| April 21, 2011 |
Please send emails about e-news or the Reporter to Anne Marie Gerhardt, Dir. of Communications at communications@umcnic.org. All submissions for e-news must be received, in writing no later than 4:00 PM on Tuesday each week.
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Easter Greetings from the Bishop | 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
God's love is real. In this Holy Week of remembrance, in the celebration of Easter's Resurrection we witness that love. It is a love that promises forgiveness and eternal life. It is a love that accepts each of us, no matter our past. It is a love that calls us to spread the word and shout to the world. "Christ has risen, he has risen indeed."
I pray that your journey through this season will be refreshing, renewing and reengaging. Our hearts are lifted when we think of Jesus sacrifice for our sins. Our lives are given meaning when we experience Christ love. Our mission is clear as we take the love we know in Christ and share our passion with others.
Brothers and sisters, you are a beautiful people, witnessing to your faith in amazing ways. May God continue to bless your journey as we celebrate together this Easter Sunday and beyond.
In Christ,
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung
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Bishop's Schedule | |
April 22 -12pm-3pm
Join 3 UMC Bishops, including Bishop Hee-Soo Jung and other honored clergy for a midday Good Friday service featuring the "Seven Last Words of Jesus"
St. Mark United Methodist Church
8441 S. St. Lawrence
Chicago
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April 24 - Easter Sunday, Downers Grove: First UMC preaching multiple services for Easter in recognition of the churches 175th Anniversary 8am, 9:30am and 11:00am
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Elgin Office Notice
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Internet and e-mail outages will occur in the Elgin District and Conference offices on Monday, April 25 for most of the day due to hardware upgrades.
If you send e-mail, it will not be received until the upgrades are completed. We will respond as soon as we are able. We expect the phones to remain in service during this time.
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World Malaria Day-Apr 25
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Malaria Ravages Poor in Kasungami, DRC
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Journey Community Church Launches |
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Pastors Isaiah and Daniel Park |
Palm Sunday marked a new beginning for another Harvest 2020: new faith community. Journey Community Church celebrated its launch on Sunday, April 17 with nearly 100 people in worship.
The launch has been two and a half years in the making. In 2008 Bishop Hee-Soo Jung and the Northern Illinois Conference recruited husband and wife pastors Daniel and Isaiah Park to start a new church for young people in Chicagoland. Rev. Park participated in the Institute for Congregational Development to begin the process. With the generous support of First Korean UMC, Wheeling, a small group began to grow and since December, 2010, Journey has been worshiping at the Korean Cultural Center in Wheeling.
"We're reaching a lot of young people. People who are disillusioned with Christianity and traditional church," said Rev. Daniel Park who said the average age of those coming to worship is 25. "A lot of folks tend to be second generation Korean Americans, but we're not limited to that."
Read more about Journey's outreach ministries >>
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Journey Community Church
worships at the Korean Cultural Center in Wheeling |
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Youth Interfaith Bus Tour
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Youth board buses for
a day long tour
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Nearly 75 youth from across the Northern Illinois Conference boarded a bus last Saturday for a unique opportunity to experience worship outside of the United Methodist Church.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung hosted an Interfaith Bus Tour on April 16 which included stops at a Hindu temple, a synagogue and a mosque to learn about prayer and other religious practices.
This was the first year the bus tour was specifically designed for confirmands and high school youth.
"It was a great experience which exposed the youth to many different religions and gave them an opportunity to hear our Bishop speak," said Michael Mann, Associate Director of Mission and Advocacy. "A wealth of information was shared."
Read the full story>>
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Nearly 75 youth and more than a dozen chaperones
outside the BAPS Temple in Bartlett
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Celebration of Confirmation
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Bishop Hee-Soo Jung delivered the message at the Celebration of Confirmation Service on Palm Sunday at Maple Park UMC in Chicago.
34 youth from six Northern Illinois Conference churches were confirmed at the service which included song, scripture and dance. Bishop Jung also baptized one youth. The confirmation service is sponsored by the Chicago Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR).
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2011 Annual Conference Register Online Today
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Northern Illinois Conference will gather at Pheasant Run Resort on June 8-11, 2011. During these days, we will serve together, united by love. Delegates to the 2012 General Conference will be elected; legislative actions will be passed; and new pastors will be ordained. Come join us.
Register on-line for the conference today. (pay by check or credit card) You will need to know your church name and number when you register. If you aren't sure, you can check for it in this PDF. Here they are listed alphabetically by city. When you register they are listed by number with name.
Registration Costs:
April 1 - May 18: $56
May 19 - June 1: $75
No registrations or meal purchases accepted between June 2-7.
June 8 on-site: $75 (pay by cash, check or credit card)
Hotel reservations can be made NOW! Due to another event at the same venue, rooms at Pheasant Run will likely sell out. Call (630) 584-6300 and mention Northern Illinois Conference. All information is available on our website.
Go the the Annual Conference 2011 pages.
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Health Kits Needed Midwest Mission Distribution Center(MMDC) will be at the NIC Annual Conference from Wednesday morning until Friday at noon collecting health kit supplies in bulk to replenish the shelves as 17,000 were just sent to Japan for relief. The hand towel is the health kit item most needed at the present time. Churches which have health kits have the option to hold on to them until Annual Conference and send them to MMDC then. MMDC will take all UMCOR kits as MMDC is now one of 7 cooperating depots in the UMCOR Relief Supply Network.
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NIC United Methodist Women Legislative Day
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The NIC United Methodist Women's 4th Annual Legislative Action Day is Wednesday, May 4, 2011 in Springfield, IL.
Please join the United Methodist Women for a Faith-in-Action Day as we put our faith in action for women, children, youth and older adults. We will gather in the Chapel on the first floor of the Capitol at 10:30 AM for prayer and training. Contact Jessie Cunningham, NIC UMW Social Action Coordinator, @ jessieray9@aol.com for additional information and registration.
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Local Church Events
| News about local church events has been posted on the web.
Read about April Events
Read about May Events
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