July 10, 2017
Hdr_IGRC Eventsfull


We're back for a new conference year and there are several upcoming events for which you might wish to take note.
IGRC Fellowship Choral Reading

The IGRC chapter of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts (FUMMWA) will host a Choral Reading at Vandalia First UMC on Saturday, Aug. 19.

For more information, contact Doug Grogan at Peoria First UMC.

Register online through Aug. 11...
College of Christian Life room block nears

Dr. Barbara Rossing
The hotel block at the East Peoria Embassy Suites is nearing for the College of Christian Life which will be Aug. 7-9.

The hotel block will expire July 15, along with its $112 per night room rate.

Speaker for this year's clergy and laity retreat, will be Dr. Barbara Rossing on the topic: Apocalyptic Hope for Today. Rossing is a Lutheran pastor and professor of New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago where she has taught since 1994. She holds a doctor of theology degree from Harvard Divinity School, a master of divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and a bachelor of arts degree from Carleton College, with a major in geology.

She is the author of The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation and has appeared on CBS's 60 Minutes, a History Channel special, Countdown to Armageddon; and the 2008 documentary, Waiting for Armageddon. Her publications include: The Choice Between Two Cities: Whore, Bride and Empire in the Apocalypse, as well as articles and book chapters on Revelation, early Christian prophecy, biblical preaching and ecology. She is writing a book on apocalpyse and global climate change.

Register online...
Leadership and Anxiety in the Church seminar

The Kaskaskia and Mississippi River districts, 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 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.  
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.

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...
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 Oct. 5, and in Normal 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 (tim@troyumc.org).

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...
Missionary family itinerating in IGRC Aug. 2-6 
 
We are blessed in IGRC to have the opportunity to host Richard Navarro and his wife, Alma Navarro from the Philippines Aug. 1-6. Richard and Alma are serving in Taiwan.

This is their first itineration, and it includes North Georgia, Virginia, Arkansas  and California-Pacific conferences. They will have their two children with them. 
 
Let's give them a warm welcome and an excellent first experience. Sunday, Aug. 6 is already covered, but we need places for them to visit and stay prior to that. Please consider this opportunity to get better acquainted with another couple, perhaps begin to support them.
 
 
If you are willing to host, please contact Carolyn Yockey at 309-452-3936 or CLPY508@aol.com

Scheduling for Connie Wieck 

Connie Wieck
There are still a few available time slots for churches to host Connie Wieck, as she begins a six-week itineration Saturday in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference.

Her Sunday mornings are filled but there are many opening throughout the weeks and churches who would like to have her visit may do so by contacting Carolyn Yockey at CLPY508@aol.com,or by calling 309-452-3936. Travel time will be taken into consideration so that her schedule can be clustered to make maximum use of the time available.
 
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.
 
 
July 18: Fall Forward (discipleship planning, leadership development, small groups)
 
Aug. 15 : Get Connected (social media & web strategies for back to school) 

Sept. 19:
Mission Possible (demographic and lifestyle insights for church growth and mission impact)

Oct. 17:
Maximizing the Holidays (effective outreach & generosity during the Advent and Christmas holiday seasons)

Nov. 21:
Maximizing the New Year (planning worship, outreach, stewardship and discipleship for a breakthrough 2018)

Dec.19
: Put a Bow on It (End of year wrap up, key questions for reflection, goal setting, self-care)

Can't attend? Check back at www.moumethodist.org/learnleadwebinars to view recordings of past webinars.
Sincerely,
Paul Black's signature
Paul Black
Illinois Great Rivers Conference
 
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