It's time again to start making plans to attend Missions Extravaganza & the 119^th Annual Meeting of WMU NC! Many exciting things are being planned to make this another extraordinary year. This year's theme is Called, based on 1 Peter 2:9 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Sharon Decker will serve as the keynote speaker, and Kyle Matthews will lead us in worship.

Missions Extravaganza will be held April 16-18, 2010, at the LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center. Registration opens September 1, 2009. Reserve your place early, as spaces are limited and tend to fill up. You may download the regular registration form here. The Deaf women's registration form is here. Be sure to promote Missions Extravaganza in your church and mission groups!

Download a tentative list of conferences here. For those wishing to attend the online training conference, please bring a laptop with wireless internet capability if you are able.

More information will be posted here as it becomes available. We look forward to seeing you at Ridgecrest!

Mission Projects

This year, we will collect items for and create Homeless Care Packets. Items needed are listed below. While you are at Ridgecrest, you will have the opportunity to make packets and will be encouraged to take one with you. Our goal is to distribute these across the state. If you are willing to contact a local ministry and transport needed packets to them, please contact Tammy Tate prior to Missions Extravaganza so that preparations can be made. Please consider bringing some of the following items as well as gallon- and quart-sized bags

• individual cans of fruit, pork & beans, Vienna sausages or tuna/chicken (pop-top lids)
• snack crackers
• trail bars
• crackers & cookies (snack size)
• juice boxes
• bottled water
• plastic spoons/napkin
• Toiletry Bags (travel-sized items)
• chapstick
• comb
• Kleenex
• toothbrush (individual)
• toothpaste
• hand sanitizer
• band-aids
• Tylenol
• deodorant
• lotion

Please also bring calling cards (phone) for troops. They can be delivered to the military display in the exhibit hall.

Professional Women - see the information about a special mission project for your group in the blue box on the right side of this page.

Missions Extravaganza Offering

This year at Missions Extravaganza, the offering we collect on Saturday evening will be divided between two very worthy ministries. Here is a little information on what the ministries are:

1. In April 2009, 10 women traveled to Lebanon to minister among the Bedouin women. The “golden rule” for any mission trip is “flexibility”. Being flexible, these ten women did minister among the Bedouin women, but they also were involved in numerous other activities and ministries. They worked with missionaries Chaouki and Maha Boulos, who have a myriad of ministries taking place. As the Bouloses have served in Lebanon, one pressing need became apparent – there is nowhere in the Middle East where new (or mature) Christians can “come apart” in a retreat setting. In many areas in the Middle East Christians do not have religious freedom and cannot gather for discipleship or refuge. A dream of Chaouki and Maha is to build a retreat center where all Christians can meet together. Land in the mountains north of Beirut has been purchased, plans have been drawn and construction has begun. One-half of your offering gifts will help insure that construction continues and is completed.
2. The Lebanon mission trip was just one of eight trips that have been sponsored by WMU NC – and there are four already scheduled for 2010. These trips are specifically targeted towards women and children, using the skills, abilities and passions of women. One-half of your offering gifts will insure that these trips continue. While participants on each trip pay their own expenses, funds are needed for orientation/training, materials and to help defray expenses for the team leaders.

Special Note: Chaouki Boulos will be sharing with us at Extravaganza, as well as members from some of our previous trips.
 

It's time again to start making plans to attend Missions Extravaganza & the 119^th Annual Meeting of WMU NC! Many exciting things are being planned to make this another extraordinary year. This year's theme is Called, based on 1 Peter 2:9 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Sharon Decker will serve as the keynote speaker, and Kyle Matthews will lead us in worship.

Missions Extravaganza will be held April 16-18, 2010, at the LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center. Registration opens September 1, 2009. Reserve your place early, as spaces are limited and tend to fill up. You may download the regular registration form here. The Deaf women's registration form is here. Be sure to promote Missions Extravaganza in your church and mission groups!

Download a tentative list of conferences here. For those wishing to attend the online training conference, please bring a laptop with wireless internet capability if you are able.

More information will be posted here as it becomes available. We look forward to seeing you at Ridgecrest!

Mission Projects

This year, we will collect items for and create Homeless Care Packets. Items needed are listed below. While you are at Ridgecrest, you will have the opportunity to make packets and will be encouraged to take one with you. Our goal is to distribute these across the state. If you are willing to contact a local ministry and transport needed packets to them, please contact Tammy Tate prior to Missions Extravaganza so that preparations can be made. Please consider bringing some of the following items as well as gallon- and quart-sized bags

• individual cans of fruit, pork & beans, Vienna sausages or tuna/chicken (pop-top lids)
• snack crackers
• trail bars
• crackers & cookies (snack size)
• juice boxes
• bottled water
• plastic spoons/napkin
• Toiletry Bags (travel-sized items)
• chapstick
• comb
• Kleenex
• toothbrush (individual)
• toothpaste
• hand sanitizer
• band-aids
• Tylenol
• deodorant
• lotion

Please also bring calling cards (phone) for troops. They can be delivered to the military display in the exhibit hall.

Professional Women - see the information about a special mission project for your group in the blue box on the right side of this page.

Missions Extravaganza Offering

This year at Missions Extravaganza, the offering we collect on Saturday evening will be divided between two very worthy ministries. Here is a little information on what the ministries are:

1. In April 2009, 10 women traveled to Lebanon to minister among the Bedouin women. The “golden rule” for any mission trip is “flexibility”. Being flexible, these ten women did minister among the Bedouin women, but they also were involved in numerous other activities and ministries. They worked with missionaries Chaouki and Maha Boulos, who have a myriad of ministries taking place. As the Bouloses have served in Lebanon, one pressing need became apparent – there is nowhere in the Middle East where new (or mature) Christians can “come apart” in a retreat setting. In many areas in the Middle East Christians do not have religious freedom and cannot gather for discipleship or refuge. A dream of Chaouki and Maha is to build a retreat center where all Christians can meet together. Land in the mountains north of Beirut has been purchased, plans have been drawn and construction has begun. One-half of your offering gifts will help insure that construction continues and is completed.
2. The Lebanon mission trip was just one of eight trips that have been sponsored by WMU NC – and there are four already scheduled for 2010. These trips are specifically targeted towards women and children, using the skills, abilities and passions of women. One-half of your offering gifts will insure that these trips continue. While participants on each trip pay their own expenses, funds are needed for orientation/training, materials and to help defray expenses for the team leaders.

Special Note: Chaouki Boulos will be sharing with us at Extravaganza, as well as members from some of our previous trips.
 

Young women ages 18-35 are invited to come and participate at SHINE: MISSIONS EXTRAVAGANZA! on April 16-18, 2010, at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ridgecrest, NC. There are some exciting things planned just for young women at Missions Extravaganza this year. Download the flyer and read below for more information. You may use this poster to promote it as well.

Club SHINE

Missions Extravaganza SHINE Volunteers

Young women ages 18-35 are invited to come and participate at SHINE: MISSIONS EXTRAVAGANZA! on April 16-18, 2010, at Ridgecrest Conference Center in Ridgecrest, NC. There are some exciting things planned just for young women at Missions Extravaganza this year. Download the flyer and read below for more information. You may use this poster to promote it as well.

Club SHINE

Missions Extravaganza SHINE Volunteers

Sharon Allred Decker is the founder and principal of The Tapestry Group, a “ministry of encouragement and inspiration” targeted at busy women to help them incorporate their faith into the “tapestries” of their daily lives. Many WMU NC women will recognize Sharon as the daughter of the late Dorothy “Dot” Allred, a former WMU NC president.

Sharon was born and raised in small towns near Charlotte, NC. She has a long list of accomplishments ranging from working as the youngest and first female vice president for Duke Power and serving as the chair of the Charlotte Chamber to founding The Lynnwood Foundation and serving as president of Tanner Holdings, among others. She is also a board member of several non-profit organizations and Fortune 500 companies.

It was through her work with Tanner that she was inspired to begin the Tapestry Group. Most of the customers and employees of Tanner are women, and Sharon noticed common threads in their lives. Sharon created the Tapestry Group to help women recognize their God-given gifts and talents as well as their core beliefs. In doing so, they are able to make strategies guided by their beliefs and utilizing their gifts to respond to the opportunities and challenges they encounter each day.

Sharon has four children and is a commissioned lay pastor, graduating from the Presbytery of Western NC School for the Laity.

(This information was taken from Sharon's website, www.thetapestrygroup.com.)

Sharon Allred Decker is the founder and principal of The Tapestry Group, a “ministry of encouragement and inspiration” targeted at busy women to help them incorporate their faith into the “tapestries” of their daily lives. Many WMU NC women will recognize Sharon as the daughter of the late Dorothy “Dot” Allred, a former WMU NC president.

Sharon was born and raised in small towns near Charlotte, NC. She has a long list of accomplishments ranging from working as the youngest and first female vice president for Duke Power and serving as the chair of the Charlotte Chamber to founding The Lynnwood Foundation and serving as president of Tanner Holdings, among others. She is also a board member of several non-profit organizations and Fortune 500 companies.

It was through her work with Tanner that she was inspired to begin the Tapestry Group. Most of the customers and employees of Tanner are women, and Sharon noticed common threads in their lives. Sharon created the Tapestry Group to help women recognize their God-given gifts and talents as well as their core beliefs. In doing so, they are able to make strategies guided by their beliefs and utilizing their gifts to respond to the opportunities and challenges they encounter each day.

Sharon has four children and is a commissioned lay pastor, graduating from the Presbytery of Western NC School for the Laity.

(This information was taken from Sharon's website, www.thetapestrygroup.com.)

Kyle Matthews has been writing and performing his songs for almost two decades. He has written several well known songs recorded by such artists as Ginny Owens, CeCe Winans, Vince Gill and Point of Grace. His song "We Fall Down" won numerous music industry awards, including the Dove Award for Traditional Gospel Song of the Year, the Stellar award for Song of the Year, and ASCAP's 2002 Christian Song of the Year. Kyle's songs have been broadcast and performed in concerts around the world and have appeared on television shows such as the Oprah Winfrey show, as well as the BET and WB networks, among others. His music reflects his commitment to sound theology and spiritual health, and part of his mission is to motivate people to serve others in a way that allows them to meet Christ in "the least of these." Kyle models such service in his own life, helping with a transitional housing ministry, working on the board of directors for Hand Up Africa, and serving as a child sponsor and sponsor recruiter for Compassion International.

Kyle's ministry includes speaking and teaching in addition to his music. He has a music company, "See for Yourself Music," which produces recordings, print music and devotional materials. He lives in Greenville, SC, with his wife Susan and children Emily and Christopher, where he ministers to a local congregation, contributes to worship, coordinates mission opportunities and travels many weekends to perform and speak.

(This information was taken from Kyle's website, www.kylematthews.com.)

Kyle Matthews has been writing and performing his songs for almost two decades. He has written several well known songs recorded by such artists as Ginny Owens, CeCe Winans, Vince Gill and Point of Grace. His song "We Fall Down" won numerous music industry awards, including the Dove Award for Traditional Gospel Song of the Year, the Stellar award for Song of the Year, and ASCAP's 2002 Christian Song of the Year. Kyle's songs have been broadcast and performed in concerts around the world and have appeared on television shows such as the Oprah Winfrey show, as well as the BET and WB networks, among others. His music reflects his commitment to sound theology and spiritual health, and part of his mission is to motivate people to serve others in a way that allows them to meet Christ in "the least of these." Kyle models such service in his own life, helping with a transitional housing ministry, working on the board of directors for Hand Up Africa, and serving as a child sponsor and sponsor recruiter for Compassion International.

Kyle's ministry includes speaking and teaching in addition to his music. He has a music company, "See for Yourself Music," which produces recordings, print music and devotional materials. He lives in Greenville, SC, with his wife Susan and children Emily and Christopher, where he ministers to a local congregation, contributes to worship, coordinates mission opportunities and travels many weekends to perform and speak.

(This information was taken from Kyle's website, www.kylematthews.com.)