Annual Celebration Registration

Join us on November 1st and 2nd at First Congregational Church of Western Springs for a weekend of inspiration and growth at the Illinois Conference Annual Celebration as we Embrace God’s Imagination! The deadline to register is Wednesday, October 23rd.

Thursday Optional Trainings - Learn more here

• Committee on Ministry discussions with Tara Barber from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
• Boundary Awareness Training and Bias Awareness Training are being offered for $30 per person from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Hotel Rooms at Holiday Inn Countryside

Call the hotel to secure your room at 708-354-4200. The block code is ICC. A king room is $129/night and a double queen room is $139/night. The deadline to reserve a room in the block of rooms has been extended to October 19th.

Proposed Constitution and Bylaws

To read the full official notice, along with a letter from the Governance Task Force, and to download a copy of the proposed Constitution and Bylaws - please click here.

To learn more about this year's Annual Celebration click here.

Neighbors in Need Offering

The focus of the 2024 Neighbors in Need campaign is Mental Health Justice, with a theme of “Mental Health Justice For All!” A just world for all is a world where the human rights and well-being of people with mental health challenges are respected, and in 2015, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ passed a resolution to become WISE (Welcoming, Inclusive, Supportive, and Engaged) for mental health. Join us in promoting this year’s NIN “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right” campaign with these resources, available as a downloadable toolkit or as print materials. While many of our churches collect the offering on October 6, 2024, as part of World Communion Sunday, contributions to this offering can be collected on any Sunday during the calendar year. Click here to get the resources.

Our Faith Our Vote Campaign

United Church of Christ

The United Church of Christ’s Our Faith Our Vote Campaign is our ongoing commitment to equip you with the tools for nonpartisan faithful engagement in our democratic process. The campaign is made up of three main components; voter registration, issue education, and voter empowerment. The 2024 Our Faith Our Vote campaign asks the church to answer the call of 1 John 3:18 to “let us not love with words or speech, but in action and in truth,” by “voting with love.” Vote with love for creation, for our neighbors both here and abroad, for a just peace, for repair and reconciliation of the brokenness of our nation. And encourage your family, friends, and community to do the same. The 2024 election season is well underway, so please check this page for updates to learn how you can “vote with love” this year.

TPIRC is Hiring - APPLY TODAY!

The TPIRC program is currently looking for a new part-time Program Coordinator. To learn more about the position and how to apply, click here to download the position description. The TPIRC and Illinois Conference staff offer sincere thanks to Marz Rivera for all he has done for the TPIRC program and wish him well! TODAY IS THE DEADLINE TO APPLY!

Opportunities for Growing Leadership within Small Congregations

October 8, 15, 22, 7:00 – 8:30 pm ET

Mutual leadership from the pulpit and the pews offers the opportunity to explore new ways to BE THE CHURCH. Lilly Endowment, Inc. funds many projects to support the vitality of congregations and pastors across the religious spectrum. TPIRC (Thriving Pastors In Revitalizing Congregations) represents only one of its grants to the Illinois Conference. The primary aim of Lilly Endowment grants is to deepen and enrich the religious lives of Christians in the United States, principally by supporting efforts that enhance the vitality of congregations. Lilly values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and congregations today and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. It also works to foster public understanding about religion.

The Fall 2024 Thriving Together Workshop hosted by Lexington Theological Seminary centers around churches who typically worship 75 or less each week. This free series is for clergy and lay leaders to attend together. When you register, you will need to register as a team; plan to attend all three sessions. Learn more here.

Enneagram Retreat

October 24-26, 2024 at Tower Hill Camp

Join us at Tower Hill for the "Connection and Presence through the Enneagram Retreat." Participants can arrive at 4pm on Thursday to settle into their rooms. We will gather at 6pm at Wales Dining Hall to get to know one another over dinner and begin our exploration of the Enneagram. There will be time to wander in the woods and stroll along the lakeshore. Whether you're new to the Enneagram or looking to deepen your understanding, Beth Bollenbach will guide you through an insightful journey. The event begins Thursday, October 24th at 4:00 p.m. and ends Saturday, October 26 at 11:00 a.m. Register online here by October 10th.

Climate Camp Project - UPDATE

November 8-9 at Pilgrim Park Camp

You members, pastors, lay leaders, church members, and earth lovers are ALL INVITED to attend a Pilot Project retreat to develop a CLIMATE CAMP in 2025. The event will take place Friday, November 8th at 5:00 p.m. through Saturday, November 9th at 1:00 p.m. at Pilgrim Park Camp & Conference Center in Princeton. The retreat will be led by the Rev. Michael Mulberry, a coordinator for the UCC Great Lakes Creation Collaborative. Download the flyer here and share with folks you know who might be interested.

All ages, youth especially, are invited to:

• Build climate change awareness
• Advocate for Climate Justice
• Brainstorm plans for ’25 Climate Camp at Tower Hill Camp and Retreat Center

The cost has been decreased to $140 per person and includes: 1-night lodging, 3 meals, registration, and pilot project expenses. Register online here under "Intergenerational Camps 2024." Any questions? Contact Rev. Dr. David Russell at rddrr1774@gmail.com.

LEEAP Grant Application - UPDATE

The LEEAP (Local Evangelism, Envisioning, and Planting) Committee of the Illinois Conference is to assess and determine the distribution of specifically allocated Conference funds designated for church growth and revitalization. Due to the low number of grant applications, the committee has decided to extend the deadline until October 31, 2024. Below you will find the revised application and guidelines.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: October 31, 2024

Applications are for new church starts and revitalizing ministry projects that could be self-sustainable. APPLICATIONS NO LONGER NEED TO BE APPROVED BY AN ASSOCIATE CONFERENCE MINISTER. Please see the updated guidelines and application below. We are excited to support conference ministries and creative projects. Our hope is to continue this funding for the years ahead, however for right now we only have funding for 2024.

Fall Course Offerings

Pathways Theological Education

Are you looking for Continuing Education Units in theological education or pastoral care or leadership training? Insightful and open-minded, PATHWAYS inclusivity invites conversation with the text and among the learners in a broad variety of courses. The Ministerial Preparation program can fulfill the requirements for authorized ministry but any of the PATHWAYS’ courses will fulfill your need to ponder your faith, to discern your gifts and call, or to build your faith community leadership skills. (https://www.pathwaystheological.org/ )

The new term begins October 16 with the following 6-week courses:

Understanding the Bible, Intro to New Testament, Old Testament Hermeneutics, Intro to Storytelling, Preaching, & Proclamation, Writing about Faith & Religiton for the Public, Variety of Beliefs within Christianity, and Ecological Theology.

A short 4-week course, Singing the Bible, begins October 9, 2024.

The next UCC History and Polity course begins January 8, 2025.

Go to the website to see the full schedule of Fall courses.

Anniversary Celebrations

Hyde Park Union Church - 150 years on October 27, 2024; Pastors Sarah Lusche & Veronica Johnson

Edgebrook Community Church -100 years on October 6, 2024; Pastor Scott Paeth

Christ Memorial Church - 55 years on September 22, 2024; Pastor Brian Clary

Also, please congratulate and thank Naomi Else for 30 blessed years of devoted, compassionate, and detail-oriented service to the Illinois Conference as of September 1st, 2024. Naomi's work and passion has helped to build a stable foundation within the Illinois Conference.

Staged "Footloose" Reading

Eden UCC, Chicago

Eden United Church of Christ, 5051 W. Gunnison Street, Chicago will host a staged reading of Footloose on Saturday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m. The event is based on the popular 1984 musical drama film about Ren Mccormack, a city teenager who moves to a small town where he attempts to overturn the bans on rock music and dancing instituted by a local minister. Proceeds will benefit Eden Church’s ongoing building improvements for outreach to the community. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Cash concessions will be available. To purchase, visit www.edenuccchicago.org. For more information, contact info@edenuccchicago.org or call 773-283-5557. Download the press release here.

Computer Ministry

First Congregational Church, Glen Ellyn

Do you have a laptop, desktop, Flat-panel monitor, keyboards, computer mice that you are no longer using? Help the Computer Ministry of First Congregational Church of Glen Ellyn (FCCGE) transform lives. In the hands of the Computer Ministry of FCCGE, they are not just devices. They are gateways to opportunity and hope. Click here to learn more and find out how to donate or volunteer to help.

National Coming Out Day Events

First Congregational Church, Lockport

Two Great Events ~ One Egg-citing Evening

On October 11th, we will be hosting a 2 hour LGBT2SQIA+ resource fair from 5:00-7:00 p.m. for people to find local resources, shop for free clothing and books, and engage with their community. Then at 7:30 p.m., Mosaic Players will be performing "5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche", a scintillating satire of women's roles in the 1950s, enlisting its characters in a caricature of the sexism, heterosexism, consumerism, and Communism exuberant in the era. What better way to celebrate Queer History Month than by joining us to learn about community resources, and then watch an absurdly adorable and unapologetic declaration of lesbi-independence?

Free Admission. ADA compliant and COVID conscious event. Download the flyers below.

Donuts, Faith and My Coming-Out Stories

United Church of Hyde Park

You are welcome to share a breakthrough in your life, a new experience, a story in your heart, or your questions of faith here. No matter where you are on your life and faith journey, this is the place for exploration and support. The event takes place at the United Church of Hyde Park (1448 E. 53rd Street, Chicago, IL 60615) on Saturday, October 5th at 10:00 a.m. Please enter by the Blackstone entrance. Donuts and coffee are provided! All are welcome! A suggested $5 free donation to support our LGBTQ+ Ministries. Partnered by PFLAG Tinley Park! Learn more and sign up to attend here.

Racing Toward Equity

St. John UCC, Freeport

St. John UCC in Freeport invites members of the Illinois Conference to take part in an antiracism workshop on October 12, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. In “Racing Toward Equity,” Jessica Oladapo, LPC, of Diversity to Inclusion, will lead us in considering identity and engaging in a conversation about race, racism, and antiracism. This session will provide an overview of vocabulary and language to understand what race is, how race is constructed and created, and what we can do to move toward antiracism. You can learn more about Ms. Oladapo’s work and background at her website: http://www.diversity2inclusion.org.

Tickets are $25 each and include an antiracism syllabus, booklist, and critical thinking questions. Purchase tickets online here. The workshop is capped at 30 participants, so we encourage purchasing them as soon as possible. We are hopeful that broad participation from Illinois Conference churches will multiply the impact of the training and invigorate efforts to combat racism in our region. Please direct any questions about the workshop to office@stjohnuccfreeport.org or 815-235-2824.

Boundary and Anti-Racism Trainings

The deadline for all authorized ministers to get up to date on the required Boundary Awareness Training is December 31, 2024. If you have not received boundary training since before 2022, you are required to complete a training by the end of this year in order to remain in good standing. Click here to access the full list of available offerings. If you have questions about the Boundary Awareness requirement, please contact the chair of your Association's Committee on Ministry.