Workshops

Workshop Leaders: Roy and Shelley Lee

Friday, 10:45

Have you wondered, “How is disaster volunteering different from regular volunteering? Since we have UMCOR, what do Arkansas volunteers do? What do volunteers do between disasters?” Come get answers, play games, and win fun prizes. Roy and Shelley Lee, Pinnacle View UMC Little Rock, have been active in Disaster Response (DR) and Volunteers in Mission (VIM) for the UMC since 2018 and serve as the Central District DR Coordinators. Roy holds a staff position as Conference Co-Coordinator of DR and VIM. Shelley serves locally as president and on the South Central Jurisdiction CON for United Women in Faith.

Workshop Leaders: Gretchen and Hannah Diffee

Friday, 10:45 and 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. Gretchen and Hannah have been attending Mission u together for several years. Besides hosting workshops, they also oversee the Lending Library. They attend Monticello FUMC. Hannah is a senior at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Gretchen’s alma mater.

Workshop Leaders: Rev. Lindsey Russell

Friday, 10:45

You will learn a theological foundation for creation care and begin to develop eco-region-specific ways to promote biodiversity and enjoy God’s beautiful creation in your churches. As an ordained NWD deacon commissioned as an Earth Keeper in October 2024, Rev. Russell serves on the Conference Creation Care Task Force. A recent graduate of the Arkansas Master Naturalist program, she has developed a resource guide for local churches to implement actions that return their land to harmony with God’s magnificent environmental systems and creative intentions. Rev. Russell worships at Central UMC, Fayetteville, serves at the NWA Food Bank, and is the Conference Secretary to Global Ministries.

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. Dan, an ordained elder, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, with a love for BBQ and Chiefs football. He attended Fort Lewis College, a historically Native American University, before attending Duke Divinity School. He is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and serves as the conference Chair of the Committee on Native American Ministry. Dan and wife Corey, also a UMC pastor in the Arkansas conference, have two children, Alyce and Tyson. 

Workshop Leader: Marleene Calvin

Thursday, 10:45 & 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. I lead several classes at Patrick Henry Hays Senior Center in NLR, including Extreme Fitness, Body Strong, and Beginner, Intermediate and Advance Line Dance. Our Soul Line Dancers have been invited to perform at family reunions, wedding receptions, church programs, and Line Dance Jamboree in Benton. 

Workshop Leaders: Wayne Clark and Lynn Kilbourne—Methodist Foundation for Arkansas

Thursday, 10:45

The mission of The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas is to establish and manage charitable funds to strengthen and expand Methodist ministries across Arkansas. We pursue our mission in lots of ways – providing investment opportunities for local churches, overseeing a thriving grant ministry, and offering leadership development for clergy and laity. Have you ever wondered what all that means for Methodists in Arkansas? We would love to share with you how all of these parts of our work fit together and how we are strengthening and expanding Methodist ministry across Arkansas.

Workshop Leader: Jo Webber

Thursday, 10:45

Please join us if you are interested in volunteering to help revitalize our MIWATCH program to transport children to visit their incarcerated mothers.

Workshop Leaders: Cindy Miller and Julia Frost

Thursday, 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: AARP

Friday, 3:30

We are all at risk for identity theft, but in this workshop, you will learn some of the ways to prevent that from happening.

Workshop Leader: Laverne Paige

Friday, 3:30

You will explore how Jesus' teachings and actions consistently reflected social justice principles. The workshop will guide participants in understanding how faith and social justice intersect and how they can apply Jesus' actions and principles in today's world. Laverne Paige holds master’s degrees in public administration and business administration. She is the Social Action Coordinator for the Arkansas Conference United Women in Faith. A member of Wesley Chapel, LR UMC, she actively participates in the church leadership team, teaches Bible study and Sunday School, and provides a weekly devotional on the church’s Prayer Line. One of her favorite scriptures is Romans 8:28, finding inspiration in the story of the Samaritan woman at the well.