What are the commonalities shared among our neighbors to the south in the Caribbean, Central and South America? What is the responsibility and opportunity of the church to people with disabilities? What does it mean to be happy in the Lord?
These questions will be explored at Mission u, the mission education event of the North Georgia Conference, which will be held July 17-18 at Fayetteville First United Methodist Church. For those who can come a day early, an optional, hands-on mission activity will take place on July 16.
Mission u is jointly sponsored by the North Georgia Conference United Methodist Women and the Missions/Global Ministries committee of the Outreach Team.
Three studies will be offered: "Created for Happiness: Understanding Your Life in God," the spiritual growth study; "Latin America: People and Faith," the geographic study; and "The Church and People with Disabilities: Awareness, Accessibility and Advocacy." Also there will be classes for children and youth and both will be on Latin America.
Mission u will open at 10:30 a.m. on July 17 with a worship service with the Rev. Mark Westmoreland, pastor of Fayetteville First UMC, preaching. Participants will attend four two-hour classes over the two days on the study they choose. The event will conclude at 3 p.m. on July 18 with Holy Communion.
Teaching "Created for Happiness" will be Pat Bell, Mary Anne Brannon, Marian Kim (Korean-language class), the Rev. Lucy Morales (Spanish-language class) and the Rev. Eric Powell. Jean Bouts will lead the study on disabilities and the Rev. Juan Quintanilla and Dr. Judith Pierre-Okerson the study on Latin America. The youth class will be led by the Rev. Tonya Lawrence and the children's class by Sue and Terry Raymond.
You can register online at ngumw.org. The registration fee for the two-day event is $70 for adults, which includes class sessions, two lunches and one dinner. If you can come only one day, the fee is $40 for Friday and $30 for Saturday. The registration fee for both children and youth is $30 for both days. Free child care will be provided during class and plenary sessions for children under 5.
Scholarship money is available for all ages. E-mail ngumw@yahoo.com for information or contact Alice Smith, dean, at waltalicesmith@aol.com or Glenda Creasy, registrar, at gcreasy@bellsouth.net.
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Holiday Inn Express and the Hampton Inn in Fayetteville so that you can make your overnight reservation with one of them. Contact information for the motels is included on the registration form, which is posted on the North Georgia Conference United Methodist Women website, www.ngumw.org.
All those who register by June 1 will receive their study book free. If you register after June 1, you will be able to purchase the book online at www.missionresourcecenter.org or purchase it at the Mission u event in Fayetteville.