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 [email protected], or by phone 618-554-1220. 

Worship workshop postponed

The IGRC chapter of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts Worship Workshop on Saturday, Sept. 29 has been postponed until May 4, 2019. 

The event schedule will remain the same, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the same topics and clinicians. 

Registration is available at the IGRC website, and those who previously registered for the event can have their registrations transfer to the May 4 event or receive a refund. 

Mary Scifres, one of the main presenters for the worship workshop, will be hosting an upcoming event Oct. 23-25, and interested persons may find out more about the conference at her website,   https://www.maryscifres.com .  

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 [email protected] if you are available to participate.  

Bunny Wolfe, IGRC Missions Coordinator

UMW Annual Meeting

The IGRC United Methodist Women' s 22nd Annual Meeting Celebration will be held on Oct. 6 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," the campaign to endow the spiritual life programs of the five children and youth agencies in the IGRC -- 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.

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:

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.

Current Issues facing Today's Youth

The Gateway Foundation, in cooperation with lllinois Church Action (ILCAAAP), are hosting a free seminar to

discuss some of the biggest issues currently facing today’s

youth presented by experts in the field.

The seminar will be Wednsday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Scheels' second floor meeting room, 3801 S. MacArthur Blvd. in Springfield Lunch will be provided.

A variety of topics will be discussed including:

In, addition, hear testimonies from teens taking the first step

towards lifelong recovery and the challenges they have had to

overcome.

For more information, contact Deborah Kuhns by email or call 217-281-1540.

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. 11-12 at the Abraham Lincoln Hotel and Conference Center in Springfield.

For more information, contact Carol Sims at [email protected] 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.

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 ( [email protected] ) or Christy Blickensderfer ( [email protected] ) at the IGRC Conference Center or Sara Brown ( [email protected] ).  

Beard to preach Cartwright sermon

Bishop Frank J. Beard will be the preacher at this year's Annual Cartwright Memorial Sermon on Sunday, Oct. 21 at Peter Cartwright UMC in Pleasant Plains.

The service will begin at 10:30 a.m. and is sponsored by the church and the IGRC Commission on Archives and History.

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

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.

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.

Safe Sanctuaries - Best Practices

A Safe Sanctuaries – Best Practices training workshop will be held at Raymond Community of Faith, 418 N Springfield Rd., Raymond, IL, on Saturday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. to noon.

This workshop is designed for churches seeking to develop or update a Safe Sanctuaries policy, but can also be used for training in best practices for leaders in ministry with children, youth, or vulnerable adults.

Topics to be covered include: what to include in a policy, how to report suspected child or elder abuse, and best practices for participation in a congregation by a registered sex offender.

This FREE workshop is supported by your apportionment giving. Registration is encouraged by Dec 1 at https://igrc-reg.brtapp.com/SafeSanctuariesRaymond to ensure sufficient seating and materials. Presenter will be Beth Fender, IGRC Coordinator of Discipleship and New Streams.

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.

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 [email protected].

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.