Join us for Laity Convocation online or at one of our three in-person locations: New Lenox UMC, Barrington UMC, and Disciples UCM in Mt. Morris. The theme is Thinking Outside the Church, Making Ministry Happen. We will be focusing on ways to reach out to our communities. A highlight will be to hear from our new resident Bishop - Bishop Dan Schwerin.

We are excited to welcome David Teel as our keynote speaker for Laity Convocation. David is the Director of Laity and Leadership at Discipleship Ministries and is a writer, editor, and Christian educator. He is enthusiastic about creatively equipping lay leaders for engaged ministry within and beyond the local church. Along with David’s presentation, we will have an opportunity to gather in a Break Out Session where participants will discuss questions prepared by David Teel as you look together at how local churches can partner with their neighbors for ministry outside of the church. Finally, we will hear from several NIC churches actively working in community ministry.

Thank you for making wishes come true with Kids Above All this Christmas

Start your new year with a reset! Junius Dotson shows you how.

Two new classes are starting:

It is a good thing to be about our Father’s work. But maybe we need to begin by listening to our Creator to get our priorities straight. Then we can live as truly whole people. As Jesus said, “Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:30 The Message). 

After 42½ years of dedicated service to the United Methodist Foundation of the Northern Illinois Conference, Executive Assistant Carolyn Cook retired at the end 2023.

Carolyn began her career with the Foundation and the Northern Illinois Conference in 1980, and then she transitioned to full-time employment with the Foundation in 1992. She has played a vital role in the Foundation's success over the years by working tirelessly to support our mission of “encouraging lifelong generosity with God’s abundance” and by advancing the work of so many churches in the Conference. We will greatly miss her contributions.

We are grateful for Carolyn's hard work and commitment, and we wish her all the best and God’s joy, peace, and manifold blessings in her retirement. We will always remember her as a valuable member of the team and a true asset to our organization.

You may have read about the NIC 2023 Civil Rights Pilgrimage covered in the recent December Reporter. Are you intrigued? Do you wish you knew more so that you could do more racial justice and equity work? If so, this is the trip for you. We are still in the planning stages, but you can be assured that we will educate so that you can advocate and participate. Seating is limited. The cost will be approximately $999 for a single room ($599 per person for double occupancy) for an inclusive 6-day, 5-night trip that will cover transportation, accommodations, entrance fees, and meals as we visit Nashville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma, and Memphis sites.

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. 

The Family Faith Formation Initiative is seeking feedback from United Methodist parents with kids ages 0-3 to create faith resources for parents. If you are in this demographic and would like to participate, take the survey here - or pass it along to parents with young children in your congregation. Thirty participants will be selected at random to receive a $25 gift card. Feel free to contact Rev. Adrienne Stricker (Central UMC Skokie) for more information: [email protected].

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 candidates 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. Applications are accepted until January 9, 2023.

The Ethnic Young Adult (EYA) program, through the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), is for young justice seekers willing to unpack their faith and identity and develop a deeper understanding of justice. Interns gain professional experience by serving with a placement organization (network partner of Church and Society) to address social injustices. These partner organizations do advocacy, public policy, nonprofit and grassroots organizing. EYAs work with their placement organization four days a week.

Program Dates: June 4th – July 29th, 2023 Applications for the 2023 Summer Co-hort are due by March 6th, 2023. To learn more and apply, visit the internship page.

The General Commission on Archives and History is calling for students and researchers to apply for grants and awards offered in a number of fields of study, including United Methodist history, particularly as it relates to women and ethnic groups, and archival science. The scholarships will be awarded for the 2023-2024 school year. Ten grants and/or awards are available for qualifying undergraduates or graduate-level students, as well as researchers of all kinds. Deadline for applications is March 17, 2023. For the complete list, along with details about applying, click here.

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) offers financial aid to United Methodist students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. Every year, they award an average of $5.5 million to help students in the United States and abroad pursue their dreams through higher education. With this financial aid, GBHEM is opening pathways for students of all backgrounds to earn their degrees and serve as the next generation of leaders for the church and the world. Scholarship applications are open until March 30th, 2023. To learn more and apply, click here.

Because of your generosity of time and resources, the Midwest Mission is able to do what they do. This year, there were several disasters, and they started a number of different campaigns to improve their facility and to make their mission more efficient. For every $1 spent, they sent out $7.93 of in-kind supplies. This infographic shows how much money was given for each of our campaigns. Thank YOU!

Click here for details and to register.

New Resources: Click for books on Black History to begin to prepare for Black History Month.

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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