FAQs

Each year, United Women in Faith develops three justice-focused Biblical curricula for adults, youth, and children, all on a common theme. In 2025, our theme is Practicing Hope Together. Our focus on developing three curricula around one common theme means that Mission u offers a unique opportunity for faith communities to create powerful intergenerational learning experiences.

Yes! Reverend Chad Hornsby will lead the virtual option this year.

The study book is available for purchase online at this website. You can order a physical copy, a digital version, or both. The cost is $14.99 plus shipping. If you have a friend who also needs a book, order them together to reduce shipping costs!

Copies of the book will not be available at check-in! You must order your book in advance.

The youth at Mission u will study Communities of the Spirit: Living into Hope as Resurrection People – Youth Curriculum. You can read more about this curriculum here. It is not necessary to purchase this book for your youth.

The children at Mission u will study Hope as a Resurrection People: A Children's Curriculum. You can read more about this curriculum here. It is not necessary to purchase this book for your children.

There are three books from the Reading Program which go along with our 2025 Mission u theme - Practicing Hope Together:

Hope in Disarray: Piecing Our Lives Together in Faith, by Grace Ji-Sun Kim

Scholar and theologian Grace Ji-Sun Kim reflects on the practice of sustaining hope during turbulence and injustice through this illuminating collection of essays that invite a conversation on culture, faith, creation, and identity. Hope in Disarray takes the world’s pain seriously to ignite intentional, revolutionary, and integrated living. The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. called it an “urgent call for solace in a world caught in the crux of disorder and chaos.”

Living Resistance, by Katilin B. Curtice

Award-winning author, poet-storyteller, public speaker, and enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi Nation, Kaitlin Curtice offers a reclaiming of the term “resistance.” Curtice shows that we can learn to practice embodied ways of belonging and connection to ourselves and one another through everyday practices, such as getting more in touch with our bodies, resting, and remembering our ancestors. She explores four “realms of resistance”—the personal, communal, ancestral, and integral—and shows how these realms overlap and why all are needed for liberation and wholeness.

The Light We Carry, by Michelle Obama

In this follow-up to her acclaimed memoir, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world. She opens a frank dialogue with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much? A New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Yes! Being part of a Mission u study, including Mission u 2025 (Hope as a Resurrection People):

• 1 credit in Spiritual Growth for reading a Mission u study on your own

• 2 credits in Spiritual Growth for joining a Mission u study together with others, as a leader or participant

By attending Mission u, you will get two credits with the reading program, rather than one if you read the study on your own.

• Clothing including sweater/jacket (classrooms/ dorms are air-conditioned) and walking shoes

• XL twin sheets, pillow, blanket, towels, washcloths

• Personal care items (shampoo, soap, mirror, etc.)

• Flashlight, study lamps, personal drink cup/mug, small trash can or trash bag

• Bible, study book, notebooks, pen or pencil, tote bag

• Kids/Youth- bring swimming suits and towels for water recreation activities

• Though not necessary, some participants choose to bring a mattress pad or topper to make the bed more comfortable.

Hendrix College charges $100 per lost key and $50 per lost building access card. If you lose a key or card, you will be responsible for paying this fee. Try to get into the habit of putting your keys in a secure place every time, such as in a zipped pocket or on a lanyard around your neck.

Mission u organizers will provide communication on public health safety policies to attendees prior to the event through the registration process, Arkansas Conference UWF newsletters, and Mission u social media formats. Please review the policy here.

No medical staff will be available. Bring first aid items with you.

• Golf carts will be available to help take you between buildings

• You may request a dorm room on the first floor or close to an elevator (one of our dorm buildings does not offer rooms on the first floor).

• The dining hall is on a second floor. However, there is an elevator available.

• There is an elevator available in the classroom buildings.

Children DO have to be signed into and out of each class session by their responsible adult.

For youth grades 7-12 Ark. Conference Mission u suggests a tri-buddy system (three or more youth together between group activities when not with their class or responsible adult in attendance at Mission u). This is a safety precaution Mission u recommends but will not enforce and will not be held accountable for. Youth can sign themselves in and out of class. Parents are encouraged to handle this in any way they see fit for their youth grades 7-12. A curfew of 10 pm will be enforced.

All volunteers working with children, youth, and/or vulnerable adults. This includes all responsible adults bringing children and/or youth to Mission u who are not directly related to them.

You can review the full policy at arumc.org/our-resources/safe-gatherings.

Yes, one adult can be responsible for up to FOUR children and youth. Children will be assigned to the room their responsible adult is assigned to. Youth will be placed in a room next to their responsible adult. Adults are responsible for their children and youth AT ALL TIMES.