The Current Week in Review
November 25, 2020
|
|
|
|
Early edition this week
Due to Thanksgiving, The Current Week in Review is being published on Wednesday instead of Friday.
While November marks a celebration of thanksgiving in the U.S., finding time to thank God is part of our daily discipline as United Methodists. This photo meditation offers individuals, families, and congregations a moment to recognize the blessings our Creator bestows upon us and to thank God for all those generous gifts. It features a prayer of gratitude, written by the Rev. Linda McDermott and found on the website of First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth, Texas: http://www.fumcfortworth.org/thanksgi...
The images were taken by photographers from various United Methodist agencies and conferences, and you are encouraged to share or download this video to use in Sunday school classes, before or during worship, or in your home. Learn more about how United Methodists live out their faith at http://www.umc.org/topics/christian-l....
This video was produced by United Methodist Communications in Nashville, TN.
|
|
|
|
Covenant Keepers 2021 will be virtual Jan. 28
Bishop Beard has announced that Covenant Keepers 2021 will be held virtually on a single day -- Thursday, Jan. 28.
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.
Details on registering and obtaining online credentials will be announced in mid-December.
|
|
|
|
The making of Thanksgiving in the United States
The popular American image of the first Thanksgiving looks a bit like a United Methodist potluck — 17th-century style.
We imagine Pilgrims in funny hats and American Indians in feathery headdresses solemnly bowing their heads in gratitude for God’s bounty before sharing heaping plates of potatoes, corn and, of course, turkey.
It’s a picturesque tableau. And just about everything about it is wrong.
Kaskaskia River District Superintendent Carol Lakota Eastin was one of the interviewees in this UM News Service stories.
|
|
|
|
Chuck Knows Church...and Advent
A resource that may assist you in teaching persons about Advent is Chuck Knows Church, a production of Discipleship Ministries. Several of the Chuck episodes cover symbols of the Advent/Christmas season.
|
|
|
|
A call to overinvest in young people
Retired Bishop Janice Huie calls for a new approach to engaging younger people in the church. She argues for overinvesting in young people who don’t sit in our pews every Sunday by drawing resources from the center to the periphery of the church.
|
|
|
|
Educating for peace in pan-African relations
Missionary Jane Kies loves watching her students at Africa University smile with pride as they become more fluent in English and move on to their degree program with greater confidence.
Africa University is committed to building peaceful pan-African relations as it educates young people from approximately 25 African countries.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Click on the above photo to learn more and to apply! |
|
|
|
United Methodist Student Day Nov. 29
United Methodist Student Day is Sunday, Nov. 29. In 2019, United Methodists gave $370,123 towards the ministries funded by the United Methodist Student Day Sunday offering -- the United Methodist Student Loan and Scholarship program. This offering, combined with income from endowments provided more than 70 scholarships available for thousands of United Methodist students to further their education and enrich the life of the Church.
Remember you can celebrate this Sunday and any Special Sunday on a day of your choosing.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
Clergy Assistance Program
Make sure your IGRC pastor knows about this benefit provided through your apportionment dollars at work.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
United Methodist Center Contact Information |
|
|
USPS (U.S. Postal Service)
P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207
Office Phone: 217-529-2040
|
|
UPS and FedEx deliveries only use the street address:
United Methodist Center
5900 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62711
|
|
|
|
|
