IGRC Events-full
September 17, 2018
Bishop to host meetings on 2019 General Conference

Bishop Frank J. Beard has announced he will host meetings throughout the Illinois Great Rivers Conference discussing the three plans which have been offered as plans for A Way Forward with regard to the issues of human sexuality and unity.

The following six sites have been confirmed:
  • Sunday, Nov. 11 -- Edwardsville St. Johns UMC, 4 to 6 p.m.
  • Monday, Nov. 12 -- Jacksonville Grace UMC, 4 to 6 p.m.
  • Thursday, Nov. 15 -- Marion First UMC, 7 to 9 p.m.
  • Saturday, Nov. 17 -- Chatsworth UMC, 10 a.m. to noon
  • Sunday, Nov. 18 -- Peoria First UMC, 4 to 6 p.m.
  • Monday, Nov. 19 -- Arthur UMC, 6 to 8 p.m.

If you are planning to attend one of the General Conference briefing sessions, Bishop Beard is asking that you register in advance as a courtesy to our venue host. We are wanting to have adequate seating for those wanting to attend.
September
29
Saturday
Worship workshop

The IGRC chapter of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts will host a Worship Workshop on Saturday, Sept. 29, at Granite City Nameoki UMC from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Six workshop sessions will be offered through the day geared toward pastors, musicians, worship leaders, worship committees and volunteers in both contemporary and traditional worship settings:

Workshop leaders include:
  • Sound Board Technology by Dr. Isaac Gaff
  • Writing Worship Creatively (and Easily) by Mary Scifres
  • But We're Just a Church Choir by Kevin McBeth
  • Making the Transition from Piano to Organ or Organ to Piano by Dr. Kathleen Bolduan
  • Making the Most of the Visual Arts by Rev. Jay Regennitter
  • Worship Best Practices by Aaron Schultz and Doug Grogan
September
23
Saturday
Strawberry to headline FCA event

The Western Illinois chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes' annual banquet will be Sunday, Sept. 23, Hamilton's, 110 N. East in Jacksonville .

The banquet is a fundraiser for FCA.

Former major league baseball player Darryl Strawberry will be the guest speaker.

Strawberry is well known for his 17-year career in Major League Baseball. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Strawberry was one of the most feared sluggers in the sport, known for his prodigious home runs and his intimidating presence in the batter's box with his 6-foot-6 frame and his long, looping swing that elicited comparisons to Ted Williams. During his career, he helped lead the  New York Mets  to a  World Series  championship in 1986 and the Yankees to championships in 1996, 1998, and 1999. A popular player during his career, Strawberry was voted to the  All-Star Game eight straight times from 1984–1991, was Rookie of the Year in 1983 and the first overall pick in the 1980 draft.

While the cost of the event is already underwritten, FCA is looking for 53 table hosts who wlll invite other adults who may be able to support FCA to join him or her for the evening.

For more information, contact Todd Sweatman, who also provides campus ministry at MacMurray College by emailing tsweatman@fca.org or by calling 217-370-2008.

You may also register as a table host through the FCA website.
September
27
Thursday
Order of St. Luke meeting

The Illinois Great Rivers Conference Chapter of the Order Of Saint Luke (OSL) will start a third local chapter meeting at Peoria Northwest UMC, 3800 W War Memorial Dr., Peoria, 61615-2598. 

The first meeting will be Sept. 27. In November, the meeting will be Nov. 29. All other meetings are on the fourth Thursday. Meetings will be held monthly from September to May, excluding December. 

We will study the book Reading to Live: The Evolving Practice of Lectio Divina, by Raymond Studzinski. Each meeting begins with morning prayer at 10 a.m. Business,the book study, and the celebration of the Eucharist follow. The day concludes with a common meal at noon at a local restaurant, Dutch treat. 

OSL is dedicated to liturgy, the sacraments, and Wesleyan spirituality. It is open to both laity and clergy. Anyone who would like to learn about or participate in OSL is welcome to attend. for more information, contact Rusty Beals, at rbeals@gmail.com, or by phone 618-554-1220. 
Sept/Oct
30-3
Sunday-Wednesday
Disaster response team to Wisconsin

A Disaster Response Team (ERT) from IGRC is scheduled to assist with storm clean up in Madison, Wis., leaving Sept 30 and returning Oct 3. Registration deadline is Sept 21. Please register with Rev Sharon Monroe at smonroe50@yahoo.com if you are available to participate.  

Bunny Wolfe, IGRC Missions Coordinator

October
6
Saturday
UMW Annual Meeting

The IGRC United Methodist Women' s 22nd Annual Meeting Celebration will be held on Oct. 7 at Normal First UMC.The theme is Participating in God's Mission: A Gift and a Responsibility.  

Rev. Keith Zimmerson will speak about "Our Conference, Our Kids" followed by representatives from the five children and youth agencies; Spero, Baby Fold, Cunningham Children's Home, Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House and Chaddock..

Fellowship begins at 9 a.m. followed by the program, which will run from 9:40 a.m to 3 p.m. 

Registration fee of $20 includes lunch; and should be sent to: Louella Christensen, 200 E. Wurl Ln. Altamont, IL, 62411-1754.
October
9-12
Tuesday-Friday
Curious.Church conference

Christians Engaged in Faith Formation (CEF) will hold its bi-annual conference, Curious.Church , Oct. 9-12 in Des Moines, Iowa at the Marriott Downtown Hotel. In addition to nearly 100 workshops, the conference will feature:

  • Brian McLaren, a popular author and speaker
  • John Roberto, one of the foremost experts on intergenerational faith formation
  • Mary Scifres, a worship and leadership author, speaker, teacher and coach
  • Three United Methodist Bishops – Bishop Haller (Iowa), Bishop Fierro Harvey (Louisiana), and Bishop Smith Malone (East Ohio)
  • Carrie Newcomer, a popular Christian musician

CEF is a professional association for people in faith formation roles, whether as volunteers or as full-time. Most of the members are United Methodist. CEF originally started at the General Board of Discipleship to connect people in Christian education positions, and our core audience continues to be people like Christian educators, children’s ministers, and Directors of Discipleship.
October
10-11
Wednesday-Thursday
Pre-retirement seminar

Clergy and spouses who are within 10 years of retirement are invited to attend a Pre-Retirement Seminar hosted by Preachers’ Aid Society and Benefit Fund Oct. 10-11 at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield.

For more information, contact Carol Sims at csims@igrc.org or by calling 217-529-3215.

Topics will include: 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 the conference, rest and relaxation, and wills and estate planning,

Persons who register prior to Sept. 24 will also have a personal pension projection with a time for an individual consultation in regard to the projection.
October
12-13
Friday-Saturday
Disaster Response Mini-Academy

IGRC Disaster Response Mini-Academy will be held Oct. 12-13 at Mt. Vernon West Salem Trinity UMC. This mini-academy will include Early Response Training certification and re-certification training, Spiritual & Emotional Care team training, and Connecting Neighbors.
 
Information for the Mini-Academy can be found by visiting: https://www.igrc.org/disasterresponse

For more information contact Bunny Wolfe ( bwolfe@igrc.org ) or Christy Blickensderfer ( cblickensderfer@igrc.org ) at the IGRC Conference Center or Sara Brown ( hashbrown2147@msn.com ).  
October
25-27
Thursday-Saturday
National Prison Summit

Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century will host the National Prison Summit on Mass Incarceration Oct. 25-27 at the Cathedral of Praise Church of God in Christ in Nashville, Tenn.

SBC21 National Prison Summit on Mass Incarceration is identifying and providing transformative training, awareness and resource services to appropriate the passionate and transformative ideas of John Wesley’s prison ministry and reform programs to annual conferences and communities across the Country. The goal is to equip and encourage congregations with fundamental strategies on how to reach and engage persons who have been impacted by incarceration.

For more information, visit the National Prison Summit website
October
27
Saturday
Ignition Middle School Conference

Registration is now open for Ignition, a conference for middle school students grades 6 to 8, which will be held at Troy UMC on Oct. 27 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Speakers for the day include Sue Busler, Paul Fernandes, and Andrew Spainhour. Harvest will be leading worship. Students will be challenged to grow in faith and live for Jesus. The schedule for the day includes music, worship, fun, seminars, lunch, snack breaks.

Register before Oct. 13 to receive a free Ignition T-Shirt. Find out more by contacting Clint Benesh (618-210-5493) or by visiting the Ignition Conference website.
month
29
Saturday
Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation

The 2019 Five-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation will be April 28-May 3 at King’s House Retreat and Renewal Center in Belleville.

The theme for the 2019 Academy is “Peace”-ing Together a Broken World. Faculty speakers are Bishop Hee-Soo Jung and Dr. Amy Oden. For more information, visit www.igrc.org/fiveday.

Registration begins Nov. 1 at: www.igrc.org/fiveday2019.

The Five-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation, is a program of Upper Room® Ministries, for clergy and laity which provides a daily rhythm of prayer, worship, Eucharist, learning and reflection, in the context of Christian community. Faculty speakers this year are: Bishop Hee Soo Jung, and Dr. Amy Oden.
Upcoming Certified Lay Minister training weekends

The CLM Coordinating Team has announced the fall 2018 schedule for CLM training. All modules will be held at Little Grassy Camp near Makanda (Carbondale area) in the Cache River District.

Persons interested in the IGRC training to become a CLM must first meet one of the following requirements:
  • Be or become a Certified Lay Servant.
  • Have previously completed License School.
  • Have completed one year of seminary studies.

For more information, please check out the pages on the IGRC website at: http://www.igrc.org/clm
or contact one of our CLM Co-Coordinators, Cheryl Cain,  cherylbecker52@yahoo.com,  618-322-5246; or Ava Williams,  adwilliams2@juno.com,  217-563-7439.

Registration Links and related information can be found on this webpage https://www.igrc.org/modules

Links for registration once they become alive:
Module 2, Part 1  (Registration begins Monday, Oct. 8, and ends Saturday, Oct. 27)
Module 1  (Registration begins Monday, Oct. 29, and ends Saturday, Nov. 17)
Module 2, Part 2  (Registration begins Monday, Oct. 29, and ends Saturday, Nov. 17)
South Carolina storm update

Amid the flurry of news about Hurricane Florence, The United Methodist Church stands all but alone in continuing efforts to help families recovering from devastating floods in 2015 (yes, still) and 2016’s Hurricane Matthew. Most other recovery groups have moved on to help those affected by other, more recent disasters.
 
Thanks to UMCOR and other generous donors, we have plenty of resources to help. What we need are willing souls and able bodies to come do the work.
 
 
Local church events
September
28
Friday
Wooden It Be Lovely golf outing

Wooden It Be Lovely, a ministry of Springfield Douglas Avenue UMC will be holding its Second Annual Golf Outing on Friday, Sept. 28 at the Edgewood Golf Club near Auburn.

Cost is $100 per golfer, which includes all fees, cart, prizes, lunch and dinner.Hole sponsorships are also $100 and event sponsorships are $500 and includes golf for four.

Registration is at 11 a.m. with a noon shotgun start. Dinner will be at 5 p.m.

For more information, contact Linda Harrod at 217-415-0000.
October
10-11,
13-14
Wed.-Thurs., Sat.-Sun.
KRD Revival

The Kaskaskia River District will be hosting a District Revival this fall called “Kick-Off of Faith.” 
• Wednesday, Oct. 10 – Mt. Carmel Evangelical UMC
• Thursday, Oct. 11 – Olney First UMC
• Saturday, Oct. 13 – Mt. Vernon Wesley UMC
• Sunday, Oct. 14 – Centralia Cornerstone UMC

Each evening will begin at 5:30 pm with a tailgate cookout of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and drink. Services will begin at 7 p.m. with Harvest Ministry Team leading worship and Bishop Frank Beard bringing the message. Childcare will be provided at each location.

If you have any questions about the revival, contact Matt Henson at 618-830-6670 or matt@livingtheadventure.net.
October
28
Sunday
Kewanee plans Reunion Sunday

Kewanee First UMC is hosting a Reunion Sunday, Oct. 28.

The church is extending an invitation to all who have previously worshipped with them or have served as a pastor.

Worship begins at 9 a.m. followed by a fellowship time.
United Methodist Center Contact Information
USPS (U.S. Postal Service)
P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207
Office Phone: 217-529-2040
Email: info@igrc.org
UPS and FedEx deliveries only use the street address:
United Methodist Center
5900 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62711
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