Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Your MAILING address (that which utilizes the United States Postal Service) will be:
YOUR NAME
c/o CIT
P.O. Box 250
Union Mills NC 28167
For ground shipping (that which utilizes UPS, FedEx, etc.), the physical address for CIT (please do NOT use this for USPS mailing) is:
YOUR NAME
c/o CIT
6494 Hudlow Rd.
Union Mills NC 28167
Union Mills is a very small community located approximately 12 miles south of I-40 (exit 85) on Hwy. 221. We’re south of Marion, North Carolina and north of Rutherfordton, North Carolina…east and south of Asheville and west of Charlotte. For more specific directions.
Many training programs focus on either the Messenger, the Community, or the Message…or a combination. CIT focuses on these as well, but we spend a good bit of time also focusing on the Receiver. Our philosophy is that you can culturally prepare the family and have a theologically sound message, but if you don’t thoroughly understand your Receiver and have a strategic plan to successfully penetrate their culture with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, you are only partially prepared.
To that end, part of our training focuses on:
Cultural Understanding
Cultural Analysis
Exposure to your church of destination
Tools for strategic cultural entry and effective ministry
Community Care:
Community living to reinforce training
History giving and life mapping
Family friendly
CIT is a great place for families with a campus devoted to making the family’s transition to cross-cultural ministry as smooth as possible.
Place of transition
Countless participants have told us that this campus and surrounding area has been a wonderful place that God has used to prepare them for the transition to overseas living.
Rural setting
This type of location helps to provide a respite from the hustle and bustle of life which helps students to focus on why they are here.
Have more questions? Give us a call at 800.887.1786 or email us and we will be happy to help however we can.
Campus Life
The first Sunday night of Equipping and LLA, dinner is provided. Two lunches per week are provided in the cafeteria for community building.
During Engage Retreat and Debrief Retreat, all lunches are provided during the week and some dinners.
All other meals are the responsibility of the participant. Note that all of CIT accommodations have fully-equipped kitchens for meal preparation.
There are several grocery stores in the surrounding area of the CIT campus. There is a Dollar General on the corner of Hudlow and Hwy 221 which is almost walking distance from the campus. Larger grocery stores are within 20-25 minutes driving time.
If you love to hike, backpack, or even fish, you will love the many trails in the Blue
Ridge Mountains. Linville Falls and Linville Gorge, Chimney Rock, Grandfather Mountain, and Mount Mitchell are just a few of the many places with trails in the area that wind through the countryside. More information on these and other areas of interest can be found in the CIT Administration building.
We enjoy a very casual atmosphere at CIT. During the warmer months, participants often wear modest shorts. One-piece bathing suits are appropriate for swimming.
In Union Mills, North Carolina, we enjoy four very distinct seasons. The extremes of winter and summer are often mild compared to the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge Mountains as we are located in the foothills known as the Isothermal Valley.
Winter temperatures are cool with mid-day highs ranging from upper 40s to the lower 60s. Snow and ice are not uncommon but are generally sporadic and short lived.
Summer months are warm and on the humid side. High temps ranging from the mid to upper 80s to the mid 90s.
Spring and fall are somewhere in between. Autumn in the Blue Ridge Mountains is always a beautiful time of year as the trees change into spectacular colors making the mountainsides a breathtaking panorama.
Classes do not formally meet on the weekends. However, a couple of the weekends contain outside-of-class learning activities. We strongly advise participants against making weekend plans away from CIT during their training time here because the workload can be heavy enough that the stress on the individual and especially a family is significant. The pace here at CIT, while slowed from the ordinary rat race of stateside living, is steady and saturated with learning new information (your mind will be tired!)—you will need the weekend to rest for the next week’s module. Support development is almost always a major distraction from training, and we strongly discourage it while you are here. Whatever downtime you have, we recommend you use it for physical and spiritual refreshment.
Note: From a former CIT participant several years ago who spent most weekends away doing support development: At the end of the term, he told us, “Tell any future CIT participant that comes through here NOT to try to do support raising while at CIT. It was hard on me, it was hard on my wife, it was hard on our family life, and it was hard on my learning. And it wasn’t worth it. Tell them not to do it!
CIT Courses
Each module carries with it a different schedule. However, most modules go from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm with an hour and fifteen minute break for lunch.
Overall, you will have a moderate amount of homework, even over the weekends. You will need to read several articles and write a few 500-word reflection papers on various topics. If you do not like to write, we offer alternative reflection methods.
Though CIT strongly encourages both spouses to take the classes, it is up to the sending church/agency and the missionary to decide which classes are the best fit for them.
That said, it is the general rule that both husband and wife are significantly involved in ministry and because of this, both will be significantly impacted by the training they will encounter at CIT.
CIT does not have provision at this time for auditing classes. However, when on home assignment, we encourage alumni to sit in on classes they took previously as a refresher course. In this case, classes are tuition-free.
CIT is a training program, not a formal educational institution. Our goal is to train people to be effective in their ministries cross-culturally. We do not currently offer any courses for college or graduate credit.
CIT does not have a degree program. We offer certificates for our training here which, while generally not recognized in the US, have potential value in many places overseas.
Families with Children
CIT has two apartments that can house a family with four children. In one apartment, the extra bedroom is equipped with two twin-sized bunkbeds. With a small crib, it could also house five children. The other apartment has 3 bedrooms.
CIT also has some housing arrangements possible in the Sorensen Dormitory for large families with older children or groups with multiple large families. Contact CIT at the time of your registration for more specifics.
While CIT does not keep many toys for children (except in our Childcare room), we do have three playgrounds available for children to play on. One is beside the Childcare wing (and is used exclusively for children in Childcare during Childcare hours.) Another is behind the Boyer Apartment building and the other is behind the Sorensen Dormitory.
We have a strong commitment to family and children here at CIT. You can read about our children’s program in general here.
We provide childcare for our students with small children. For the older children we run three programs called Pre-KIT (Pre-K Kid’s Intercultural Training, KIT (Kid’s Intercultural Training) and YIT (Youth Intercultural Training) during the Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry and the Second Language Acquisition modules. Click on the links above for more detailed information.
Homeschooling: Many families who come to CIT home school their children. However, trying to continue homeschooling during the CIT session is highly discouraged because it has proven to put a very heavy load on both parents and children (who are in their own cross-cultural training during the day.)
However, we have built into our kids’ class schedule 1 hour for home-school work each day with the exception of the summer terms. With this in mind, please plan to send work to class each day with your child. This is for the students in the YIT and KIT program only.Parents provide their own curriculum.
Housing
CIT has two apartments that can house a family with four children. In one apartment, the extra bedroom is equipped with two twin-sized bunkbeds. With a small crib, it could also house five children. The other apartment has 3 bedrooms.
CIT also has some housing arrangements possible in the Sorensen Dormitory for large families with older children or groups with multiple large families. Contact CIT at the time of your registration for more specifics.
Each of the Boyer apartments are two-bedroom apartments, though some are larger than others, ranging in size from 600-800 sq. feet.
Few missionaries living cross-culturally will live in accommodations similar to what they are used to in the States. This transition (among others) is one of the biggest hurdles for families to overcome in living in another culture. We have sought to create an atmosphere that has many of the conveniences most Americans are used to but is slightly tighter than perhaps they are accustomed to…at the same time centered in the protective bubble of an English-speaking community and trainers who have “been there” to assist and guide you through the process.
The Boyer Apartment building’s main “Common Room” area and the Student Center each have a television and a VCR/DVD player for participants’ use. However, CIT does not supply televisions or VDR/DVD equipment to individual dwellings.
We are unable to allow pets in any of our accommodations.
There are three laundry facilities on the CIT campus. One is adjacent to the Boyer Apartment building, another is on the lower level of the Sorensen Dormitory, and there is one in the basement of the Triplex apartments. Use of these facilities is free to CIT participants. You’ll need to provide your own detergent, etc.
No, you will need to bring your own bed and bath linens which would include towels, wash cloths, bed sheets, pillow cases. The following will be provided in the apartment: kitchen linens, pillows, blankets, mattress covers, bedspreads.
If you are flying to CIT or have a specific need, we will make linens available for your use here. Please contact us with any questions.
All of CIT’s accommodations are furnished. Kitchens are fully equipped including full-sized stove, full-sized refrigerator, microwave, toaster, coffee maker, hand mixer, pots/pans, flatware, tableware, etc. Some apartments also have a blender and/or crock pot. Kitchen linens, bed pillows, mattress pads, blankets, and bedspreads are also supplied. You will need to bring your own bed and bath linens. Also provided is an iron, ironing board, laundry basket, some clothes hangers, vacuum cleaner, mop, and broom.
For current housing costs: Click Here
When you fill out your Registration form, describe your housing needs in the Comments section and we will be happy to help you choose the right option!
Please note that participants taking the Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry class will be placed in one of our Boyer Apartments as long as there is availability (singles will share with one other single). When those are full, we use dorm rooms and suites. Much training is gained through the community living and activities in this environment.
The answer to this question is yes and no. All those who register for the Equipping for Cross-Cultural Life and Ministry course are stay in the Boyer Apartment building as long as there is availability. Much training is gained through the community living and activities in this environment. But you are welcome to request a particular apartment or housing option and we will do our best to accommodate you as the circumstances allow.
Upon receipt of your registration deposit, you will be given a link to sign into the CIT learning platform and enrolled in a Welcome to CIT and Forms course. In these courses, you will find all the information you need for your arrival and stay at CIT. There are specific check-in times where someone will be there to greet you in the main reception.
When you register for a class at CIT you are automatically registered for housing. An email will be sent out approximately 2 weeks before class starts with your housing assignment.
The first Sunday night of Equipping and SLA, dinner is provided. Two lunches per week are provided in the cafeteria for community building.
During Engage Retreat and Debrief Retreat, all lunches are provided during the week and some dinners.
All other meals are the responsibility of the participant. Note that all of CIT accommodations have fully-equipped kitchens for meal preparation.
CIT has campus-wide wireless internet service available for CIT participants/staff only. There are no public phones in the housing or common areas.
Paying Your Bill
Some of the other expenses that are common to CIT participants (in addition to food) are copier usage fees, CIT vehicle usage, and additional books that are not required as part of a class but recommended by an instructor.
For the equipping course, there are two books that participants are required to purchase before beginning the pre-work (4 weeks before arrival at CIT), Cross-Cultural Connections by Duane Elmer and Journey with Me by Herb Lamp. All other materials for all the courses are included in the tuition costs.
Absolutely! Please be sure to give us the information on your registration form on who your contact person is (if there is someone who needs to approve your invoices) and the mailing address where it needs to be sent.
Our general procedure is to give you a copy of your invoice to approve after you arrive so that if there are any errors they can be corrected before sending the invoice on to your agency.
Yes, and if you need an invoice for your registration fee, just contact us and we’ll be happy to take care of that for you.
As a general practice, we do not accept credit cards as payment for the main invoice. However, we do accept them for the registration fee if that is preferred. When we receive your registration form, you will receive an email usually within a day or two with payment options and instructions for the online payment option.
We currently have two ways for you to pay your bill. The first is to pay by cash, check, or money order. Secondly, we can invoice your church or sending agency for your expenses while at CIT. If for some reason your church or sending agency denies payment of your invoice, you will be responsible to make arrangements for paying your bill.
When is my bill due for the courses I’m taking at CIT?
Your registration deposit is due as soon as possible after registration. You will receive an invoice either upon your arrival or within the first few days of class for your projected fees (including housing) which is payable (either by the participant or agency) at the beginning of the term.
Registration
When you register for a class at CIT you are automatically registered for housing. An email will be sent out approximately 2 weeks before class starts with your housing assignment.
Unfortunately, no. Registration deposits are non-transferable. They can’t be transferred to another date/time or from one person to another.
No. CIT requires a (non-refundable, non-transferable) $100 registration fee (per adult registrant) at the time of registration.
CIT requires a (non-refundable, non-transferable) $100 registration fee (per adult registrant) at the time of registration. You can send a check or money order to:
CIT
P.O. Box 250
Union Mills, NC 28167
If you prefer to pay online, instructions will be sent for this option when the registration form is received.
The earlier you register for any module, the more certain you will be of assuring your place in the module. The pre-work begins four weeks before arrival. However, we do not set a specific deadline for registration. If there is a spot available and housing available, you are welcome to register.
It helps us in planning and preparing books and materials for the class if students will register as soon as they can. At the same time, it is also important that participants be as certain of their attendance as possible prior to registration, thus avoiding last-minute cancellations which in turn avoids the layoff of childcare workers hired to staff a projected need based on those registrations. Staffing decisions and material preparation take place many weeks before a given course. Registration should ideally take place at least 6 weeks before the start of the class although many of our classes are filling up before that.
How can I register for CIT?
It’s easy to register for courses at CIT: Register online
Transportation
CIT currently has a mini van that is available for rent provided that it isn’t needed by staff.
CIT charges $100 per adult each way and $10 per child each way to provide transportation to and from the airport.
IMPORTANT: Contact CIT to confirm shuttle pickup time prior to making your travel arrangements.
CIT does provide shuttle service for participants. Those requiring shuttle service must coordinate arrival times with CIT prior to finalizing your flight arrangements.
Most of the time, our pick up time will be scheduled for the Sunday morning/ afternoon prior to the beginning of class. However, please confer with CIT before confirming your travel schedule so as to enable you to make your arrangements to coincide with our pick up schedule.
Currently, we are requesting that you fly into the Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) as it is the largest airport and often the most economical.
If you will need to be picked up at the airport, you will need to make prior arrangements with the CIT office.