Pricing Schedule | Marketing | FAQs | Draft Schedule | Packing Information | Housing Information | Small Group Guides | Available Electives | Service Projects
 

SURVEYS

• Leader Survey
• Student Survey
• Join the Beautiful Rebellion

 

SCHEDULE

THURSDAY

Breakfast

• 7:30 a.m. Green
• 7:50 a.m. Blue
• 8:10 a.m. Pink

 
8:15 a.m. Adult Leader Meeting
8:45 a.m. Doors Open for Session
9:00 a.m. Session
10:30 a.m. Small Group
 
Lunch

• 11:40 a.m. Green
• 12:00 p.m. Blue
• 12:20 p.m. Pink

 
1:00 p.m. Elective/Middle School Tournament
2:00 p.m. Elective
3:00 p.m. Elective/High School Tournament
4:00 p.m. Elective
 
Dinner

• 5:30 p.m. Green Bands
• 5:50 p.m. Blue Bands
• 6:10 p.m. Pink Bands

 
6:45 p.m. Doors Open for Session
7:00 p.m. Session
8:30 p.m. Small Group
9:30 p.m. Late Night: Karaoke
11 p.m. Lights Out
 

Friday

Breakfast

• 7:30 a.m. Blue
• 7:50 a.m. Pink
• 8:10 a.m. Green

 
8:15 a.m. Adult Leader Meeting
8:45 a.m. Doors Open for Session
9:00 a.m. Session
10:30 a.m. Small Group
 
Lunch

• 11:40 a.m. Blue
• 12:00 p.m. Pink
• 12:20 p.m. Green

 
12:45 p.m. Doors Open for Session
1:00 p.m. Closing Session
3:00 p.m. Small Group
3:30 p.m. Depart

 

AVAILABLE ELECTIVES

THURSDAY

Pool Times

• 1:00 Green
• 2:00 Blue
• 3:00 Pink

 
Dodgeball Tournament (Gym/Rec Center)

• 1:00 Middle School
• 3:00 High School

 
1:00 Understanding Your Call (Steadman)

• When God Calls, what do you do? Answer? Or send to Voicemail?
• Let’s talk and dream together about vocation, calling, and a Christian life.

 
1:00 Dungeons and Dragons (Library)

• Unite Adventures: The Pigs of Gergasa

 
2:00 E-Sports (Meet at the Sculpture Garden)
 
2:00 Science and Scripture (Steadman)

• An entirely new perspective on how science and scripture come together from another great CMU professor! Everyone is welcome.

 
3:00 Clay Sculpture (Allied Health Building)

• Discover the power and fun of creating with clay! See what art is within you.

 
4:00 Adult Leader Session: Shifting Your Ministry to a Culture of Ownership
When students actively participate in the church, they find a sense of belonging and ownership. They become part of a community that supports and encourages them, fostering lifelong connections and friendships. By integrating students into the fabric of your church and community, you’ll create an environment where they feel valued, heard and empowered to make a difference.
 

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Make plans to join Missouri Conference NextGen Ministries for UNITE, a summer youth conference for incoming 6th graders to graduating seniors hosted at Central Methodist University on July 17-21. Together we’ll INSPIRE students to unite through worship and mission, CREATE opportunities for students to use their voices, ENCOURAGE students to be Kin(g)dom workers in their local communities, and EQUIP a generation of young people to share the love of Jesus for the transformation of the world. Sports tournaments, service opportunities, eSports, swimming, workshops, worship and learning round out the full schedule planned for this United Methodist youth experience.

Things you can expect at UNITE:

• Powerful Speakers
• High-energy Worship
• Small Group Time
• Devotionals
• Sports Tournaments
• eSports
• Silent Disco
• Talent Show
• Swimming Pool
• College Campus Setting

GROUP REGISTRATION IS OPEN! Use the register button to the right to buy bulk seats for your youth group.

PLEASE NOTE: For every eight students of one gender brought to UNITE, your group will be required to have one Safe Gatherings-certified adult of the same gender at all times. As the event date draws near and we get a clearer picture of registrations, NextGen Ministries will work with smaller groups attending to partner them with other UMC groups to help accommodate the Safe Gatherings requirement.
 

MARKETING RESOURCES

• Brand book (PDF)
• Fonts:
  • Rift (if you have Adobe)
  • Bebas Kai (if you don’t have Adobe)
  • Nunito Sans
• 8.5×11 Printable Poster (PDF)
• 6×9 Postcard (PDF)
• 16:9 Format Slide
• Square Graphic (PNG)
• Story-sized Graphic (PNG)
• Hype Video

 

PRICING SCHEDULE

Until March 1, 2023: $125
March 2 - May 1, 2023: $165
May 2 - July 17, 2023: $200
 

PACKING INFORMATION

• Student Packing List and Rules Document (PDF)
• Leader Supplemental Packing List (PDF)

A Word About Cell Phones
We purposely left phones off the "What to bring" and "What not to bring" list because we are leaving that decision up each group’s leader. You know your students and can better determine if this would be more of a problem than a benefit. We plan on giving each of the students a drawstring backpack with a shirt, bracelet, journal and pen as a welcome gift.

 

HOUSING INFORMATION

Once you have final numbers locked in, we can send you a list of rooms that will be available in a spreadsheet. It is then up to you to take that list and populate it with your students and adults, however you see fit. Surprisingly, this can be tricky because of student dynamics and friendships. When completed, please send it back to us. We hope to get this to you about three weeks out from the event. For any issues concerning rooms, please contact us at unite@moumethodist.org.

 

SMALL GROUP GUIDES

Use these on your phones or print out copies for the group. Two versions are available: A leader version with directions and suggestions and a student version with the content online.

• Leader Guide (PDF)
• Student Guide (PDF)

 

SERVICE PROJECTS

Below is a link to a questionnaire regarding the service projects during UNITE. Your feedback will help us determine which projects you and your group are interested in and how many will participate.

Remember that this counts as an elective on Tuesday-Thursday and is not mandatory. We are giving you the option to participate as much, or as little, as you'd like. We would like this information to prepare accordingly and make sure that we have enough supplies.
 

Service Project Form

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

When is UNITE and who is it for?
The Missouri Conference’s UNITE event will be held the week of July 17 at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. It is geared towards incoming 6th graders to graduating seniors. With that said, the way the schedule is broken down for the event is specifically tailored to have two different tracks for junior-high and senior-high students while also still staying together for times of worship.

How can I sign my students up?
Access it here. You’ll see a registration form where you can select how many spots you would like to reserve for your church. This is a bulk-buy registration that you can edit later on in the process. At a later date, a form for student-specific information will be distributed and must be completed by a parent or guardian.

How do I promote UNITE at my church?
Click here to download one. If you open it in Adobe Acrobat, you can add your youth-group-specific information at the bottom. We will distribute more promotional materials as they become available.

How should I prepare for the event?
Pray and keep praying for a great event. Logistically, the best way to prepare for the event is to make sure that you get the required medical release forms and other documentation (Safe Gatherings, media release, etc.) needed for your students and leaders so in-person registration and check-in goes smoothly. Keep an eye on your email as the we share unique aspects of this year’s event and special materials to bring. Finally, it is always a good idea to meet with the adult leaders who will join you on the trip to make sure everyone is on the same page.

What should I expect at UNITE?
Expect an amazing and powerful week that will be tiring but beyond rewarding. We will be offering great speakers, high energy worship, breakout classes, eSports tournaments, sports tournaments, swimming pool and much more.

How is it different from other youth conferences?
UNITE is a conference in scale that the Missouri Conference has yet to see. It is intentional about creating a space for our students to be grow spiritually, be inspired and encourages, and creates opportunities to unite with other student voices across the state.

How will this benefit my church?
One of UNITE’s biggest focuses is to challenge students to use their gifts, talents and passions for the local church. After the event, it is normal to see students seeking to get connected with ministries within the church and even create new ones. The energy that these students come back with will reenergize the church as a whole.

What about cost?
Normally, an event like this would cost over $350. Since NextGen Ministries believes so strongly in what UNITE can accomplish for the students in the Missouri Conference, we are offering a significant discount through early bird specials to create a wider reach. If you register prior to March 1, the price will be $125. March 2^nd to May 1^st is $165. After May 2^nd the cost will be $200, which is still a significant discount. Don’t forget to plan for the cost of getting to and from the conference along with any extra money for merch and offsite lunch on the Thursday of conference.

What’s the 2023 theme of the event?
The theme this year is called A Beautiful Rebellion: The Kin(g)dom of Grace. Each day the focus will be on how God invites us to join in Kin(g)dom work within our homes, churches, communities, schools, and world by reflecting the love and grace of Jesus.

Where does UNITE find its presenters?
UNITE has recruited a diverse and extremely skilled group of people both locally and nationally who know how to resonate with a student audience. Many of these people have had experience in student ministries or just have a passion for young people to know and understand the Good News of Jesus.

How is this different from other things the Missouri Conference has done in the past?
In terms of event style, the closest thing that UNITE can be compared is WOW. However, the difference is that UNITE continues to be a partnership between Conference NextGen Ministries and local church leaders. With this partnership, NextGen Ministries is focusing on getting students there and encouraging our youth ministry leaders to have a powerful week with their students.

How many leaders do I need to bring with me? What will they be doing/asked to do?
Conference Safe Gathering guidelines require one adult for every eight students. Your leader’s focus is to build relationship with your students and to help lead a small discussion IF it is needed. Considering that the small group discussion tends to be student-led via an online resource, an adult facilitator for conversation isn’t always required. Other than that, have fun! Be present with them in worship sessions and experience God together.

How older do my leaders need to be?
In accordance with Conference Safe Gatherings policy, persons supervising minors shall be at least four years older than the oldest participant.

What if we have a mission trip planned or mission trips are a big part of our youth group culture?
GREAT! We love that! UNITE is not meant to compete against mission trips but rather just be another experience where you students can see God at work in their life. UNITE is also planning for service opportunities in the surrounding community, if your church is seeking a service element to the trip. There are plenty of churches that offer both a mission trip and a conference in the same summer, trade off experiences every other year, offer mission trips during spring break instead, etc. The choice is yours as a church, and we encourage you to look at both if your schedule allows because of the unique opportunity each experience could provide.

Who do I contact for more information?
Contact Missouri Conference Youth Specialist Rev. Angel Garcia at agarcia@moumethodist.org.