The Current Week in Review
December 11, 2020
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Bishop strongly recommends continuation of suspension of in-person worship
Examination of numbers regarding rising positivity rates, ICU and Medical/Surgical beds taxing hospital capacities and greater number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals led Bishop Frank J. Beard to announce Wednesday he is strongly recommending that IGRC congregations not resume in-person worship Dec. 20 and the suspension should continue until further notice.
"For the good of our 800 plus congregations and communities where they reside, and in conjunction with the United Methodist Bishops and churches across our jurisdiction, I am strongly recommending our churches not to meet for indoor worship until further notice. This will require us to be more creative and strategic for Christmas Eve and Christmas weekend services."
Outdoor worship and drive-in worship services are allowed with taking the necessary safety precautions as suggested in the Conference guideline documents.
As a part of our connectional covenant as United Methodist across the State and the North Central Jurisdiction, the Conference Leadership Team would like to invite you to join them at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve as individuals or as household units, in gathering on your porches, yards or sidewalks of your homes to lift up lights (representing Christ) as we sing or ring bells to Silent Night together. "We believe this can be a strong effective witness to our unity and our Christian faith," Beard said. "While still observing social distancing guidelines, feel free to invite neighbors and friends to join us."
The extended Cabinet is joining Bishop Beard in producing a virtual worship service that can be used by any of IGRC congregations for Christmas. The service will be aired on Christmas Eve at 5 p.m. on the IGRC, the Annual Conference and the IGRC Vimeo page.
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For Tier 3 mitigation metrics to be relaxed (i.e. move to Tier 2), a region must experience less than 12% positivity rate (7-day rolling average for three consecutive days, AND greater than 20% available intensive care unit (ICU) and medical/surgical bed availability (3-day rolling average) for three consecutive days, AND decline in the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital (7-day rolling average) in 7 out of the last 10 days.
Source: Illinois Department of Public Health
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0 days under the 12% positivity rate
10 days under 20% threshold on ICU beds
11 consecutive days of more than 20% on medical/surgical beds (MEETS target)
8 days of Covid-19 patient decreases (MEETS target)
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11 days under the 12% positivity rate (MEETS target)
11 consecutive days of less than 20% on ICU beds
11 consecutive day of more than 20% on medical/surgical beds (MEETS target)
10 days of Covid-19 patient decreases (MEETS target)
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0 days under the 12% positivity rate
3 consecutive days under 20% on ICU beds
11 consecutive days of less than 20% on medical/surgical beds
6 consecutive days of Covid-19 patient decreases
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0 consecutive days of under 12% positivity rate
3 days under 20% threshold on ICU beds
11 consecutive days of more than 20% on medical/surgical beds (MEETS target)
8 consecutive days of Covid-19 patient decreases (MEETS target)
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2 consecutive days of under 12% positivity rate
11 consecutive days of more than 20% on ICU beds (MEETS target)
11 consecutive days of more than 20% on medical/surgical beds (MEETS target)
8 consecutive days of Covid-19 patient decreases (MEETS target)
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0 consecutive days of under 12% positivity rate
8 consecutive days of more than 20% of ICU beds (MEETS target)
3 consecutive days of less than 20% on medical/surgical beds
10 days of Covid-19 patient decreases (MEETS target)
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Dakotas Conference feels the pain of Covid-19
Clergy of the Dakotas Conference of The United Methodist Church are expert witnesses to just how much illness and death COVID-19 has brought to their states — and to how congregations have stepped up their ministry in response. Sam Hodges reports.
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Covenant Keepers 2021 registration open
Bishop Beard has announced that Covenant Keepers 2021 will be held virtually on a single day -- Thursday, Jan. 28.
Registration will be required to receive credentials for logging into the Zoom meeting.
Speakers for the event will be Rev. Susan Beaumont, author of How to Lead When You Don't Know Where You Are. Beaumont is a consultant, coach, author and spiritual director who worked with hundreds of congregations and denominational bodies across the United States and Canada. She is known for her ground-breaking work in the leadership dynamics of large congregations.
Before establishing her own practice, Susan worked for nine years as a Senior Consultant with the Alban Institute. Susan has also served on the faculty of two business schools, teaching graduate level courses in leadership, management and organizational behavior. She has corporate experience in human resource management and organizational development. She currently teaches at Wesley Theological Seminary.
The other platform speaker, Romal Tune, is a thought leader, speaker and author. The focus of his life’s work is using the power of storytelling to bring about meaningful change. I teach individuals, non-profits and companies how to tap into the uniqueness of their stories and experience exponential growth.
Joining Covenant Keepers and preaching will be Bishop Sharma Lewis, episcopal leader for the Richmond, Va. Area of The United Methodist Church. Lewis made history when she was elected as the first African-American woman bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction in 2016.
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AU grad putting skills to work in South Africa
Celeste Madondo, a public health specialist and 2010 graduate of Africa University, works primarily on HIV prevention and intervention strategies to deal with infectious diseases.
She holds a Bachelor of Health Services Management from AU and a master's degree in Public Health from the University of Witswatersrand. Madondo specializes in Health Systems and Policy and is based at a non-governmental organization in Johannesburg.
South Africa is still observing stringent social distancing and other COVID-19 infection prevention protocols, so Madondo and her colleagues are adapting their outreach to clients. Those who need to can order test kits online, access support and counseling virtually, know their HIV status, and take the appropriate actions to protect their health and that of others.
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Practicing Ministry
in Digital Spaces
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Most churches moved so quickly into digital ministry in 2020 that they haven’t had a chance to think about lessons learned or what comes next. In this episode, digital ministry expert Keith Anderson reflects on what we’ve learned and how our pandemic practices might reshape the future narrative of the church.
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New Questions for a New Day |
Michelle Snyder says that the pandemic presents an opportunity for churches to reframe their thinking and reboot their vision. Rather than tweaking what’s always been done, this moment invites churches to embrace an expanded vision of community, catch up with societal trends, and rethink the use of new technologies.
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Accessibility grants available
The deadline for Architectural Grant applications is Jan. 31, 2021.
If your church has a project that will make your building more physically accessible to the disability community, the IGRC Committee on Accessibility Ministries may be able to help you with a small grant.
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Igniting a Prayer Revolution online video series
All IGRC churches are invited to Ignite a Prayer Revolution. The short series of videos found at https://www.igrcreach1000.org/revolutionary-prayer will challenge your church to take simple, yet powerful, steps to open yourselves to the next season of ministry God has for you.
All seven (currently; more will be added) videos can be watched in less than 30 minutes. Some will provide concrete examples of how IGRC churches are engaged in revolutionary prayer.
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Click on the above photo to learn more and to apply! |
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2020 charge conference forms online
Charge conference forms for 2020 are now available to pastors and churches via their Church Portal page on the IGRC website.
To access the forms, click on the Church Portal link located in the upper right hand corner of the homepage.
- Choose your District Name
- Choose your Church
- Supply the six-digit GCFA number as the password. This number can be found on the church's local remittance forms used for apportionment payments
Once into the Church Portal Page, select: Church/Charge Conference forms from the right-hand menu and then click on the 2020 Charge Conference Form link. Links are also there for 2019, 2018 and 2017 should you need to reference any of them.
This year's forms can be saved without completing all of the required fields on a form. However, a church will not be able to submit the forms to the District office unless all required fields are answered.
District offices may have additional instructions for your church and a schedule of charge conferences will be announced in the near future.
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Clergy Assistance Program
Make sure your IGRC pastor knows about this benefit provided through your apportionment dollars at work.
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Suicide prevention training offered
Pastors are encountering people experiencing mental health challenges more frequently than they have in the past. This trend indicates that the needs of congregations and community may be shifting. As these needs shift, so does the role of the pastor. IGRC’s Pastoral Care and Counseling wants our clergy and clergy spouses to have the ability to recognize when someone may be suicidal and know what to do next. For this reason, PCC has sponsored an evidence-based and peer-reviewed online QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Gatekeeper Training at no cost to IGRC clergy and families ($29.95 value).
Due to the response to this training, PCC is now opening the training not only to clergy, but clergy family members, lay church leaders, laity, mental health professionals, front line workers and others desiring to be equipped in this very timely matter.
The interactive online QPR Training generally takes an hour and all learners receive an electronic version of the QPR booklet and printable wallet card immediately after completing training. Key components covered in training include:
- How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be suicidal
- How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide
- The common causes of suicidal behavior
- The warning signs of suicide
- How to get help for someone in crisis
Register for the free online suicide prevention training. You will then receive an email from Pastoral Care and Counseling Coordinator Shauna Summers with a link to the training website as well as account and password information.
Please complete the training the week you receive the account information as the links do expire.
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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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