Bits from Beth

May 27, 2026

 

Dear Friends,

One Sunday, we announced that our Leadership Team and heartily approved a proposal from the Arkansas Food Bank to become one of six regional community Resource Centers in Arkansas. What does this mean for our Food Pantry? First in means a major investment in needed resources such as a walk-in freezer, storage and dock for fresh fruits and vegetables, and additional equipment so we look for like a small grocery store than a Food Pantry. The Food Bank will bring food to us each week plus we will have additional services available such a writing wills, cooking and nutrition classes, and a small reading area.

 

How did this happen? Our staff certainly goes above and beyond working with our neighbors but so does this entire congregation as you interact with our neighbors at the pantry, at Sue’s Table, in our church, and when you see them around Camden. You have generously given of your time and leadership when we needed to adjust for COVID. You have generously donated in volunteering, in cooking, and hosting. We work with the new Soup Kitchen and work with Zion Hill Baptist. We have volunteers from the Usher Organization. We work with schools and we work with the Christian Health Organization.

 

This church and its leadership put a new rood on the pantry last year. You help us fund a new curb and level off the parking lot. When we made the decision to move the pantry to the Wesley Center, you helped pay for the new electrical system and the tear out of old rooms. We went from an all-volunteer staff to hiring a mission coordinator. So many of you participated in those decisions. You work over the last decade and more has helped countless people in this community. We now serve alongside our neighbor and that makes all the difference. Changing one life changes the world. This is the Holy Spirit working within us, both individually and collectively. The future is bright.

 

Work continues to update the parsonage for the new family moving in in late June. There will be a reception before the worship service on my last Sunday, June 14th. I’m taking vacation for the next two weeks so they can work on the parsonage. I’m flying to Denver on Wednesday to meet the movers with 90% of my things that were shipped earlier this month but got delayed. I will return on Saturday. We have a wonderful service planned for Sunday when we will be returning to Paul’s letter to the Romans, the end of the eighth chapter.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39

 

I have lived over seventy years of my life in the church. I have had my membership with five different churches over my lifetime, Southern Baptist, United Methodist, and an Interdenominational Community Church. Since ordination, my membership is with the Arkansas Annual Conference. I’ve been to many, many revivals and lecture series. I’ve heard so many funerals and graveside services. I’ve listened to lots of preachers and teachers who should know better try to tell me what does separate us from the love of God. The list includes suicide, divorce, homosexuality, being a female pastor, voting Democrat, voting Republican, giving a homeless person a dollar, drinking – smoking-dancing, interracial marriage, integration, welcoming the widow, orphan, and alien, believing the Bible is not inerrant, being against the death penalty… The list, unfortunately is endless when you are using Jesus to control the behavior of others. Truthfully, I think I will stick with Paul. Nothing will separate us. Nothing. Jesus has promise never to leave or abandon us. That is a promise I will hold to always.

 

Have a blessed week!

Grace and peace,

Beth