This Week's IGRC Events-full

IGRC Events-full

November 20, 2018

General Conference briefings

Due to high demand, Bishop Frank J. Beard will be doing a SECOND General Conference 2019 briefing on Monday, Dec. 3 at Marion First UMC from 1 to 3 p.m. This is in addition to the 7 to 9 p.m. session already scheduled. Registration hasn't changed.

Registration is capped at 150 just like the other sessions.

The 7 to 9 p.m. session is currently at capacity with those who had planned to attend the Nov. 15 session which was postponed due to weather. If you wish to cancel your spot in the evening session, contact Paul Black at pblack@igrc.org or Michele Willson at mwillson@igrc.org When the registration is cancelled, the 7 to 9 p.m. session will accept additional registrations until it is at capacity again.

If you wish to change your registration to the afternoon session, cancel your evening registration above and re-register, choosing the 1 to 3 p.m. option for the afternoon session.

In addition, Bishop Beard has made a couple of additional resources available to pastors and church leaders about General Conference 2019.

DOWNLOAD THE BISHOP'S PRESENTATION ON POWER POINT

DOWNLOAD FAQ's ON GENERAL CONFERENCE 2019

November

Thursday

Order of St. Luke

The Illinois Great Rivers Conference Chapter of the Order of Saint Luke (OSL) has started a third local chapter meeting at Peoria Northwest UMC, 3800 W War Memorial Dr. in Peoria.

The next meeting will be Nov. 29. We will recess in December, then we will meet January through May in 2019 on the fourth Thursday.

We are studying the book Reading to Live: The Evolving Practice of Lectio Divina , by Raymond Studzinski. We begin with Morning Prayer at 10 a.m. Business, the book study, and the celebration of the Eucharist follow. The day concludes with a common meal at noon at a local restaurant, Dutch treat.

OSL is dedicated to the liturgy, the sacraments, and Wesleyan spirituality. It is open to both laity and clergy. Anyone who would like to learn about or participate in OSL is welcome to attend. Rusty Beals, convener. rbeals@gmail.com or call 618-554-1220..

December

Saturday

Safe Sanctuaries - Best Practices

A Safe Sanctuaries – Best Practices training workshop will be held at Raymond Community of Faith, 418 N Springfield Rd., Raymond, on Saturday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. to noon.

This workshop is designed for churches seeking to develop or update a Safe Sanctuaries policy, but it can also be used for training in best practices for leaders in ministry with children, youth, or vulnerable adults.

Topics to be covered include: what to include in a policy, how to report suspected child or elder abuse, and best practices for participation in a congregation by a registered sex offender.

This FREE workshop is supported by your apportionment giving. Registration is encouraged by Dec 1 to ensure sufficient seating and materials. Presenter will be Beth Fender, IGRC Coordinator of Discipleship and New Streams.

January

4-5

Friday-Saturday

Candidacy Retreat

Candidacy Retreats for persons wishing to become certified candidates for ministry will be Jan. 4-5 2019, at the Chiara Center in Springfield. The retreat will run from 1 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday. Lodging will be at the Baymont Inn.

The retreat enables participants to worship together, have a chance to ask questions and learn about call, learn about the process of ordained ministry and meet with mentor groups.

Cost is $325 (includes lodging, meals and psychological assessment)

For more information, contact Kathy Crozier at kathycrozier@outlook.com, who serves the IGRC Board of Ministry as its vocational discernment coordinator.

Registration deadline is: Dec. 3.

January

18-19

Friday-Saturday

Children's Ministry Leaders' Retreat

A children's ministry leaders' retreat will be held at Little Grassy Camp Jan. 18-19, from 4 p.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The retreat is designed as a time of spiritual renewal, networking, and resourcing for adults who serve as leaders in children's ministry (Sunday School, Children's Church, VBS, midweek programs, after-school programs, etc.). It will include times of worship, prayer, and reflection, as well as times of large and small group conversation, informational presentations, and fun.

Presentation topics will include recruiting, equipping, and retaining volunteers; equipping families to practice their faith at home; and how the conference camping ministry supports and interacts with your local church children's ministries.

You will return home with some tips and tools to put to work right away.

Cost is $120 for a single room or $75 for a shared room. These fees cover lodging (in rooms with bunk beds and their own bathroom), meals, and all materials.

Scholarships are available to help with the cost of a shared room, and may be requested by completing the "Workshop/Conference Grant Application" at https://www.igrc.org/cesundaygrantapps.

For those unable to attend on Friday, the "Saturday-Only" rate is $25. Saturday-only participants will miss at least one workshop, worship, and fellowship time, so participants are encouraged to participate in the entire retreat.

Registration deadline is Jan. 10.

January

28-29

Monday-Tuesday

Covenant Keepers 2019

Registration is now live for Covenant Keepers 2019 which will be Jan. 28-29 at the Regency Conference Center in O'Fallon.

Speakers for the eveng will be the Rev. Dr. Mark Rutland and the Rev. Dr. Joy J. Moore.

February

15-16

Friday-Saturday

Opening to God Retreat

The second Opening to God retreat will be at Little Grassy Camp Feb. 15-16.

Online registration opened Nov. 1 and continues through Feb. 1.

The purpose of this retreat is to provide immersion experiences to help lay and clergy explore spiritual disciplines they may have never tried before or that they would like to know more about in a safe to explore environment. Each small group session includes both lecture and practice time to actually try the practice featured in the session.

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

April/May

28-3

Sunday-Friday

Five Day Academy for Spiritual Formation

The 2019 Five-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation will be April 28-May 3 at King’s House Retreat and Renewal Center in Belleville.

The theme for the 2019 Academy is “Peace”-ing Together a Broken World. Faculty speakers are Bishop Hee-Soo Jung and Dr. Amy Oden. For more information, visit www.igrc.org/fiveday.

Registration begins Nov. 1 at: www.igrc.org/fiveday2019.

The Five-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation, is a program of Upper Room® Ministries, for clergy and laity which provides a daily rhythm of prayer, worship, Eucharist, learning and reflection, in the context of Christian community. Faculty speakers this year are: Bishop Hee Soo Jung, and Dr. Amy Oden.

IGRC scholarship application process

to open Dec. 1

The Illinois Great Rivers Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry is offering a scholarship opportunity for undergraduate students during 2019-2020 school year. Applications will be accepted starting Dec. 1.

Applicants must be members of a United Methodist Church in the Illinois Great Rivers Conference for a minimum of one year. Scholarships awarded will be sent to the community college, college or university that the student will be attending during the 2019-2020 school year to help pay for their undergraduate tuition. The scholarships awarded will be a minimum of $500.

Applications must be submitted by 4:30 pm on March 1, 2019. If you have any questions, contact Christy Blickensderfer or Amy Shreve .

Please note: There is no way to save this application in process. Once you have submitted your application you will not be able to review or edit it. It is recommended to review the entire application process before beginning.

Intern applicants sought

Applications are being accepted for the 2019-20 Intern Program.

Prospective interns, mentors, and host churches/ministries will find application materials and a handbook to answer most of your questions at www.igrc.org/interns. Priority deadline is Jan. 15. Final deadline is March 1.

Harvest Ministry Team events

Fire-Up Senior High Conference

Fire-Up Sr. High Conference will be held at Troy UMC Feb. 22-24.Students in 9 ^th -12 ^th grades are invited.

Bill Stanley will be peaching, Harvest will be leading worship and we will gathering with students to pray for the next generation, call students to Jesus and invite students to follow God’s call on their lives!

For more information contact Tim Price, 618-667-6241.

An all-new College Track has been addedto Fire-Up this year. College students (18-23) will attend worship times and most meal times, but will mainly have a separate schedule including small groups, community times and mission projects.