December 19, 2013                                                                                       
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Communicator's Corner

EcuFilm will close

United Methodist Communications has announced that EcuFilm, which provides multimedia resources for small groups and churches, will close at the end of 2013. Read the press release.

Advent Prayers

Pray these prayers from Alive Now on your own or with your faith community beginning the first Sunday of Advent, December 1. Click here.

Join the Reclaim Campaign - Fight mandatory sentences

Join others in calling on members of the Illinois General Assembly to oppose SB1342 and any legislation that expands mandatory minimums.

SB1342 imposes mandatory sentences for possessing an unloaded gun without a valid FOID (Firearms Owner Identification) card.
Click here for information on how you can take action.

Read NIC Dir. of Connectional Ministries Chris Pierson's blog on why mandatory sentences do more harm. Click here.

Help for Tornado victims 


Your gifts to
International Disaster Response, Advance #982450 support the relief efforts of this emergency and enable UMCOR to respond efficiently to other disasters as they occur.


Free Webinar: 
Thursday, January 9, 2014, 6:30pm

 

Stewardship & Finance:Getting it Right at the Starting Line*

Stewardship Team, Finance Committee, or Church Council - if your work in the church deals with people's giving, you want to start off on the right foot. As you prepare for the New Year, reflect on these ideas that could make your job the best one in the church!

*This is a slightly updated repeat of our most popular stewardship webinar of 2013. Click here to register 
  
 
Peace with Justice grants deadline approaching 
 
Jan. 10 is the deadline to apply for a Peace with Justice grant from the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS). Click here for more info.

GBCS Grants for racial/ethnic ministries
 
Applications for grants up to $10,000 to help local United Methodist churches build ministries that strengthen and support racial and ethnic church concerns are due on Jan. 15. Click here for info. 

NIC eNews udpate
No NIC eNews next Thursday as we celebrate Christmas...look for us in 2014! 
Last minute gifts for Imagine No Malaria  
 
Last minute shopping? No problem!

Consider great gift that gives twice from Imagine No Malaria.
 
 We have bow ties, teddy bears, bracelets, and Pajama bottoms!
Get them one of our fantastic Imagine No Malaria gifts and support women in
Africa and malaria efforts all at the same time! Half of all the sales are a donation to INM, and the other half go to the fair trade artisans. Visit shopumc.org.

Or make a donation in honor of a loved one at www.imaginenomalaria.org/donate.    
For more info contact: [email protected] and follow INM events at www.facebook.com/inmnic.  
Rainbow Covenant Logo
2013 Apportionments and Rainbow Covenant Update

 

 

Churches that desire to receive Rainbow Covenant recognition for 2013 must postmark all contributions by January 10, 2014 and mail them to Northern Illinois Conference, PO Box 66883 Chicago, IL 60666-6883.  

 

Be advised that four projects that have become inactive since 2012 (Marcy Newberry Association, Emma Norton Services, Andean Youth Project, and Total Health Awareness Team). For a listing of all current Rainbow Covenant projects, please click here.

 

Apportionment contributions are on track to exceed last years' total giving of $6.5 Million, towards this year's goal of $6.7 million.  

 

Apportionments are the portion of local church resources given to support crucial ministries around the Conference and the denomination. Apportionment dollars ensure that an accountable and efficient network is in place so that churches can go the second-mile, and support thousands of projects and Ministries through designated giving programs like the Rainbow Covenant knowing that 100% of each gifts is used for its intended mission or ministry.


Martin Luther King Jr.
Remembrance - Speaker Announced

Rev. Dr. Harold Dean Trulear
Rev. Dr. Harold Dean Trulear

Rev. Dr. Harold Dean Trulear, Healing Communities NationalDirector is our special guest speaker for the Nothern Illinois Conference annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Service on Jan. 19 at St. Mark UMC in Chicago.


Come learn how your church can engage in Restorative Justice ministries.

Harold Dean Trulear is Director of the Healing Communities Prison Ministry and Prisoner Reentry Project of the Philadelphia Leadership Foundation.  Read more.
Click here to read Trulear's bio.

Concealed Carry Posting

Efforts to amend the Illinois State Concealed Carry Law to include places of worship will not be addressed by the state legislature until the spring of 2014. If this amendment passes, churches will be added to a short list of places that are automatically protected in the Concealed Carry joining schools, libraries and others. Meanwhile, permits for concealed carry will begin to be issued in early 2014.

The United Methodist Church in the 2012 Book of Resolutions #3426 concludes with the statement: "Reflecting the traditional role of The United Methodist Church that has been one of safety and sanctuary, every United Methodist Church is officially declared a weapon-free zone."

The Illinois Concealed Carry Law requires signage for those places that wish to be weapon-free. The signage is simple and can be downloaded by clicking here. NOTE: When printing the sign, please ensure the black borders surrounding the "no firearms" symbol measure 4 inches from top to bottom and 6 inches from left to right. Click here for more info.

The Clergy Retirement Security Program (CRSP) is Changing


General Conference changes to the Clergy Retirement Security Program (CRSP) go into effect January 1, 2014.  Both components of CRSP - the Defined Benefit (DB) and the Defined Contribution (DC) - will be modified. 

Your retirement benefits will be reduced unless you increase your personal contributions to UMPIP to offset the CRSP reductions. 

To learn more about this change you can go to the GBOPHB website at: http://www.gbophb.org/assets/1/7/4562.pdf

You can download a UMPIP agreement and instructions from our Benefits Coordinator, Shirley Burkhart  here.

Grant Applications Due Dec. 30

The NIC Board of Church and Society is currently accepting grant applications for 2014 in two different categories: Emerging Ministries and Peace with Justice.

Use the same application, entitled Universal Grant, to apply in either of these two categories. Please specify which category your program falls under. The form can be downloaded by clicking here.

All applications are to be submitted to by Dec. 30, 2013:
Rev. Wendy A. Witt
1st UMC/Chicago Temple
77 W. Washington St., FL 2
Chicago, IL 60602
Email: [email protected]

Host a Spanish as a Second Language Class

 

Applications are currently being accepted for those congregations that wish to host a class for the next 6-week term of introductory Spanish classes. 

The dates of the term are between February 2 and April 11, allowing a congregation to choose any 6 weeks in this time frame that would best fit their schedule.  Would your church like to host a class?

Deadline to apply is Jan. 8. Email: [email protected]
 
Application Opportunities for New Conference Academy (Hispanic/Latino)!

Do you know someone who is passionate about ministering in the Hispanic/Latino community?

The Office of Congregational Development and Redevelopment has extended the deadline for applying to the new class of the Conference Academy (Hispanic/Latino) for Faith Community Development! This is your opportunity to join a select group of pastors and lay persons who will train together for starting new churches and ministries in a Hispanic/Latino setting that are reaching religious "nones."

Visit www.umcnic.org/Academy and apply to the Conference Academy today! For more information about the Conference Academy, contact Judy Siaba at 312-346-9766 ext. 724 or [email protected].
Fasting for Immigration Reform

This year, United Methodists across the country have supported immigration reform. There have been over 300 Family Unity Prayer Vigils, visits and calls with Congressional members, and a detailed, solution-based letter to the United States House that was signed by 1,335 United Methodist clergy in only six days. Read more.

This December, individual church members and pastors throughout our United Methodist connection have joined a national movement to fast for a change in immigration laws. Read more in Sojourners.

One pastor, Walter L. Coleman, the pastor of Adalberto United Methodist Church, will be in Day 20 of a "water only" fast on Friday as part of a campaign to stop deportations and to enlist 1,000 churches (of any denomination) across the nation as "Sanctuary churches". An informational meeting will be held Friday, Dec. 20 at Adalberto United Methodist Church
2716 W. Division St., Chicago. Click here for more information.  
 
Bishop Sally Dyck met on Dec. 13 with Rev. Walter Coleman, as he began a fast to stop deportations. Rev. Ken Erhman, Rev. Martin Lee, D.S. Zaki L. Zaki and D.S. Oscar Carrasco accompanied the bishop to pray with Pastor Coleman and members of the church.
Rainbow Covenant Open for New Applicants

 

The Rainbow Covenant is a giving program of the Northern Illinois Conference where a local church or individual may choose to give to a specific ministry or program.   

 

For ministries wishing to be added to the list of Rainbow Covenant Advances, please use this application. The deadline is Jan. 31, 2014. For those already in the Rainbow Covenant, you do not need to re-apply. 

 

Questions?  Contact Rev. Shirley Pulgar Hughes, the Conference Mission Secretary at [email protected]  or Rev. Michael Mann, Conference staff, at [email protected]

 

Note:  Being a Rainbow Covenant Advance will also allow a ministry to have a display table at the Annual Conference.

 

Please send emails for the eNews or the Reporter to Anne Marie Gerhardt,  
Dir. of Communications at 
 
All submissions for eNews must be received in writing no later than 4pm on Tuesday each week.   
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