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LifeTouch Studios is in the process of setting up online appointments for clergy to have their photos taken at the 2017 Annual Conference.
A new clergy directory will be produced this year. Clergy who had their photos taken at Covenant Keepers 2017 will not need to have them taken again.
There is no cost for having one's photo taken. Persons will receive a free 8 x 10 or wallet size photos and clergy photo badges can be purchased at the time of the shooting.
We will have the link posted as soon as it is available.
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2017 Annual Conference links
Several items related to the 2017 Annual Conference which will be June 8-10, at the Peoria Civic Center has been posted to the IGRC website.
The main page for the 2017 Annual Conference is: www.igrc.org/ac2017. Secondary pages are found to the right-hand menu area. Additional pages will be added as information becomes available.
Registration will open April 1. However, the following information is available now:
- Secretary's letter from Annual Conference Secretary Joy Caschetta. This letter along with an annual conference checklist will be arriving in the mail but you can view it online now.
- Annual Conference Checklist includes a list of deadlines, some of which have changed due to the shortened annual conference schedule.
- Hotel list of the Annual Conference block of rooms. Conferees are responsible for making their own reservations. Now is the best time to reserve your room. Rates are guaranteed through May 16, but rooms are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Request for Special Meals. Due to the shortened schedule and workshops being scheduled over the noon hours on Thursday and Friday, groups may have to choose alternate times for their special meals. Requests need to be made by March 6.
- Request for Display Space. Setup and tear down times have been modified to conform to the new schedule. Requests need to be made by March 27.
- Information on submitting reports/resolutions. Provides a summary on the process for submitting items for consideration by the Annual Conference. Includes the deadlines, dates and responsibilities.
- Information on A/V and tech support. Information for presenters at the Annual Conference. Includes deadlines to ensure third-party items work with the equipment and those who seek help for creative assistance by IGRC Communications. Deadlines are strictly enforced! Plan early!
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Liberian churchwomen campaign for girls' rights
United Methodist Women in Liberia have launched a campaign to promote the rights of girls, including access to education and freedom from violence.
The group approved the resolution Jan. 29 at the end of its 70
th annual meeting, which had the theme "Women Arise." The resolution took inspiration from Sarah Q. Nah, the group's president and sister of Liberia's Bishop Samuel J. Quire Jr.
"The church must create an environment that will protect the rights of the girl child," Nah said.
In the Liberian resolution, the United Methodist Women committed themselves to making sure that each district sends a girl to school while local churches seek to do the same. In their resolution, the women also called for seeking ways the church can end gender-based violence.
Read more...
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Black History Month Resources
A group of Black History Month Resources have been posted on the IGRC website at: www.igrc.org/blackhistory.
Video resources produced by the Revs. Shane Bishop and Troy Benton in cooperation with Christ Church Communications are included as well as several videos and other resources from United Methodist Communications.
Another resource to consider is: www.soundtheology.org A courageous and creative radio program of the United Methodist Church preserved those voices, and a current collaboration digitizes those old audio tapes, making the prophetic voices heard again. Ralph Abernathy, Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, and Julian Bond can be heard anytime on the website that makes these programs available to all.
You can hear the contemporaneous thoughts of Stokely Carmichael, Shirley Chisholm, Eldridge Cleaver, and Ruby Dee - thanks to a radio program called Night Call that United Methodist Communications created and ran in 1968-69. Night Call originated at a studio at Riverside Church in New York City.
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Constitutional amendments to be considered
General Conference delegates had their say last year. Now, it's up to annual conference voters to determine whether five amendments will become part of The United Methodist Church's constitution.
In the coming months, the voters
will consider changes that address matters of gender equality, inclusiveness in membership, delegate and bishop elections, as well as bishop accountability.
To be ratified, a constitutional amendment first requires at least a two-thirds vote at General Conference, which happened in May 2016. Then, it must win at least a two-thirds majority of the total voters at annual conferences around the world.
The voting starts at the Liberia Conference, scheduled for Feb. 13-19, and will continue through potentially early next year, depending on when annual conferences schedule their meetings. The Council of Bishops will certify the results at its next meeting after the voting concludes.
Clergy and lay members will cast a yes or no vote on each amendment. Since the legislation passed General Conference, it is not amendable.
Read more...
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John Wesley: a 'brand plucked from the fire'
What influences does God use to shape us into the people we become?
Our
family of origin certainly plays a part, as do experiences with other adults. Events at school and
friendships at church sometimes leave a lasting impression. A move to a new community, a national tragedy, and a host of other factors may contribute to our understandings of who we are and what our place is in the world.
For the most part, these events subtly form us. Other times a single event can be so profound that we remember it for the rest of our lives.
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Year-end reports available online
EZRA - the on-line tool for local churches to report their year-end statistics - is now available. One church has already submitted all three tables! We will be sending out instructions and reminders, but if you want to get a jump on it, the website is
http://ezra.gcfa.org
The username for your church is the six-digit number assigned to your church by GCFA (it is the same number found on your remittance reports from my office). The initial password is password. You will be prompted to change the password when you enter the system for the first time.
Deadline to submit your reports is March 31, 2017.
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Sincerely,
Paul E. Black
Illinois Great Rivers Conference
217-529-2848
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