Mission u – Texas Conference

May 20, 2026June 14, 2026 txconfumw Mission u

Join Us for the 2026 Mission u Program: A Deep Knowing

Each year, United Women in Faith develops a justice-focused Biblical curricula for adults, youth, and children, all on a common theme. In 2026, our theme is Experiencing Emmanuel. 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.

On July 9-11, United Women in Faith of the Texas Conference will come together via Zoom for the adult study, A DEEP KNOWING: Experiencing Emmanuel Through Every Part of Our Lives.

Registration

Cost

$20 for individuals attending on their own.
$15 per person for individuals attending in a group.

Schedule

All sessions will be held via Zoom.

Opening worship will be held THURSDAY EVENING, July 9, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. If you’re a working woman, here is an opportunity for you to join us for this time of preparation and intention.
Regular sessions will be held Friday and Saturday, July 10-11, from 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. each day.

How to Participate

After you register you will receive a Zoom link to join the meeting. However, just because this event will be held via Zoom doesn’t mean that you have to participate by yourself. Some units meet as a group and participate in the Zoom meeting together. It’s the best of both worlds!

Make plans now to find a meeting room with a computer and screen to experience this event together.

Meet our Study Leader

Ellen Lipsey is an educator, retired from Texas public schools after teaching elementary grades for 31 years. She is a lifelong member of United Women in Faith—a gift from her mother. Lipsey is dedicated to transformative education and advocacy, seeking justice for women, children, and youth. She has served in various leadership positions on each level of United Women in Faith and as a study leader, trainer, and dean of Mission u. Lipsey co-authored the leaders’ guide for the text used in the 2018 Mission u Study, Embracing Wholeness: An Earth Perspective for Covenantal Living and she is a contributor for the 2026 Mission u Study, A Deep Knowing: Experiencing Emmanuel Through Every Part of Our Lives. She currently serves as a member of the board of McCurdy Ministries, one of United Women in Faith’s National Mission Institutions.

About the Study

In A Deep Knowing: Experiencing Emmanuel Through Every Part of Our Lives, author Linda Furtado invites you to encounter “God with us” in powerful, personal, and transformative ways. This eight-session curriculum opens a path to explore how Emmanuel is revealed throughout Scripture—and how that same divine presence continues to walk with us today.

Each session encourages you to pause, reflect, and take a closer look at the stories of faith found in the Bible. Through thoughtful readings, meaningful discussions, and personal reflection, you’ll uncover connections between those ancient stories and your own life. As you journey with others, you’ll explore how God is present amid justice struggles, adversity, community heritage, and deep spiritual relationships.

Whether the stories are familiar or new, each encounter offers the opportunity to see Scripture with fresh eyes and gain a deeper understanding. This curriculum creates sacred space for spiritual growth, shared insight, and mutual support.

How to Order the Book

You do not need a book to participate; however, if you would like a copy, you can purchase it on Amazon. The curriculum also includes a youth study and a children’s study all on the Experiencing Emmanuel theme.

ADULT: A DEEP KNOWING: Experiencing Emmanuel Through Every Part of Our Lives

YOUTH: God With Us: Experiencing God’s Presence in Our Lives

CHILDREN: Experiencing Emmanuel: United Women in Faith Children’s Curriculum

Meet our Mission u Dean

Our Mission u Dean this year is Susan Muzny. Susan has been married to her husband, John, for 55 years, and they have 2 daughters and 4 grandsons. Susan spent her career in classroom, teach high school math for about 17 years.

She served as a local officer at Livingston First UMC and as a district officer in UWFaith.

She is currently attending Onalaska UMC , is a liaison for the conference in the Northeast district, and is a member of the Texas Conference nominating committee.

She enjoys attending the annual Texas Impact legislative event and is an active participant in their action alert Zoom meeting. Susan just attended her first Assembly in Indianapolis in May 2026.

May 30, 2025May 20, 2026 txconfumw Mission u

Mission u 2025 Registration Open

Interested in deepening your faith in community? Gaining experience interpreting Scripture? Working toward healing for yourself, your community, and all of creation? Mission u is for you!

Mission u is a transformational study that is open to all who are interested in learning together for the transformation of the world.

The theme is Practicing Hope, and it will take place via ZOOM on July 11-12, 2025, from 9:30-3:15 each day. Registration is $20.

This year we will explore hope, particularly when hope seems hard to find. The curriculum asks questions such as: What is hope in the face of neofascism? What is hope in a time of genocide? How do we imagine a future for the next generation as our planet grows hotter by the season? What tools do we have to face these hard realities? How does Christ teach us to embody hope when our backs are against the wall?

This study’s purpose is to allow all of our communities to cultivate hope that is honest about our current conditions (refugia), hope that is restorative when everything feels urgent (rest), and hope that is possible even when we transgress (repair).

Our study leader this year is Linda Elms. In addition to being a previous Mission u leader, Linda has served as a Conference President, Spiritual Growth Coordinator, and Program Resource Officer. She was also a two-year member of the Program Advisory Group and served as Vice-President of the South Central Jurisdiction. Linda is a member of St Peter’s UMC in Katy.

This year’s Mission u Dean is Ashley Mayho. Ashley currently serves as the Program Resources coordinator and the Language Coordinator for the Texas Conference UWFaith. She is also the serves as the Social Action coordinator for Literacy for her local unit. Ashley is a member of Klein UMC in Spring.

Mission u 2025 Agenda

Friday, July 11

9:30-9:45 am – Gathering Time
9:45-10:15 am – Opening Worship
10:20-11:20 am – Session 1
11:25 am-12:25 pm – Session 2
30-minute lunch break
12:55-1:55 pm – Session 3
2:00-3:00 pm – Session 4
3:00-3-15 pm – Closing & Announcements

Saturday, July 12th

9:30-9:45 – Gathering Time
9:45-9:55 am – Announcements
10:00-11:00 am – Session 5
11:05 am-12:05 pm – Session 6
30-minute lunch break
12:35-1:35 pm – Session 7
1:40-2:40 pm – Session 8
2:45-3:15 pm – Closing Worship

Mission u Resources

The Adult Study Book is not required for to attend the study, but if you would like to purchase a copy for yourself, you can get order your own copy. You can also download invite posters/flyers for free.

Mission u Author

Tabatha Holley is the former pastor of New Day Church in Bronx, New York, a writer in the 2024-2025 Sojourners Opinion Writing Cohort, and founder of A Space to Land, LLC, which provides holistic, interfaith services to individuals and communities ranging from funerals and weddings to workshops, curriculum development, and conflict mediation.

Mission u on Faith Talks Podcast

The UWFaith podcast Faith Talks recently featured the authors of Practicing Hope on one of their episodes. You can listen to the recording on UWFaith Digital or on the UWFaith website.

How do you Mission u?

Mission u will be presented this year via Zoom, but if watching a computer screen by yourself isn’t your cup of tea, consider gathering your friends and watching the presentation together. When the agenda calls for small groups to discuss, your group can be its own breakout room. Each participant is asked to register independently, but there is an option to register as part of a group.

May 31, 2024 txconfumw Mission u

Mission u 2024

Make plans now to attend Mission u 2024 on July 12-13 via Zoom. Register today!

What is Mission u? Each year, United Women in Faith develops three justice-focused Biblical curricula for adults, youth, and children, all on a common theme. In 2024, our theme is The Kin-dom Is Among You: Drawing Closer to God and One Another, and the adult curriculum is entitled Welcome Home. The eight-part series was written by Neomi Fletcher who will be our Texas Conference Mission u leader this year.

Mission u will take place over two days, Friday, July 12 and Saturday, July 13. Each day will last from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and will include worship and study time. The event will be broadcast via Zoom. You can watch the Zoom at home, or you can make plans to watch it together with your unit! The registration fee is $20 per person whether you watch by yourself or with a group.

Register at https://na.eventscloud.com/801099. The cut-off date for registering is July 5, so make sure to register soon!

The Mission u book is not required to attend, but if you would like to purchase one, you can find it at https://uwfaithresources.org/prodlist.cfm?catID=2176.

You can download a flyer to post at your church.

mission-u-registration-flyer-2024 Download

Questions? Contact us.

August 15, 2023 stephaniepounds Mission u

Mission u 2023 Digs Deep into The Lord’s Prayer

Women from around the conference joined together virtually on July 7-8 for the 2023 Mission u study, Living the Kin-dom: Exploring the Lord’s Prayer as a Spiritual Practice for Social Transformation. Leader Linda Elms challenged us to rethink each line of the prayer that most of us have recited since childhood. The study was enhanced each day with a worship service highlighted by music provided by the national office.

Thanks to Jane Frantz for serving as the 2023 Mission u Dean. Mission u curriculum is still available for purchase. It can be adapted to a variety of settings outside of the Mission u format, including Sunday school and other church school settings.