Join us for a whole new perspective on missions.
Registration coming soon!
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Discover a cultural experience in the market.
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Guest speakers share lessons learned in the mission field.
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Gain a new perspective on sharing the gospel in other cultures.
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Acquire essential skills useful in both urban and rural settings.
Join us for a Global Missions Experience
September 21-24, 2023
Harding plans to host the Global Missions Experience (GME) again in fall of 2023 at Harding University Tahkodah and Camp Tahkodah. It will be a three-day, hands-on training, in missions involving university students across the United States and missionaries form around the world.
The 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 Harding University Tahkodah 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
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 | Worship and Keynote |
| 9:00 pm | Campfires with Missionaries |
Friday and Saturday
| 7:30 am | Breakfast |
| 8:00 am | Childcare for ages 2-12 begins |
| 8:30 am | Worship/Keynote |
| 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 | Worship/Keynote |
| 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
- Art and Design
- Media, Communication and Technology
- Athletics
- Healthcare Sciences
- Business
- Education
- Performing Arts
- Behavioral Sciences
- Engineering
- Law/Public Office
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 | TBA |
| Asia | TBA |
| North America | TBA |
| Latin America | TBA |
| Caribbean | TBA |
| South Pacific | TBA |
| Europe | TBA |
| Middle East | TBA |
| Missionary/ Third Culture Kid | TBA |
Learning Stations
- Alternative Energy
- Art as Mission
- Bible Translation & Linguistics
- Children's Ministry
- China Now Simulation
- Coffee Shop Conversations
- Community Centered Design
- Crisis Counseling
- Health Emergencies, You are 911
- House Churches
- Missions Machine (homeless ministry)
- Language Learning Simulation
- The State of the World
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Water Pumps
- Water Purification
- World Bible School
- Sharing Faith with Immigrants
- Micah 6 Ministries
- Refugee Ministry
- Permaculture
- Compressed Earth Block
- Earth Bag
- Film-making
- Cross-Cultural Health Education
- Bee Keeping
- Re-Entry and Reverse Culture Shock
- Media and missions
More information
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
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.