The United Methodist Church
Northern Illinois Conference
e-News
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Greetings!
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Welcome to the NIC e-News. This newsletter is published every Thursday morning at 10 a.m.
Can we do anything to help you? If you or your church have any communication needs, please contact Matt at mkuzma@umcnic.org.
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In Step With the Bishop
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 Photo by Mark LarimerWe had a chance recently to ask Bishop Jung about his travels through the conference. Bishop Jung: "I am amazed how local churches are rooted in their community and expanding their vision. There is so much pain out there. We can bring holistic healing to people: restoration, reconciliation, social healing. It is broken out there! We need to be out there healing people. I feel that our role is to responsible to society and to be servant leaders - God is leading us; God is providing the strength. Our portion, our tiny part in this, is to respond to God's will. We catch God's movement through people, and more and more, we need to look up for the spirit's movement in the people around us" Upcoming visits:
March 28 - Conference UM Men
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 April 2nd - Rockford District Cluster Visit to Northwest Winnebago Cluster, Gathering @ Durand UMC at 6 PM
April 5th - Palm Sunday Black Methodists For Church Renewal - Confirmation Service at St. Mark's UMC 4:00 PM
April 14-24 - North Central Jurisdiction Bishops and Leadership - Korean Cultural Pilgrimage | |
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Review of Clergy Summit
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Photo by Matt Kuzma
What happens when all the clergy get together to talk about the future of the church? Find out!
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Communication Volunteers Needed! |
Hello, friends! Our communications and media team is working on the following projects. If you or someone you know would like to volunteer with any of these projects, please drop Matt a line: mkuzma@umcnic.org - 1. Video and audio interviews of all of the Harvest 2020 church planters, mixed with photos of the new communities and neighborhoods we are reaching with these new launches. The individual video clips for each new faith community will be featured on the Harvest 2020 website and form a 30- to 45-minute video for Annual Conference. 2. Content update for our website, which will undergo a complete rebuild this spring and summer. The 2008 Annual Conference budget accounted for a competitively-bid new website. Our communications team and conference leadership are in the process of reviewing bids for this project. Regardless of the design, we need more content from all of our committees, groups, teams, commissions, work areas and play areas. Stay tuned for more info as we begin the design process, but in the meantime, find your team on our current website: http://www.umcnic.org. Do you have more to add? 3. More creative work and more video! We have video and audio equipment here at the conference office, but if you know youth or other volunteers who would like to help record video, edit video or edit audio interviews, we could definitely put them to work! |
Faith Community Conference on Addictions
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From Robert Wulf:
Would you please include notice of this
important conference on addiction in the next issue of the eNews? I
am an ordained Elder in the NIC (on honorable location) and Director of
Philanthropy for Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities in Chicago.
The information from this Conference to be
held April 23 will be vital to clergy and laity and families within our
NIC churches.
It Takes a Village- Working Together to Help Families Heal and Recover from the Impact of Addiction
Why You Should Attend
Alcohol and drug problems interfere with the
capacity of addicted individuals and their family members to develop and
sustain a meaningful spiritual life. Clergy and other pastoral ministers
have a wide array of opportunities to address these problems and lead hurting
families to recovery support and healing.
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UMW Lobby Day in Springfield April 2
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Join women from the Northern Illinois Conference, the
Illinois Great Rivers Conference and the Illinois Church
Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems (ILCAAAP) for a Legislative Day on Thursday, April 2, at the State Capitol in Springfield.
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Annual Conference - Constitutional Amendments
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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!
Constitutional Amendments must be ratified by two-thirds of the Annual Conferences in order to take effect. They must be voted up or down by the Annual Conferences; they may not be amended.
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Free money for students
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Our conference board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry gives out scholarships to local undergrad students. Applications are due by April 1 to:
Gladys King-Lucas, Marcy-Newberry
Association, 1073 W. Maxwell Street, Chicago,
IL 60608
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We are Easter People!
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Easter is almost upon us! How is your church planning ahead?
Some ideas for planning for Easter from Dist. Superintendent Rev. James Preston:
1. Make sure all special Lenten services and offerings can be found WITH TIMES AND DATES on your website and newsletter. Consider highlighting one event on your voicemail. Always have worship times on your voicemail.
2. Consider a clean up of entrances and foyers so that guests encounter clean and welcoming spaces as they enter. Add flowers or plants...possibly purple cloth and a cross on a table. All of these efforts make guests feel more welcome.
3. Consider an online email each week to guests and members with scripture, devotion, and prayer ideas. It is an easy way to help people grow in Christ during this season. Guests appreciate the connection.
4. Start announcing your EASTER services now! Place a banner with times outside or on your sign. Make sure those times are on your web site and other places.
5. Consider a Lenten insert in your bulletin that highlights all of your activities and features scripture readings for the week.
UM Communications also has 50 ideas for under $500 that local churches can use to attract people so new folks will breeze through our open doors on Easter Sunday.
If you have tips or tricks for worship planning as we approach Lent and Easter, please share them: mkuzma@umcnic.org.
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Share your photos and stories!
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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 (very important!!), 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.
mkuzma@umcnic.org
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Pancake Breakfast of the Week
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...is taking the week off to hit the gym and meet with the personal trainer.
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