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Apply Now for Creative Ministries & Rural Ministries Grants
NIC churches have received support for their ministries through conference grants. Don't let your church miss out on an opportunity your apportionment giving makes possible.
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Right now, the conference is accepting applications for Creative Ministries and Rural Ministries grants. New and imaginative ministry models—that reach emerging communities, engage new generations, and reimagine how the church can be present in a rapidly changing world—are eligible for a Creative Ministries grant.
The P.A.C.K and Keagy/Town and Rural Grants have strengthened congregations in less-populated areas, helping them sustain vital ministries that serve as lifelines in their communities.
Read more about available grants
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MLK Celebration This Sunday, 2:30 p.m.
Register now for NIC's Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Jan. 18, 2:30 p.m., at Trinity UMC, Mt. Prospect. (Note time correction.) Stay for the light supper following the celebration. Bus transportation will be provided from two locations. If you cannot attend in person, you can watch the livestream on Zoom or Facebook Live. Read more and register now
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Build Relationships With Communities
The office of Congregational Development will explore community relationships at its Tuesday Teaching, Jan. 20, 11 a.m. to noon. Rev. Stacy Walker, an Episcopal priest and local organizer, will share tools to help church leaders deepen their knowledge of their communities and build relationships with residents who might otherwise go nameless. Read more
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Clergy Days Apart with the Bishop
Clergy are warmly invited to spend a meaningful morning with Bishop Schwerin for reflection, conversation, and sharing. This will be a sacred opportunity to pause, listen to one another, and be renewed in spirit and hope. Choose either Feb. 16 or Feb. 17; both take place from
9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Save the date and watch for more information. Read more
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Join the Interfaith Bus Tour for Youth
Youth can learn about other faiths by taking the NIC Council on Young People's Ministry bus tour of four houses of worship. Interested? Talk with your youth in middle and high school. Then let the council know your church name, youth leader’s name, and whether they prefer April 18 or April 25. Send an email to Sharon Rice by Feb. 8 and stay tuned for more information.
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Volunteer in Mission Leader Training
When you serve beyond your church, you are a Volunteer in Mission! Team Leader Training prepares you with mission theology, finding a project, budgeting, recruiting, safety, cultural awareness, and more. The next session is livestreamed on Zoom on Feb. 3, 10, 17, and 24, 6 to 7:30 p.m. The five jurisdiction coordinators will lead discussion. Read more
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Church Finance & Clergy Tax Webinars
The Texas Methodist Foundation and the UMC Discipleship Ministries are offering clergy tax and church finance seminars in February. Two sessions on taxes, one on Feb. 9 and the other on Feb. 17, will offer specific information about relevant changes to current tax laws and clergy benefits. Each of these two sessions is different. Read more
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Save the Date: Middle-East Peace Summit
Save the date (May 5-7) for the Joint Christian Advocacy Summit on Israel/Palestine planned by CMEP and co-sponsors in Washington, D.C. They will equip Christian advocates to support U.S. policies that uphold dignity, human rights, and lasting security for all who call the region home. Read more
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Countering Violence with Neighborly Love
UMs across the U.S. joined in prayer vigils and protests in the days since federal immigration enforcement agents killed a woman in Minneapolis and shot two people in Portland, Ore. Some pastors used Sunday worship to comfort the grieving and counsel love in response to violence and hostility. Read more
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Gain Skills at a District Training
Here's the schedule of 2026 District Trainings. These provide helpful information and skills for lay and clergy. You're welcome to attend trainings in any district.
Lake South, Jan. 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., First UMC, Oak Lawn
Prairie North, Jan. 24, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Christ UMC, Rockford
Prairie Central, Jan. 31, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Grace UMC, Naperville; "Culture Shift: Cultivating Healthy Congregations."
Lake North, Feb. 7, 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.; UMC of Libertyville; "Lead Your Church in Changing Times."
Prairie South, March 7, Oregon UMC; 9 a.m. to noon
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You May Still Donate to the Emergency Solidarity Fund: If you've meant to donate to this fund but haven't yet, you can still send a gift. Donations will assist Hispanic/Latine and other immigrants, who are increasingly vulnerable. Beneficiaries are those with whom our churches directly minister and those in our towns and neighborhoods. Read more
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Free Tools For UM Ministry Leaders
There are several high-quality free ministry (or nonprofit-discounted) tools available to help ministry leaders with design, accounting, presentations, communication, and overall administration. Find at this UM General Council on Finance and Administration site a roundup of some of the most useful tools that can help your ministry run more smoothly. Your apportionment dollars make these available to you. Read more
What Are Your Rights to Use AI-Generated Text?
You probably know that your church needs to purchase a license to use some songs and slides in worship, and that permission is required in some cases of using printed material. But how do you deal with material that you found using artificial intelligence? The U.S. Copyright Office has some advice. Read more
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Filipino UMs Celebrate Mission
in the Middle East
Filipino UMs from across the Middle East Region gathered earlier this month for the Middle East Mission District Annual Gathering in the United Arab Emirates. They explored the theme “Brave Hearts, Blessed Hands: Uniting in Love, Service and Courage.”
Bishops Ruby-Nell Estrella, Rodel Acdal, and Israel Painit of the Philippines Regional Conference joined the community in worship and delivered messages of encouragement and spiritual strength to Filipino church members who work in the UAE. Read the story and watch the video.
Photo: Bishop Ruby-Nell Estrella, the first UM woman bishop in the Philippines. From ResourceUMC.
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Around the Conference
2026 Santuario Seguro® Capacitacion En-Persona/
2026 Safe Sanctuaries® In-Person Training in Spanish, Jan. 17,
9 a.m. to noon, First UMC, Franklin Park.
Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Jan. 18, 2:30 p.m., Trinity UMC, Mt. Prospect. Speaker: Rev. Charles Woolery Sr.
What Is Your Money Doing? webinar, Jan 20, 7 p.m. Learn about church finances, how to best manage them, and how to invest church funds for greater impact.
Benefits Lunch and Learn, Jan. 21, 11:30 a.m. Gain valuable information on filing clergy taxes.
Ecumenical Day of Prayer Service, Jan. 24, 2 to 4 p.m., St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church, 6700 W. Diversey Ave., Chicago. Participating churches will sign joint statements of action toward creation care and drinking-water safety. All are welcome.
Pastoral Transitions 101 Webinar, Feb. 3, 7 to 8 p.m., online. For SPRCs and interested church members. Learn the basics of itineracy and the appointment system, how to welcome and support a new pastor, and what to expect when a pastor retires.
Immigration 101: Welcoming the Stranger, Feb. 15, 12:30 to 3 p.m., at Our Saviour's UMC, Schaumburg. The NIC Advocacy Partners Immigration Committee is hosting this event, which will clarify the facts surrounding immigration and provide a theological grounding of our call to action.
Clergy Days Apart with the Bishop, Feb. 16 and 17, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p..m. Choose a day; locations to be announced.
See above for District Leadership Training events
Around the Connection
Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem update and virtual prayer meetings, second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at noon. Next meeting: Jan. 28. Send an email to the MLO office to request log-in information.
Week of Prayer of Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25
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Reminder: The NIC cabinet and bishop observe a weekly sabbath from Thursday evening to Friday noon. During that time, they will refrain from using electronic devices. Barring an emergency, they will not respond to phone calls, emails, or texts.
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Black History Month Resources for Groups and Individuals
#105086 "Everyday Waymakers," a DVD with seven short biographical segments (two to three minutes each)
#817175 The Cross and the Lynching Tree, by James Cone
#828760 Dark Salvation, by Harry Richardson (The story of Methodism as it developed among Blacks in America)
#808057 Freedom’s Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, The AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers, by Richard Newman
The United Media Resource Center has books, DVDs, and more to lend to your church's Christian education, faith formation, and book club ministries for children, youth, and adults. Borrow a resource of your own interest as well. Check their online catalog.
List of resources
Online catalog
Contact the center
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