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Training events for learning about the new online charge conference forms are still underway. Pastors were mailed links to the forms on July 27. However, pastors serving multi-point charges may have only received a link to one of their churches.
If you are unable to access ALL of your charge conference forms with ALL of your churches, contact your District office and they will be able to send those links to you. Or you may
email Michele Willson or call her at 217-529-3122
in the IGRC Communications office and she will be able to assist you.
ONE NOTE:
The Pastor's Financial Worksheet has been updated with revisions. EVERYONE will need to
download the new form
. There was a revision after the last email went out. The name of the file ends with "revised2."
Training events that remain include:
- Wednesday, Aug. 23 -- Peoria University UMC, 10 a.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 26 -- O'Fallon First UMC, 10 a.m.
- Monday, Aug. 28 -- Neoga Grace UMC, 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Aug. 29 -- O'Fallon First UMC, 6 p.m.
Each workshop lasts about an hour with time available to answer your questions and provide any missing materials you may need.
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Missing photos of clergy sought for directory
Final touches are being done on the layout of the new Clergy Directory. Photos for roughly 125 persons currently serving IGRC churches 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 prints can be sent to the Conference Office where they will be scanned and returned to you.
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Christ
ian Education Workshop at Macomb Wesley
A Christian Education Workshop for Sunday School teachers, and volunteers for adults, children and youth will be held at Macomb Wesley United Methodist Church, on Saturday, Aug. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Registration deadline is Wednesday Aug. 16. RSVP by Aug. 16th for meal count. There will be $10 registration for light lunch & refreshments. The presenter is Rev. Beth Fender, Coordinator of Discipleship and New Streams at IGRC.
This year's theme will be on "Creating a Nurturing Learning Environment." Safe Sanctuary practices in churches will be shared as well.
Please send checks to: "Macomb Wesley UMC, (ATTN: CE Workshop),"
Macomb Wesley UMC, 1212 W. Calhoun St., Macomb, IL 61455.
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Native American Indian Festival planned in conjunction with total solar eclipse
Southern Illinois is gearing up for a total solar eclipse which will take place Aug. 21.
A three-day Native American Indian Festival is scheduled for Little Grassy Camp Aug. 19-21. The festival will run from noon to dark on Aug. 19 and 20 and from 8 to 11 a.m. Aug. 21.
Deadline to register for the Festival is Wednesday, Aug. 16.
The "
Great American Total Solar Eclipse" will darken skies all the way from Oregon to South Carolina, along a stretch of land about 70 miles (113 kilometers) wide. People who descend upon this "path of totality" for the big event are in for an unforgettable experience, said eclipse expert Jay Pasachoff, an astronomer at Williams College in Massachusetts.
The eclipse, scheduled for just before noon. Aug. 21, will last up to 2 hours, 40.2 minutes along a path that directly goes through Makanda, Ill. Makanda's duration will be 2 hours, 38 minutes and the greatest eclipse will be in Western Kentucky.
"It's a tremendous opportunity," Pasachoff told Space.com. "It's a chance to see the universe change around you."
A total solar eclipse last darkened soil on the U.S. mainland on Feb. 26, 1979. But August 2017 will mark the first time in 99 years that such an event is "readily available to people from coast to coast," Pasachoff said.
Read more...
Register for the Native American Indian Festival...
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Leadership and Anxiety in the Church seminar
The Kaskaskia and Mississippi River districts, in partnership with the IGRC Office of Congregational Development and in cooperation with the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, will host a Healthy Congregations Seminar on Friday, Sept. 22 at Mt. Vernon West Salem Trinity UMC, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The registration fee is $50 per person (includes manual and lunch), or $75 for a couple (sharing one manual; two lunches). The pre-registration deadline is Sept. 13, after which the
registration fee is $75 per person or $100 per couple.
Registration may be submitted by
downloading a brochure and mailing the form from the brochure to the Kaskaskia River District Office, 1603 Salem Rd., Mount Vernon, IL 62864-2628. Make checks payable to Kaskaskia River District.
Contact the Kaskaskia River District office for group discounts, motels with group blocks and other questions about the event.
Healthy Congregations seminar in Mt. Vernon
The Kaskaskia and Mississippi River districts, in partnership with the IGRC Office of Congregational Development and in cooperation with the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, will host a Healthy Congregations Seminar on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Mt. Vernon West Salem Trinity UMC, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The registration fee is $60 per person (includes manual and lunch), or $90 for a couple (sharing one manual; two lunches). The pre-registration deadline is Sept. 13, after which the
registration fee is $85 per person or $115 per couple.
Registration may be submitted by downloading a brochure and mailing the form from the brochure to the Kaskaskia River District Office, 1603 Salem Rd., Mount Vernon, IL 62864-2628. Make checks payable to Kaskaskia River District.
Contact the Kaskaskia River District office for group discounts, motels with group blocks and other questions about the event.
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Spoon River DS installation service Sept. 23
The installation service for Spoon River District Superintendent Stephen Granadosin will be on Saturday, Sept. 23, beginning at 3:30 p.m. at Galesburg First UMC.
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United Methodist Men Fall Rally
The Vermilion River District United Methodist Men will host a UMM Fall Rally on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Kankakee Asbury UMC.
Speakers for the rally included Ken Hudgkins, president of the North Central Jurisdiction UMM and Jerry Motsigner, former IGRC UMM President.
Breakfast and a sloppy joe luncheon will be served. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Payment for ticket orders can be sent to: Bruce Richardson, 602 N. Maple, Herscher, IL 60941.
A freewill offering will be taken to offset travel costs for the speakers.
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The Well seminar for local church youth and children's workers
Registration is open for The Well, a seminar for local church youth workers and children's ministry workers. The event will be hosted in O'Fallon First UMC Oct. 5, and in Normal Christ Church Oct. 12.
The identical events begin run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., concluding with lunch.
Topics are "The Emotionally Healthy Ministry Leader" and "More Than Enough Volunteers." Every participant receives five months of personalized follow up coaching (in partnership with Ministry Architects)!
Visit harvestconferences.org/thewell for more information, or contact Tim Price ([email protected]).
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Exploration 2017 registration now open
Registration for Exploration, a three-day event for young adults age 18-26, is now open. This biennial event is designed to help attendees listen, discern, and respond to God's call to ordained ministry, as they explore their gifts for service as a deacon or elder in The United Methodist Church. Exploration is a program of the office of young adult discernment and enlistment at the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM).
This year's event will be held Nov. 3-5 in Portland, Oregon. Young adults who have a sense that God might be calling them to ordained ministry, who have wondered what ministry in The United Methodist Church is all about, who would like help sifting through issues involved in an ordained vocation, or who want to learn more about The United Methodist seminaries and theological schools should attend this event. Exploration is part of GBHEM's strategy to enable and resource leadership within the church.
Exploration seeks to respond faithfully and effectively to The United Methodist Church's focus on increasing the number of young adult clergy in our denomination by creating sacred space to challenge the most gifted and promising young people of our denomination to hear God's call to ordained ministry.
Register or learn more...
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Why Water Matters summit Nov. 16-18
Registration has begun for Why Water Matters, an ecumenical summit offering workshops, worship, and keynote presentations from United Methodist bishops, Native American activists, professors, and ecumenical faith leaders.
The summit will be held Nov. 16-18,
Embassy Suites Airport, Minneapolis, Minn.
Keynotes and presenters include Bishop Sally Dyck, Bishop Bruce Ough, Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Dr. Randy Woodley, Lionel Little Eagle Pinn, John Hill, Rev. E. Michelle Ledder, Rev. Paul Perez and Laura Pfeffer.
Why Water Matters was created in response to the crisis at Standing Rock, and further inspired by the continued need for faithful education and action for water justice. This event has been planned by Native American clergy and laity, with the hopes of creating an inter-generational opportunity for solidarity and transformation. The leadership team encourages each annual conference to bring a small group, including at least one young adult. From our conference, Bishop Frank Beard is attending and several church leaders. IGRC members registering for the event are encouraged to
contact Carol Lakota Eastin for IGRC team information.
This summit will provide a theological foundation for environmental action, teach faith and community leaders to engage in direct communication with government agencies and commercial companies that oversee the care of bodies of water, offer tools for creating effective solidarity with Native American spiritual and tribal leaders whose source/s of water has become threatened, and empower individuals to create an action plan for water advocacy and/or sustainability in their local communities.
Register before Sept. 1
for the early bird rate ($175). After Sept. 1, registration increases to $195 and after Oct. 15, to $225. Registration includes Thursday dinner, Friday lunch and Friday dinner.
Hotel reservations
can be made with group code WAS. Limited scholarship funds are available. Priority is given to young adults, Native American attendees or other ethnic representatives.
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Missouri Conference, Path One webinars
The Missouri Conference and Path 1 invite you to participate in a monthly "LEARN + LEAD" webinar every third Tuesday from 1 to 2 p.m. Central Time.
In this webinar series pastors, church planters, and lay leaders from churches of all sizes will share their stories of growth and provide tools that you can use in your congregation.
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Sincerely,
Paul Black
Illinois Great Rivers Conference
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