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The United Methodist Church has been very vocal in their condemnation of violence precipitated by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups in Charlottesville, Va.
Council of Bishops President Bruce Ough, episcopal leader of the Minnesota-Dakotas Area, challenged United Methodists and all peoples of faith to be bold in the witness against racism and white supremacy in a statement on behalf of the entire Council of Bishops.
"I am shocked by the blatant resurgence of white nationalism, neo-Nazism and racially motivated domestic terrorism in the United States. I am dismayed (and frightened) by the animosity, division, extremism and evil that is spiraling out of control in the U.S."
He asked the UMC to join in the grieving for the lives lost, and pray for the family of Heather Heyer, the families of the two state troopers killed while monitoring the Charlottesville demonstration from the air, and for the healing of all the injured.
Bishop Ough noted that there should be no excuses or political justification for the evil that was on full display in Charlottesville last Saturday. "Nor, let us forget that many such displays of white supremacy, racism and hatred go un-reported or under-reported in many places. White supremacist and neo-Nazi ideologies are abhorrent and entirely inconsistent with the Christian faith."
Read Bishop Ough's pastoral letter...
United Methodist Communications has also been active, placing a full-page ad in both the New York Times and USA Today this week and they have also produced a video and website that provides resources at:
www.umc.org/EmbraceLove.
Rev. Dr. Susan Henry Crowe, general secretary for the General Board of Church and Society, has written an open letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a United Methodist, imploring Sessions "to prayerfully and actively work to protect the civil rights of all people, especially people of color and religious minorities." Crowe said, "Your position requires it, and our faith demands it."
Read Church and Society's statement...
Read Dr. Crowe's full letter to the Attorney General...
Abingdon Press, the publishing arm of the church, has a resource entitled
Holding Up Your Corner: Talking About Race in Your Community, which equips pastors to respond with confidence when crises occur, lower their own inhibitions about addressing this topic, and reclaim their authority as prophetic witnesses and leaders in order to transform their communities.
The resource is also available in the United Media Resource Center for the cost of return postage.
Contact Jill Stone to reserve the resource.
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At the Intersection of Hurt and Hope:
Rev. Willis Johnson |
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Clarification on pastor's financial worksheet
The explanation of the health insurance allowance on page 2 of the pastor's financial worksheet is somewhat misleading.
The provision of a health insurance allowance for a ¾ time pastor is only applicable for Elders appointed ¾ time and it is totally optional - the church decides.
The form should read:
Pastor is appointed full-time $15,000
Elder is appointed ¾ time $15,000 (optional)
Pastor is appointed less than full time $0
The form is not being updated just the explanation. Here is the links to the revised forms since the FormVite went out July 27. The old links will generate an error message. To save to your computer, right-click on the link and select "Save Link As..." and then point to where you want the file to reside. The worksheet will then be attached to the Church Council Report:
Pastor's Financial Worksheet -- this is an Excel spreadsheet that must be opened in Excel
2018 Pastoral Support Guide -- the directions for the above worksheet (Word format)
Training events for online charge conference forms
There are four remaining training events on the online charge conference forms yet to be held:
- Wednesday, Aug. 23 -- Peoria University UMC, Illinois River District, 10 a.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 26 -- O'Fallon First UMC, Mississippi River District, 10 a.m.
- Monday, Aug. 28 -- Neoga Grace UMC, Embarras River District, 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Aug. 29 -- O'Fallon First UMC, Mississippi River District, 6 p.m.
If you still do not have links for all churches over which you have responsibility, contact Paul Black or Michele Willson and the links will be sent to you.
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Photos of missing clergy sought for clergy directory
Final touches are being done on the layout of the new Clergy Directory. Photos for roughly 125 persons serving churches currently in the IGRC are missing and we want to include you!
We are also missing many retirees.
If you would like to be included in the 2017 directory and didn't have your photo taken at either Covenant Keepers or Annual Conference, please submit your photo
no later than Aug. 25 to Michele Willson at
[email protected]. Photos can be in a digital format or they can be mailed to the Conference office where they can be scanned and the original returned to you.
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Southern Illinois prepares for eclipse
The Aug. 21 Total Solar Eclipse promises to be an amazing experience for all who can behold it.
The last total solar eclipse over this area was in June 1918.
See Timetable for the Aug. 21 eclipse...
Scroll down the page to see what Illinois cities are listed and select it
Little Grassy Camp is holding a Native American Indian Festival over the weekend and the southern Illinois region is bracing for large crowds gathering.
In all, 15 total eclipses have been recorded somewhere in the United States in the last 150 years. One that was visible as a partial eclipse within the IGRC was Feb. 26, 1979.
Following the total solar eclipses of March 7, 1970, the American Association of Opthamology reported 145 cases of burned retinas nationwide. The use of special glasses are highly recommended.
While 23 solar eclipses of varying visibility have occurred in the IGRC in the last 50 years, not all have involved the moon crossing over the sun. The path of the planet Venus caused a transit event in front of the sun June 5, 2012, while Mercury caused the same phenomenon May 9, 2016.
Several lunar eclipses (a lunar eclipse si when the moon is blocked out by the earth passing between the moon and the sun as opposed to solar eclipses -- like the one Aug. 21 -- where in the sun is blocked out by the moon passing between the earth and and the sun) have also been visible in the IGRC in recent years, including one Feb. 20, 2008 that captivated many stargazers. The most recent lunar eclipse was earlier this year on Feb. 10.
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New campus minister at EIU
The Wesley Foundation at Eastern Illinois University welcomes Rev. Betzy Elifrits Warren as their Campus Minister/Director effective Sept. 1.
Rev. Elifrits Warren is an ordained Elder in the Holston Annual Conference with an MDiv from Duke University Divinity School and a Master's in English from University of Tennessee. In addition to serving as pastor to local churches in Virginia and Tennessee, she assumed leadership on the boards at both the University of Virginia-Wise Wesley Foundation and University of Tennessee-Knoxville Wesley Foundation and interned with the Duke Wesley Foundation.
We look forward to welcoming Rev. Elifrits Warren and her family to Charleston and the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. Please keep them and the EIU Wesley Foundation in your prayers during this transition.
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Book drive underway for Philippine pastors
A campaign across Illinois is underway to collect books for shipment to the Philippines.
Rev. Noah Panlilio of Malta UMC and Mr. Pong Javier of Cosmopolitan UMC in Melrose Park are leading the drive in the Northern Illinois Conference along with Superintendent Stephen Granadosin of the Spoon River District in the IGRC. This is a national campaign for the National Association of Filipino American United Methodists (NAFAUM).
Would you help give a gift that lasts?
Books will be shipped Oct. 15 for arrival in the Philippines by Dec. 15.
Click here for details and drop-off locations...
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Liberian bishop seeks to go 'back to the soil'
Since taking office at the beginning of 2017, Bishop Samuel J. Quire Jr. has been getting a feel for the job as spiritual leader for Liberia's United Methodists and crafting his vision for the church.
Quire was in a unique position as the administrative assistant to his predecessors, Bishop John G. Innis, who retired in 2016, and Bishop Arthur F. Kulah, who served as interim bishop until Quire's election. Working so closely to the bishop's office every day gave Quire insights into the job.
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Sincerely,
Paul E. Black
Illinois Great Rivers Conference
217-529-2848
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