eNews - September 7, 2022
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September Events - Register Today |
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Renewable Energy Summit -
This Sat., Sept. 10
9 am - 2 pm.
Learn about sustainable renewable energy practices for local churches, reducing your carbon footprint, and the United Methodist Interagency Just and Equitable Net-Zero Commitment. In-person event at Euclid Avenue UMC, 405 S. Euclid Ave., Oak Park. Click for details.
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United Voices for Children Webinar
Tues., Sept. 13
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.
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Fresh Expressions Teaching
Sept. 18 - 21
The Holy Spirit is inspiring a rise in “fresh expressions of church” that offer innovative settings for engaging followers of Christ, writes the Rev. Michael Adam Beck, who is the speaker for the NIC's upcoming Fresh Expressions training. Read his commentary.
In this training sponsored by the NIC Office of Congregational Development and Redevelopment, you will learn practical tools for how to be church with people currently not connected with any church.
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>Come for a Sunday worship experience and choose from one of six teachings across the conference. |
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Thurs., Sept. 22
12 - 1:30 pm.
“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.
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Bishops Call for Rejecting 'Idolatry of Guns'
United Methodists will need to both pray and act to end the scourge of gun violence, says a letter the Council of Bishops released Sept. 1 to the wider church. “As people of prayer, we followers of Jesus are called to be ‘counter-cultural change makers,’” the letter says. “To that end, we must reject the idolatry of guns and the distorted attachments to our right to own guns without safeguards for the communities of the world.” United Methodist bishops unanimously adopted the letter Aug. 26 during the final day of their online summer meeting.
Church Conference Forms Available Online
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.
Clergy Peer Retreat - Registration Ends Today
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. Registration ends at 6 pm today, Sept. 7. 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.
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Around the Conference
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UMM Spiritual Congress - Sept. 16 - 18 at the Conference Point Center, 300 Point Center Rd., Williams Bay, WI. Spiritual Congress is back in person and presented by NIC United Methodist Men for spiritual development, training and fellowship. The topic of this year’s Spiritual Congress is “Making Spiritual Life Relevant and Sustainable.” For details and registration, click here.
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Black Healing Collective Workshop - Sat. Oct. 8 from 9 am - 1 pm at St. Mark UMC, 8441 S. St. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. This 4-hour workshop is for people of Black African heritage and will: define racial trauma, discuss the significant impact that racial trauma has historically had and continues to have within the Black community including the UMC, and discuss coping strategies that have been used within the Black community for healing our trauma. Cost: $25 (includes lunch). Learn more and register here.
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NIC Fellowship of Asian Americans Lecture and Discussion - Sun. Oct. 9, 3:30 pm at Elmhurst: First, 232 S. York St., with Rev. Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim, author of "Invisible: Theology and the Experience of Asian American Women." A catered dinner is available for $12 with advance registration. Click here for details.
Around the Connection
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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.
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EarthKeepers Online Commissioning Service - Tues., Sept. 27 at 7 pm. Join this webinar to celebrate the commissioning of the 2022 Global Ministries EarthKeepers as they prepare to lead environmental projects in their communities. From the NIC Conference, Jake Barnett (Wespath staff member) and Karen Clausing completed the training. Click here to register.
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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." Click for registration.
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SBC21 National Summit on Mass Incarceration - Oct. 19 - 22 in Charlotte, NC. Are you looking for ways to inspire and engage your congregation with ministry outreach that is relevant and transformative? Register now and learn how you and your team can transform your church and the lives of persons impacted by mass incarceration. Registration cost $199. Click here for details.
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United Media Resource Center in New Home |
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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!
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*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. |
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