The Current Week in Review
February 23, 2018
Wanck, Slone preachers for Annual Conference

Bishop Frank J. Beard has announced that the Rev. Sarah Beth Wanck will be the Memorial Service preacher Thursday evening at Annual Conference and that the Rev. Jim Slone has been selected as the preacher for the Retirees' Recognition Service on Friday morning.

The Annual Conference will get underway at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 7, with workshops and conclude by noon on Saturday, June 9 following the Service of Ordination.

At 1 p.m., the Thursday afternoon agenda includes an opening worship service with Bishop Beard preaching and installing new District Superintendents Stan Irvin and James Barnett in the Cache and Vermilion River districts. Those districts will then plan welcoming events in the fall but the entire conference will celebrate the appointments and assignments of these new conference superintendents.

At 2 p.m., clergy and laity will hold their respective sessions with laity in Halls B and C and clergy in the Grand Ballroom on the fourth floor. The full session will reconvene at 4 p.m. and work until the supper break at 5:30 p.m. The Memorial Service is slated for 7 p.m.

The entire Annual Conference schedule is still being finalized and will be published to a Sched app which will be accessible to everyone. The Sched app also allows for last-minute changes that are pushed out to everyone who is using it.
New process for Annual Conference materials

All 2018 Conference Registration Material packets will be picked up ON SITE in the Registration Office in the Terrazo Lobby beginning Thursday, June 7 at 7:30 a.m.

Online registration begins April 2 and ends May 17.
Conversation on A Way Forward

For those who have not been able to attend one of the Conversations on A Way Forward, here is the video from the Feb. 18 conversation at Collinsville First UMC. The final conversation will be tomorrow at Metropolis First UMC from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Springfield Douglas Ave. ministry spotlighted

Christina Medley was shot in her left leg outside her Springfield home in 2016. After doctors inserted a rod, a flesh-eating virus developed, prompting several surgeries and a 5 1/2-month hospital stay, followed by two months in a nursing home and additional physical therapy.

In the process, Medley, who has four children, lost her home and her job. The family took to sleeping in their car or at friends’ homes.

During a meeting at her son’s school, Medley shared her plight with her son’s adviser who put her in touch with the Rev. Margaret Ann Jessup, an associate pastor at Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church and founder of the Wooden It Be Lovely ministry, which offers hope and employment to mothers who have endured addiction and abuse or are in dire straits financially.
Many U.S. presidents have Methodist ties

They escorted Abraham Lincoln's body to his burial in Illinois. They served lemonade to guests at the White House in an age of temperance. They had roles in inaugurations and extended spiritual advice to presidents on justice issues, ranging from slavery to war.

United Methodists have a long history of ties to U.S. presidencies . In fact, Methodism began its relationship with the presidency through the general who would become the nation's first elected leader.
EZRA Year-End Reporting link posted on website, church portal

As churches prepare for their 2017 Year-End Reports, a link has been posted at the top of the IGRC Homepage that will take you to the log-in screen for year-end reporting. You can also log into to the Church Portal Page on the IGRC website and a link to the sign-in page for Ezra is provided within the portal. More details can be found in the Year-End reporting page under Finance and Benefits or by clicking the button below.

The filing deadline is March 31.

Sexual ethics makeup session

A Sexual Ethics Training makeup session has been scheduled for those who were unable to attend any of the three February sessions, on Saturday, June 23, at the Sugar Creek UMC, 1022 New City Road, Chatham. Because of heavy registration in the past week, please note the change in location. The session will be from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is is mandatory for all pastors and laypersons appointed or assigned to local churches.

Registration is open through June 16.
Upcoming events
Resources
Our Conference, Our Kids resources

IGRC Communications, in cooperation with the Our Conference, Our Kids Task Force, has produced video and print resources which can be used in promotion of the campaign. The new videos feature the chaplains or spiritual life directors from four of the five agencies. A fifth video, featuring Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House, will be produced later in 2018 as it was not possible when the other four were filmed.
2017 Resources
United Methodist Center Contact Information
USPS (U.S. Postal Service)
P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207
Office Phone: 217-529-2040
Email: info@igrc.org
UPS and FedEx deliveries only use the street address:
United Methodist Center
5900 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62711
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