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School for Ministry a Spiritual Refuge for Hispanic/Latinx Pastors
About 60 Hispanic/Latinx pastors and lay leaders from the North Central Jurisdiction gathered for the Escuela de Ministerios 2025 (School of Ministries), an event hosted by Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary's Hispanic Center in close collaboration with some of the NCJ directors of connectional ministries. The organizers aimed to create a spiritual and educational refuge for Hispanic leaders in ministry. The NIC played a key role in planning with GETS, providing space, vision, and support. Read more.
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Prairie North District UW Faith
Spiritual Growth Gathering
Saturday, April 26
Registration & Fellowship: 9 a.m.
Meeting starts: 9:30 a.m.
Winnebago United Methodist Church
213 S. Elida St.,Winnebago
Fee: $15.00, includes lunch
Join the PN UW Faith for a meaningful gathering focused on Climate Justice with a special presentation from Nick Gliha of Church World Service, as they celebrate Earth Day and lift up one of United Women in Faith’s key priorities. The day will also include a Service of Remembrance, Holy Communion with Rev. Dr. Hwa-Young Chong, and a time of fellowship over lunch. Bring others along—there’s a plant prize for the unit with the most women attending! Please register by April 11. Learn more. Registration.
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District Monthly Zoom Gathering
Tuesday, May 6
Join us for a presentation by and Q&A with Rev. Chris Walters of Midwest Methodist Foundation to discuss promoting healthy stewardship in your church:
- Transcending talk of the three "Bs:" Budget, Building, and Bills
- Starting and building an endowment to encourage the eternal perspective
- Fundraising is vision-casting and inviting others to participate
Clergy Zoom Meeting at 10 a.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 859 7408 5298. Passcode: Clergy
Laity Zoom Meeting at 7 p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 593 382 4057. Passcode: Laity
Guest Speaker:
Rev. Chris Walters, President of the Midwest Foundation
Topic: Best Practices in Stewardship and Endowment
This is our last one before the Annual Conference. We will resume in September. Hope to see you all!
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Rev. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer featured on The Great Collide Podcast
Amid the chaos gripping the United States, Rev. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer, Director of Connectional Ministries for the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church, believes that the church's diversity and our unity in Christ enrich and strengthen us. She shares her inspirational message of hope with hosts Leanne Noland and Jasmin Taylor. Read more.
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Registrations Are Now Open!
Annual Conference Registration
- April 1-30: $155
- May 1-23: $170
- Note:
- There will be NO on-site registration.
- Payment will only be accepted via credit card. We are no longer able to accept check payments.
Child Care Registration
Child Care for Annual Conference 2025 will be hosted by Schaumburg: Our Saviour's UMC in conjunction with Schaumburg: Our Redeemer's UMC. It is open for children of registered Annual Conference members ages 6 months to 12 years old. Learn more.
Hotel Reservations
Reservations with a group discount are again available at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel. Rooms can be reserved from Sun., June 8, to Tues., June 10. The cost is $190 per night plus applicable state and local taxes.
Other things to note:
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Constitutional Amendments: The 2024 General Conference passed several proposed amendments to The United Methodist Constitution. They only become official once they are ratified by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the aggregate of members to the annual conferences. You can download a summary sheet of the the Constitutional Amendment Votes or visit the Constitutional Amendment webpage.Voting for the Constitutional Amendments will be in the afternoon of Tuesday, June 10. Please plan accordingly. Educational opportunities are available on April 26 (10 a.m.) and 29 (6 p.m.).
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Mass Choir: The worship team is looking for individuals to sing during the Celebration of Ministry Service on Monday, June 9, at 7 p.m.
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Volunteers: Help is needed for a successful Annual Conference. We need registration volunteers, ushers/plenary pages, greeters, information desk volunteers and more to help Annual Conference run smoothly and efficiently. Sign up here.
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AC 2025 Mission Challenge
The NIC Board of Global Ministries is collecting items for homecare kits and personal dignity kits for Midwest Mission. Obtain items from their list of most needed items and bring them to the mission truck, which will be parked in the east lot of the convention center on Mon., June 9, and Tues., June 10. Learn more.
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Bishop’s Appeal 2025:
Innovative Outreach
Implementing creative new ways to reach out to friends and neighbors is crucial. To encourage innovation and experimentation, this year’s Bishop’s Appeal will benefit churches that send members out of the building to engage with their communities in new ways. Invite your church to donate to the Bishop’s Appeal and bring the gifts to be collected on Tues., June 10. Learn more.
| | HAPPENING AROUND THE CONFERENCE | |
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Join the Notes of Rest Retreat
Led by artist-theologian Julian Davis Reid and in partnership with Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, guests will receive from God through classical spiritual disciplines such as sacred reading and extended silence, as well as through Black music and a live concert. Jesus has promised to give us rest for our souls amidst the work that is ours to do.
May 30-31, 2025
Cost: $200 with sliding scale available. Covers three meals, housing and programming. Only 50 spots available.
Location: Stronghold Camp, Oregon, IL
Registration Deadline: May 1, 2025
Learn more.
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JOY Camp Registration Open
JOY Camp is a week-long overnight camp open to incoming 5th Grade students through newly graduated high school seniors, hosted at Camp Reynoldswood. The camp runs from June 22nd to June 28th and has a total cost of $610 with discounts available for early registration (prior to June 1st), siblings, and payment in full at registration. Learn more.
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World Service Fund
The United Methodist Church’s special giving structure ensures your generosity blesses as many people as possible in sustainable and strategic ways.
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The World Service Fund cornerstone for the funding of the connectional system. It supplies the basic financial support to general agencies to provide essential services and ministries beyond the scope of individual local congregations and annual conferences through services and ministries that are highly focused, flexible, and capable of rapid response. At any given time, this fund is helping build churches, providing communications tools for local churches, advocating for the underserved and marginalized, educating constituents about racial equity, supporting missionaries, supporting spiritual formation,sustaining men and youth ministries and so much more.
HOW TO GIVE: Write a check to your local church and write, “Apportionments” in the memo line. Churches can give through the NIC Apportionment process.
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Currently, as of the end of March 2025, our collection rates are as follows:
- NIC and General Church Apportionments - 58%
- Health and Pension - 69%
- Clergy Responsibility - 74%
- Property Insurance - 45%
Every contribution makes a difference in sustaining our conference’s mission and impact in the community. If you are not sure where your church stands on their contributions, please reach out to your pastor or church treasurer. Learn more.
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Uplifting Young Methodists Scholarship
For many students, continuing education beyond high school is a challenging decision due to financial circumstances. Midwest Methodist Foundation's Uplifting Young Methodists scholarship helps minority UM students attend a nonprofit trade school, community college, college, or university. The application deadline is April 30. Read more.
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Is Your Church Due Some Funds?
Your church may have funds that it has not yet claimed. The Illinois Unclaimed Property website has numerous entries related to Methodist churches. Visit the site and see if your church is listed.Search the site.
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Midwest Methodist Foundation Offers Generosity Coaching
The Midwest Methodist Foundation and Horizons Stewardship are partnering to provide on-demand generosity coaching to NIC churches at no cost and no obligation to the clergy or the church. Horizons offers a calendar tool for you to make an appointment in the coming weeks. Each session is 50 minutes long. Read more.
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Good Futures Accelerator for Effective Building Use
Discover how to use your buildings and property to further your ministry in your neighborhood and to generate new income streams. The Midwest Methodist Foundation makes the Good Futures Accelerator course available to NIC churches at half price. Use the code MMF-50 when registering. Learn more.
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Grant Opportunities for Churches Looking to Help Immigrants
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UMCOR Mustard Seed Migration Grant: UMC churches in the U.S. can help immigrants, migrants and refugees living in their local communities. UMCOR’s Mustard Seed Migration Grant program provides congregations with up to $2,000 for a one-time, community-based service project. The application is open and up to 100 churches will be awarded a grant. Grants are accepted on a rolling basis through Sept. 1. Learn more.
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GCORR Action Fund Grant: The General Commission on Religion and Race is pleased to announce the opening of the 2025-2026 CORR Action Fund grant cycle. This funding opportunity supports initiatives that promote equity, intercultural competency, and justice within the church and broader communities.GCORR seeks proposals that address the realities of immigration. Grants of up to $10,000 are available for projects lasting up to 12 months. The application deadline is May 15. Learn more.
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Suicide Hotline available
For those contemplating suicide or who just desperately need someone with whom to talk. It is confidential and free. Just call 988. The service has also been expanded for Spanish-speaking persons and deaf or hard-of-hearing persons, including those who use American Sign Language.
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Other Resources
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#BeUMC Resources -Tool Kits, Social Media Kits, Graphics, and more.
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UMC Giving Resources - Mission Moments, Special Sunday Info, Leader Kits, Pew Cards, and more.
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United Media Resource Center - Lending library of Christian materials for local churches, small groups, pastors, children, and individuals.
| | | | Copyright © 2025 Northern Illinois Conference | | |
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We are always looking for stories of what is happening in your church. We welcome articles from churches highlighting ministries, outreach, and missions that tell the story of being vital Christians. Events considered should be of conference-wide appeal and United Methodist-related.
District eNews are sent out the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month. Please submit stories and events by end of business on the 2nd and 4th Mondays. Space is limited. Stories of fewer than 250 words are preferred. Submissions will be edited at the discretion of Communications staff. Information can be emailed to communications@umcnic.org.
Check out our Submit News page for more details.
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