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Unique to the North Central Jurisdictional Conference, 10 candidates for bishop recited a liturgy of solidarity and purpose before any votes were cast in the November elections. Retired Bishop Bruce Ough, who served from 2000 to 2020 and is now executive secretary of the Council of Bishops, was elected a bishop on his second try. He described the process as “difficult” and “stressful.” He thinks the jurisdiction’s candidate meetings were a good idea. Read More.

Crop Walk Check Presented to Rockford Pantries

This year’s Rockford Area CROP Hunger Walk raised over $28,000 which helps local and world hunger in Rockford and the world. The Rockford area CROP Hunger Walk occurs every third Sunday in October. Rockford has raised over $240,000 thousand dollars for local hunger relief since 1986. One-quarter of the money returns to Rockford, and is distributed to the Food Pantry Coalition, made up of 16 area food pantries, including the Rock River Food Pantry. This year a check in the amount of $8,034.23 was presented to the Greater Rockford Pantry Coalition. Learn More about the Crop Walk here.

We are currently seeking a qualified candidate to come join the NIC Program Area Team as the Director of Communications.

The primary role of the Director of Communications is to convey the Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist story in a holistic and fully representative manner. The Director will oversee the production of conference communications including print, news, and social media. Interested candidate must have excellent organizational, communication, and relationship skills as well as proficiency in multiple communication platforms. They must be able to consult with conference committees, boards and agencies in their communication efforts.

This position is a hybrid, full-time position with flexible hours. Some weekend and evening work is required. The position includes both Health Insurance upon hire (with wellness incentives) and Pension Benefits after a vesting period.

If you know someone who would be interested, click here for the job description and to apply.

Arthur Webb passed away on Dec. 6, 2022. Arthur was a long-time active lay speaker of NIC, a lay delegate to both the North Central Jurisdiction & UMC General Conference, and an active member of Minooka UMC. He was 90 years old. Condolences can be sent to Arthur’s wife, Marie Webb, C/O Heritage Woods of Minooka, Rm#121, 701 Heritage Woods, Minooka, IL 60447. Arrangement information can be found here.

Global Ministries, the worldwide mission and development agency of The United Methodist Church, invites churches and individuals to give love, joy, hope, and peace through a denomination-wide year-end giving campaign. The United Methodist Committee on Relief, the denomination's relief arm, is part of Global Ministries. Click here to read the press release. Click here to give.

Global Ministries 2023 Racial Ethnic Local Church Grant (RELC) and the Annual Conference Multiethnic Ministries Grant cycle is now open. All applications are due by February 15, 2023. RELC grants are awarded to assist local racial/ethnic congregations (at least 51% racial/ethnic membership) and annual conferences with projects and programs on one of the three areas: 1) Leadership Development; 2) Church Growth, Congregational Development and Ministry Development; 3)Pastoral Salary Support. Click here for questions. Click here for the RELC Application. Click here for the AC Multiethnic Ministries Application.

In response to the Renewable Energy Summit last fall, there is a Conference Net Zero Task Force forming. We are called to have our own in-depth conversations while building and sharing long-term creation care efforts. Interested leaders are encouraged to gather to design and develop a Northern Illinois Conference Net Zero Strategic Plan. The first meeting will be on Fri., Jan. 20 at 4 pm. at the Wespath office in Glenview, IL. More information can be found here or by contacting Richard Alton at [email protected].

A friendly reminder that the deadline to pay apportionments is approaching quickly. Be sure to check your Prosper account at app.prosperumc.com before the year is over. As United Methodists, we are committed to connectional giving, and our primary way of doing that is through apportioned giving. By being a faithful 100% church, you allow the United Methodist faith to continue to grow around the world and here at home. Help spread our ministry and mission by catching up on your apportionments payment today. To find more information about apportionments, visit the Apportionments page. 

Five hundred displaced families living in Beni, a city in northeastern Congo, recently received assistance from The United Methodist Church.

Fifty thousand dollars disbursed by the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s International Disaster Response program helped buy 38 tons of food, including rice, semolina (wheat), vegetable oil, beans, cooking salt, and sugar. Also purchased were empty jerrycans (sturdy liquid containers), plastic household basins, and hygiene items. Read More.

New Resources: Click for Lent and Easter resources to get your planning started.

Find the online catalog here. The UMRC email address is [email protected].

Kumler Outreach Ministries

Attn: United Media Resource Center

Springfield, IL 62702-3822

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