NIC eNews for December 1, 2021

December 1, 2021

Fill-the-Truck Mission Challenge

The NIC Board of Global Ministries with the Midwest Mission Distribution Center is organizing a fall collection drive through Dec. 7 to support recovery efforts from the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season and the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

New collection sites in each district are set up around the conference to drop off your donations. For items needed and more information on times and locations for collection, click here.

Discipleship Ministries: Come Home for Christmas

Advent is an invitation. For many, it is the invitation to get into that Christmas spirit, to count down the days to the grand celebration, and let the holiday transform everything around us. We’re not all about Christmas, the holiday, about December 25 with all the jingle bells and tinsel. We are about Christmas, the Mass of Christ, the celebration of the Incarnate one who comes to remind us that we are not alone, and God is with us. We are about the longing for the coming kin-dom, where we will study war no more, where people will walk in the light, where joy will be found, and love with be the tie that binds us together. That’s the home for which we long. That’s the invitation this Advent season to your church and the world: “Come home for Christmas.”

Download the series from Discipleship Ministries.

2021 Conference Journal

The Journal of the 182nd Northern Illinois Annual Conference held July 16 -17 and Oct. 1 - 2 is now available to purchase online through Amazon.com.

The cost of the paperback is $14.

A free downloadable pdf is available on the conference website at umcnic.org/journal.

Communicator's Corner

In the News: Cedarville UMC Drive-Thru Food Pantry Feeds Hundreds

WREX-TV in Rockford recently shared the story of Cedarville UMC's drive-thru food pantry where every third Tuesday of the month the congregation loads up bags and boxes with meals for families in need. It actually began as a senior dinner held once a month, but the pandemic forced a change. "When COVID started we weren't able to do that (the dinner) anymore. We still wanted to help the community so we started the food pantry," said Gary Rich, who spent many years as a teacher before becoming the church's pastor. Watch the report.

Advent Photo-A-Day Challenge

Rethink Church's annual Advent Photo-A-Day Challenge is underway. There's a new word posted each day during the season of Advent. Take a moment (or several moments) of pause and reflection, then share a response to that word through a picture posted on social media. Post your picture with #RethinkChurch. Don't worry if you miss a day or two--there's no failing this challenge. (And we know you don't need the extra pressure!) The hope is to provide a gift of added meaning to this special season. Click for the calendar list of words.

Chicago's Greenstone UMC Receives Large Landmark Grant

Greenstone UMC, located in Chicago’s historic Pullman District, is among 12 recipients selected for Adopt-A-Landmark grants totaling more than $4 million from Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD). Greenstone was awarded $1.08 million, believed to be one of the largest awards ever granted to a NIC Church. The Greenstone Church was built by industrialist George Pullman in his “company town” of Pullman in 1882. In October 2020, Greenstone launched its "Raise, Repair, and Restore" campaign to replace the roof, restore the “greenstone” facade, and stabilize the bell tower. Read more.

Kids Above All Holiday Gift Drive

Put your Holiday Spirit into action by stepping up to support Kids Above All’s Holiday Gift Drive 2021. You can help make the holidays joyful and bright for all the children the agency serves in a variety of ways, including sponsoring children, volunteering in their toy room Dec. 1-13, and/or ordering online to help stock their pop-up toy store. If you would like to help, contact Deaconess Catherine Inserra at 847-224-2870 or [email protected].

Mark your calendar

Around the Conference

HIV/AIDS Clergy and Lay Leadership Virtual Summit - (Dec. 4) at 10 am. Chicago BMCR invites you to register for this McCormick Theological Seminary online event: “We’ve Come This Far by Faith: 40 Years of Thriving HIV/AIDS Advocacy. Hosted by the Center for the Study of African American Ministries and Black Church Studies. Download flyer. To register, visit mccormick.edu/events.
NIC Fellowship of Asian Americans Annual Advent Event - (Dec. 10) 5:30 pm at First Korean UMC (FKUMC), 655 E Hintz Rd., Wheeling. You're invited to "Share Your Christmas Joy" with members of the Fellowship of Asian Americans. Sign-up your praise band, choir, or solo singer to sing Christmas carols in your own language or in English. Participating churches will receive a monetary gift for their music ministry. Dinner will follow at 7 pm. Click here for details.

Around the Connection

Discussion Series Explores What it Means to be United Methodist - (Tuesdays through Dec. 21) “Tuesdays at the Table: Should I stay? Or should I go?” is a new discussion series for United Methodists, presented by the Connectional Table (CT) in cooperation with general agencies and contributors. Weekly segments will explore topics aimed at helping viewers better understand their faith, their church and themselves. The sessions will premiere every Tuesday at 10:00 am CT on Facebook, and will also be available for later viewing at UMC.org/ComeToTheTable and the UMC YouTube channel. For details, click here.