Global Missions Experience
Join us for a Global Missions Experience
September 21-24, 2023
We thank everyone who participated in the Global Missions Experience 2023 for a wonderful experience. Missions minded churches and Christian universities are invited to prayerfully consider hosting the next Global Missions Conference. If interested, please contact Shawn Daggett sdaggett@harding.edu.
Harding will tentatively plan to host the next GME in September of 2025. It will continue to be at Harding University Tahkodah (HUT) and Camp Tahkodah. It will be a three-day, hands-on training, in missions involving university students across the United States and missionaries from around the world.
Experience The Market
The GME Market Experience is an amazing opportunity to get a taste of daily life in many countries.
From haggling shopkeepers, to roadside musicians, to the noise of crowded streets, the GME market provides an overwhelming sensory experience.
In the market, GME participants will get to work together with a group of other missions minded people to purchase, prepare, and eat a meal as part of an exciting hands-on cultural opportunity.
Learning Stations
Get outside the classroom setting and experience missions! Camp Tahkodah and HUT provide excellent locations to participate in hands-on learning stations. You will:
- Acquire skills useful in both urban and rural settings
- Receive guidance from seasoned missionaries
- Gain knowledge that will be helpful wherever you choose to serve the Lord
Schedule
View the printable version of the schedule here.
Participants will be divided into three large groups which will rotate through various activities during the day. Everyone will be together for meals and worship times. The following is a general schedule for the weekend:
Thursday
4:00 pm | Registration |
6:00 pm | Dinner |
7:00 pm |
Andrew Brinley, "Overtaken by the Plowman" - Challenging a Tired World to Greater Global Vision
Amos 9:12-14
|
9:00 pm | Campfires with Missionaries |
Friday and Saturday
7:30 am | Breakfast |
8:20 am | Childcare for ages 2-12 begins |
8:30 am |
Coleman Yoakum, "Preparing the Mission for a church in Exile” |
8:30 am (Saturday) |
Juan Meza, "Redemptive Mission” |
10:00 am | Discovery Bible Study/Learning Stations/Market |
12:00 pm | Lunch / Child Pickup |
1:00 pm | Learning Stations/Classes/Discovery Bible Study / Childcare Begins Again |
3:00 pm | Market/Discovery Bible Study/Learning Stations |
5:00 pm | Dinner / Childcare ends |
6:00 pm | Solo Time |
7:00 pm (Friday) | Daniel Alavi, “God’s Scandalous Mercy” Jonah 1:1-3 |
7:00 pm (Saturday) | Adrian Ayers, “Dig It and Dung It” Isaiah 5:1-2; Mark 4:1-9 |
9:00 pm | Campfires with Missionaries |
Sunday
7:00 am | Communion Service and Keynote |
8:00 am | To-Go Breakfast |
Classes
The following classes are designed to help students of various majors better understand how they can use their talents and skills in the mission of God.
Ministry-Full Time Development Ministry | Bible, Ministry & Missions | Alan Howell | Tent A |
Creativity in God's Mission | Art and Design | Derek & Jennifer King Fri & Sat 1:00 | Tent B |
Serving as a Single Missionary | All Majors | Michelle Goff | Tent C |
Loving the Least of These (Caring for Children, Foster Care) | Social Work, Childlife | Andrew Baker | Tent D |
Campus Ministry | All Majors | Chris Buxton | Tent E |
Counting the Cost | Business & Accounting | Tim Jones Fri 1:00 & 2:00, Sat. 3:00 | Tent F |
The Love of Language, and the Language of Love | Foreign Language | Krist Bond Fri, Robert McCready Sat | Tent H |
Missions through the Art of Counseling | Behavioral Sciences | Shaun Dutile | Tent I |
Vocational Missions, Finding a Career to Support Yourself | All Majors | Phil Brown | Tent J |
Campfires
Campfires are a special time at night set apart for interactions with missionaries from around the world. This year they will focus on sharing the gospel in various cultural contexts.
Campfires include:
Africa | Fielden Allison | 15-Kyarakunda |
Asia | Gary Jackson | 11-Chang Cheng |
Northeast (Church Planting) | Shaun Dutile | 1-Tahkodah 1 (central) |
Latin America | Juan Meza | 8-El Municipio |
Caribbean | Adrian Ayers | 10-City Soleil |
Europe | Shawn Daggett | 6-Smith Amphitheater |
Turkey | Andrew Brinley | 2- Tahkodah 2 (far side of Gym) |
Third Culture Kids | Sam Shewmaker | 15-Kyarakunda (Friday) |
Short-Term Missions for Long Term Good | Danny Dod | 18-Refugee Camp |
Urban Communities | Coleman Yoakum | 13-Huehuetanango |
Learning Stations
Alternative Energy Jim Coler Art as Missions Jennifer & Derek King Bee Keeping Brittney Jones Bible Translation & Linguistics Nathan Davenport Children's Ministry Mary Nelson Coffee Shop Conversations, Sharing Faith Carl & Alicia Williamson Disciple Making Carl & Alicia Williamson Compressed Earth Block Keagan Johnson & HUT students Healthcare Missions Kevin Linderman Staying Healthy on a Mission Trip Jerry Myhan & Ronda Reely Earth Bag Jerry Veatch Language Learning Simulation Allen Diles & Tim Westbrook Movie Making For Missions Brinson Davenport Refugee Resettlement/Engagement Ken Graves Permaculture HUT Staff Rainwater Harvesting Karl McLarty Sustainable Agriculture Heath LaFavers Answering Skeptics Jesse Robertson Clean Water - For Schools/Clinics James Strother Clean Water - For Families or Mission Trips Julia O'Pry How to Avoid Anxiety in a Cross-Cultural Context Chase Turner Contextualization Matt Cook Trash to Treasure Isabella Paul
More Info
How to Register
Fill out the Global Missions Form to register. After you have completed this information, please click on the link to Harding Tickets on the form to pay the registration fee.
Cost
GME registration includes meals, t-shirts (for the first 500 people who register!) and lodging (but bring your own bedding as well as tent and/or hammock).
Global Missions Experience: $60 per person
Harding University students: $35 per person
Display booths: $120
For more information about reserving a display booth or sponsoring the GME, email gme@harding.edu.
Location
GME is held at Harding University Tahkodah (HUT) and Camp Tahkodah.
Camp Tahkodah is the home of a fantastic 1,350 acre summer camp that is owned and operated by Harding University. With rustic cabins, a refreshing creek, beautiful bluffs, and wooded trails, Tahkodah provides the perfect setting to interact with likeminded believers, learn about God and His heart for the world, and spend time with the Creator in the midst of His beautiful creation. Learn more about Tahkodah.
Harding University Tahkodah (fondly called HUT) was founded in 2001 and is a training ground for students eager to serve the Lord in various capacities all over the world. HUT features housing representative of 7 ethnic groups worldwide, and continues to grow. HUT is used to prepare students for ministry to peoples living in poverty worldwide, and to help them gain a more global vision that will equip them to better participate in God’s mission for the world. Learn more about HUT.
The 7 different locations
Cite Soleil: Represents the slum population all over the world, from Port Au Prince, Haiti, to Johannesburg, South Africa.
Chang Cheng: Demonstrates living conditions all over Southeast Asia.
Stinkin' Creek: Simulates residences in Appalachia, USA.
El Municipio: A Central American government building.
Hue Hue Tanango: Based on a traditional Nicaraguan home.
Kyarakunda: Imitates African mud huts.
The Refugee Camp: Resembles the tent cities of refugees in all parts of the globe.
Hotels
Approximate cost and distance from HUT
Holiday Inn Express & Suites | TBD | 16 miles; 25 minutes |
Super 8 | TBD | 16 miles; 25 minutes |
Eco Lodge | TBD | 11.9 miles; 17 minutes |
Ramada | TBD | 14 miles; 20 minutes |
Directions
Directions to Camp Tahkodah
(5095 Camp Tahkodah Road, Floral, AR 72534)
From Searcy, AR (45 miles, approx 1 hour):
Travel north on Hwy I67 from Searcy taking the Bald Knob exit - approximately 10 miles
Turn left at the light after exiting and go north on Hwy I67 toward Batesville for 17 miles
Turn left at Pleasant Plains onto Highway 87. (Left at the Exxon which is on the left)
Go straight at the stop sign after 300 yards
Turn right onto Camp Tahkodah Rd after 6 miles
Turn right into Camp Tahkodah after 3 miles
From Memphis (127 miles, approx 2 hours 37 minutes):
Travel from Memphis to West Memphis on Interstate 40 West
Take Interstate 55 North to Marion, take Exit 277 to US-Hwy 64 West
Continue on 64 West until you reach Bald Knob (approx. 82 miles)
Turn right onto Hwy I67 North toward Batesville for 17 miles
Turn left at Pleasant Plains onto Highway 87. (Left at the Exxon which is on the left)
Go straight at the stop sign after 300 yards
Turn right onto Camp Tahkodah Rd after 6 miles
Turn right into Camp Tahkodah after 3 miles
What to Bring
- TENT
- Bible, Notebook & Pen
- Sleeping Bag & Pillow
- Jacket (Be Prepared for Cold Weather and/or Rain)
- Hat
- Flashlight
- Deodorant
- Bathing Suit
- Insect Repellent
- Shoes for Rocky Paths
- Camera
- Towel and Washcloth
- Toiletries (Toothbrush, Deodorant, Soap, Etc...)
Note: Limit Clothes and Personal Items to One Bag.