United Women in Faith - Western North Carolina Conference
We believe love in action can change the world.
Mission u 2023
July 28-29, 2023
The Catholic Conference Center, Hickory, North Carolina
Passionate about mission?
Love to learn?
Want to engage with others who are?
Then Mission u is right for you!
Online registration opens June 1st!
- Basic Information
- Registration Costs
- Mission u 2023 Leaders
- Hands On Mission
- School Officers
- COVID Safety Protocols
Registration is ONLINE only, and open June 1 through July 13. (There is no onsite registration.)
Registration flyer – Download PDF
Registration costs vary with housing and student type. Fees for full-time students range from $85 (non-resident with meals) to $220 (all meals and private room with private bath), depending on type of accommodations.
Dates: Friday, July 28 through Saturday, July 29
Location: The Catholic Conference Center, Hickory, North Carolina
Conference Gram – June 2023 – Mission u Issue
Childcare will be NOT be available.
Study books should be ordered in advance; they will not be available for sale at the event. You may order a study book for pickup at Mission u as part of the registration process, if you register by July 5th. If you choose to order a book to be delivered to you (which will increase your shipping costs), you may do so at https://uwfaithresources.org/
- Adult Study: Living the Kin-dom: Exploring the Lord’s Prayer as a Spiritual Practice for Social Transformation
- Youth Study: Seek and You Shall Find: Living in the Kin-dom
Kindle version of the adult study is available at www.amazon.com.
Hands-on Mission: UMCOR Menstrual Hygiene Kits (guidelines on assembling and packing the kits may be found at https://umcmission.org/umcor-menstrual-hygiene-kit/
CEU/Advanced Lay Servant Credit: Participants can apply to receive CEU’s and Advanced Lay Servant credit. Forms will be available at Mission u.
Schedule: Check-in will begin at 10:00 AM on Friday, July 28th. Mission u will open with worship Friday at 11:30 AM. Lunch will be served at 12:00 noon and the first session will begin at 1:30 PM. Friday afternoon will include sessions 1-4 of the study. Dinner will be served at 6:30. Sessions 5 & 6 will be held after dinner. Reflection time will be available to all participants after Session 6 before retiring for the evening. Breakfast Saturday will be served at 8:00 AM. Sessions 7-8 will conclude by 12:00 noon followed by lunch. Closing worship and Send off is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
Morning Praise will be held Saturday morning at 7:30 AM on the terrace (weather permitting).
First-timer Scholarships: Each District offers a $150 scholarship for a person attending Mission u for the first time. Information and applications are available from your District President. Additional scholarship funds are often available through you local unit; contact your unit president for information.
For everyone’s safety and well-being, we will follow all CDC protocols in place at the time. See separate tab for our COVID safety protocols.
All registration fees include lunch and dinner on Friday, and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. All lodging rooms include 2 double beds and private bath, same as a hotel room, all linens provided. The following are the registration costs based on the type of participant:
- Full Time Resident – Private room w/bathroom ($220)
- Full Time Resident – Double room w/bathroom ($150)
- Full Time Resident – Triple room w/bathroom ($125)
- Full Time Resident – Quad room w/bathroom ($110)
- Full Time Non-Resident with meals ($85)
- Resident Youth Camp – two in a room ($150)
REFUND POLICY: Registration fees are not refundable.
Our Mission u 2023 Retreat Leaders are:
Adult Mission Study – Living the Kin-dom: Renee Hayes. Renee is a United Methodist deaconess. She is actively involved in mission to Lithuania through Gifts of Grace Ministries. This is her third opportunity to facilitate an adult Mission u study after several years of working with our youth camp.
Youth Mission Camp – Seek and You Shall Find: Living in the Kin-dom: Sherry Sink. Sherry has served in various Conference and District offices of United Women in Faith and currently serves as a Program Advisory Group member. She has led both adult and youth mission studies, but working with youth is her passion.
Music Leader: Laurin Allred is the Director of Music & Worship Arts at Muir’s Chapel UMC in Greensboro. When not leading choirs, bands, hand bell assemblies, or kids’ drum circles, you’ll find Laurin jamming in the band “Champagne & Kevlar” at local festivals and venues. Laurin is a dedicated runner—finding peace and God through pounding the pavement.
Hands-on Mission: UMCOR Menstrual Hygiene Kits
- Guidelines on assembling and packing the kits may be found at https://umcmission.org/umcor-menstrual-hygiene-kit/
- PDF of instructions for assembling an UMCOR Menstrual Hygiene Kit
- VIDEO of assembling an UMCOR Menstrual Hygiene Kit
- Important notes:
- All items must be new.
- Do not wash any of the items as they will no longer be considered new.
- Do not include any personal notes, money or additional materials in the kits.
- Contents of kits or the containers of kits should not be imprinted with cartoon characters, advertisements, religious, patriotic, military or camouflage symbols.
School Officers:
- Lynn Alexander, Dean
- LaDonna Butts, Assistant Dean / Business Manager
- Amanda Dyer, Housing Manager
Email any of these school officers with questions about Mission u 2023.
The health and safety of our members and attendees is a top priority for United Women in Faith. We all want to meet in person, and experience the special gift of sharing time together for our retreat. To do that, we will continue to lean into doing no harm, and making efforts to keep everyone safe. With that in mind, the following COVID-19 safety measures will be in place for our retreat. Please confirm below that you will follow our COVID-19 safety measures:
- Up to date COVID-19 Vaccinations are recommended (but not required) for all participants. Click to see CDC Guidelines related to being fully vaccinated and up to date.
- Mask wearing will be by personal choice for participants while inside buildings. Appropriate social distancing will be encouraged.
- Participants agree that they will stay home if they have any symptoms of illness, have tested positive, or have a known recent exposure.
Our 2023 Mission Study Retreat Leaders
Renee Hayes
Adult Mission Study Retreat Leader - Living the Kin-dom
Renee Hayes is a United Methodist deaconess. She is actively involved in mission to Lithuania through Gifts of Grace Ministries. This is her third opportunity to facilitate an adult Mission u study after several years of working with our youth camp.
Sherry Sink
Youth Camp Study Retreat Leader - Seek and You Shall Find: Living in the Kin-dom
Sherry Sink has served in various Conference and District offices of United Methodist Women and currently serves as a Program Advisory Group member. She has led both adult and youth mission studies, but working with youth is her passion.
Our 2023 Adult Mission Study
Living the Kin-dom: Exploring the Lord's Prayer as a Spiritual Practice for Social Transformation
THIS STUDY BY RIVA TABELISMA gives fresh eyes to the Lord’s Prayer. Often learned by rote, the Lord’s Prayer is a rich guide for how we can live out God’s kin-dom in our lives. Tabelisma invites participants in this study to step away from our automatic recitation of the prayer and dive deep into the meaning of each line over the course of eight one-hour sessions. Each of the sessions examines a section of the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9–13 as it is recorded in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
Living the Kin-dom can be adapted to a variety of settings outside of the Mission u format, including Sunday school and other church school settings. Adaptations for virtual gatherings are also provided.
Resources for Children and Youth
We Are the Kin-dom - 2023 Children's Mission Study
This curriculum by Kathleen Stone guides children through an exploration of earthly kingdoms in contrast to God’s kin-dom and our role in living out the latter here and now. Children will be introduced to the concept of kin-dom vs kingdom to help distinguish between the flawed human construction of a kingdom that often results in op-pression and exclusion, and God’s perfect kin-dom that offers freedom and inclusion.
Seek and You Shall Find: Living in the Kin-dom - 2023 Youth Mission Study
Seek and You Shall Find: Living in the Kin-dom, the 2023 youth curriculum by Rachel Mosher, the youth ministries coordinator at St. Marks United Methodist Church in Tucson, Arizona, leads youth through eight one-hour sessions that teach participants to find the kin-dom in the world around them, how to live what they have learned, and how to share the Good News about the kin-dom with others.
Our Love Offering will be a Gift to Mission Giving through United Women in Faith / United Methodist Women.
Countdown to Mission u 2023!
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Each year, United Women in Faith gather to learn more about missions and about being in mission. In a United Methodist News Service commentary, Schools of Christian Mission …now MISSION U, were described as some of the very best lay faith education being offered in The United Methodist Church.
Mission u Virtual Recordings:
Mission u Program Books: