes with my baby mine…..”

Summertime was not easy, but summertime was a good time! Farm work was hard work, but it bound our family close together. Each of us shared in the work that had to be done. Each of us shared in the sense of accomplishment when the tasks were completed. Each of us shared in the fruits, the results, of our efforts.

Sitting together around the dinner-table, or supper-table, we shared the good things and the bad things that had happened to us that day. Later in the evening, we would all sit out on the porch, enjoying the sounds of the night. We enjoyed the peace and the calm of evening-time. Summertime was a good time! We also enjoyed family outings, church picnics and homemade ice cream. Life doesn’t get much better than that!

“People don’t notice whether it’s winter of summer when they’re happy!” So said Anton Chekhov. How did we survive without air conditioning? Without TV? Without many of the things we take for granted today, things we feel are “necessary” in order to have the “good life?” We had learned to do the best with what we had. We learned to thank God for the many blessings we had received. We had all we needed. We saw our work as part of God’s work in our little corner of God’s world. We had the love and close companionship of family. We were a part of a loving, caring church family, and we enjoyed visiting with our neighbors. We were happy — and summertime was a good time to be alive!

“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken!” James Dent.