eNews · September 20, 2023 | |
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Come and find your quiet center, urges Connie Augsburger, NIC co-lay leader. Self-care, including rest, has been part of our faith tradition for millennia. Researchers have found that it’s important to recognize the need to refresh our perspective to keep our values in focus. Connie offers some useful advice on how to observe the life-giving practice of finding our quiet center.
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Sunday school and other activities for children and youth have just ramped up. An essential aspect of preparation is to ensure that our staff and volunteers have Safe Sanctuaries training. It's evidence of our commitment to children's safety; that we place in leadership trustworthy adults and systems of accountability.
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Clarifying its role in strengthening Northern Illinois Conference shared ministries is priority one for the Annual Conference Shepherding Team and was its focus at its recent meeting at Friendship UMC in Bolingbrook. Interrupted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the team is returning to identifying its practical and relevant purpose.
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For the first time in nearly 100 years, charges against one of the UMC’s bishops have gone to trial. Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño faces four charges of violating church law: disobeying the order and discipline of the UMC, undermining the ministry of another pastor, committing harassment (including but not limited to racial and/or sexual harassment), and committing fiscal malfeasance. The trial is underway at Wespath offices in Glenview.
(Photo by Paul Jeffrey)
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Join the Zoom Webinar for the 23 Film Series presentation Sept. 21 at 6:45 p.m. Director Frances Causey, a filmmaker and investigative journalist, will discuss privilege, power, race, and her documentary The Long Shadow. This fascinating documentary explores the roots of racism and the shameful legacy of American slavery from the founding of America to its insidious ties to racism today. A breakout room for further discussion will be available for those participating online after the presentation.
Read more and find the link here.
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Does Change Happen by Revolution or Evolution?
Successful and lasting change comes more through evolution than revolution, say Douglas Powe and Lovett Weems Jr. of the Lewis Center. Genuine change involves continuity. Evolutionary leadership can produce revolutionary results, although it appears revolutionary only in retrospect. People look back and say, “We could never have dreamed this when we first started.” Powe and Weems have recommendations for moving forward.
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Honor Special People through #IGiveUMC
Your church helps provide for the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of those inside and outside of the church. Why not invite worshipers to make gift to your church in honor or memory of someone who has made a difference in their life? Then encourage them to express their appreciation on social media, using the hashtag #IGiveUMC. Consider using this as a way to observe Mother's or Father's days, for example.
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Vulnerable families in the Davao Area now have access to clean water, thanks to a rainwater-harvesting project led by the UMC in the Philippines. Without a sustainable water source, people living in Barangay Novele and other nearby neighborhoods suffered from sanitation- and health-related concerns. The church rolled out its WASH project in vulnerable sectors in Barangay Novele, Rosario, and Agusan del Sur with 33 households receiving a 210-liter plastic drum for collecting rainwater. Three 2,000-liter polyethylene drums also were given to three community centers. Davao Area Bishop Israel M. Painit says, “With the work and ministries that we have been extending to those communities with crisis of clean water, we can make a meaningful impact on the lives of those in need, ensuring healthier communities and sustainable development.”
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Pastoring for Life books available
The center has available the Pastoring for Life: Theological Wisdom for Ministering Well (2020-2021) series. Although designed for pastors, these books are appropriate for all.
Among the volumes:
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Birth: The Mystery of Being Born, by James C. Howell
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Friendship: The Heart of Being Human, by Victor Lee Austin
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Recovering: From Brokenness and Addiction to Blessedness and Community, by Aaron White
List of more resources
Find the online catalog here. To contact the center, send a message to umrc@igrc.org.
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