December 2022 E-Newsletter |
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2023 Conference Compensation Guidelines
This year, we reviewed and updated the guidelines with consultation and advisement from laity and clergy who assessed past and present methodology and compared our approach with that of other Conferences. We tried to learn from other Conferences’ best practices while keeping in mind the range of ministerial settings in the Illinois Conference, from urban to sub and ex-urban and rural to small and mid/large size cities. Because our base salary number had only accounted for COLA increases in recent years, you will see that the base is adjusted and we are recommending adding the 2023 Federal Cost of Living Increase as well. We recognize there may be some “sticker shock” for congregations as we are trying to keep pace. We realize that clergy face sticker shock at the grocery store and gas station just like other people, and that we need to keep updating Compensation Guidelines accordingly.
The goal of clergy compensation is to account fairly and justly for pastors’ education and experience and to allow them to live in or near the communities in which they serve. Clergy do not enter the ministry seeking to enrich themselves, but clergy do seek a living wage that allows them to bloom where they are planted. Unlike other professions which can operate remotely, or which can accommodate long commute times, most congregations still desire to have their pastor in residence, and most clergy want to live in the communities in which they serve. Our Conference Guidelines seek a method for determining what compensation is needed to account for our educational and formational preparation for ministry, our years of experience, and the size and locations of the congregations we serve.
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New Publisher for The Chicago Reporter
Community Renewal Society
The Community Renewal Society announced [on November 15] that a highly regarded Chicago area news leader has been named to the top spot at The Chicago Reporter. L. Nicole Trottie will take the helm as publisher starting today. The announcement builds on a strategic plan put in place to guide the future of Chicago’s top nonprofit investigative news organization focusing on race, poverty and income inequality.
“The Chicago Reporter has a rich legacy of investigative pieces that tell the stories of race, poverty and social injustice,” Community Renewal Society Board Chair Rev. Daryle Brown said. “In our months-long competitive search for our new publisher it was vitally important that we selected a visionary who has what it takes to carry that legacy forward. We found that in Nicole.”
The Chicago Reporter, an independent news organization started in 1972 by The Community Renewal Society, is regarded for its investigative, community-driven reporting on issues of inequality that comes with a depth of coverage not often found in traditional news media.
Trottie, the first African-American member of the Illinois Press Association’s executive board and the first African-American woman in Illinois to launch an accredited weekly newspaper, is the founder and former publisher of the West Suburban Journal Newspaper.
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School for Ministry Calls Executive Director
Rev. April McClure Stewart has been called to serve as Executive Director for the School for Ministry (no longer interim). We are blessed to have April’s clear vision, care for relationships, and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. She loves encouraging, and equipping leaders for the church of tomorrow. She looks forward to working with our School Board, the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, CCIW, Michigan Disciples and the Ohio Region of the Christian Church as we seek to support leaders for our congregations.
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Global H.O.P.E. Active Appeals
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Our camps are working in creative ways for guests to have an experience "to refresh and renew their spirt." Now offering short term rental of cabins and facilities, each has cooking capacity for easy meals, and many local restaurants have take-out as well. This is a great opportunity to "get away" as our views are far from the ordinary. Dates may fill quickly, contact Pilgrim Park at 815-447-2390 or Tower Hill at 269-426-3881.
If you have the ability, please consider a donation to the Outdoor Ministries General Fund to help keep our doors open for many seasons to come!
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A Festival of Lessons & Carols
Friday, December 2 @ 4 and 7 PM
Elmhurst University
Nine lessons telling the story of Christmas, with time-honored music performed by the Elmhurst University Choirs. Admission is free. All are welcome! The 7:00 p.m. showing will be livestreamed at elmhurst.edu/bluejaytv.
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Global H.O.P.E Blue Christmas Service
Monday, December 5 @ 2 PM CST
United Church of Christ
Join us on Monday, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m. CST for a virtual worship service with Team Global HOPE at UCC National Ministries for a Blue Christmas worship service. Blue Christmas services traditionally provide space for those who don’t feel so "merry and bright" during the holiday season. This service seeks to recognize and stand in solidarity with the experiences of those aggrieved or displaced by disaster or forced migration in 2022, from Kentucky, to Ukraine, and beyond. We remember that we are called to stand in solidarity with the captive and the oppressed, and work together with God’s guidance to create a just world for all. UCC Clergy and choirs engaged in humanitarian ministries across the denomination will be providing reflective liturgy, music, and preaching during this event. This event will be recorded for later availability or use in local Blue Christmas events.
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More Than One War Has Been Caused by a Single Word (Arab Proverb)
December 6, 12, and 13
Advocate Aurora Health & Nehemiah Trinity Rising
You are invited to learn how to navigate difficult discussions in a respectful and restorative manner. Families, congregations, and organizations are increasingly experiencing the effects of polarizing issues in religion, politics and other matters affecting us all. As people gather for the holidays, navigating difficult discussions in a respectful and restorative manner is crucial. Our workshop provides faith-based skills, such as storytelling, elevation, and restorative questions for having such difficult conversations and fostering reconciliation where polarization has occurred. Multiple offerings. Signup here.
- Dec. 6, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 12, 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
- Dec. 13, 10:00-11:30 a.m.
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Holiday Diversity Concert
Saturday, December 10 @ 7:30 PM in Oak Park
Also December 2 and 4 at other locations
Lux Cantorum
Lux Cantorum is delighted to present our "Holiday Diversity Concert Series" this December 2nd, 4th and 10th around the Chicagoland area. We honor the bountiful choral contributions that BIPOC composers have made to all of our December holiday experiences. We are being intentional about highlighting an underrepresented segment of seasonal music that will certainly pique your interest and unite generations of listeners!
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A Living Nativity
Sunday, December 11 @ 4 and 5 PM
St. Paul's Church, Elgin
St. Paul’s Church is once again presenting its Living Nativity on Sunday, December 11 at 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. Everyone is invited to experience the story of Jesus' birth told with real people and live animals. This is a free event - a Christmas gift to the community. Each narrated presentation is about 20 minutes in length and includes story and song. Straw-bale seating on the lawn is available as well as bench seating on the pavement.
After each program, guests are invited to take photos at a festive Victorian Christmas gazebo, sing along with Victorian carolers, and come inside and warm up with homemade cookies, hot cider and hot cocoa. A showing of members’ nativity sets will be on display in the church sanctuary. St. Paul’s Church is fully accessible. St. Paul’s is located at 40W720 Plank Road, 1.5 miles west of Route 20. For more information call the church, 847-628-6118.
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The Midterms & Beyond: A Path for Climate Justice
Wednesday, December 14 @ 12 PM CST
United Church of Christ
In this webinar, we will discuss the results of the midterms with an eye to what is possible for climate justice in 2023 and beyond. A full discussion of the midterms entails more than looking at a final scorecard of congressional contests. It entails assessing the power of young voters and voters who care about the climate crisis. It entails tracking the successes of state ballot initiatives. It entails bringing a lens of justice to the issues faced today. This webinar will equip faith-rooted advocates for advancing climate justice in the coming year. The webinar will be on Wednesday, December 14th at 1 pm ET/12 pm CT/11 am MT/10 am PT/8 am HT. Register online here.
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December Calendar at a Glance |
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Ordinations, Installations, Ecclesiastical Councils & More |
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Events in the Illinois Conference & Beyond |
Dec 11: A Living Nativity. 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. at St. Paul's Church in Elgin.
Dec 23: Conference office CLOSED in observance of Christmas Eve.
Dec 26: Conference office CLOSED in observance of Christmas Day.
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Conference and Association Committee Meetings |
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Dec 3: Personnel Committee Mtg. 9:30 a.m. via Zoom.
Dec 8: FVA Committee on Ministry. 9:00 a.m. via Zoom.
Dec 8: CMA Church & Ministry. 12:00 p.m. via Zoom.
Dec 20: FAB Committee Meeting. 9:00 a.m. via Zoom.
Dec 20: Western Committee on Ministry. 9:00 a.m. via Zoom.
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Resources, Education, Employment |
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Pathways Theological Education Courses
PATHWAYS Theological Education, Inc., invites you to explore its Progressive Christian theological education courses. Through the website you can connect with the Registrar about your interests and questions. Courses announced to date for Winter I Term (January 2023) include: UCC History and Polity, and a new Clinical Pastoral Education for Urban Settings. Other courses are available through conversation and expressed needs.
To view the PATHWAYS core three-level curriculum for ministerial preparation, leadership development and continuing education, go to the Ministerial Preparation page on the PATHWAYS website. To express an interest and explore further what courses may be available for the Winter 1 Term (January 2023), please contact the Registrar, Melissa Ashmore, (registrar@pathwaystheological.org) for a conversation about your interests and needs.
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Pastoral Residency Program
Wellesley Village Church, Massachusetts
This is a great first call opportunity with unique attributes for any graduating seminary students you might know. It is a two-year Pastoral Residency Program at the Wellesley Village Church in Wellesley, Massachusetts. This position is an ordainable call in the United Church of Christ, with a full-time salary and housing allowance of $60,000 a year (or $55,000 with free parsonage housing, if available), and full benefits.
- In the first year, Residents participate in all aspects of the life of the congregation: worship, faith formation, pastoral care, transformational leadership and professional development. With the staggered call process, our two residents have the opportunity to progress in learning and leadership with the support of a peer.
- In the second year, the Pastoral Residents are the primary source of worship design and leadership for our partner church, the Congregational Church of Weston. Second-year residents hone their leadership skills by being a part of all the activities of a small church: from the deaconate to stewardship, budgeting, and outreach.
- During both years, residents have opportunities to get to know our urban partner church, the Historic Charles Street AME Church in Roxbury, MA, and to help develop the proposed center for social justice at the Congregational Church of Weston.
- Throughout their service with us, residents receive extensive support and mentorship from both the pastors at Wellesley and congregations in both Wellesley and Weston.
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Advocate Aurora Health Care
Safely Reopening Our Doors Toolkit
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Recently Added Lay Employment Opportunities:
For more lay employment opportunity postings, click here.
Please let us know if you have a job opening you would like to share,
and also update us once the position is filled. Contact Sarah Lohrbach.
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Church Newsletter Request |
Please send us your newsletters so we can keep up with what's going on in your church.
Address for printed newsletters: Illinois Conference UCC, 1840 Westchester Blvd., Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154. Electronic newsletters: Please add Sarah Lohrbach at SarahLohrbach@ilucc.org to your church’s mailing list.
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THE ILLINOIS CONFERENCE UCC E-NEWSLETTER is published by the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, 1840 Westchester Blvd., Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154. The Rev. Molly Carlson, Conference Minister; Sarah Lohrbach, Editor. Copy may be sent to: SarahLohrbach@ilucc.org.
This communication is made possible by your contributions to
Our Church's Wider Mission (OCWM)
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Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ | (708) 344-4470
1840 Westchester Blvd., Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154
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