When Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine's Day

For the first time since 1956, Ash Wednesday will occur on Feb. 14. How do you reconcile this day of sackcloth and ashes with the traditional celebration of romance and chocolates?

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. Because of heavy registration in the past week, please note the change in location. The session will be from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is is mandatory for all pastors and laypersons appointed or assigned to local churches.

Registration is open through June 16.

Four Chaplains Day: an IGRC connection

Seventy-five years ago this week, a German U-boat torpedoed the U.S. Army Transport Dorchester, carrying nearly 900 soldiers across the Atlantic for battle in the European theater.

In the ensuing chaos of those pre-dawn hours, 230 service members were able to find safety thanks in great part to four men: a rabbi, two Protestant ministers and a Catholic priest, who served as the ship’s chaplains.

Survivors described how Rabbi Alexander D. Goode; the Rev. George L. Fox, a Methodist; the Rev. John P. Washington, a Catholic; and the Rev. Clark V. Poling, who was ordained in the Reformed Church in America, recited prayers and offered solace as the Dorchester began to take on water.

Theirs is a story of patriotism and self-sacrifice. Thirty years ago, a unanimous act of Congress established Four Chaplains Day, as a reminder each Feb. 3 of the military’s unsung heroes: faith leaders who guide our troops during their darkest hours.

Fox, pictured above second from the left, graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University, was pastor of the Downs Methodist Church during his days as an IWU student. The church has a stained glass window commemorating the four chaplains' act of heroism.

New scholarships to help Liberian children

United Methodist Women in Liberia is reaching out to rural children with a new scholarship program approved at the group’s 71st annual session in Tappita, Liberia.

According to Pastor Rose Farhat, director of women’s ministries, the scholarship will be given to students attending United Methodist schools in rural parts of Liberia, especially those in high schools.

 “We have been giving scholarship to undergraduate students and just added graduate school students recently,” she said.

The rural children scholarship is a pilot program funded by United Methodist Women in Liberia.

Farhat said women of the various districts will play a key role in selecting the students. The $10,000 (U.S.) scholarship is expected to benefit two students each from all of the United Methodist schools, excluding those in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.

Bishop Judith Craig Village gets bus, mattresses

Field trips for young ones living at the Bishop Judith Craig Children’s Village in Duahzon, Liberia, will be much easier thanks to the gift of a 16-seat bus.

The bus, 64 mattresses and various other items, worth more than $20,000 total, were given to the village by the Detroit Conference of The United Methodist Church, and by Maple Grove United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ohio.

The bus will help with administrative tasks and overall efficiency.

EZRA Year-End Reporting link posted on website, church portal

As churches prepare for their 2017 Year-End Reports, a link has been posted at the top of the IGRC Homepage that will take you to the log-in screen for year-end reporting. You can also log into to the Church Portal Page on the IGRC website and a link to the sign-in page for Ezra is provided within the portal. More details can be found in the Year-End reporting page under Finance and Benefits or by clicking the button below.

The filing deadline is March 31.



Volunteers needed in Puerto Rico

UMCOR - United Methodist Committee On Relief has received a formal invitation from Bishop Hector Ortiz of Iglesia Metodista de Puerto Rico requesting volunteers to support reconstruction following Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Note that UMCOR - United Methodist Committee On Relief affirms Bishop Ortiz’s request that all volunteers refrain from making formal travel plans or deploying without invitation or following the proper application procedures.

In order to make this an orderly and coordinated process, UMCOR, working with the assistance of United Methodist Volunteers in Mission North Central Jurisdiction , has created an Intent to Serve webpage where volunteers can apply to schedule a volunteer team visit.

UMCOR Sunday March 11

UMCOR Sunday (formerly One Great Hour of Sharing is Sunday, March 11.

Prepare to celebrate this Special Sunday be ordering resources today!