WAP Guide to Urbana 18

Are you going to Urbana? Still thinking about it? Know you can’t go, but wish you could? (Hot tip: there’s a live stream!)

The Urbana Missions Conference takes place in St. Louis, Missouri, from December 27-31, 2018.

Urbana is five days of deep engagement with God’s mission in the world and your place in it. Women in the Academy and Professions will be there — and we’d love to see you, introduce you to friends, and listen for God’s voice alongside you.

If you’ve yet to sign up, the price goes up on November 15 (that’s in one week!). You can register here.

Want some more information?

• A quick overview: Paul Borthwick describes five strands of Urbana DNA as being inspirational, directional, relational, informational, and experiential.

• This is a super-helpful debrief of Urbana 15 by six graduate student women who attended together. It includes big spiritual lessons and practical tips.​

“One of my takeaways from Urbana as a female academic was in viewing and consecrating my workspace as a place where God can work. As there's a lot of uncertainty for me after the semester ends, I think one of the primary ways I can live out the gospel in my context is by living in trust for God to provide a job/place to go after I graduate, which is in contrast to my natural reaction of anxiety and stress.”

We hope you can come (or live stream!). We’d love to meet you. Please let us know if you’ll be there and meet us in one of these spaces. Here are some of the things on the schedule that caught our eyes.

Plenary sessions

Even if you can’t be at Urbana in person, you’ll be able to join the experience via livestream. Check out the morning and evening session speakers here, and check back for streaming details.

The Emerging Scholars, Grad Students, and Faculty Lounge

Drury Inn & Suites Convention Center, Broadway Room 1-5 pm.

Meet other grad students and faculty in a casual setting, pray with a trained intercessor if you'd like, and process what you’re learning at Urbana. There are also other lounges based on special interest or affinity groups.

Faculty Day: Saturday, December 29.

• Faculty Lunch: Sign up by Dec 28 at the lounge​

WAP Day: Sunday, December 30.

• Meet our plenary session speaker Anne Zaki from 2-3 pm.

Seminars

These are hour-long sessions held every afternoon, delving deeply into specific contexts. Here are a few of the seminars that piqued our interest. You can peruse all the seminars here. And we might suggest tag-teaming with a buddy? There are a lot of good ones!           

Women in Academia: Living as a Faithful Witness in the University (Don’t miss this one!)Karen Hice GuzmánFriday, December 28, 2:00 p.m. America’s Center, Room 222

Women of Color in Urban MinistryJen Chi Lee, Janet Singleterry, Shabrae KriegFriday, December 28, 2:00 p.m.Hilton Ballpark Gateway 1-2

The Power of Race & Gender in Global MissionsJaneen UzellFriday, December 28, 2:00 p.m.America’s Center, Room 275

A Christian Response to #MeToo and #ChurchTooRob DixonSaturday, December 29, 3:30 p.m.Hyatt Regency at the Arch Regency Ballroom DEF

Jesus, Beginnings, & Science: A Guide for Group ConversationsDavid and Kate VosburgSaturday, December 29, 3:30 p.m.America’s Center, Room 231-232

Sharing Our Truth: Navigating Freedom of Speech and a Culture of Safe PlacesKathy Tuan-McLeanSunday, December 30, 2:00 p.m.America’s Center, Room 260, 267Confident Pluralism in the UniversityJohn InazuSunday, December 30, 3:30 p.m.America’s Center, Ferrara Theater

The Secular Academy as Mission FieldTom GroshSunday, December 30, 3:30 p.m.America’s Center, Room 130

Vocation and Mission: Greater Grace for the Common GoodSteven GarberSunday, December 30, 3:30 p.m.Drury Plaza, Sacagawea/Lewis

Other Great Things

Business Track Women’s DinnerIf you’re a woman participating in the Business Track, meet up for dinner with us! More details will be announced at the conference.

Art InstallationLeslie Iwai is the Urbana 18 Artist-in-Residence. She will be creating new art work to reflect the Urbana Bible passages in the book of Revelation. Her work will be exhibit in the America's Center from December 27 - December 31.

Graduate Student Exhibit HallStop by booth 1436 to meet other grad students and get connected!

Live-streaming from Home?

If you can’t attend in person but plan to live-stream from home, follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest updates —  and let us know how you are growing from the experience!

We hope to connect with you through Urbana 18!