Arkansas United Methodist

An exciting event is happening August 8: The Board of Laity of the Arkansas Conference is hosting a study on The Social Principles. Rev. Neal Christie, who has worked very hard to assemble this study since last General Conference, will be the speaker and one of the facilitators. The Zoom event begins at 9:30 a.m. with a brief devotional by Bishop Merrill, followed by Neal’s presentation.

This year, clergywomen across The United Methodist Church joined together in celebration of 70 years of women receiving full clergy rights in the Methodist tradition. From Arkansas to Minnesota, California to Kentucky, Oklahoma to Pennsylvania, and throughout our connection, women gathered to honor those who courageously answered God’s call and helped open doors for the generations who followed. The collage accompanying this article is more than a collection of conference photographs.

This summer, Salem United Methodist Church in Conway was once again blessed to partner with the University of Central Arkansas Physical Therapy program during our Special Needs Vacation Bible School. Each year, UCA students volunteer their time, energy, and compassion to ensure that every child is able to fully participate in VBS.

At First United Methodist Church in Little Rock (First UMC LR), discipleship extends beyond Sunday worship and into the life of the community. Through a growing partnership with Get Loud Arkansas, church members are helping Arkansans register to vote, verify voter registration and participate in civic life. Church leaders say the work is a natural extension of the congregation’s mission in Following Jesus. Loving People. Sharing Grace., the Arkansas Conference’s identity campaign launched in 2025.

The final morning of the 2026 Arkansas Annual Conference opened with prayer and a reminder of the conference theme, The Way of Love: Flowing as One, before members heard reports highlighting theological education, young adult ministry, United Methodist institutions and the church’s ongoing work of leadership development.

The second day of the 2026 Arkansas Annual Conference began with worship, prayer, and a challenge to conference members to remain focused on Christ’s call to love, serve, and disciple others. Drawing on the conference theme, The Way of Love: Flowing as One, worship leaders opened the morning by praying that God would “stir the waters” of the annual conference and help participants move beyond division toward unity in Christ.

Clergy members from across the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church gathered Monday morning to begin the 2026 Annual Conference, reaffirming their shared calling and celebrating the connections that sustain ministry throughout the state. Bishop Laura Merrill welcomed colleagues by noting the joy of gathering once again for worship, fellowship and the work of the conference.

When the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church launched the Following Jesus. Loving People. Sharing Grace. campaign in the fall of 2025, the goal was clear: create a visible, hopeful and unified message that would help Arkansas United Methodists reclaim and share their identity during a season of transition and uncertainty. What began as a statewide communications initiative quickly became something much deeper.

Hope does not always arrive quietly. Sometimes it comes howling in on the winds of a storm, leaving behind broken walls, scattered plans, and aching hearts. For Amboy United Methodist Church, hope and resilience were forged in just such a moment—out of destruction, uncertainty, and the long, faithful work of rebuilding together. In 2023, a tornado tore through the Amboy community, damaging the church building and disrupting any sense of normalcy or safety.

At White Memorial United Methodist Church in Little Rock, ministry looks like showing up, learning names, and building trust over time. Twice a week, on Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 3 to 5, a small but deeply committed group of volunteers gathers for a bus stop feeding and literacy ministry that has quietly become a cornerstone of the surrounding community.