This Week's Current Week in Review

The Current Week in Review

December 21, 2018

Trustees approve the sale of Living Springs

The trustees of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference announced Dec. 18 that they have reached an agreement with a buyer for the purchase of Living Springs Camp near Lewistown.

Contracts were signed between the conference and Mr. and Mrs. Hector Corona of Chicago. Plans for the property are to continue using it as a camp for children and youth in Chicago who are in need of new directions for their lives and live in communities which are filled with drugs and crime.

Proceeds from the sale of Living Springs Camp will be directed toward capital improvements at East Bay Camp in Hudson and Little Grassy Camp in Makanda. Living Springs is the third and final camp that was closed by action of the 2015 Annual Conference.

IRS announces 2019 mileage rates

The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2019 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2019, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

58 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3.5 cents from the rate for 2018,
20 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, up 2 cents from the rate for 2018, and
14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations.

The business mileage rate increased 3.5 cents for business travel driven and 2 cents for medical and certain moving expense from the rates for 2018. The charitable rate is set by statute and remains unchanged.

Take Board of Pensions Health Insurance Survey

Appointed active clergy are invited to participate in the Board of Pensions' Health Insurance Survey between now and Dec. 31.

In an email sent out to active appointed clergy, CBOP Chair Brad Schumaker and IGRC Director of Administrative Services Mike Potts wrote:

"On behalf of the Board of Pensions and Health Benefits, we are asking if you can make this brief survey on your health insurance coverage a priority. In order for your Board of Pensions and Health Benefits to faithfully serve your family, we are conducting a survey to learn where you are turning for health insurance AND gain an estimation of what your insurance coverage is costing you.

"This survey is completely anonymous. We would like you to complete the survey by Dec. 31, 2018. After the information is gathered, your Board of Pension and Health Benefits can be better informed as to how to best proceed at the 2019 Annual Conference session and beyond as we faithfully provide for our clergy.

Thank you for your time AND for the opportunity to serve your family."

PARTICIPATE IN THE SURVEY

Larnelle Harris featured at Annual Conference concert

Five-time Grammy and 11-time Dove Award recipient Larnelle Harris will perform in concert on Friday, June 7, 7:30 p.m. at Carver Arena in the Peoria Civic Center during the 2019 Annual Conference.

The concert is a fundraiser for the IGRC campaign, Our Conference, Our Kids.

The choir from Peoria Bethel UMC will join Harris on stage for several selections during the concert. Joining Harris during the concert will be Sarah Seymour, a soprano from Peoria First UMC an accomplished choral director, voice teacher, and solo performer in variety of genres.

Tickets go on sale Feb. 15 (note change of dates) in a pre-sale for IGRC members at $20 and $30 plus processing and facility fees. On March 1, tickets go on sale to the public for $25 and $35 plus processing and facility fees. All tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster and will not be a part of the normal Annual Conference registration process. The link and discount code will be share closer to the Feb. 15 launch.

Christmas bulletin insert for Our Conference, Our Kids campaign

Churches planning on taking a Christmas offering for the Our Conference, Our Kids campaign have a new resource available to assist with its promotion.

The campaign committee has released two single-sided bulletin insert. Use them individually or back to back.

DOWNLOAD INSERT 1

DOWNLOAD INSERT 2

MEDIA RESOURCES

January issue of

The Current

Click on the cover to the right to view and download the January 2019 issue of The Current, which will be arriving in the mail this weekend.

Conference Center closed for Christmas,

Jan. 8 deadline for 2018 remittances

This is the last issue of The Current Week in Review for 2018. The Conference Center will be closed beginning at 4:30 p.m. today until 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 2.

The Finance and Administration Team has announced that churches have until Jan. 8 to send 2018 remittances and have them credited to 2018.

General Conference information

Three plans, three perspectives

One Church Plan

The Rev. Berlin explains that the One Church Plan tries to allow different people to “exercise their own judgment in their cultural context.”

Traditional Plan

Vice president of Good News and a member of the Wesleyan Covenant Association leadership council, the Rev. Tom Lambrecht gives insight into the Traditional Plan and Modified Traditional Plans.

Connectional Conference Plan

Patricia L. Miller explains why the Connectional Conference Plan is meant to provide the “most space between theological differences” while maintaining unity.

Special session pre-registration online

Guests and observers to the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference, The United Methodist Church’s top legislative assembly, may now pre-register online. General Conference will meet in St. Louis, Missouri at the America’s Center Feb. 23-26, 2019.

Volunteers needed for General Conference

Persons wishing to volunteer for hospitality and other committees working the special session of General Conference in February 2019 may now apply to register.

Preference will be given to Missouri and Illinois Great Rivers members. All volunteers will be required to sign a covenant agreement, liability waiver, participate in hospitality and intercultural awareness training, as well as job-specific training.