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A Clarion Call for Civility!
Greetings Siblings In Christ,
I have been very quiet regarding sharing my thoughts regarding the atrocities which are being imposed upon many of our siblings in Christ across the nation by the current Administration. We witness (almost daily) violent disturbances between peaceful protesters and overzealous ICE agents. With many of our hearts broken and our eyes wide open, we experience the trauma and violence at the cost of human life, rights, and dignity. We are enraged and full of grief to see many of our siblings' families, communities, and country being torn apart. Within our Conference there are pockets of our communities that are not as at risk, not as vulnerable, however there are those who been very involved in pushback to ICE and to DHS agents. That runs the gamut. A lot of churches have found innovative ways to organize and provide care and nurture to those who are directly affected.
Late January, I attended a series of hearings on Human & Civil Rights Violations, ICE Raids & Community Harm at McCormick Theological Seminary. This event was sponsored by the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference in collaboration with McCormick Theological Seminary. HART (Human Rights, Anti-Authoritarianism, Reparatory and Restorative) Truth Telling Commission convened public hearings on Jan. 21–22, 2026, 8:30 am–4:00 pm, at McCormick Theological Seminary to document community harms linked to ICE raids and institutional racism. These hearings documented human rights harms facing communities of color amid the federal militarization of neighborhoods, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Harms include family separation, detention, workplace and home raids, fear-based policing, and lasting community trauma. What I heard and experienced was truly riveting.
Pastor Anthony Williams focuses on making civility a national agenda. He sees civility "as a part of building healthy communities where violence is understood and treated as a criminal issue and not a heath epidemic."
Beloved, we in the Illinois Conference stand with our siblings everywhere, who are standing on the frontlines and fighting for and with immigrant families for the democracy of all people.
On Sundays during our prayer time may we remember that; during these chaotic times, we are called to hold onto hope, to our faith, and to each other as we heed to the clarion call for civility.
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Peace,
Rev. Dr. Terrill N. Murff
Conference Minister (Interim Period)
Illinois Conference of The United Church of Christ
terrillmurff@ilucc.org
708.701.4325 (cell)
708.344.4470 (Conference Office)
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UCC Yearbook - Time for Reporting!
United Church of Christ
Due on or before Friday, April 10, 2026
Once again, it is time for the UCC to begin preparing for the coming year’s Yearbook & Directory! We are deeply grateful for your continued efforts to help us maintain up-to-date and accurate data. This year marks our second year using the new UCC Database and Directories (DAD), and we anticipate a much smoother experience.
In case you were unaware:
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Your church's 501(c)3 status is dependent on a current updated listing in the UCC Yearbook.
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When your church is searching for a Pastor you will need current and updated data, which comes from the UCC Yearbook. If no reports have been submitted for your church for five (5) years, all data reverts to zeros.
The site opened to churches on Monday, January 26th.
The Yearbook reporting will close for churches on Friday, April 10, 2026.
Links below are documents from the National UCC office to help you get started.
Thank you for all your hard work in collecting and reporting. Your participation is the ONLY way our records are kept up-to-date. If you need help, please contact Naomi in the Conference Office (708-344-4470 or conferenceadmin@ilucc.org).
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UCC Webinar: Venezuela, Oil, and U.S. Imperialism
UCC Creation Justice Webinar
Wednesday, February 11, 202
@ 12 pm/CT
Faith communities are actively responding to the U.S. invasion of Venezuela as the U.S. seeks to control Venezuela's oil. In working to expand and strengthen these efforts, what do faith communities need to know about the situation faced? How can they act to prevent U.S. imperialism in Venezuela and other countries?
Addressing these questions, our webinar panelists will be Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies; Lisa Sullivan, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, and Tim Heishman, Friends Committee on National Legislation.
If you cannot attend the live event on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, still register, and we will send you a recording.
Register today!
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Webinar: Strength in Our Stories: A Workshop for LGBTQIA+ Christians' Spiritual Self-Care | Practicing Sacred Storytelling in a World That Tries to Erase Us - Webinar on February 24, 2026 from 6 - 7:30 pm CT | | | | |
2026 Climate Hope Art Contest for Children and Youth
Submissions due February 6 to March 20, 2026
The theme for our fourth annual Climate Hope Art Contest is “A Future with Hope.” Children and youth are invited to draw, paint, or color works of art that bring this theme to life.
We’ll accept art submissions from February 6th to March 20th. We will have winners for different age groups and an overall winner who will receive an all-expense paid trip to visit Washington, DC, with a parent or guardian.
Register your congregation now to participate.
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Help Build a National Movement for Justice - Take the A.C.T OUT Survey Today - UCC Open and Affirming Coalition | Across our nation, LGBTQ+ people are under attack. Trans and nonbinary youth are being targeted by cruel legislation. Inclusive books and curricula are being | | | | |
Faith In Place Free February Monthly Call
"Reparations for African American People"
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Time: 6 PM - 7:30 pm/CT
Join us for our February Monthly Call in conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Trask, Founder of Champaign-Urbana Reparations Coalition. Dr. Jeffrey Trask will talk to us about his work in leading the coalition that seeks reparations for African American people. Their goal is to address the historic and ongoing harms caused by systemic racism and discrimination.
Register for this free event here.
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Annual Community UCC/ UCC Campus Ministry
Queering Faith 9.0
Friday, February 20, 2026
Community UCC
805 S 6th St, Champaign, IL
Our featured guest is The Many, a creative collective that makes music and new kinds of inclusive, justice-building gatherings, offering space for faith and doubt, lament, and gratitude. The feet-on-the-ground, heart-in-hands songs and liturgies they create remind us we aren’t alone. They help us find the courage to authentically love God, ourselves, and everyone in this whole, aching world.
Buy your tickets here.
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Reading Into the New Year: Dismantling White Christian Supremacy | In this next installment of Reading Into the New Year, we'll be in conversation that confronts traditional theology which serves to justify white Reading Into the New Year: Dismantling White Christian Supremacy | | | | |
Early-Bird Registration Open for
The Gathering: Many Gifts, One Spirit
Council for Health and Human Service Ministries, UCC
March 24-26, 2026
Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis
Registration is now OPEN for The Gathering: Many Gifts, One Spirit, to be held March 24-26, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis. The theme is based on 1 Corinthians 12:4-7: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Take advantage of Early Bird Special. Register by February 9 to lock in early bird rates – that's $100 in savings per person! CHHSM member organizations as well as UCC offices, churches, and ministries should register under "Member General Admission."
The Gathering will draw some 500 leaders from Mennonite, Methodist, Presbyterian, Quaker, and the UCC related health and human service associations for three transformative days of networking, thought-provoking keynote presentations, and exceptional education on best practices, innovations, and critical issues shaping health and human service ministries.
A limited number of scholarships will be available for first-time Annual Gathering attendees and smaller CHHSM agencies with limited budgets. Email chhsmpublic@chhsm.org for information.
The Gathering in 2026 is brought to you by these faith-based health and human service organizations: CHHSM (UCC), AQORD (Mennonite and Quaker), Methodist Ministries Network, and PAHSA (Presbyterian).
Register for The Gathering Today!
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Nollau Leadership Institute Class of 2026-27 Enrollment
The Council for Health & Human Service Ministries (CHHSM)
1st Retreat: May 18-22, 2026
2nd Retreat: October 5–9, 2026
CHHSM Annual Gathering: March 15-19, 2027
The Nollau Leadership Institute is CHHSM's signature program with more than 300 attendees in its 20+ years. Enrollment is open, and the short online application can be found here. We invite you to make plans to participate in next year's class by registering now. A limited number of tuition scholarships are available to help offset the cost of the program.
Grounded in the health and human service organizations of the United Church of Christ, this program offers a unique space in which to experience leadership formation. Each year, Nollau brings together a community of leaders committed to creating a just, caring, and compassionate world. Cultivating this connection between others, the world, and within themselves is the heart of the Nollau experience.
Through retreats, online interactions, and peer mentoring, this program supports leadership formation through a variety of learning modalities and within a community of practice. The use of rituals, art, poetry, embodiment, and time to simply be in nature are all part of the program, alongside the interactive didactic sessions. You can learn more about the curriculum here.
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Details:
The program consists of two in-person retreats at Bellwether Farm, online interactions in between the retreats, and an additional day of programming at the 2027 CHHSM Annual Gathering, which includes the commissioning of the class as Diakonal Ministers.
2026-27 Schedule:
1st Retreat: May 18-22, 2026
2nd Retreat: October 5–9, 2026
CHHSM Annual Gathering: March 15-19, 2027
Location Information:
Retreat Center: Bellwether Farm, 4655 SR-60, Wakeman, OH 44889
Annual Gathering: Location to be announced in March 2026.
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YOUTH VOICES: BOLD FAITH
Apply to be part of a UCC Youth-Centered Week of Advocacy in Washington, D.C.
High school students who will complete 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in Summer 2026
Washington, D.C. on June 14 - June 19, 2026
Registration Cost: $250 (includes lodging, ground transportation, meals, and programming)
Are you ready to make your voice heard? Join the United Church of Christ in Washington, D.C. for Youth Voices: Bold Faith, a week-long immersion in faith-based advocacy, justice, and community. Together, we’ll explore how our faith calls us to speak truth to power, stand up for what’s right, and work toward a world where all can thrive. Click here to learn more.
Applications are live! The deadline to apply is Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 9 pm. Review of applications will begin February 23, 2026, and applicants will be notified by February 27, 2026. The $250.00 payment and registration for accepted applicants will be due by March 27, 2026. Apply online here.
Please feel free to reach out to the Network of Wider Church Youth Ministries at nowcymucc@gmail.com with any questions or for more information.
You can also join an information session via Zoom on Sunday, January 25, at 6:00 pm CT. Join via this link.
Topic: Information Session for Summer of Advocacy 2026 Youth Applicants
Time: Jan 25, 2026 @ 6 PM CT(US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 813 0250 4495
Passcode: BoldFaith
Please note:
Travel logistics and cost to get to and from Washington, D.C. are the responsibility of accepted applicants. Upon arrival in Washington, D.C., chaperones and adult supervision will be provided by the Network of Wider Church Youth Ministries and the UCC Office of Public Policy and Advocacy. NOWCYM will also work with accepted applicants to connect with their local church, association, and conference to support attendance.
Due to the limited size of the group that the UCC Office of Public Policy and Advocacy can accommodate, participants will be selected through an application process. Priority will be given to older high school students, especially those in grades 11 & 12.
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2026 PAAM Convocation Josiah Generation Going Deeper in Faith
Pacific Islander and Asian American Ministries (PAAM) of the United Church of Christ
June 24–27, 2026
Irvine Congregational Church UCC, Irvine, California
We warmly invite you to join us at the 2026 PAAM Convocation. This gathering will offer a time for spiritual nurture, inspiring worship, workshops, breaking bread together, fellowship, and deepening our cross-cultural and inter-generational ministries.
Follow our PAAM Facebook page for the updates, and contact your regional representative for details: Rev. Charing Wei-Jen Chen (陳煒仁 / 查令) (he/him), evcharingchen@gmail.com, PAAM Annual Convocation Midwest Region PAAM Representative.
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Plan to arrive Monday afternoon (3-5 pm) before dinner and head home on Thursday at 11 am after breakfast.
Register here.
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Crafters' Retreat
Pilgrim Park Camp & Conference Center
Monday-Thursday, April 20-24, 2026
Princeton, IL
This spring, bring your crafts, create masterpieces at your own pace, and enjoy great food, fun, and fellowship during this four-day retreat.
Limited to 10 sleeping rooms, the fee includes room, bedding, towels, and all meals: $411 single, $311 double, and $297 triple occupancy.
Sleeping quarters consist of
- six rooms with private bathrooms and three double beds,
- two with double beds and a twin, or
- two handicapped accessible rooms with a walk-in shower, and one double and one twin each. Please advise if you require a handicappped accessible room.
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Tower Hill Camp:
A Special Place
Sawyer, Michigan
We foster inclusive settings that allow young individuals to forge enduring memories, while people of all ages can enhance their spiritual connections. The essence of the camp experience lies in its transformative opportunities, offering a unique chance to engage with nature and discover one's true self.
We provide a diverse range of camping experiences, retreats, and special events suitable for individuals of all ages. For further details, please contact Tower Hill at 269-426-3881, or to discover our offerings, log onto https://www.towerhillcamp.org/
| | Conference/Local Church News & Events | |
Naperville pastor joins clergy to protest Minnesota ICE actions: 'It's time to be brave' | Kari Nicewander, a church pastor from Naperville, was among hundreds of clergy members helping fight ICE in Minneapolis this week. | | | | |
A Personal Ministry: Helping UCC Churches Reduce Electric Costs and Improve Light Quality
Steve Jones, currently a member of First Congregational Church of Naperville, helps UCC churches (including Tower Hill) with lighting issues as part of his personal ministry. He is a lifelong Congregationalist who has made it his personal ministry to help churches reduce electrical costs and improve light quality through changing and upgrading lighting. His education and background are in electrical and industrial engineering, occupational safety, and ergonomics.
He currently lives and works in Naperville, IL, where he is a Global Ergonomist for a large local company. Starting with his home church in Naugatuck, Connecticut, he has re-lamped every church he has attended over the last 25 years, and now a few more by invitation. He has just completed his 20th church and Tower Hill upgrade and is willing to help any church that needs his advice or labor.
Illinois’ Fluorescent Lamp Ban – How It Affects Your Church and What You Can Do
In 2025, Illinois amended its Environmental Protection Act to include a ban on the sale of mercury-containing lamps. This ban goes into effect in two stages:
- January 1, 2026 – ban on the sale of screw-based and bayonet-based Compact Fluorescent Lamps (the “curly-cue” bulbs).
- January 1, 2027 – ban on the sale of pin-based fluorescent lamps (fluorescent tubes and PL lamps)
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This ban does NOT require you to remove existing fluorescent bulbs. It does ban the SALE of new fluorescent bulbs starting on those dates.
Moving forward, any burned-out bulbs must be replaced with LED bulbs. If you have spare bulbs, you can use those until they run out.
You can easily replace older lamps with LED; the trick is to know what will work in your fixtures. Here’s a guide for you.
Screw-in CFLs – purchase warm-white (2700-3500K) LED bulbs of equivalent brightness (lumens). The latest High-CRI bulbs provide better color rendition and are a bit brighter. Brands include FEIT Enhance, Sylvania TruWave, or Philip High Definition.
Bayonet-base CFLs – also known as “GU-base” bulbs. Plug in and twist. These are rare but they do make LED replacements.
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PL-bulbs – these were popular in the 1990s in ceiling cans and some fixtures. You can buy the LED equivalent and they should work in your fixtures. Keep in mind they do use a separate ballast in the fixture, but the LED bulbs are made to be compatible and should work.
Tubes – LED tubes are direct replacements for fluorescent tubes. The replacement tube you select will depend on the age of the fluorescent fixture.
For more detailed information, I have a video on YouTube that explains all of this in simple detail. It is divided into chapters so you can jump to the desired topic.
Copy this link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuA5UNO2JTM
If you have any questions or want more information on how to improve the lighting in your church, feel free to reach out to Steve directly – SteveJonesLED@gmail.com
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Clergy Support Group
Virtual Meeting on Fourth Thursdays of the month
9 to 10:30 am
Advocate Health Care
Aurora Health Care
Faith and Health Partnerships
Clergy are invited to this safe space for professional, spiritual, and psychological support. Receive encouragement, guidance, and answers to issues currently being faced. Group facilitators create an environment for dialogue and focus on being solution-driven. For more information and to register, contact Lashondria Purnell at lashondria.purnell@aah.org.
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Let's Talk Teams - Mastermind! 2026 Workshop
2nd Monday of each month at 1 pm CT
Advocate Health Care
Aurora Health Care
Advocate Health, Midwest Region
Faith communities rely on volunteers, committees, and teams to accomplish their goals. Does anyone feel like it's harder than ever to make this work?
Everyone who is a part of a team, leads a team, and/or organizes teams is invited to join these calls. This group is a supportive community where we brainstorm, collaborate, share insights, provide feedback, and support each other's growth and success.
Register Here.
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NCCC Offers Free Toolkit for Congregations Offering Immigration Support
National Council of Churches
With recent increases in immigration enforcement activities, many in our communities are feeling heightened fear and uncertainty. As people of faith, we are called to respond with compassion, courage, and care.
Our Congregational Immigration Response Toolkit provides practical, ready-to-use resources to help your congregation support immigrant neighbors. Inside, you’ll find:
Talking points for faith leaders
Worship and liturgical materials
Scripture references rooted in justice and welcome
Concrete steps your community can take right now
This toolkit is designed to support you in worship, study, advocacy, and community action—anytime, and especially now.
Click HERE to download the toolkit.
Click HERE for the Spanish version.
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Scripture and the Church Today: How We Continue the Biblical Story
February 17, 2026 at 5 pm CT
Celebrate the launch of the National Council of Churches' New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition Commemorative Bible with Bishop McKenzie and a panel of voices from across NCC member communions, sharing the traditions and histories that have shaped our faith.
Register here.
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What is the Bible? (Dickinson/MBS)*
Level 1 - begins April 8, 2026
*Introductory Level 1 Bible Course based on the Exploring the Bible Dickinson Series by Rev. Anne Robertson, published by the Massachusetts Bible Society.
Using the student text What is the Bible? from the Exploring the Bible Dickinson Series, as the foundation, this course introduces participants to the Bible in its many contexts: as sacred story and literature, as a moral and historical guide. Participants who complete this course will be prepared to continue their Biblical journey with the Old Testament and New Testament courses based on the other volumes in the series.
Please email ruthshaver@pathwaystheoloigcal.org for more about this course and others in the series.
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Eco-Theology: Centering Creation in Love
Level 1 - begins April 8, 2026
You will engage with theological points of view across several expressions of American Christian thought: creation care within community, creation care as incarnational love, creation care as earth keeping, and creation care as an expression of hope. You will keep a daily environmental observational journal of wonder for the duration of the course. Assignments based on the journal are included in Week 1, Week 4, and Week 6 of the course. Each week will have a different focus on the same environment.
Register here.
Other courses beginning April 8 or 9
Level 1 - Living the Heart of Progressive Christian Theology [Pagán-Banks, Marilyn]
Level 2 - Applied: Faith Formation and Spiritual Practices for Children, Youth, and Adults
Level 3 - Contemporary Theological Perspectives Project [Shaver, Ruth]
Courses beginning April 15, 2026
Level 1 - Understanding the Bible as a Progressive Christian
Level 1 - Variety of Belief within Christianity Today
Level 2 - Small Church Administration
Level 3 - Preaching Against Christian Nationalism (Proclaim) [Sanderson, Corey]
Level 3 - Critical Thinking: Preaching Social Justice and Liberation Theology (Proclaim)
[Salazar Galvis, Diego]
Level 3 - Supervised Ministry V
The UCC History and Polity 12-week course also begins April 15, 2026.
Go to the PATHWAYS website to learn more and to apply for these and other courses.
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Summer Academy at Georgetown University
2026 Center on Faith and Justice Summer Academy, Washington, D.C.
June 14-18, 2026
We are currently accepting applications for our 2026 Faith and Justice Summer Academy. At a moment when authoritarian movements are gaining ground and democratic norms are eroding both at home and abroad, we believe that moral and courageous faith leadership is needed more than ever.
Since 2022, the Center on Faith and Justice has run a Summer Academy designed specifically for pastors, seminarians, graduate students, and those serving in ministry at the intersection of faith and public life. The program equips participants with a faith-based vision and practical skills for effective civic engagement, advocacy, and nonviolent civil resistance. It serves as a bridge between academic theology and public prophetic witness, bringing together participants from diverse traditions and Christian theologies.
The Faith + Justice Certificate Program equips graduate students, seminarians, pastors, and faith leaders with the moral vision and practical skills to engage their faith in civic life and lead their communities in the work of justice. Combining formative content from classroom lectures, workshops, and guest speakers with congressional meetings on Capitol Hill and other experiences in the D.C. area, the certificate program constitutes a transformative, immersive experience that supplements academic learning and faith praxis.
This in-person summer academy occurs June 14 -18, 2026. The program cost is $3000, which includes all meals, lodging, and activities.
For more information about the Summer Academy, including how to apply, please visit the Academy website: https://www.faithandjusticeacademy.com/.
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2026
Boundary and Racial Justice
Trainings
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Healthy Conflict for Strong Churches
Enkei Resolutions
February 25, 2026
10 am - 2 pm CT via Zoom
Conflict is required for new growth to happen, and not something to be avoided. This four-hour workshop is for leaders who want to engage in conflict to build strong communities and foster growth. Participants will leave with tools and resources for building a healthy conflict culture. Email dweible@enkei-resolutions.com to inquire about discount pricing for multiple leaders
from the same church.
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Ordinations, Installations, and Ecclesiastical Councils.
Feb 22: Service of Installation for Rev. Michael Jones. 3:00 pm at First United Church of Oak Park. Chicago Metropolitan Association.
Mar 15: Service of Installation for Rev. Brian Louis. 3:00 pm at First Congregational United Church of Christ in Elmhurst. Chicago Metropolitan Association.
Mar 22: Service of Installation for Rev. Lauri Allen. 3:00 pm at St. John United Church of Christ in Kankakee. Eastern Association.
Meetings
Feb 11: Outdoor Ministries Committee Meeting. 9:30 am via Zoom.
Feb 12: FVA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 9:00 am via Zoom.
Feb 12: CMA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 12:00 pm via Zoom.
Feb 14: Conference HR Meeting. 9:30 am via Zoom.
Feb 15: WA Council Meeting. 3:30 pm via Zoom.
Feb 16: EA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 9:30 am via Zoom.
Feb 17: Finance Committee Meeting. 9:00 am via Zoom.
Feb 17: WA Committee on Ministry Meeting. 9:00 am via Zoom.
Feb 17: CMA Council Meeting. 6:30 pm via Zoom.
Feb 19: EA Council Meeting. 6:30 pm via Zoom.
Feb 21: CMA Cluster 2 Meeting. 9:00 am at Pastores Brunch.
Feb 23: FVA Council Meeting, 6:30 pm via Zoom.
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Please let us know if you have a job opening you would like to share,
and also update us once the position is filled. Contact Sarah Lohrbach.
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Contact Us
Mon-Fri 8:30 - 4:30
708-344-4470
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You are receiving this message because you are listed on our Conference email list, one of our leadership/committee email lists, or because you previously subscribed to receive our e-newsletters.
This communication is made possible by your contributions to
Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM)
This NEWSLETTER is published by the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, 1840 Westchester Blvd, Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154. The Rev. Dr. Terrill Murff, Interim Conference Minister; the Rev. Sarah Lohrbach, Editor. Copy may be sent to: sarahlohrbach@ilucc.org.
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