Hope Contingent Attends Arkansas United Methodist Annual Conference in Hot Springs

Lay members Catherine Cook, Kim Mullins, and Pastor Tom Mullins attended the Arkansas United Methodist annual conference in Hot Springs (June 18-20), representing the First United Methodist Church of Hope and the South District of the Arkansas United Methodist Church. This annual conference includes United Methodist clergy and lay members from across Arkansas. They celebrated the ordination of full-connection and provisional elders and deacons and acknowledged a range of fruitful ministries throughout Arkansas and the global United Methodist connection. The atmosphere was filled with positive and inclusive messages of faith, peace, hope, and love for God and one’s neighbor. Church business was conducted through debates and votes on budgets, constitutional amendments, and other matters of faith. There was laughter and fellowship. It was a gathering of old and new friends celebrating the lives of those who had gone to be with the Lord. Memories were shared about those who were gone but not forgotten. The gathering included calls to do more in the communities where you are planted, along with good food and fellowship with friends, celebrating acceptance and inclusivity. I am pleased to announce that I, Pastor Tom Mullins, have been reappointed by Bishop Merrill to another year as pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Hope, AR. The appointments were announced on Friday, June 20, 2025.