The Current Week in Review
December 17, 2021
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Missionaries through the General Board of Global Ministries have produced the following Christmas video.
Included in the video are Connie Wieck, current Global Ministries representative to the North Central Jurisdiction and missionaries Lester and Debbie Dornan of Nepal.
The two-minute can be downloaded and used as an offertory or a mission moment in your worship service.
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List for equalization members for
2022 Annual Conference released
Annual Conference Secretary Ethan Carnes has announced that 198 congregations will have an additional lay member to annual conference to equalize the number of clergy and laity members for the 2022 Annual Conference session.
The equalization formula is set by the Standing Rules of the Annual Conference III.C. The purpose of equalization is to ensure an equal number of laity and clergy at the annual conference. Clergy members of the annual conference consist of all active and retired deacons and elders in full connection, provisional members, and associate members. Local pastors under appointment are included, as well. (2016 Book of Discipline, ¶32). Each charge in the conference elects one layperson for each pastor appointed to the charge.
Churches which paid 100 percent of their apportionments in the previous year (in this case, 2020) are to be granted one "equalization member.” Eligibility will be granted to the 198 largest churches according to membership who have paid 100 percent of their 2020 apportionments. Equalization members are elected to serve to the end of the quadrennium if the congregation continues to pay 100 percent of its apportionments.
"Please notify your district office if you have not filed your equalized member with your 2021 Charge Conference paperwork," Carnes said. "I have a Equalization Lay Member Change Form on my website: www.igrc.org/secretary. Please file this appropriately. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me."
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Kentucky Disaster Response update
Over 60 lives and more than 1,000 homes have been taken due to the deadly tornadoes that had torn through Kentucky two days ago. These tornadoes were unlike any in the past many Kentucky residents say, taking not just roofs but entire homes, pets, and lives with it. Kentucky is receiving millions in donations and Red Cross has set up eight shelters across the state, but officials believe it will take weeks until we can fully say how much loss and destruction has taken place. People have lost loved ones, pets, homes, memories and a sense of safety. Forecasters are saying there may be more storms in upcoming days or weeks but it is too early to tell.
Please remember to not self-deploy. The communities affected in Kentucky are working hard to get organized so volunteers can begin helping soon but as of right now, they are focusing on the volunteers they have currently and delegating work to be as effective as possible. Local news channels are warning to not self-deploy.
If you plan on heading out, please contact Curt Franklin at: cfranklin@igrc.org or call 217-494-0417.
We know what teams are still in the conference if another need arises. The Kentucky Annual conference has not sent out an official call out but did release the article below:
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Special MLK edition of Bishop Palmer's Leadership Clinics
Bishop Gregory V. Palmer is hosting a special MLK Edition of his Leadership Clinic online on Tuesday, Jan. 11 from 9 to 11 a.m. CST.
Dr. Jennings is the Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School. He is also well-published, authoring several books and over 40 scholarly essays. Dr. Jennings is a Calvin College graduate, receiving his M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. in religion and ethics from Duke Divinity School. An ordained Baptist pastor, Dr.
Jennings is recognized as a major figure in theological education across North America.
Registration fee is $10 for all participants and 100% of the proceeds will be given to General Commission on Religion and Race of the UMC to support their ongoing work helping the church and the world to be free from the brokenness of racism.
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Registration open for Covenant Keepers 2022
Registration is now open for Covenant Keepers 2022 which will be a hybrid event Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at Troy UMC.
Registration can be found on the IGRC website at: https://www.igrc.org/ck2022. At the time of registration, persons will have the choice of registering for the in-person event at Troy or joining on Zoom. Both options are $25.
In keeping with the theme of excellence, the planning team wants to assure everyone that they are paying attention to daily COVID updates. Everyone’s safety is a top priority. You are encouraged to continue to register and to keep watch for future updates. Covenant Keepers will not be cancelled. If necessary, it will become a totally virtual event automatically moving in-person registrants into the virtual mode. If this occurs, you will receive adequate notice to cancel hotel reservations.
No meals will be served on-site and participants will be responsible for their own overnight accommodations. There are several hotels in Troy within a short driving distance from the church. Time for the event will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Jan. 31, and from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 1.
The theme is Called to Holy Excellence, based upon Philippians 4:4-9.
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Mandatory sexual ethics training to be online with three options of dates
Desiring to provide support and encouragement to our clergy, the Board of Ordained Ministry with the Bishop’s Response Team on Relational Ethics is offering a fresh approach to the 2021-2024 Quadrennial Ethics and Boundary Training events. Though still mandatory for all appointed and assigned clergy and lay ministers, this year’s workshop will engage the topic of relational ethics from a “whole person” perspective – considering how to strengthen both personal and professional relationships in a highly stressful environment.
The presenter will be the Rev. Dr. David C. Olsen, co-author with Nancy Devor, of the book,Saying No to Say Yes: Everyday Boundaries and Pastoral Excellence (2015). The book explores the difficulties clergy face when they attempt to say “no” by setting effective boundaries in order to say “yes” to the life-giving call of ministry.
Dr. Olson will weave together the basics of boundary-training with a deep understanding of the stressors of church leadership during a pandemic. You’ll glean insights that will encourage and strengthen you not only for leadership within the church, but for all relationships.
This quadrennial training (5.5 hour webinar) will be offered via Zoom on the following dates. Register now for ONE of these three dates. Though identical in content, each training will be hosted live with Dr. Olson leading each one and engaging the unique questions which arise during each session.
Dates: Thursday, January 13, 2022
Friday, January 14, 2022
Saturday, January 15, 2022
Each webinar will begin at 9:00 a.m.and end at 3:30 p.m. Each will be broken into 4 sections with a lunch break.
Topics to be covered will begin with the necessity and history of boundary awareness, the complexity of boundaries in church settings as well as types of boundary issues including the obvious sexual misconduct, social media, email, etc. The afternoon focuses on what makes boundaries so complicated: looking at both internal psychological issues and systemic issues and ending with prevention strategies. Special attention will be given throughout the sessions to the impact of significant anxiety over COVID and the way it has made boundary setting even more complex. Dr. Olson will offer wisdom and encouragement for saying “yes” to the life-giving call of ministry even in the midst of a pandemic.
The training is mandatory for all persons under appointment and will fulfill the requirement for the 2021-24 quadrennium.
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State sexual harassment training needs to be completed by Dec. 31
Churches are reminded that the State of Illinois requires all employees (including pastors) to complete an annual sexual harassment training by Dec. 31.
The 2021 Illinois Harassment Prevention Training Law of the Illinois Human Rights Law requires that all Illinois employers must provide sexual harassment prevention training to all employees. While the IGRC Employee Handbook sections of “Prohibition of Discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Misconduct, and Retaliation” (p. 17-22) meet the minimum standards set forth in the law, the training provided by the Illinois Department of Human Rights (IDHR) has updated terms and examples.
The online training can be completed in 30 minutes and a link is provided as a convenience. Churches should have employees document their completion by printing out the certificate at the end of the training.
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Life is a marathon: Lessons from a retired pastor
“Everybody is in a marathon, the marathon of the spirit, the marathon of the mind,” 84-year-old retired pastor John Capen shares. “You can take what you're learning from one and apply it to the other.”
Capen, 84, is still active as a part-time pastor at two churches: Athens Federated Church in Athens, N.Y., and Shady United Methodist Church in Bearsville, N.Y. He also continues to run marathons, most recently completing the Tata Consultancy Services New York City Marathon on Nov. 7.
He started running at 38 to improve his health.
After a break for his medical issues and the coronavirus pandemic, he went back into training and started signing up for more marathons. He was in his early 80s by that point.
Now, he still runs all 26.2 miles of the marathons, but sometimes by the time he finishes a race, everybody has packed up and gone home.
But he persists.
“Growing old is a full-time job,” he shares. “It's important to have a close relationship to God. … You have to be in touch with your body, which is one of the privileges of being a marathoner.
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Charge Conference materials available online
Forms and other materials needed to prepare for the 2021 Charge Conference season are now posted online on the IGRC website.
Forms can be accessed through the Church Portal page located in the upper right corner of the IGRC Homepage.
- Choose your District
- Choose your Church
- Type in the six-digit GCFA number for the church as the password
In addition, the Finance Office has put together information needed to build local church budgets for 2022. Apportionments are also available below.
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January 2022 of The Current
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The annual Camping issue of The Current is now posted online and should be arriving in your mailboxes in the next few days.
Click on the cover to read more and download your copy of the issue.
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Last issue for 2021
This will be the last issue of The Current Week in Review for 2021.
The Conference Center will be closed from Dec. 24 to Jan. 2. We will reopen on Monday, Jan. 3 at 8 a.m.
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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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