The United Methodist Church
Northern Illinois Conference
e-News
|
Greetings!
|
Welcome to the NIC e-News. This newsletter is published every Thursday at 10AM. If you have story submissions or ideas for the e-News, please send them to Matt Kuzma at mkuzma@umcnic.org by 6PM Tuesday. To find upcoming calendar events, please visit the online calendar, linked below in Quick Links. To add calendar items, please contact your district office.
Also, please encourage fellow clergy and members to sign up for the e-News; it's a cheap and easy way for us to highlight our website and share information with people across the conference. To forward to a friend or to subscribe, just click the buttons below. Thank you!
Helpful Tip: If you have to choose, give up chocolate, not the e-News, for Lent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
In Step With the Bishop
|
Upcoming visits (busy month!):
March 3 - Aurora District Cluster Visit - Joliet Cluster
March 4 - Chicago NW District Cluster Visit - Western Suburb Cluster - gathering at 7 PM Oak Park: Cornerstone
March 11 - DeKalb District Clergy Gathering - Studying the Scriptures with Bishop Jung,10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Ashton UMC
March 13-14 - Conference Urban Convocation March 21 - Clergy Summit: Sycamore UMC 9-3 PM
March 22 - Carol Stream: St. Andrew Preaching - Worship @ 9:30 and Sunday School Dialogue @ 11:00 AM
March 23 - DeKalb District Cluster Visit - Mendota Cluster All Day - Evening Gathering @ Earlville UMC 7 PM
March 24 - Rockford District Cluster Visit - East Winnebago Boone Cluster - Evening Gathering @ TBA 7 PM
March 25 - Elgin District Cluster Visit - Elgin Cluster - Evening Gathering @ TBA 7 PM
March 28 - Conference UMM
Lenten Breakfast and Worship - Hosted at Villa Park: Calvary Breakfast
@ 8:00 AM and Worship @ 9:00 AM
March 29 - Chicago: West Ridge/Indo Pac Preaching - @ 11:00 AM | |
|
|
|
Message on the Economy from the Connectional Table
|
From the Council of Bishops and Connectional Table: At all times, but especially in fearful and dangerous days, we
followers of Jesus are called to live in hope and in the assurance that
God is present with us. Facing hard times, the Apostle Paul asked: "Who
will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . No, in
all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height,
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate
us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:35 and 37,
39).
|
Finding the next generation of leaders
|
Here's a great story in from Pastor Brian William in Burlington. He's working with 6-8 churches to start a small group for youth and young adults who are exploring a call to ministry. He picked up the idea at a United Methodist conference - who knew?
Can small groups help young people hear the call to ministry?
|
|
Observance Day - Methodist and Uniting Church Women
|
OBSERVANCE DAY
World Federation
of Methodist and Uniting Church Women
Northern Illinois Conference hosts
Observance Day of the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church
Women on March 14, 2009, at the Evergreen Park United Methodist Church,
9358 S Homan, Evergreen Park, IL. This event brings together women
from the churches who share our Wesleyan Heritage: African Methodist
Episcopal Church (AME), African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ)
and the Christian Methodist Church (CME) and the United Methodist Church
(UMC).
The United Methodist Women of Evergreen
Park are serving as hosts for this year's meeting. The day begins
with registration and continental breakfast at 8:30 am at the church.
The theme for the day is "Improve Maternal Health." The program
begins promptly at 9am and concludes with lunch prepared by the Evergreen
Park UMW. The registration is $15 and includes lunch; registration
deadline is March 7, 2009. Participants are asked to bring
toiletry items for young mothers and/or baby items. They will be taken
to a woman's shelter.
The
official emblem of the World Federation is the Tree of Life, based on
the scripture in Revelation 22.2 "On either side of the
river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits,
and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for
the healing of the nations."
You can read more about the World Federation
at http://www.wfmucw.org/index.php
It is important to send your registration
now to Marilyn Steenwyck, 9347 S Harding, Chicago, IL, 60605.
Checks should be made payable to NIC-UMW. Registration Form and
Flyer can be found on the new United Methodist Women website, www.nicumw.org. Click on the Events link.
|
Update: CASH!
|
Sessions for the Urban Convocation March 13-14 are coming together. From Rev. David Aslesen:
- Congregations Impacting Economic Policy for Families and Children
-
Faith and Foreclosures: The Housing Crisis and the Church's Response
-
Criminal Justice: Employment Barrier and Opportunities for Ex-Offenders
-
Economic Justice: Raising Faith Voices for Reform
-
Youth and Young Adult Finances 101
-
How the Church Can Plan for Funding of Future Ministries and Mission
Spanish translation is available for many of the workshop offerings and all of the worship services and keynote.
Hotel rooms at a reduced rate will only be available until Feb. 20.
Call to make your reservations using "Urban Convocation - Northern
Illinois Conference UMC"; to Courtyard Marriott, Elgin; 847-429-0300.
The event will be
held at First United Methodist Church, 216 E. Highland Avenue, Elgin,
IL. Registration is $30; a block of hotel rooms has been reserved at
the Courtyard Marriott in Elgin.
To register, or for more information,
please call the Elgin NIC Office at 847-931-0710 or email Natarsha Gardner at ngardner@umcnic.org.
|
Annual Conference - Constitutional Amendments
|
The 170th Northern Illinois Annual Conference is June 7-9 at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL. It will be here before we know it!
This year, we will be voting on several amendments to our Constitution. Check out the Annual Conference Page for more information about these important amendments!
|
40 days and 40 nights...
|
Forty days from today is April 7. How is your church planning ahead?
March - Women's History Month
March 22 - One Great Hour of Sharing
March 29 - 5th Sunday in Lent
April 5 - Palm Sunday
April 12 - Easter Sunday
If you have tips or tricks for worship planning as we approach Lent and Easter, please share them: mkuzma@umcnic.org.
|
|
Bolivia!
|
A group from Northern Illinois recently returned from a church-building mission in Bolivia. Check out their story.
|
|
Search!
|
|
FYI, you may now search our website. Look on the left-hand side. Oh, for a thousand tongues to Google!
|
|
Media Mentions
|
If your church is in the local paper, on tv, or gets featured by an international film crew (ahem, Pastor Phil?) please let us know. Here are some of the media hits for this week:
|
Share your photos and stories!
|
Lynda Carson and Kathy Palmer tie name tags on the Valentine Plates for the homebound and elderly
Add photos of your church events or anything else to our Flickr group! When making the Reporter, we often have space for extra pictures. Add a photo with caption, and you could find your work on the website or Reporter.
Please submit tips, stories, sermons, lyrics and testimonials. Anywhere from 50-700 words is great. Longer pieces are fine, but will probably only run on the web. We especially want to hear stories about new faith communities, revitalizing our church, and working together.
|
|
Town and Rural Grants Available
|
Churches in towns under 10,000 population may be eligible for grants. Is yours?
|
|
Pancake Breakfast of the Week
|
 Join the Rosebud Mission
Trip members for a Palm Sunday breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon or sausage,
and biscuits before the 10:15 AM service. Between 7 and 10 AM we will be
serving up a hot breakfast for you! A free will offering will be taken to help
support our mission trip to Rosebud, SD in July. We will display pictures from
past trips (this will be our 5th year). There will be a video and lots of
information on the reservation for you.
Marengo United Methodist Church
119 East Washington St.
Marengo, IL 60152
Joint Mission effort of Belvidere and Marengo UMC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
