The Current Week in Review
April 20, 2018
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50 years later, Central Jurisdiction's shadow still looms
Due to efforts by the Illinois Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren Church, one of IGRC’s predecessor Conferences, the EUB denomination made disbanding of the racially segregated Central Jurisdiction a condition of the 1968 union agreement that birthed The United Methodist Church.
And yet, 50 years later, the church still struggles with race relations.
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Christ Church probing a Carbondale area campus
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Fairview Heights Christ UMC announced this week that it is probing the possibility of a new satellite campus in the Carbondale area -- the result of conversations with conference staff and the church, the Office of Congregational Development, Bishop Frank J. Beard and the Cabinet.
The church has scheduled two identical visioning sessions to guage the interest in such a venture -- April 30 and May 3 -- at Bandana's Restaurant, 309 E. Main St. Both sessions will include a meal, a devotional and an informational presentation.
Reservations are required for the meal. Contact Kelly at 618-277-4659.
The Congregational Development Team has approved a small grant for Christ Church to explore the viability of a Carbondale satellite campus. A third dinner meeting will be held in early summer if there is sufficient interest from among those residing in the area. Christ Church has always begun its satellite campuses by sending 50 Pioneers from other Christ Church locations for a minimum commitment of 50 weeks. That model is not practical for the new satellite campus in Carbondale. Instead the church will be looking for 50 from the Carbondale area, that is, 50 people willing to support this new endeavor with their prayers, presence, gifts, service and, especially, their witness as demonstrated by inviting others to join them at the new campus.
More details will be published in the May issue of The Current due out next week.
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Annual Conference registration is open!
The Annual Conference will get underway at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 7, with workshops and conclude by noon on Saturday, June 9 following the Service of Ordination. A
tentative agenda has been posted and persons can use the Sched app to create their own customized schedule for the Annual Conference. The Sched app also allows for last-minute changes that are pushed out to everyone who is using it.
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New process for Annual Conference materials
All 2018 Conference Registration Material packets will be picked up ON SITE in the Registration Office in the Terrazo Lobby beginning Thursday, June 7 at 7:30 a.m. Registration materials include parking passes, special meal tickets, roll call card, name badges and supplemental packets.
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Tornado totes offering at Annual Conference
Churches in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference are urged to purchase plastic totes that are invaluable during tornadoes and floods. This is an item not a part of UMCOR's response but are warehoused by the Midwest Mission Distribution Center and distributed when the need arises.
Specific sizes are still being finalized but what would be envisioned is that totes could be filled with heavy duty trash bags, work gloves and permanent markers.
More information will be shared shortly.
The in-kind offering is in addition to special offerings for Our Conference, Our Kids; the Tom Brown Scholarship at Wiley College and an offering for the Ordinands' Trip.
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UMCOR allocates $46 million for disaster recovery
A new round of grants from the United Methodist Committee on Relief — including $16.8 million to the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico — will build upon the denomination’s response to Hurricanes Maria, Irma and Harvey.
Approved April 13 by UMCOR’s board of directors, the more than $46 million in grants also will further assist recovery efforts related to last year’s Northern California fires and the historic 2016 flooding in Louisiana.
The announcement was made on a Facebook live broadcast this week.
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Bishops mourn former First Lady's death
The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church is mourning the death of former First Lady of the United States, Mrs. Barbara Bush. Mrs. Bush is the wife of the 41st President, George H. W. Bush, and mother of the 43rd President, George W. Bush.
Mrs. Bush died April 17 and her memorial service has been set for Saturday.
In a letter sent to President George H. W. Bush, COB President Bishop Bruce. R. Ough said the UMC bishops were praying that God’s comforting arms will encompass the Bush family.
“So, today we ask God to shower you with immeasurable love that will sustain and comfort you as you celebrate the life of an amazing woman that transformed the lives of many and leaves a legacy that will continue to live in the hearts and minds of those who loved her most,” Bishop Ough said.
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Judicial Council announces special session
The United Methodist Judicial Council has confirmed it will meet May 22-25 to consider one or more petitions related to the special session of General Conference in February 2019.
General Conference 2019 will focus solely on one topic — the church’s position on homosexuality.
In an April 16 letter, Lui Tran, Judicial Council secretary, told Bishop Cynthia Harvey that the United Methodist Council of Bishops’ request for a special meeting of the denomination’s top court “has been granted.” Harvey is the secretary of the Council of Bishops.
The Judicial Council’s special session will take place at the Hilton Orrington Hotel in Evanston.
The Book of Discipline states that petitions to General Conference should be received by the petitions secretary or secretary of the General Conference no later than 230 days before the opening of General Conference. That deadline would be July 8 for the Feb. 23-26, 2019, special session of General Conference.
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Volunteer marshals, pages needed for 2019 Special Session of General Conference
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The Commission on the General Conference is seeking applications of volunteers to serve as marshals and pages during the 2019 Special Session of General Conference. About 150 volunteers will be needed to serve all four days of the Special Session.
Volunteers are responsible for their own travel and expenses. Deadline is July 31. Questions can be directed to Dick Hooton at
revshoot@gmail.com
NOTE: Beginning in July, the Illinois Great Rivers Conference will be seeking persons to serve in Hospitality as a co-host for the Special Session. This will be a separate process from the Commission on General Conference.
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Openings for Global Mission Fellows
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The GMF Program is a full-time, paid, two-year graduate level fellowship for young adults that interested in the intersection of faith and the world. Though the application closed in January there is still some availability in the U.S. track.
As part of the GMF program, Fellows get the opportunity to work with community organizations in the US that will give you the opportunity for personal and professional development. Fellows receive health insurance, housing, a living stipend, training, relocation allowance, and an end of service award not to mention the support they get from the other Fellows and Global Ministries.
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Golden Cross Sunday May 13
God works through your prayers and support in acts of mercy to bless the lives of individuals of all ages and at all stages of life.
- More than 30,000 individuals are served each year
- 19,000 hours are given by more than 2,000 volunteers
- More than $10 million of benevolent care is given by these ministries
Your 10 Golden Cross ministries are hard at work every day in their individual settings across our conference bringing hope and healing to people from cradle to grave.
Golden Cross Sunday is always the second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day. When you give, your offering is divided equally among all 10 ministries.
And it is also multiplied, because we are stronger and more efficient together. When you give to support these excellent ministries, God blesses your generosity and the lives you touch will be forever changed.
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Sexual ethics makeup session
A Sexual Ethics Training makeup session has been scheduled for those who were unable to attend any of the three February sessions, on Saturday, June 23, at the Sugar Creek UMC, 1022 New City Road, Chatham. The session will be from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is mandatory for all pastors and laypersons appointed or assigned to local churches.
Registration is open through June 16.
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United Methodist Center Contact Information
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USPS (U.S. Postal Service)
P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207
Office Phone: 217-529-2040
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UPS and FedEx deliveries only use the street address:
United Methodist Center
5900 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62711
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