Enjoy the teaching of the annual WPA Mission u event in a smaller, relaxed setting. 
Practicing Resurrection:
The Gospel of Mark and Radical Discipleship
Join us at Olmsted this spring as we dive into the gospel of Mark. Mini Mission u offers a weekend exploration of the Spiritual Growth Study offered annually at Mission u in Indiana, PA. At Mini Mission u, you can enjoy the beautiful Olmsted retreat center and build close relationships with peers while growing in faith together.
In Mark’s day and now, Christians are caught in a world of crisis and confusion, a time of uncertainty and fear. There’s a struggle going on and evil appears to be winning: injustice reigns, money and greed measure our living and our dying, divisions deepen and hope is sometimes hard to find. Then and now, part of the crisis is the church’s complicity, complacency, and silence in a world where so much has gone wrong.​
​In our focus text for this retreat, Mark and Radical Discipleship, author Janet Wolf explores what it means to live a life of radical discipleship today using the Gospel of Mark as the foundation. Wolf explores the timeless issues of poverty, gender, justice, liberation, equality, and others using Mark as a guide.

Retreat Leader

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The Rev. Dr. Eric S. Park has served as the Butler District Superintendent since July 2018. The son of a United Methodist pastor who also served as a DS, Eric grew up in three Western Pennsylvania towns - Washington, Grove City, and Indiana. He says he learned to read with a Bible in one hand and a comic book in the other. He wrote his first song in ninth grade and has been doing his best to create music ever since.  
The ministry of Eric and his wife Tara has touched many lives in Western PA and beyond. After serving three years as pastor of First UMC in McDonald, Eric was appointed in 1995 as an associate at Christ UMC in Bethel Park. There he and Tara launched a popular Sunday evening contemporary worship service with progressive rock band Ten-Point-Ten. Tara played keyboard and was vocalist. In 2005, she released her first solo CD, Things Unseen, with music and lyrics written by Eric. Since then, the couple has released two other CDs, mostly with original music. 
Eric taught the Spiritual Growth study at Mission u 2019 at California University of PA. Check out his blog, A Gracious Graffiti, at https://pewboy.net/. 

TBA

$160/person

Event Information

  • Pricing includes two-nights stay (hotel style with linens), six meals, and course tuition. Single rooms available at additional cost.
  • Register online, print and mail the registration form, or call to register at (814) 945-6512 // $40 deposit due with registration
  • Check-in is from 3-5pm on Sunday; Check-out is after lunch on Tuesday
  • Please acquire and read the course text prior to the retreat - Available Here
  • Laity attending for the first time may apply for a scholarship if they did not attend Mission u in 2019. Three scholarships in the amount of $80 will be offered. Contact Diane Miller for an application (diane.miller2747@gmail.com)
  • United Methodist Women district officers can attend Mini Mission u for the $40 registration deposit, as long as the officer did not attend Mission u in 2019. The remainder of the cost will be paid by the conference UMW. 
  • 1 Continuing Education Unit available upon request