This Week's Current Week in Review

The Current Week in Review

September 10, 2021

Building Use Agreement template for Boy Scout troops released

In light of the General Church stance and the IGRC recommendations to the local church as represented in the letter provided to the IGRC last week by Bishop Palmer and MIke Potts for BSA chartering options, a facility use agreement template has been provided by the General Church to assist local churches in this process.

DOWNLOAD THE BUILDING USE AGREEMENT TEMPLATE

DOWNLOAD AND READ THE COMPLETE LETTER

From Afghan resettlement to

disaster response, you can help!

UMCOR is prepared to assist with refugee resettlement through its partnership with Church World Service and is currently in conversation about assisting Church World Service with temporary housing for Afghan refugees. Those interested in supporting the UMCOR-CWS partnership can make gifts online at https://umcmission.org/advance-project/3022144 or by checks sent to Global Ministries/UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068, with Advance #3022144 in the memo line.

If you are interested in connecting directly with Church World Service. Here are some of the key ways community members can be involved in welcoming refugees:

Check out the CWS Welcome Afghans landing page
Visit the CWS Learn page to learn more about what has been happening in Afghanistan and watch the Welcoming Afghans webinar which was recorded on Aug. 30.
Visit the CWS Community Engagement Webpage where you can find helpful resources and past Lunch and Learn recordings to continue to learn about issues facing displaced people. You can also download a PDF of its community sponsorship manual from that page as well to share with congregations.
Check out our monthly Immigration and Refugee Community Engagement Newsletter.
Give financially to assist Afghans as they resettle to their new communities. Please encourage congregations to make financial gifts at this link.

HURRICANE IDA: In response to the extreme winds and flooding caused by Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm that made landfall on the U.S. gulf coast on August 29, UMCOR remains in prayer for the many states and communities that were in its path.

UMCOR is in coordination with conference disaster response coordinators to assess the scale of damage and has awarded grants to the Louisiana and Mississippi conferences to support initial emergency relief efforts.

As the situation evolves, early response teams will be invited to help with needs such as debris removal and the tarping of roofs.

Donations can be made to Advance #901670, U.S. Disaster Response and by designating Hurricane Ida Relief.

HAITI EARTHQUAKE: The United Methodist Committee on Relief’s response to the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti on Aug.14 is underway. The quake, which particularly damaged the southern and western regions of the island, has left more than 2,200 dead and 12,000 injured.

Several hospitals have been damaged or destroyed. Those still open are completely overwhelmed, lacking sufficient personnel and medical supplies. UMCOR has already awarded grants to provide urgently needed medical supplies.

The first grant, to the Église Méthodiste d’Haiti (Methodist Church in Haiti), in coordination with local doctors and nurses, will supply two clinics in Gebeau and Les Cayes with medical supplies.

The second, to Service Chrétien d’Haiti (SCH), will supply Les Cayes General Hospital. These grants will enable the procurement of bandages, gauze, IV fluids, antibiotics, and, given the continuing coronavirus pandemic, Personal Protection Equipment. Access to the impacted areas is limited due to extensive damage and, sadly, gang violence, but the Haitian government and high-ranking United Nations officials have negotiated humanitarian access for relief convoys.

Donations can be made to Advance #982450, International Disaster Response and by designating Haiti Earthquakes.

DOWNLOAD HOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN HELP

DONATE HURRICANE IDA RELIEF

DOWNLOAD WELCOMING AFGHANS

DONATE HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF

Retired Navy chaplain offers 4-D reflection

IGRC retired Navy chaplain and pastor Bob Phillips offers a reflection on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on the United States and how chaplains ministered to those serving in the military at the time.

"The nation, and Naval Postgraduate School (where Phillips was assigned in 2001) have undergone profound change since 2001," Phillips writes. "What has not changed are the spiritual and emotional needs, and strengths, of the men and women who serve, the challenges faced by their families, and the role of faith in offering perspective and hope amid trauma and human ugliness."

Hill offers a Modest Proposal to Perkins

"It should be obvious: you cannot love someone and knowingly misrepresent them," says Craig Hill, IGRC clergy and dean of the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. "Instead, love calls us humbly to understand each other. To do otherwise is flatly unchristian. It defies both the heart of the law and the clear teaching of Jesus. Being human, disagreements are inevitable—if you don’t think that’s true, just wait till you pastor a church—but bearing false witness against one another is not inevitable. It is a choice. Let’s put in the solemn effort to make the faithful and right choice. Let’s be honest about ourselves and, especially, about and with each other."

Hill offered these remarks Aug. 25 at the Annual Feast of Beginnings, the first worship service of the 2021-22 academic year which welcomed new and returning students, and recognized new faculty, staff and student leaders.

"Good as that is, it is not enough," Hill told those assembled. "Let’s go even further. Let’s love one another. That, at least, should not be controversial."

Disability Awareness Sunday Sept. 26

Disability Awareness Sunday in the IGRC is observed on the 4th Sunday of September or at another time convenient to the congregation.

Above part one of a two-part video series contributed by Pastor Jim Aniol and his running partner, Jacob Martin, demonstrating how one grant from the Disability Awareness Sunday offering has been used.

Check the link below for Part 2 -- in which Pastor Jim and Jacob demonstrate some of the challenges facing individuals with disabilities who try to come to many of our churches - and for a sermon by Pastor Randy Shepard, a pastor with a disability.

All of these videos are available for your church to use in your own observance of Disability Awareness Sunday.

VIEW PART 2 VIDEO

Prayer Guide released for September appeal for Our Conference, Our Kids in honor of Bishop Beard's fifth anniversary

A prayer guide to assist persons and churches in promoting the September appeal for Our Conference, Our Kids was released this week. Click on the link below to see the information and download the resource.

Sept. 1 marks the fifth anniversary of Bishop Frank Beard's tenure as Bishop of the Illinois Area and the Committee on Episcopacy and Our Conference Our Kids Steering Team are collaborating to underscore our appreciation for Bishop Beard’s leadership.

Join us in celebrating his ministry by engaging in prayer and by collecting a special offering in September from Sunday, Sept. 5 to Sept. 26.

Bishop Palmer's Leadership Clinics

extended to IGRC clergy, laity

Bishop Palmer’s Leadership Clinics kicks off next week on Friday, Sept. 17 with Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber.

The clinic will begin at 9 a.m. Central Time with a training portion from Nadia around “Anti-Excellence & Pro-Participation.” Following her training, Bishop Palmer will interview Nadia and take questions from the virtual audience.

You can register for this live webcast by clicking the button below. You can also receive a package discount for all three if you register by next Wednesday, Sept. 15. We hope you can take advantage of these clinics and tap into these influential resources who each offer a unique perspective.

Remember: IGRC pastors and laity will get the same pricing as West Ohio's price tier.

In order to register, you will need to set up an account on the West Ohio Conference website. Just follow the link, set up your account and make your seletions.

Speakers for the other two sessions are as follows:

Oct. 14, 9 to 11 a.m. Central time -- Beth Comstock

Beth is known as GE’s Czar of Innovation, a bestselling author, corporate director/advisor, and nature conservationist. She built a career as storyteller, marketer and innovation champion, as GE's first female Vice Chair, as well as Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer. She was President of Integrated Media at NBC Universal as part of her journey through media, which included roles at NBC, CBS and Turner Broadcasting. Beth is currently a director at Nike and EVgo, a Trustee at National Geographic Society, and a partner in Climate Real Impact Solutions. Beth is considered one of "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes magazine, a top ten most influential leader in the US, and a top 20 most influential communicator in the US. Beth’s book Imagine It Forward: Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change has become a great resource for organizations looking to innovate and change. Beth is a graduate of The College of William and Mary.

Nov. 9, 9 to 11 a.m. Central time -- Jemar Tisby

Jemar Tisby is a New York Times best-selling author, the Deputy Director of Narrative and Advocacy at the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University, and the founder of The Witness, Inc. His bestselling books, The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the Church's Complicity in Racism and latest work How to Fight Racism have been used as resources by churches and organizations around the globe. Jemar has been a co-host of the Pass The Mic podcast since its inception seven years ago. His writing has been featured in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and The New York Times, among others. He is a frequent commentator on media/news outlets. He speaks nationwide on the topics of racial justice, U.S. history and Christianity. Jemar has a degree from the University of Notre Dame and is currently finishing his PhD in History this year at the University of Mississippi where he studies race, religion, and social movements in the 20th century.