The Current Week in Review

May 23, 2025

Registration closes today!

Late registrations subject to a late fee

Today is the last day to register for in-person and having the option for purchasing special meals. Beginning tomorrow, registrations will be subject to a $25 late fee with no special meal options. On-site registration will be subject to a $50 late fee. NOW IS THE TIME TO COMPLETE YOUR REGISTRATION!!

The pre-conference workbook and the Supplemental packet are available for viewing and downloading. from the Annual Conference Download page or by clicking the buttons below. The workbook includes an information and reference section and legislation before the Annual Conference session.

Print copies of the Pre-Conference Workbook were mailed May 1 to persons who requested it. The supplemental packet was mailed to the same group May 15.

In preparation for Annual Conference, visit the following webpages on the IGRC website:

• Information on the four Constitutional Amendments that passed General Conference and are now before the Annual Conferences worldwide for ratification
• An online payment portal where donations can be made for the special offerings that will be collected at Annual Conference
• A virtual exhibit hall featuring videos from the general agencies of The United Methodist Church and Cokesbury with a link to the online Cokesbury store

Online participant information

Voter Codes for access to the online voting system, VVoter have been sent to persons who will participate at the Annual Conference online.

Clergy should have received two emails -- one that provided credentials for the Clergy Session and the second, for the Plenary Sessions. Laity received an email for the Plenary Session only.

Vvoter credentials will enable participants to vote as well as seek recognitiom from the Bishop if they wish to speak during debate.

Credentials for the Zoom Room platform will be sent late next week or early the week of June 2. Clergy will receive two sets for the Clergy Session and Plenary Sessions and laity will receive a single set for the plenary sessions.

The Clergy Session will only air online in the Zoom room. The Laity Session will not be broadcast this year. All plenary sessions and worship services will be livestreamed at: www.igrc.org/ac2025live.

Briefings and webinar recordings

Recordings of the online Pre-Conference briefings and informational webinars on the IGRC Vision and Mission Statement; the UMC Constitutional Amendments; and legislation regarding funding for Little Grassy Camp and exploration of the sale of the Conference Center in Springfield are now available for playback.

If you have any questions, or would like any more details, please feel free to reach out Curtis Brown, IGRC Director of Connectional Ministries at cbrown@igrc.org or 217-529-2442.

Asbury and Friends lunch

If you are interested in joining us for a time of food and fellowship during our 2025 Annual Conference Session we would like to hear from you, we are looking at joining together at during Lunch on Friday at a local restaurant.

This lunch is for Asbury Seminary alumni, students, guests, and those who although did not attend are our friends we call Asbury by choice. For more information and to let us know you plan to attend please contact Rev. Bill Wiggs at pastorbillwiggsjr@gmail.com    

Minneapolis chosen for 2028 General Conference

United Methodist General Conference organizers are hoping the second time is the charm for heading to Minneapolis.

During an online meeting, the Commission on the General Conference chose to hold the next session of The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly on May 8-18, 2028, in the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Organizers originally had set the 2020 General Conference to be in Minneapolis until the COVID pandemic forced the event’s postponement and eventual move of last year’s General Conference to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Now the current commission, elected at last year’s General Conference, hopes to make good on a plan that dates back to 2013 for the Minnesota city to host.

“There was a significant investment of time by the former host committee and members, planning, along with financial investments that required the commission to give strong consideration to naming Minneapolis for 2028,” the Rev. Aleze Fulbright, secretary of the General Conference, said in a statement. She, too, was elected last year to her role.

General Conference, which typically meets every four years, brings together elected delegates from around the globe to make decisions that affect some 10 million United Methodists, who live in more than 100 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

Take The Current subscriber survey

The Current, the award-winning print publication of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference is moving toward an all-digital format, beginning in September 2025.

Due to an anticipated $50,000 budget cut for 2026, coupled with new postal regulations regarding the handling and delivery of Second-Class mail, IGRC Communications has made the difficult decision to cease having a print publication with a free subscription base. The conference is still studying whether a revamped publication could be provided on a limited basis to those subscribers willing to pay for it – probably around $30 per year for 12 issues.

Your help is needed in determining whether continuing a print version is financially feasible.

You can complete the survey online or return a card which is found in the June issue of The Current and return it to the office at Annual Conference.

Pastors asked to complete Faith and Order survey

Bishop David Bard is asking IGRC pastors under appointment to participate in a global survey being conducted by the Committee on Faith and Order (Bishop Bard chairs the Committee).

The General Conference Committee on Faith and Order was directed following the last General Conference to study recent developments in sacramental practice, including the practice of online Communion, in our churches. The Committee is wanting to ensure its data is accurate. The survey will take less than 10 minutes to complete. 

Your responses will help our General Conference know what is happening in our local churches and will help the Committee ensure our sacramental theology and practices align with each other.

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