Although the annual MK Re-Entry Retreat is hosted by a different state’s Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) each year, Alabama was the first state to host the retreat to help missionary kids (MKs) transition to collegiate life. It began in 1987 when retired International Mission Board (IMB) missionaries Bill and Audrey Cowley spearheaded the first retreat at Samford University in Birmingham.
Alabama hosts
Since that time the retreat has grown and is held at Alabama WMU’s WorldSong Missions Place in Cook Springs when it is hosted in the state.
Each year IMB provides the curriculum for the retreat, and a state WMU plans the logistics. Tracie Griggs joined the Alabama WMU team temporarily to help plan this year’s retreat.
“We tried to make the retreat very relational and we prayed that they would just feel a sense of community with the other MKs.”
Griggs and the rest of the team made MKs feel excited about the transition to college by personalizing each MK’s bed with paraphernalia from their college. At each bed students found T-shirts, sleeping bags, tote bags, water bottles and other items that had been donated to them by each of their colleges.
Making the atmosphere feel collegiate was important, Griggs said, going as far as to have a tailgating party one night.
But more than anything, Alabama WMU organizers sought to keep MKs from getting overwhelmed by this next step.
“We wanted to show them how being an MK really prepares them for college life (by drawing parallels between) MK struggles and college struggles,” Griggs said.
Churches and individuals also came alongside Alabama WMU and IMB to “adopt” MKs. Adoption consists of committing to sponsor MKs for one year and provide them with small gifts, gift cards, etc., to encourage them during what could be a difficult first year of college. This year about 120 individuals adopted MKs, according to Candace McIntosh, executive director of Alabama WMU. This doesn’t include the number of people who provided one-time gifts.
Churches contribute
North Shelby Baptist Church, Birmingham, was one of the churches that supported the retreat by offering resources and by encouraging individuals to adopt MKs.
North Shelby Baptist Pastor Allan Murphy believes strongly in missions, as he and his family served as missionaries on the Caribbean island of Curaçao for eight years.
“Any opportunity we (as churches) have to support missions, whether it’s through Cooperative Program giving or hands-on giving with retreats like this, we should go alongside and support our missionaries.”
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