Christian Mission school to be held at Farmington

FARMINGTON — The School of Christian Mission, with the theme “Toward Joyful Christian Discipleship,” will be held July 22-24 at the University of Maine, Farmington. It is co-sponsored by the New England Conference Outreach Committee and United Methodist Women.

A study on “Families from Scripture to Today,” will be led by the Rev. Dee Estelle Webber, executive director of Western Maine Counseling Service in Farmington.

Dr. Shirley Titcomb Mader and Bishop J. Woodrow Hearn will lead “African Churches Speak.” Mader, an elder of the United Methodist Church, spent 14 years as a missionary in West Africa. Hearn was a delegate to the World Council of Churches at Nairobi, Kenya, in 1986. He is a member of the African Church Growth and Development Committee.

Study leaders for “Making the World Safe for Children” will be Rosemary Word and Robert Cowperthwaite. Word, a member of the United Methodist Church in Brunswick, is a diaconal minister appointed to a project that advocates for women and children who are victims of domestice violence. Cowperthwaite, a church member in Houlton, is an elementary principal who has addressed the needs of at-risk children within the public school structure.

Debra Hammond of the West Scarborough UMC will teach the children’s program for preschoolers through age 11, and 12- to 15-year-olds will be taught by Lisa Swett of Orrington.

Preregistration is required. For information, contact the nearest United Methodist Church.