REGISTRATION LINK


UKirk Montreat Registration 2026


General Trip Information

Dates: January 2-5, 2026

Location: Montreat, NC

Open To: Bama UKirk Students

Cost: $100.00 (includes conference programming, lodging, activities, and most meals) 

Transportation: Church Bus/Van

Paperwork

First Presbyterian Church Retreat Covenant (Sent prior to departure) 

Montreat Paperwork (will be sent when made available by Montreat) 

Payments

Final payment ($100.00) due December 31, 2025

Registrations

Registrations are now open and will close on December 31, 2025. Spots will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please know that if needed, scholarship payments are available upon request. 

COLLEGE MINISTRY

Join us on Tuesday nights at 6:30PM for dinner, fellowship, and study! Free dinner provided!

Follow us on social media or email bamaukirk@gmail.com for more details. Our Student Center is located at:


405 20th Ave, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401


UKirk (literally meaning University Church) is the Presbyterian (USA) college ministry in Tuscaloosa. We’re actually part of a larger network of PC(USA) campus ministries (called UKirk Ministries) which seeks to reach, teach, and love college students so that they may be lifelong followers of Jesus Christ. Locally, though, we are a ministry of First Presbyterian Church in Tuscaloosa.

Special Dates

  • Every Tuesday - 6:30-8:00PM gathering (free dinner included)
  • Every Wednesday - Lunch Bunch at the The University of Alabama Student Center
  • Every Sunday - Worship at First Presbyterian Church - Tuscaloosa

HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?

Show up! Join us for worship at FPC on Sunday mornings at 11AM in our Sanctuary or gather with us on Tuesday nights at 6:30PM at UKirk.  You can contact our UKirk team at bamaukirk@gmail.com, or you can take a look at our Facebook Group or Facebook Page. You can also follow us on Instagram @ukirkua!

  • Local Missions Projects
  • First Week Frenzy in August
  • Fall, Winter, & Spring Retreats
  • College Conference at Montreat
  • Lake/Pool Parties
  • Cookouts
  • and more!

MEET OUR UKIRK DIRECTOR


Our Campus Ministry Coordinator is Lauren Howard. Lauren is a Bama UKirk alum & has participated in UKirk as an undergrad and knows what a difference it makes in the lives of college students! She is grateful for her time in UKirk as a student and is excited to help lead the group now. You can reach her by email at bamaukirk@gmail.com.

Lauren Howard grew up in Columbia, South Carolina, and came to UA to earn her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Elementary Education. She just finished her third year teaching kindergarten at Maxwell Elementary. UKirk was and still is a large part of her faith journey. This ministry gave her some of the most meaningful relationships in her life, and she is passionate about seeing it thrive. Lauren credits UKirk and FPC with making Tuscaloosa feel like home.

AM I WELCOME?

Because church, Christians, and God really aren't my thing...

Absolutely. We get it. The church, for all that it does well, can be a difficult place. We people are not always good at welcoming strangers or other folks who believe different things than we do. That’s what it means to be broken: sometimes, we’re just not very good at the whole ‘loving one another’ thing. That includes the church. But, at UKirk, we believe in sharing in that brokenness together— no matter what we believe, no matter our background, no matter our politics or opinions or whatever, no matter what. We believe in sharing life together, because that’s what Jesus calls us to do. And so, we, as a community, pledge to live, love, serve, and worship together, believing and hoping that God will redeem us and that we will— somehow— take part in that redemption.

UKIRK MISSIONS

At UKirk, local, domestic, and international missions are an important part of our ministry. Each year, we take a service trip to learn about who we are, whose we are, where we are called, and what we are called to do. As the prophet Isaiah says, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’"


Past Mission Trips include New Orleans, LA, Haiti, Washington, D.C., Nashville, TN, Miami, FL, and Orlando, FL. We also have served in local ministries, including our Habitat for Humanity builds around Tuscaloosa and our work with the University Presbyterian Church Food Pantry. We look forward to experiencing new ways to proclaim God's story to the world, and new places where we can listen to and learn from our sisters and brothers in Christ, wherever they may be! If you're interested in being part of our next mission trip (location & dates TBA), let us know!

SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS

We've got a wonderful group of students here at Bama UKirk, and there are ways you can support us. Whether through prayer or our Adopt-a-Student Program or through financial giving, we appreciate your generous support.


Want to offer financial support? We always need help! Visit FPC's "Giving" page and choose to give to UKirk.

  • Scholarship a student for the College Conference at Montreat
  • Help a student attend our annual domestic/international mission trips to places like Washington, DC, New Orleans, or Haiti
  • Feed free meals to our students at our Tuesday night gatherings
  • and more!