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IGRC Events-full
January 6, 2025
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Conference Center closed today
Springfield received 6 inches of snow as of 9 p.m. Sunday and it continues to snow. The Conference Center generally bases our weather closure on Springfield School District 186 closure. However, Jan. 6 is an institute day for the School District. Due to the poor road conditions and striving to keep our staff safe, the Conference Center will be closed on Monday, Jan. 6.
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Register for
Covenant Keepers 2025
Registration is now open for Covenant Keepers 2025, which will be held Monday, Feb. 24 - Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Regency Convention Center in O'Fallon. This is scheduled as an in-person event.
The theme for this year's event is From Grief to Hope, based upon Psalm 30:11-2 and Lamentations 3:21-22.
The agenda will be from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday and from 8:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday.
The presenters will be Bishops David Alan Bard and Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai.
Price: $50 (includes lunch on Feb. 24). Individuals are responsible for overnight accommodations. Rooms are available at the Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis/Shiloh/O'Fallon, and the Hampton Inn O'Fallon. There will be no on-site registration. Registration deadline: Feb. 16.
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IGRC missionaries to be on #StillinMission broadcast
Missionaries Connie Wieck, Lester Dornan and Deborah Dornan will be presenting their missionary work via Zoom tonight through Global Ministries monthly #Still-in-Mission series.
Wieck and the Dornons' presentation are part of a Feb. 6, 2025 #StillinMission broadcast, to air at 7 p.m. Central time. Registration is required.
Wieck serves as the Coordinator for English Language Programming with the Southeast Asia Mission Initiative. The Dornons serve together with the United Methodist Mission in Nepal. Lester serves as a General Practicioner and Training Coordinator and Deborah serves as the Expatriates Support Officer.
The fourth panelist will be Yu-ting Chiu who serves as Support Staff for Communications with the Christian Conference of Asia in Thailand.
You will have the opportunity to meet in a small group to hear a presentation from a single missionary during the call. When you register, you will select the speaker's presentation you wish to attend. You will get a confirmation email once your registration is accepted. If the limit is reached, you will get priority for future events.
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Year-end reporting portal now open
AC Stats, the year-end reporting platform is now open through Feb. 28 for reporting statistical information for 2024.
AC Stats can be accessed through the Church Dashboard at: www.igrc.org/dashboard The link will be found in the upper right-hand corner of the dashboard.
To log-in into AC Stats, use the following information on your initial log-in:
User Name: the church's six-digit GCFA number
Password: stats2024! (you will be asked to change the password once you log in for the first time)
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Year-end local church remittances
2024 apportionment remittances must be received by (not postmarked by) Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, to be credited to 2024. All 2024 remittances received after Jan. 8 will be entered in 2025 as a prior year payment.
If questions, please contact Laura Steinway at lsteinway@igrc.org or (217) 529-2395.
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IRS announces business mileage rate for 2025
The Internal Revenue Service announced Dec. 19 that the optional standard mileage rate for automobiles driven for business will increase by 3 cents in 2025, while the mileage rates for vehicles used for other purposes will remain unchanged from 2024.
Optional standard milage rates are used to calculate the deductible costs of operating vehicles for business, charitable and medical purposes, as well as for active-duty members of the Armed Forces who are moving.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup or panel truck will be:
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70 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3 cents from 2024.
- 21 cents per mile driven for medical purposes, the same as in 2024.
- 21 cents per mile driven for moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the Armed Forces, unchanged from last year.
- 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations, equal to the rate in 2024.
The rates apply to fully-electric and hybrid automobiles, as well as gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.
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Check your church information on Find-a-Church and IGRC Church Locator
The new year is a good time to check the Find-a-Church information as well as the Church Locator on the IGRC website.
You can update the information on Find a Church and go through the Church Dashboard to update the IGRC website information. While you are at it, update your subscriptions to The Current in the Church Dashboard, too. Need help? Contactl Paul Black, pblack@igrc.org or Michele Willson, mwillson@igrc.org, and we will assist you.
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Course of Study registration deadline Tuesday
Registration for the February-March classes of the Course of Study Extension School closes Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Registration for the April-May classes are open through Feb. 7.
Click the button below to register for either session.
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Pre-Retirement Seminar offered by Preachers' Aid Society
Are you ready for Retirement? What do you need to plan for and consider? Can you financially or emotionally afford it? Where will you live? What will you do? What are the steps to proceed with in the process?
Preachers’ Aid Society and Benefit Fund can help you work through these questions and more at our annual Pre-Retirement Seminar which will be Jan. 27-28 at Pere Marquette Lodge in Grafton. The seminar is for clergy and spouses who are 10 years or less from retiring.
Cost for the seminar is $75 per individual or $100 per couple. Lodging is available for $100, including tax but room reservations need to be made prior to Jan. 5.
Topics include the following:
- UM Pension Plan
- Health Insurance
- Taxes in Retirement
- Medicare/Medicaid
- Adjusting to Retirement
- Housing Options
- Identity Changes
- Relationship with Spouse
- Boundaries as Retired Clergy
- Relationship with Conference
- Rest and Relaxation
- Wills and Estate Planning
Persons who register by Jan. 10 will receive their personal pension projection, including individual conferencing for the projection and personal retirement concerns. Contact Keith Anderson or Carol Sims at (217) 529-3215 if you have any questions.
Registration can be completed by mail by downloading and completing the registration form and mailing it to PASBF P.O. Box 19207 Springfield, IL 62794-9207, or may be made online at the link below.
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Job Openings
JOB OPENING FOR ORGANIST/PIANIST at Evangelical United Methodist Church in Washington, IL. Please go to https://evangelical.org/organist-opening to view requirements, responsibilities and how to apply for the position.
EAST DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT The Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference is seeking an individual with a servant’s heart to maintain an effective administrative system undergirded by excellent relational, communication, and organizational skills. The successful applicants for the position will exhibit the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality, the desire to work collaboratively with a variety of team members toward ongoing improvement, attentiveness to detail, appreciation for complex processes/procedures, proficiency with technology, and software that assists with communications.
Works under the direction of the District Superintendent to administer all functions for the East District Office of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church.
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Applications sought from churches, candidates
for 2025 Intern Program
Applications are now open for the 2025 IGRC Intern Program.
Prospective interns, mentors, and host church representatives are welcome to visit www.igrc.org/interns for all the details and application links.
Priority deadline is Jan.15, and the final deadline is March 3.
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United Methodist Scholarship portal open for 2025-26 school year
Information for the 2025-26 school year. Scholarships and low interest loans made possible through UM Student Day offering. Applications will be accepted through March 31.
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UM Higher Education Foundation accepting scholarship applications
The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for the 2025-26 school year. The foundation's scholarship program awards $2 million to nearly 1,000 students attending United Methodist-related institutions. Deadline for applying is April 1.
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The United Media Resource Center is located at Kumler Outreach Ministries in Springfield.
The UMRC is supported by and serves United Methodist churches in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, the Northern Illinois Conference, and the Great Plains Conference. Churches in the Iowa Conference are invited to become yearly members. Other denominational groups may e-mail umrc@igrc.org for information on obtaining a UMRC membership for their member churches by becoming a UMRC supporter.
No rental fees! Resources are mailed to IGRC, NIC, and GPC churches at no cost. Borrower pays to return items (or you can drop off items when the building is open). Borrower is responsible for replacement costs of damaged or lost resources.
Phone: 217-523-2269 Email: umrc@igrc.org
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