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Celebrate Africa Day

First United Methodist Church of Oak Lawn (10000 Central Avenue (100th & Central) Oak Lawn) presents African Day on Sunday, July 31, 2022, from 9 AM to 1 PM. It is a family-friendly free event. Come and enjoy the African style of worship, songs, cultural dances, delicious African food, and an exhibition of African Arts. Come and experience Africa in America at Oak Lawn. If you have questions please contact Pastor Amos Oladipo, oladipoamos@yahoo.com, Marty Linderborg (lay leader) or the First Office fumcoffice1@att.net

Lake South District Confirmation Class 2022-2023

Teens 7th grade - high school are invited to participate in a joint Confirmation Program starting Sunday, September 18th and hosted by UMC Palos UMC and First UMC of Evergreen Park. informational meeting will be held on Sunday, September 11, at 6pm. Please contact Miss Kim at kids@faithumcop.org or District Superintendent Jacques Conway at jconway@UMCNIC.org for additional information. 

Lake South District Percussion Academy 

The mission of this Academy is to instruct youth in the development of marching drumming skills for those interested in high school or college marching bands and drum corps ensembles or simply to be part of a great enjoyable program that builds self esteem, character while meeting new friends and performing across the Conference. Persons who interested in additional information or applying to the program need to contact Leola Tucker, Lake South Administrative Assistant, at ltucker@umcnic.org for date and location of the informational session.

Since 1894, Kids Above All (formerly ChildServ) has placed the safety, well-being, and education of kids above everything else. Running through the summer, you can help ensure that the hundreds of kids in their care have the supplies they need to succeed this school year through the agency's annual backpack drive. Click for details.

The Northern Illinois Conference is offering 6 training options to help meet our goal of ensuring safe spaces in our churches.

The trainings are being offered both on-line via zoom and in-person.

The dates offered are:

• Thursday, June 23 - 6:30 pm - Plainfield UMC (Event Complete)
• Wednesday, June 29 - 6:30 pm - Plainfield UMC (Event Complete)
• Saturday, July 16 - 1:00 pm - Des Plaines: First UMC (Event Complete)
• Saturday, July 30 - 10:00 am - Rockford: Christ UMC
• Saturday, August 6 - 10:00 am - Rockford: Christ UMC
• Saturday, August 20 - 1:00 pm - Des Plaines: First UMC

Find more information and register here.

**This free training is an alternative for those who cannot participate in other training options and does not include a background check.

Also, we have redone our NIC Safe Sanctuaries Website. Check out the site for videos, policies, FAQ, downloads and more resources.

Connecting NIC Youth Leaders in Learning & Service

The Discipleship Task Force began a collaboration with the Anti-racism Task Force in February of this year to discern a way forward to best engage local church youth leaders in meaningful, connectional experiences where Christ is revealed through prayer, information sharing, reflections, and action to better serve our youth. As a follow-up, youth leaders are invited for a meeting, lunch, and volunteer opportunity on Sat., August 6, from 9 am – 12 pm. We will spend about one hour of our time together filling backpacks for Kids Above All, which will be given to youth returning to school. The meeting location is 8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago, IL. Space is limited. Please email Amania Drane at adrane@umcnic.org by Fri., July 29, 4 pm if you are interested. You will be notified to let you know if space is still available.

Mission u Summer 2022

August 19 & 20

United Women in Faith Northern Illinois Conference (formerly UMW) is offering classes for all ages. There are 4 locations for in person and will also offer a virtual option.

• The adult curriculum, Who Can We Be Together, brings participants deeper into Jesus’ teachings to explore what it means to be in community.
• The youth curriculum, Community in the Midst of Challenging Times, will help young people interpret scripture for today’s world, and deepen community connections through intergenerational dialogue.
• Through transformative activities and spiritual practices, participants in the children’s curriculum, Our Growing Tree, will discover joy and empowerment in the scriptures and find support in their journeys of self-love and community building.

Find out more information here.

Online Via Zoom & In Person - Euclid Avenue UMC, 405 S Euclid Ave, Oak Park, IL

Free event with lunch included. More information here.

2nd Annual Rally Against Racism

With recent racially motivated violence and deadly attacks in the news, once again we come together in solidarity to stand against hate and racism.

Last summer, the NIC Annual Conference Shepherding Team (ACST) and the Anti-racism Task Force (ARTF) joined together to spearhead a way for churches to visibly show their commitment “to live out the conviction that racism is incompatible with Christian teaching.”

Several churches participated by holding rallies in a variety of different ways. Churches were encouraged to be creative and hold Do-it-Yourself or DIY rallies. Click here to watch a video from last summer's rallies.

Join with churches across the Northern Illinois Conference this summer (May through September) to Rally Against Racism. Learn more and sign up today.

Difference Makers Initiative

The Difference Maker initiative is up and running! Please go to the Difference Maker webpage. Click on the Honored Difference Makers tab to read a stories including one about Rev. Brittany Isaac and a story about Rev. Raydean Davis, a Different Maker in her life. You can also view a video made by Rev. Jacques Conway about a Difference Maker in his life.

Please go to umcnic.org/differencemakers and click on Tell Your Story to open an online form. You can also click on the Honored Difference Makers tab to read stories that have been told by others.

UVC 2022 Award Nominations

Each year, UVC gives these special awards to honor extraordinary volunteer service or advocacy efforts on behalf of children, youth and/or families throughout the Northern Illinois Conference. There are three awards: the Bishop Jesse. R. DeWitt Award, the Katherine B. Greene Award, and the Rev. Margaret Ann Williams Award. Learn more and submit nominations. Nominations are due July 31st.

NIC Job Opening - Events Coodinator

We are currently seeking a qualified candidate to come join the NIC Program Area team as an Events Coordinator/Administrative Assistant.

The event planner is responsible for all events and registration offered at the conference and district level, either through planning, or guidance for those who do the planning, so every event will have the same high quality of branding and execution. The event planner must have exceptional customer service skills and support capabilities with a passion for planning events. They must be able to work with staff teams and engage volunteer committees to accomplish the task.

This job is a hybrid, full-time position with flexible hours. Some weekend and evening work is required for event support. The position includes both Health Insurance upon hire (with wellness incentives) and Pension Benefits after a vesting period. 

If you know someone who would be interested, click here for the job description and to apply.

Do you have news to share?

We are always looking for stories of what is happening in the local church.  We welcome articles from churches highlighting ministries, outreach, and missions which tell the story of being vital Christians. Events considered should be of conference-wide appeal and United Methodist-related. 

District eNews are sent out the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month. Please submit stories and events by end of business on the 2nd and 4th Mondays. Space is limited. Stories of fewer than 250 words are preferred. Submissions will be edited at the discretion of Communications staff. Information can be emailed to communications@umcnic.org.

Check out our Submit News page for more details. 

Rev. Dr. Jacques A. Conway

Lake South District Superintendent

jconway@umcnic.org

312-346-9766 ext. 783

Leola Tucker

Administrative Assistant

ltucker@umcnic.org

312-346-9766 ext 733

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