Workshops

Workshop Leader: Rev. Joshua Bland

All three workshop times; you will attend the Bible Study in lieu of all other workshops.

More details coming soon!

Workshop Leaders: Roy and Shelley Lee

Friday, 10:45am and Friday, 3:30pm

Have you wondered, “What could I do to help after a disaster? Since we have UMCOR, what do Arkansas Conference volunteers do? How can I be ready to volunteer during a disaster in my own community?”  Come ask your own questions, get answers, play games, and win fun prizes.

Workshop Leader: Rachel Bland

Friday, 10:45am

This interactive workshop offers an engaging introduction to Deaf culture and American Sign Language (ASL). Participants will explore the rich history, values, and traditions of the Deaf community in America, while gaining insight into effective and respectful communication practices. The session includes basic ASL vocabulary, fingerspelling, and everyday phrases, along with guidance on cultural norms and accessibility. Perfect for beginners, this workshop builds awareness, confidence, and appreciation for Deaf culture. 

Workshop Leaders: Gretchen and Hannah Diffee

Thursday, 10:45 and Friday, 3:30

You will see how easy it is to create cards and other simple crafts to share with others. Join us to learn how you can “craft unto others” in your local churches after leaving Mission u.

Workshop Leader: Daniel Hiatt

Thursday, 10:45

How do we grow creation justice passions and practices in our churches and communities? This session will review theological frameworks to support creation justice ministries and discuss how that can look in practice within local church and community settings. Daniel is the Executive Director of Mount Eagle Retreat Center and commissioned Earth Keeper. He is currently in a D.Min. program for Ecology and Justice Ministries at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Mount Eagle just began the first year of a church compost collection program in partnership with Clinton First United Methodist Church. This will be one of several case studies examined, but the session will focus on moving towards thinking creatively how to implement creation justice in your own unique settings.

Workshop Leader: Rachel Bland

Thursday, 10:45

This high-energy dance fitness class is designed for all levels, from beginners to seasoned movers. Set to an uplifting mix of Christian pop and hip-hop, each session combines easy-to-follow choreography with heart-pumping cardio to help you build strength, boost endurance, and have fun while you move. Whether you're looking to deepen your faith through music or simply enjoy an encouraging, positive atmosphere, this class offers a welcoming space to sweat, smile, and celebrate together.

Workshop Leaders: Rev. Dan Read, Enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a pastor in the ARUMC

Friday, 10:45

An overview of Native American culture and traditions with discussions of the many challenges facing Native American communities inside and outside of Arkansas, modern portrayals of Native Americans in media, and mission and education opportunities in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.

Workshop Leader: Marleene Calvin

Friday, 3:30

Line dancing is a choreographed dance where participants, typically facing the same direction, perform the same steps in unison while arranged in lines or rows. It is a great and fun way to exercise and reach your steps goal while also helping with memory. Marleene leads several classes at Patrick Henry Hays Senior Center in NLR, including Extreme Fitness, Body Strong, and Beginner, Intermediate and Advance Line Dance. Their Soul Line Dancers have been invited to perform at family reunions, wedding receptions, church programs, and Line Dance Jamboree in Benton. 

Workshop Leaders: Rev. Betsy Singleton and Gayle Fiser

Friday, 3:30

We live in a time when the human-animal bond is deeply significant to churched and non-churched people, people of all ages, all economic backgrounds, all races, and even across a divided society.  Our pets have become a more integral part of our lives, and many people consider them to be family, but we may not realize that our pets can teach us spiritual practices, such as unconditional love, mindfulness, loyalty, purpose, and resilience.  Pets can also help us learn how to work as a team and how to be aware of our biases and prejudices. Pets help create diverse human communities in which we play, share, and serve together and encounter one another at deeper levels. In a society that is highly polarized, pets can bring us together. Participants will receive ideas and models of pet ministries and learn how to develop a pet ministry, including an assessment of a church’s context and how to present this unique ministry to the broader church community.

Workshop Leaders: Cindy Miller and Julia Frost

Thursday, 10:45 and Friday, 10:45

Come join us for a good old-fashioned hymn sing! We will sing old favorites and maybe even learn some new ones as well. Either way, we will praise and glorify God, and our spirits will be uplifted!  

Workshop Leader: Cathy Blackwood/Paulina Webber/Shelley Lee

Friday, 10:45

"Paulina Webber and Cathy Blackwood, members of the National Program Advisory Group (PAG), will lift up highlights from Assembly in Indianapolis in May. Mission u attendees will be able to share their experiences of Assembly.  They will cover our UWFaith initiatives during this quadrennium and report on the status of the Legacy Fund following Assembly.

Shelley Lee, a member of the Southcentral Jurisdiction Leadership Team for 2024-2028, will update attendees on the search for nominees for the 2028-2032 Quadrennium Leadership Team and plans for the SCJ meeting in 2028."