 |
An oral hearing on a petition questioning whether a gay pastor can serve as a bishop in The United Methodist Church will open the spring meeting of Judicial Council, the denomination's top court.
The hearing - set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 25, at the Hilton Hotel at the Newark Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey - is the only portion of the council's April 25-28 meeting that is open to the public.
The petitioner and respondent in the case will have 60 minutes each to present their oral arguments. In addition, members of Judicial Council will have two 15-minute sessions to ask questions of the petitioner and respondent, with a 15-minute break in between the two presentations.
Any decision on that petition could affect Bishop Karen Oliveto, the denomination's first openly gay bishop,
who was elected in July by the U.S. church's Western Jurisdiction. She currently serves as bishop of the Mountain Sky Area, which encompasses Colorado, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and a church in Idaho.
Oliveto, who was serving as senior pastor of Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco when she was elected, has been legally married to Robin Ridenour, a United Methodist deaconess, since October 2014.
She is
facing "multiple" complaints filed since being elected bishop.
The Book of Discipline, the denomination's book of policies, since 1972 has asserted that all people are of sacred worth but that the practice of homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching."
Read more...
|
|
2017 Annual Conference links
The Annual Conference Sessions Committee met March 10 and finalized a draft agenda for the 2017 Annual Conference, which will be June 8-10 at the Peoria Civic Center.
The agenda can be viewed by visiting the IGRC website at:
www.igrc.org/ac2017agenda. Additional information will be added.
Persons are able to set up a mobile app and pre-select which agenda items apply to them. Once set up, the app sends a daily schedule to the user each morning prior to the start of Annual Conference. Any last-minute changes to room assignments and schedule will be pushed out through the app to those using it.
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 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!
Workshops announced for 2017 Annual Conference
Four workshops will be offered each of two days on Thursday and Friday noon at the 2017 Annual Conference. Identical sessions will be offered both days and each person will be able to register for the workshops as part of the Annual Conference registration that will open April 1.
Workshops for the 2017 Annual Conference:
- Building the Church in Prayer -- Rev. Dr. Terry Teykl, author of several books, including Pray and Grow, Pray the Price, Blueprint for the House of Prayer, Acts 29, Preyed on or Prayed For, Making Room to Pray, How to Pray After You've Kicked the Dog and Outside the Camp. Dr. Tekyl will also be the Friday Morning Manna speaker and speaker at the Saturday Morning Community Prayer Breakfast that will be held at nearby Bethel UMC and hosted by the Conference's United Methodist Men.
- Can We Talk?: Respectful Communication in a Polarized Church and Society -- Rev. Stephanie Ann Hixon, executive director of the JustPeace Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation.
- Evangelism for Non-Evangelists -- Rev. Dr. Mark R. Teasdale, E. Stanley Jones Associate Professor of Evangelism, Garret-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
- Reaching New and Next Generations: Ministry with Gen Xers and Millennials -- Rev. Dr. Joe Scheets and Rev. Jessica Baldyga, pastors of Effingham Centenary UMC in the Embarras River District.
|
|
LifeTouch Studios is now setting up online appointments for clergy to have their photos taken at the 2017 Annual Conference on June 8 and 9.
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.
Click the photo to the right to be taken to the appointment page.
|
|
Nominations sought for evangelism awards
Nominations are being sought for the Harry Denman Evangelism awards and the Peter Cartwright Lifetime Achievement Award by the IGRC Evangelism Committee.
The Denman Evangelism Award honors an IGRC United Methodist lay, youth lay and clergy person who exhibits unusual and outstanding efforts for work in Christian evangelism by faithfully carrying out the mission of "making disciples of Jesus Christ.
The Peter Cartwright Lifetime Evangelism Award of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference is awarded to someone who has exceptional leadership qualities to help our conference in making disciples of Jesus Christ. This person's lifetime example challenges pastors and lay people to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. Where the Denman award is given for a period of work, the Peter Cartwright Lifetime Evangelism Award is given to a retired pastor who has reflected this work throughout their ministry career.
Nominations must be sent via email to:
cblickensderfer@igrc.org The downloadable forms are in Microsoft Word form. You may download the forms, type in the information and the form as a file to an email. If you require a different format, please contact us. Nomination deadline is April 14.
Read more and download forms...
|
|
Nominations sought for the Cramer-Heuerman Social Justice Award
Nominations of clergy are being sought for the Cramer-Heuerman Social Justice Award which is awarded in the odd-numbered years by the IGRC chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action.
In essay form, nominators are asked to explain why the nominee exemplifies the work of MFSA and lives a life in accordance with the objectives of MFSA. Work, volunteer activities, lifetime and lifestyle characteristics and pursuits, as well as any relevant dates, activities or achievements will be considered.
The objectives of MFSA are:
- to witness prophetically to the Biblical faith in solidarity with persons who are oppressed;
- to establish a society based on democratic social-economic principles, according human dignity to all without discrimination based on race, gender, age, sexual identity, handicapping condition, or class distinction;
- to defend civil liberties and human rights as set forth in Biblical tradition and the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights; and,
- to work to abolish nuclear arms and eliminate war between nations.
The award will be given at the Social Justice Banquet at Annual Conference Thursday evening.
All nominations must be
submitted by May 1, and should be sent to:
Pat Davis, 3204 Ridge Park Rd., Urbana, IL 61802, or by emailing:
pat@bnpdavis.com
|
|
St. Paul School of Theology placed on probation
Saint Paul School of Theology has been placed on probation by the Higher Learning Commission, one of two agencies that determines if the school meets accreditation requirements.
Saint Paul, with campuses in Leawood, Kansas, and Oklahoma City, is one of 13 United Methodist seminaries in the U.S. The school is still in good standing with the other accrediting agency, the Association of Theological Schools.
Among other findings, the commission said the institution has been steadily losing students, is too dependent on its endowment to balance its budget and is unable to provide evidence the operating budget is linked to the strategic plan.
Despite the probation notice, school administrators said academic programs would function seamlessly while work is done to address the issues raised by the commission. The issues cited by the commission are related to "institutional resources, governance and planning," according to a
letter sent to the school on March 8.
"On a day-to-day basis, students and faculty will see no change in campus life because the accreditation issues are not primarily about student learning and programs," said the institution's president, the Rev. Neil Blair.
"Saint Paul intends to re-establish full accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission by February 2019, but academic programs will function seamlessly during the process of improving the seminary resource base, integrated planning and institutional effectiveness," he said.
Read more...
|
|
UMCOR Sunday March 26
The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season, which included Hurricane Matthew, was one of the most active in recent years. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) knows that being prepared allows one to have a sense of control and hope during an unexpected event. It also places individuals, churches and communities in a better position to assist neighbors.
UMCOR Sunday (formerly One Great Hour of Sharing) is March 26, 2017. UMCOR's ability to respond is due to the generosity
of United Methodist congregations and individuals around the world. Gifts to UMCOR Sunday underwrite UMCOR's costs of serving local churches in times of disaster. This helps keep the promise that 100 percent of every gift made to UMCOR projects goes directly to those in need. Please encourage your congregations to give on UMCOR Sunday.
When you give to the UMCOR Sunday offering, you help UMCOR be prepared.
Download free UMCOR Sunday resources and start planning now for this special day.
Print materials are also available.
Read more and download resources...
|
|
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.
Only two weeks remain!
|
|
|
Sincerely,
Paul E. Black
Illinois Great Rivers Conference
217-529-2848
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
