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Bishop Frank J. Beard, in the November issue of The Current, poses the question asked by Rodney King almost 25 years ago, "Can't we all just get along?"
Beard writes, "We want the answer to be 'yes,' but the reality is that we are facing old and new emerging challenges that threaten to widen and deepen the divide.
But Beard points to the horrific events of 2017 as a template for us to use as a guide to creating unity and togetherness.
"It has been said that tough times bring out the best in people," Beard said.
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Save the Date for several upcoming events
Covenant Keepers 2018 will be Jan. 29-30 at the Regency Conference Center in O'Fallon. Theme for the event is Fanning the Flames. Speakers for the event are the Revs. Rudy and Juanita Rasmus, pastors of St. Johns Church in downtown Houston, Texas. Online registration will go live Nov. 1 at:
www.igrc.org/ck2018.
Sexual Ethics Training events will be Feb. 5-9, at various sites throughout the Conference. The training is required for all persons who are providing pastoral leadership in local churches. The training is a one-day event. Sites for the training are still being secured and will be announced in the near future.
Self-Care Retreat, sponsored by the Office of Pastoral Care and Counseling will be April 25-27, at Pere Marquette State Park Lodge near Grafton. The retreat has been extended an extra day and will include more free time in response to feedback from the 2017 retreat.
2018 Annual Conference is slated for June 7-9 at the Peoria Civic Center. And for those that plan ahead -- the dates for future years, as set by Bishop Beard following the 2017 Annual Conference action to remain in Peoria are: June 6-8, 2019; June 4-6, 2020; June 10-12, 2021 and June 9-11, 2022.
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Weah, Boakai in Liberia runoff election
Ex-footballer George Weah is expected to face Liberian Vice President Joseph Boakai in a runoff for the country's presidency, after no candidate gained an absolute majority in the
October 10 election.
With 95 percent of the votes counted, the National Election Commission said on Sunday that Weah led with 39 percent of the vote, while Boakai had gained 29 percent.
The final results are expected by October 25.
According to
Liberia election rules, if no candidate gains an absolute majority in the first round of the election, a runoff between the top two candidates will follow. The runoff is expected to take place in early November.
In the first round, 20 candidates sought to replace President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is stepping down after serving the maximum two six-year terms.
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UMCOR grants to boost hurricane relief efforts
The United Methodist response to the devastating 2017 hurricane season is getting a boost through new grants from the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
During their Oct. 12-14 meeting, directors of the denomination's Board of Global Ministries and UMCOR approved more than $7 million in grants for hurricane and other disaster-relief work and $1.86 million for global health projects.
UMCOR already had received some $15 million from donors in recent months to respond to U.S. disasters. Full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times have highlighted the denomination's commitment to disaster relief and the fact that 100 percent of all donations go directly to relief efforts.
Thank
you to everyone who worked so diligently to help UMCOR respond to the needs of hurricane survivors. With your support, UMCOR is able to be hope to those in need.
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Bishop urges churches to hold prayer walks Nov. 18
Pointing to Jesus' command that the church was to be a House of Prayer and urging us to get outside the walls of the church, Bishop Beard is asking churches to engage their communities through prayer walks.
Bishop Beard offers some suggestions in an article in the October issue of
The Current and
additional prayer resources are posted on the IGRC website.
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Global Migration Sunday shines light on a crisis
Global Migration Sunday will be held Dec. 3, the first Sunday of Advent. The offering will go to the denomination's
Global Migration Advance (#3022144), a fund set up in 2014 for donors to designate gifts specifically to support work that alleviates the suffering of migrants. To date, more than $1.4 million has been donated to the fund, assisting more than 46,000 migrants.
Thomas Kemper, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, said the mission of Global Migration Sunday is threefold: Learn, pray and respond. When United Methodist churches around the world come together to raise awareness, pray and support migration ministries through their gifts, he said, they are providing a moment of unity for the whole church.
Read more...
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Disaster response training events scheduled
Peoria Bethel UMC has announced an early response training event for Nov. 4. Many of the requests from the Texas, Rio Grande and Florida conferences will be requesting persons that are trained early responders so getting trained will position you for opportunities to assist hands-on with disaster response.
A recertification for early responders who need to renew will be Nov. 10 at Fairbury UMC in the Vermilion River District.
Register online by Nov. 3...
An early response training for new early responders will be Nov. 11 at Fairbury UMC.
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Disaster Response Quick Links
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HELP WANTED: Pastors needed ASAP!
The Illinois Great Rivers Conference (IGRC) has immediate openings for persons discerning the call to preach and to pastoral ministry. We also have openings for those already called to preach but want to preach on a limited basis.
We are looking for people willing to preach on Sundays on an as-needed week-to-week basis, people to fill in as substitutes for short-term appointments, and persons willing to serve churches part time. Part time app
ointments range from 10 to 30 hours per week.
Compensation and limited expense reimbursement will depend on experience, distance travelled, and length of service required.
If you are interested in serving please contact the IGRC office by email - [email protected] or contact the Area Office by calling 217-529-3820.
We are open to students, retirees, and bi-vocational workers.
All applicants will go through an interview process and must meet our approved criteria for service. More information will be provided to applicants.
The IGRC is a great place to serve the Lord!
God Bless
Bishop Frank J. Beard
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Our Conference, Our Kids resources
available in District offices
Promotional materials to assist in your raising of funds for the Our Conference, Our Kids campaign are now available in District offices. Plan now for your year-end giving approach by getting the four-color brochures. Request a number equal to your average worship attendance so everyone can get one.
IGRC Communications has also prepared a DVD-ROM that has a music video suitable as an offertory as well as two promotional segments explaining the campaign which can be used in the weeks leading up to a special offering. The DVD-ROM, when played in a computer, also has closed captioning of the three video segments as well as PDF masters of the brochures and a bulletin insert that can be reproduced and printed.
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Sincerely,
Paul E. Black
Illinois Great Rivers Conference
217-529-2848
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