September Reporter Available Online |
|
The September Reporter is now available to read online and is delivering to mailboxes soon.
In this issue, learn more about a grant awarded to St. Mark UMC in Chicago to start a Freedom School to provide equitable educational opportunities to K-12 students.
Also, Bishop Hopkins reflects on how the Boy Scouts shaped his early Christianity.
This month's Ministry Makers highlights First UMC in DeKalb and the church's groundbreaking on a new building to help expand their community outreach and read more about a group of NIC lay missioners completing licensing school through courses in Spanish at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. To read the full issue, click here. |
|
Fall Planning - Opportunities for Everyone
Check out upcoming events in September and register today!
|
|
Renewable Energy Summit -
Sat., Sept. 10 from 9 am - 2 pm. Hosted by NIC Eco-Sustainability Task Force and Co-Sponsored by Wespath and Global Ministries register for this in-person event at Euclid Avenue UMC, 405 S. Euclid Ave., Oak Park. Learn about sustainable renewable energy practices for local churches, reducing your carbon footprint, and the United Methodist Interagency Just and Equitable Net-Zero Commitment. Click for details.
|
|
|
United Voices for Children Webinar
Tues., Sept. 13 at 11 am.
Raising Our Voices For Resources: Bridging the Gap will celebrate United Voices for Children (UVC) agency partners, honor NIC child advocates, and thank UVC supporters. Be inspired as panelists provide insight into resources and advocacy for Illinois children, teenagers, and their families. Click for details.
|
|
|
Fresh Expressions Teaching
Sept. 18 - 21
Explore the wave of new Christian churches emerging to reach unchurched and de-churched people living in an increasingly non-religious and multi-religious culture. Sponsored by the NIC Office of Congregational Development and Redevelopment. Special Guest Speaker: Rev. Dr. Michael Beck, Director of Re-missioning with Fresh Expressions. Come for a Sunday worship experience and choose from one of six teachings across the conference.
|
|
|
Thurs., Sept. 22 from 12 - 1:30 pm.
The third program in the Speaker Series is “Undenied: No Longer Willing to be Unheard” with special guest speaker, Rev. Chebon Kernell, who will share his insights and learning related to indigenous communities’ history, present work being done, and how we can be in solidarity as we prepare for the future. In person at Our Redeemer’s in Schaumburg and online.
|
|
|
Safe Sanctuaries Added Training |
|
If you missed one of the six Safe Sanctuaries training opportunities this summer, the Northern Illinois Conference is offering one additional date to help meet our goal of ensuring safe spaces in our churches.
Date: Sat., Aug. 27 at 12 noon
(registration limited to 100 people)
**This free training is an alternate for those who cannot participate in other training options and does not include a background check. For videos, policies, FAQs, downloads, and more resources, visit umcnic.org/safesanctuaries.
|
|
Church Conference Forms are Available - Start Today!
2022 Church Conference materials, including the agenda, are available online at umcnic.org/churchconference. Please encourage your church leadership to begin working on gathering the information as soon as possible. The forms are designed for online submission and will look very similar to last year’s. Please note that all reports should be submitted online one week before your church conference, except for the Clergy Compensation form. Lastly, if you have anything that you need to add to the agenda, please contact your District Superintendent as soon as possible.
Registration Open for Clergy Peer Retreat
The NIC Anti-Racism Task Force invites clergy to join this fall’s Clergy Peer and Reflection Series (CPRES) event on Sept. 11 - 13 at Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus, 2710 S. Country Club Road, Woodstock, IL. Cost: $250 per person (includes registration fee, single occupancy, private room and bath, and all meals). CPRES offers a space for clergy to have difficult conversations about racism without the fear of judgment or condemnation and always in a spirit of understanding. Open to United Methodist clergy in the Northern Illinois Conference. Space is limited. For details and registration, click here.
Church and Society Accepting Grant Applications
Applications are being accepted for three grant programs operated by United Methodist Church and Society. The deadline is Sept. 16 to apply for Ethnic Local Church, Human Relations Day and Peace with Justice grants, which range from $2,000 to $5,000. Applicants must be a United Methodist church, district, conference or other affiliated organization, or an ecumenical group or organization with a formal partnership with The United Methodist Church.
UM Foundation Creative Ministry Grants
The Foundation’s grants program annually offers funding of $500 – $2,000 to local churches and church-related organizations as they develop new or expanded creative ministries. A “church-related organization” is any organization within our conference area that partners with a local United Methodist church and/or members of the United Methodist Church in our conference. The Foundation has granted more than $1,000,000 to 200+ ministries since 1999. Grant applications are due Sept. 15. Click here for more information.
UM Foundation Job Opening - Client Relations Associate
The United Methodist Foundation of the Northern Illinois Conference is seeking to add to its small staff that provides a range of services for more than 120 local churches, a dozen organizations, and 200+ individuals through investment management, endowment genesis & growth, trustee & custodial services, planned giving programs, donor consultation, stewardship development, financial best practices, and ministry grants & scholarships. The Foundation thrives on client trust and providing high-quality solutions at a reasonable cost. The Foundation’s work environment is a hybrid home/office with most work executed through cloud-based solutions.
NIC Job Opening - Events Coordinator
The Northern Illinois Conference is currently taking applications for an Events Coordinator/Administrative Assistant who is responsible for event logistics and registration at the conference and district levels. This job is a hybrid, full-time position with flexible hours. Some weekend and evening work is required for event support. The position includes both Health Insurance upon hire (with wellness incentives) and Pension Benefits after a vesting period. Click here for the job description and info on how to apply. |
|
Around the Conference
-
UMM Spiritual Congress - Sept. 16 - 18 at the Conference Point Center, 300 Point Center Rd., Williams Bay, WI. For details and registration, click here.
-
NIC Fall Youth Retreat - Sept. 23 - 25 at Lake Geneva Youth Camp. The retreat theme is “Jesus, Others, and You,” (J.O.Y.) based on Philippians 2:2, “complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other.” Sponsored by the NIC Discipleship and Anti-Racism Task Forces. Please click on the QR Code on the flyer or click here for additional information, the application and payment details. The cost is $135 per person and includes 2-night accommodations, 5 meals, programming, and a t-shirt.
Around the Connection
-
SBC21 Leadership Forward Webinar - Aug. 25 at 6:30 pm. This month's Leadership Forward Resource is all about leading boldly. Rev. Dr. Jacqui King will share leadership principles and processes to equip leaders to address conflict while continuing to stay on mission. Click to register.
-
Registration Open for Facing the Future 2022. After a brief hiatus during the pandemic, the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) is bringing back the agency's Facing the Future training for pastors serving cross-racial, cross-cultural, and multicultural contexts. "Be Still as a Spiritual Practice" online event will be held Nov. 16 from 1 - 7 pm EST. Early registration ends Aug. 31. Cost. $45. Click here for details.
-
Still in Mission - Sept. 1 from 11 am - 12 noon CST. Join the latest Global Ministries Zoom conversation with NIC missionaries Larry and Jane Kies to learn about their work in Zimbabwe. Click here to register and learn more.
-
Creative Models for Community Ministry - Sept. 6 through Oct. 18. This seven-session webinar series from Discipleship Ministries will guide you through seven models to offer a glimpse of what will work best in your context and the resources to help get you started so your congregation’s goals for community engagement can be met. Each session will provide an opportunity for questions, feedback, and sharing ideas with participants and panelists. The cost for the series is $50. For more information, click here.
-
BeADisciple.com Course: Helping Young People Hear God at Church - Sept. 26 - Oct 14. Developing a church that actively seeks and follows God’s call takes intentional planning. This course teaches you how to create a church environment that actively talks about and encourages a sense of calling in young people. Cost: $45. Click for more information.
-
Leadership Institute - Sept. 28 - 30. The Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, KS will hold its annual Leadership Institute for clergy and lay ministry leaders in person and online. Speakers include the Rev. Adam Hamilton, the church's senior pastor; Jo Saxton, leadership coach; and the Rev. Tod Bolsinger, author of "Canoeing the Mountains." Early-bird rates end Aug. 17. Click for registration. Scholarships are available for clergy persons attending the Leadership Institute for the very first time. Scholarships are limited and must be applied for by August 31st. Click to apply by Aug. 31
|
|
United Media Resource Summer Update |
|
All items are unpacked and shelved! While there's some organizing to do, the UMRC is settling into its new location at Kumler Outreach Ministries in Springfield, Ill.
Things to know:
Kumler Outreach Ministries
Attn: United Media Resource Center
303 E North Grand Ave
Springfield, IL 62702-3822
- Resources will be sent out as soon as possible; hopefully this week!
|
|
*Please note an unsubscribe from this eNews will remove you from all notices from the Conference, including messages from the Bishop, appointments and sympathy announcements. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
