The Current Week in Review
August 6, 2021
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We resume publication of the weekly Current Week in Review today after not publishing last week due to staff vacations. |
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Conference Center safety practices announced
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois Great Rivers Conference is updating and revising its COVID-19 safety practices for its staff and visitors to the IGRC Conference Center and other IGRC staff workplaces, effective immediately.
- All staff and visitors to the IGRC Conference Center will sign-in upon entering and sign-out upon exiting.
- All visitors to the IGRC Conference Center will need to be admitted and escorted by a staff person. The IGRC Trustees, Personnel Committee, Extended Cabinet and Bishop have agreed with the risk management assessment conducted by Church Mutual insurance to keep the exterior doors of the Conference Center locked for the physical safety of our employees and guests.
- All staff and visitors who are not yet full vaccinated will be required to wear a face mask while inside the IGRC Conference Center or other IGRC staff workplaces.
- All staff and visitors who are fully vaccinated will be required to wear a face mask while inside the IGRC Conference Center or other IGRC staff workplaces whenever the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the Illinois Department of Public Health, or local county Department of Public Health recommends doing so. Currently, they recommend wearing masks during periods of “high” or “substantial” viral community transmission according to the CDC’s tracking metrics found at: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view.
- Staff members who are alone in their workspace with the door closed may remove their masks while they work.
- All staff and visitors will maintain social distance of six feet between other people while inside the IGRC Conference Center or other IGRC staff workplaces.
- In addition to wearing masks and social distancing, all staff and visitors should avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, wash hands often, cover coughs and sneezes, clean high touch surfaces, and regularly monitor their health in accordance with CDC recommendations: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html.
The Illinois Great Rivers Conference is not planning to issue any new Conference-wide safety recommendations beyond our current guidance that local church health safety teams and leaders honor recommendations of local, state, and national public health officials. This may mean that your church leaders will need to discuss this new CDC recommendation and evaluate the risk level of your community.
The Delta variant of COVID-19 is proving to be much more easily transmitted and is an especially dangerous threat to unvaccinated people, including those with reduced immunity, medical conditions that make vaccination impossible, and children under the age of 12 who are not yet eligible for vaccination.
Vaccination remains the best tool to reduce the risk of COVID-19 for yourself, your church, and your community. The risk of a serious case of COVID-19 and the community risk of viral transmission is significantly lowered through vaccinations. If you want to find a vaccination site in your area, please visit the Illinois Department of Public Health website:
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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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Scam centers on 'medical bills' for the bishop
The first of the month brings a new round of scams aimed at separating you from your money. The latest? A financial appeal for Bishop Frank Beard aimed at medical bills. The scam says the Bishop is in the hospital and had his vocal cords removed. While it is true that Bishop Beard is incurring medical bills and he would tell you he could always find use for additional money, he is not seeking such help. The appeal is tied to a fake Facebook Messenger account. While it may tug on our heart strings, this is another time where someone is trying to enrich themselves at your expense. DON’T FALL FOR IT!
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Bishop Beard convalescing following eye surgery
Bishop Frank Beard is recuperating from eye surgery at Mayo Clinic July 28.
Initial reports indicate the surgery went well. There is now an 8 to 10 week period of healing before surgery on the other eye with another 8 to 10 week period of healing. The bishop has weekly visits with the doctors to monitor his progress.
Thanks for your continued prayers for him, wife Melissa and family for relief of eye pain/discomfort, endurance, and safe travels,
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IGRC Church & Society unveils Food Stories
The IGRC Board of Church & Society are sharing food stories and their history on a new video series Food Stories.
Enjoy the full interview with Iroquois River District Angie Lee as she shares about her life as she prepares a Korean dish.
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Beulah Camp Meeting begins tonight
Audio recordings of the 119th Beulah Holiness Camp Meeting are now posted on the camp website.
Information on the 2022 camp meeting, scheduled for July 22-29, 2022, will be posted this weekend.
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September appeal for Our Conference, Our Kids in honor of Bishop Beard's fifth anniversary
Sept. 1 marks the fifth anniversary of Bishop Frank Beard's tenure as Bishop of the Illinois Area and the Committee on Episcopacy and Our Conference Our Kids Steering Team are collaborating to underscore our appreciation for Bishop Beard’s leadership.
Please join us in celebrating his ministry by engaging in prayer and by collecting a special offering in September from Sunday, Sept. 5 to Sept. 26.
Additional resources will be made available for churches to use during September.
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Evangelism pioneer Eddie Fox dies
The Rev. H. Eddie Fox became synonymous with Methodist evangelism over a long career of sharing the gospel worldwide.
Whether it was delivering bicycles to Cuban pastors, helping local churches in Eastern Europe begin or revive after communism collapsed there, creating a New Testament edition designed for effective witnessing or finding innovative ways for the World Methodist Evangelism organization to do its work, Fox created a legacy that is large and lasting, admirers say.
Fox, an ordained United Methodist elder in the Holston Conference, died in the early morning of July 28, at age 83, after having been in hospice care in his hometown of Sevierville, Tenn.
From 1989 to 2014, Fox led World Methodist Evangelism, a part of the World Methodist Council.
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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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