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Communicator's
Corner:
One Great Hour of Sharing - Mar. 6
United Methodist Communications is providing new resources for pastors and lay leaders to use in promoting One Great Hour of Sharing, which will be Sunday, March 6, this year. Offerings on this Special Sunday support the administrative costs of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Click here for a bulletin inserts, articles and more.
Rethink Church Grants Available The Rethink Church program through United Methodist Communications awards three types of grants each year: Community Event Grants, Digital Advertising Grants, and New Church Start Grants. Many Churches in the NIC have taken part in one of these grant opportunities and there's still time for your church to take advantage of free resources for Lent. Click here for more information.
Laity Convocation
PowerPoints
Thank you to everyone who came to the Laity Convocation at Sycamore UMC on Feb. 6. Materials from the workshops are now posted on our website.
February is Black History Month
United Methodist Discipleship Ministries offers
It's not too early to start thinking about next summer and camps at Wesley Woods or Reynoldswood.
Click here for a listing of the 2016 camps, dates and prices. Also look for and share this special insert found in the February Reporter.
District Lay Academies
Click on District for more info: Sundays from Feb. 14-Mar. 13
Apr. 16 & 23
Mar. 5 & 12
Elgin -
Local Church IT Support
Is your church interested in help with Managed Information Technology Services? The Northern Illinois Conference is looking to assist local churches with reducing their IT support costs by providing this service for a low monthly cost compared to what other vendors can offer you or for what you are currently paying.
Please feel free to reach out to Mo Darwish at 312-334-0729 or email him at mdarwish@umcnic.org
for further questions/discussions.
This does not include website services. For affordable web hosting services for your church visit: umcchurches.org.
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24-Hour General Conference Prayer Vigil
 Sign up to pray on Feb. 29
The United Methodist Church will hold its quadrennial General Conference in Portland, Oregon from May 10-20, 2016.
As we all prepare for this important time of conferencing, the Council of Bishops has invited each Annual Conference to host a 24-hour prayer vigil. Our day is February 29.
Bishop Sally Dyck encourages everyone to fill the day with prayer as we all pray across the church and around the world for this important gathering.
"Be part of this prayer wave across our annual conference on February 29 (leap day)!" said Bishop Dyck.
You can sign up individually, as a group or your church. Click here to sign up for a 15-min time slot to pray and for resources including bulletin inserts and prayer cards.
Note: If you are planning on attending General Conference as a volunteer or other role, please contact the delegation's chair Elisa Gatz. The delegation is also looking for those willing to read and give input on the legislation (more than 1,000 petitions have been submitted). Contact Elisa at: jegatz@comcast.net. Click here for news on the Pre-General Conference Briefing held in January for delegates and communicators in Portland, OR.
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Healing and Building Urban Summit
Saturday, Feb. 27
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Dr. Colleen Cicchetti
Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
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Everyone is directly or indirectly exposed to trauma. This includes those with whom we serve, our families and us. At this summit, discover the impact and implications of trauma on "caring communities" and learn effective community based intervention strategies.
Dr. Colleen Cicchetti withLurie Children's Hospital and her team will be leading the plenary session. Time: 9am-2:30pm at Maple Park United Methodist Church, 11705 S. Elizabeth St., Chicago. Click here for more information and to register today.
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Your Statistical Reports are Vital
Deadline Feb. 29
By: Merrie Bunt
The statistical report offers us an opportunity to review and reflect which can be as much an act of worship as an act of bookkeeping. Compiling the raw numbers helps bring attention to matters of celebration or concern. What are your numbers telling you? The General Council on Finance and Administration has developed an easy, new way to look at these numbers called UMData.
You can explore charts at UMData.org showing Membership, Attendance, Professions of Faith, Baptisms, Grand Total Paid, and Apportionment Percent Paid for any church or aggregated by District, Conference, or Jurisdiction.
The 2015 Statistical Report season is well under way with 20 churches completed and 116 in progress! Congratulations to the DeKalb District with the most reports completed to date.
The deadline for 2015 reports is February 29, 2016.
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Landscape Survey Regional Conversations
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*Aurora/Elgin - Barrington UMC Sunday, February 28 (3:30 -6:00 PM)
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Annual Conference Updates - June 5-7
 "Walk By Faith"
The 2016 Annual Conference will be held June 5-7, 2016 at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Ill. Online registration will be available on April 8.
Volunteers Needed The Annual Conference Worship Team is currently looking for persons throughout the Annual Conference who are willing to serve as greeters, ushers, or general volunteers for worship at Annual Conference this June. For more information, or to sign up, please contact Will Ed Green at
Prayer Team
The Annual Conference Worship Planning Committee is looking for folks, laity and clergy, who would be interested in praying for our Northern Illinois Annual Conference. This prayer team is forming now and has begun praying. You will be invited to intentionally pray daily before the conference begins, as well as, gather in prayer while at the conference. If you would like to be a part of this prayer team please contact David Jungnickel at pastordave03@gmail.com.
Legislation and Historical Documents
ALL historical documents and proposed legislation for the conference must be submitted by April 1, 2016 to Rev. Katie Voigt, by emailing ACdocuments@umcnic.org.
Memorial Service
We invite all churches to submit the names and photos, if available, of their Lay Members to Annual Conference who have died since June 2015 to Natarsha Gardner at ngardner@umcnic.org.
Important Worship Times - Mark your calendars
Ordination - Sunday, June 5 at 7pm
Memorial Service - Monday, June 6 at 3pm
Retirement Service - Tuesday, June 7 at 2pm
Visit www.umcnic.org/AC2016 for latest updates and more information.
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NIC UMM Election of Officers
The NIC United Methodist Men will hold an election for a new President, VP, Secretary and Treasurer for the Executive Committee.The election will be March 12, 2016 at Grace UMC, 3555 McFarland Road, Rockford, IL.
The day begins with a breakfast at 8am at a cost of $9. Tickets for the breakfast need to be ordered in advance at the address of the church so preparation for food can be planned. Bishop Dyck will lead the nomination and election process. She will also speak at a service following the business meeting. The nominees are: 1. President...George Groves, 2. VP...Craig McGregor, 3. Secretary...Dave Holland and 4. Treasurer...Neil Schilling.
Bishop's Youth Bus Trip - Registration Open
Come, hop on the bus with Bishop Dyck and other youth from across the Northern Illinois Conference on Saturday, April 16. Each year, this trip is offered as a way for many youth, especially confirmation students, to gather for a cross-cultural and multi-religious experience. Highlights this year include the Illinois Holocaust Museum, hearing from families impacted by migration crises, and a visit to a Native American center. The trip begins and ends at Evanston First UMC and will be from 8:30am-5pm. Cost is $35, includes breakfast, lunch, transportation to site, and all entry fees. Click here to register.
United Voices for Children Seeking Award Nominees
Each year the Board of Directors of United Voices for Children selects individuals or groups to receive the Bishop Jesse R. DeWitt Child Advocacy Award, the Katherine B. Greene Child Worker Award and the Rev. Margaret Ann Williams Service Award. These awards honor extraordinary volunteer service or advocacy efforts on behalf of children, youth and/or families throughout the Northern Illinois Conference. Please look around and nominate an individual or a group who deserves this recognition. Click here for the nomination form and details. Nominations will be accepted until April 8, 2016.
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Registration for