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Four Pre-Conference meetings are set for Pre-Conference Briefings on the Health Insurance proposal.
- Friday, May 19, 3 p.m. - Mt. Vernon West Salem Trinity UMC
- Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m. - Conference Center, Springfield
- Saturday, May 20, 3 p.m. - Normal Calvary UMC
- Thursday, June 8, 8:30 a.m. - Peoria Civic Center, Halls B and C, Peoria Civic Center (prior to Clergy and Laity Sessions)
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UM Day at the ballpark June 24
United Methodist Family Day at Busch Stadium is Saturday, June 24, when the Cardinals take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Game time is 6:15 p.m.
The IGRC United Methodist Men have a block of tickets in the left field pavilion for the game which they are selling for $27 (regularly $73). The first 30,000 fans ages 16 and older will receive a Bob Gibson Bobblehead inspired by the 1967 World Series.
Ticket requests and payments are due by June 1 and will be handled on a first-
come, first-serve basis.
Send checks payable to Jeff Thornton, 1010 Belleville St., Lebanon, IL 62254. Any questions can be emailed to Jeff at
jathorn66@att.net
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Internship, host church applications sought for 2017-18
The IGRC Intern Program is currently accepting applications from both prospective interns and prospective host churches/ministries for paid internships to be served during the 2017-18 academic year.
Application deadline is June 30.
Further information and application links are available at
www.igrc.org/interns. Questions may be directed to Beth Fender (
bfender@igrc.org, 217-529-2611).
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Making health insurance allowance tax-exempt
Here is my long-awaited suggestion on how local churches can make part of the Clergy Health Insurance Allowance tax-exempt under the "Qualified Small Employer Health Reimbursement Account" provision which was made into law in December (QSE-HRA).
I had been working with a company to iron out the details of administering the plan, but they suddenly lost interest. So this is my fallback suggestion. Please view the video above. The forms and instructions for IRS compliance are available for $199. In consideration of what a clergy family will save, this seems like a reasonable amount. Note that the plan is not just limited to pastors. If a church has other employees who are paying for their own health insurance, they can participate.
Read more...
Rick Van Giesen
IGRC Director of Administrative Services
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2017 Annual Conference links
Registration for the 2017 Annual Conference is underway. Here are some helpful links:
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.
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.
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Wesleyan Covenant Association breakfast
There will be a Wesleyan Covenant Association breakfast on Thursday, June 8, 8 p.m. at Peoria First UMC.
Rev. Shane Bishop will be the speaker. Cost of the breakfast is $5 donation.
Call the church at 309-673-3641 to make your reservation.
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Religion and Race to host pre-Conference event
The Conference Commission on Religion and Race will host a program,
A Day of New Beginnings, which will be from 2 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, prior to the start of Annual Conference
Refreshments consisting of fruits, cheese tray and crackers and cookies will be provided free of charge.
In order to have an estimated headcount, please indicate whether you will attend below. Should crowd exceed the size of the room, a change in rooms will be made to accommodate the crowd.
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Conference Prayer Vigil during Annual Conference
Each year during Annual Conference, laity ask each district to pray at a certain designated time for the Conference. This certainly doesn't mean that this is the only time you can pray but it gives each district a designated time.
Assignments for the 2017 Annual Conference are as follows:
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Annual Conference Special offering and collections
Three offerings will be taken at the 2017 Annual Conference as well as collections for two agencies. Churches are encouraged to take up collections for each of these offerings and send them with their lay or clergy member to Annual Conference. This allows the church to write one check and the congregation to be credited for its gift.
An offering for the John Kofi Asmah School in West Point, Liberia, will be taken for furnishings for the school IGRC laity built several years ago.
An offering will also be taken for the Ordinands' Trip in Spring 2018 during the Service of Ordination and Commissioning. This trip is used to form spiritual leaders at the beginning of their ministry.
A third offering will be taken as part of the Black College Ambassador's report for the Tom Brown Scholarship at Wiley College. The relationship with Wiley College is long-standing and the offering is held annually in memory of the late Rev. Tom Brown, a former trustee of the school from the former Central Illinois Conference.
In addition, the Midwest Mission Distribution Center is asking for items for kits assembled by the Center:
- Kitchen dishwashing gloves
- Insect repellent spray, 6 to 14 oz. (ex. Off, Cutter)
- Scouring pads
- Pens -- no advertising
- Protractors
The Center will also be collecting the following items for Fair Hope Ministry, a Danville-area agency in the Iroquois River District. Churches are encouraged to have an Undie Sunday prior to Annual Conference to collect these items:
The Midwest Mission Distribution Center will be in the loading dock area outside the Peoria Civic Center lobby area to take collections.
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Clergy directory photos
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.
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Fair Economy Illinois organizes march to the Capitol
Fair Economy Illinois, a group organized by Rev. Charles Straight, a pastor in the Northern Illinois Conference, will be sponsoring a march from Chicago to Springfield May 15-30.
The group is seeking help from United Methodist churches along the way.
They envision this march as an opportunity for neighbors to come together. We want to provide space for storytelling, a time for our neighbors to share how they have been hurt by the budget crisis. We need your help to make this happen. There are many ways for our United Methodist sisters and brothers to support this march:
- Marching -- Are there folks in your congregation who would like to march, either for the entire journey or just for a day?
- Lodging and Food -- Could your congregation offer a place to sleep and food to eat?
- Hosting a Town Hall -- Could your congregation host a town hall meeting where folks can share their stories and struggles as we discuss our vision for the budget?
- Financial -- Could your congregation make a financial contribution to this work?
Read more...
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PEACE WITH JUSTICE SUNDAY
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Click the above icon to obtain information on Peace With Justice Sunday resources.
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UNITY OF THE CHURCH AND
HUMAN SEXUALITY
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Suitable for a 4-week study, this resource addresses how the church be a witness and provide for a diversified human community. Click on the book cover to read more.
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Sincerely,
Paul E. Black
Illinois Great Rivers Conference
217-529-2848
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