The Current Week in Review
April 9, 2021
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Annual Conference registration open
Registration for the 2021 Annual Conference is now open through June 1.
The dates for the 2021 Annual Conference will be June 11-12.
The theme for the 2021 Annual Conference is A Time to Heal, based upon Ecclesiastes 3
Participants will be able to join the Annual Conference session online from their homes or they may choose one of eight remote sites from which to view the sessions and participate. The remote locations for annual conference are as follows:
- Marion Aldersgate UMC (Cache River District)
- Belleville St. Matthew UMC (Mississippi River District)
- Salem Grace UMC (Kaskaskia River District)
- Champaign New Horizon UMC (Iroquois River District)
- Bloomington Wesley UMC (Vermilion River DIstrict)
- Pekin Grace UMC (Illinois River District)
- Quincy Vermont Street UMC (LaMoine River District)
- Galesburg First UMC (Spoon River District)
Utilizing the knowledge gained from the virtual 2020 Annual Conference, participants will be able to offer speeches for and against and ask questions during the plenary session, slated for Saturday, June 12 from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. The Annual Conference will be using the Zoom platform, utilizing the polling feature for voting (the same as last year) and the Q & A feature for posting questions or asking for recognition to speak for or against the motion.
No amendments or changes to the legislation will be possible. However, the Sessions Committee will be holding Pre-Conference meetings to address both technological issues as well as answer questions on the legislation.
The clergy session will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 11 and the laity session will be the same day from 5 to 7 p.m.
Bishop Sharma Lewis, episcopal leader of the Richmond Area (Virginia Annual Conference) will be preaching opening worship on Saturday.
Ordination and Commissioning services will be a week later – on Saturday, June 19. Commissioning will be aired in the morning with Ordination in the afternoon. Both services will be held with limited seating for family at Champaign Faith UMC. It will be aired live via the webstream.
The annual Memorial Service, which remembers those clergy, spouses and members of the annual conference, will be aired Thursday, June 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and the Retiree Recognition Service will be aired Friday, June 11, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Both services’ broadcasts will premiere at those assigned times but playback will be possible on all broadcasts of the Annual Conference following their airings.
Once registration is open, persons will need to register in order to obtain credentials once the screening process is completed the first week of June. Because of needing secure access to the room, persons will register, been confirmed as voting members and receive two log-ins – one for either the clergy or laity session on Friday, and one for the joint plenary session on Saturday.
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Bishop announce interim superintendents
Bishop Frank J. Beard announced Monday the appointments of Rev. Mary Kathryn Pearce and Rev. Carol Lakota Eastin to the position of Interim District Superintendent of the Illinois and Kaskaskia Rivers districts, effective July 1 through Dec. 31, 2021.
According to Bishop Beard, “These part-time Interim appointments will allow us sufficient time to implement the structures and processes that will assist the Cabinet in moving from ten superintendents to eight superintendents without creating major disruptions within the current district operations.”
Pearce is completing eight years as Illinois River District Superintendent and Eastin is completing seven years as Kaskaskia River District Supertindent. According to the Book of Discipline, superintendents can serve six years but that can be extended to a maximum of eight years. Because these are interim appointments, they fall outside those term limits.
The IGRC is currently working on a conference restructuring plan. A fully-developed plan will be presented to the 2022 Annual Conference. The Bishop, with the help of a team from the GCFA, are seeking to proactively address issues pertaining to the organizational structure of the episcopal area. Annual Conferences across the North Central Jurisdiction are undergoing similar efforts to streamline operations in an effort to address the reality of changing demographics and financial concerns.
United Methodist annual conferences all around us are currently undergoing significant restructuring. Some of these conferences have been forced to cut conference staff, reduce the number of superintendents and expand the size of districts, and develop new methods and strategies for accomplishing mission and ministry. Most of the changes that have been made in other areas is due to a downturn in financial support.
“The IGRC is in a very strong financial position,” says Bishop Beard, and “we are not making changes because of a lack of money. We are trying to position ourselves so that whatever happens in the General Church, the IGRC will be able to respond with nimbleness and quickness so that we can continue to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
There are currently no plans to redraw any of the current district lines. All ten districts will remain as they are. The two retiring DSes will not be replaced and have consented to continue on a part-time basis to assist with the transition from 10 DS'es to eight.
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Making a Good Move workshop
Bishop Frank J. Beard and Mike Crawford, IGRC Coordinator of Congregational Development will be leading a seminar designed to be helpful as pastors begin new appointments and congregations receive new pastors.
The workshop, Making a Good Move, will be held virtually on Zoom on Saturday, May 8, with the sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. BOTH SESSIONS ARE REQUIRED. This webinar is designed to enhance your ministry and to prepare you for a successful transition.
ALL clergy that are receiving a new appointment are expected to be present at this webinar along with representatives of their new church/charge.
There is no charge for this workshop; Registration for you and your team can be made online through May 1.
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Healing the Hurt in Brooklyn Center: How to help
On Sunday, the Twin Cities suburb of Brooklyn Center became known nationwide after a police officer killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a black man, during a traffic stop. Since then, mass demonstrations have taken place within the city—and law enforcement officers have used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, and projectiles to clear the crowds.
Revs. Rich Zeck and Henry Dolopei, who serve Brooklyn UMC, and Laquaan Malachi, who serves North UMC in Minneapolis, have been ministering to hurt and angry congregation and community members and helping residents whose lives and businesses have been impacted by the response to the officer-involved shooting. Zeck has identified several ways other United Methodists can join them.
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African bishops not united on church future
While many in the U.S. consider Africa a solid political bloc within The United Methodist Church, African bishops currently are not of one mind about the denomination’s future or their place in it.
Other African episcopal leaders, such as Zimbabwe Area Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa, have not joined in such statements and appear open to exploring options for staying in the denomination. At present, the denomination has 12 African bishops.
“We respect each other even in our differences,” said Nhiwatiwa, interim president of the African bishops’ table, in a statement after the group met last month. “From the look of it the majority of us (African) bishops are not contemplating leaving The United Methodist Church.”
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Film puts Korean Americans center stage
United Methodists Julian Kim and Peter Lee didn’t see their lives represented in Hollywood films, so they did it themselves.
Happy Cleaners, an independent film set in the diverse Flushing neighborhood in Queens, New York, is about a Korean American family that owns a struggling dry-cleaning business. It is available to stream on Apple TV, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play and YouTube.
“I think when you see images of Korean Americans depicted on screen, they’re always the kind of side character … and definitely stereotyped,” Kim said. “Sometimes it’s a model minority, a very kind of silent (person) who works hard and achieves big dreams.”
In addition, Asian Americans have faced attacks recently because some mistakenly blame them for the spread of the coronavirus.
These assumptions aren’t the reality, the filmmakers said.
“We’re struggling working-class Americans like many of you out there,” Lee said. “So, let’s just connect on that level. I hope that we’re able to share that a little bit (in Happy Cleaners).”
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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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