This Week's IGRC Events-full

IGRC Events-full

March 29, 2021

BMCR to produce Good Friday service

The IGRC chapter of Black Methodists for Church Renewal, in cooperation with IGRC Communications, is producing a Good Friday service built around the Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross.

The virtual service will air on Good Friday at 6 p.m.

Links will be found on the IGRC homepage, the IGRC Black Methodists for Church Renewal homepages, as well as the IGRC Online Worship Facebook group and Bishop Frank J. Beard's Facebook group.

Bishop's Easter message will air Sunday

Bishop Frank J. Beard's Easter message will air Sunday, April 4 at 7 a.m.

The link will be posted on the IGRC website, the IGRC Facebook group, the Bishop Frank J. Beard Facebook group and the IGRC Online Worship group.

Pre-Easter meetings now available for playback

For those unable to attend one of the seven Pre-Easter sessions with Bishop Frank Beard, you may access the March 25 session online. Just click the button below to start the playback.

VIEW THE BISHOP'S PRE-EASTER MEETING

Prentice Sermon in Astoria April 11

Astoria UMC will host the Annual Prentice Sermon on Sunday, April 11, at 10:30 a.m.

Paul Black, IGRC Director of Communication Ministries, will be speaking during the church's worship service. His message is entitled The Difference of One Letter, Black is also the Conference staff liaison to the Conference Commission on Archives and History, which co-sponsors the annual sermon event.

The Prentice Sermon began with a bequest from a Methodist layman in Springfield to honor a group of persons who are well known for their untiring proclamation of the Gospel, the pioneer Methodist circuit riding preachers. Hiram Buck Prentice made his bequest to the Illinois Conference in 1922 to pay the expenses of one of the ministers of the Illinois Conference to preach upon the topic, “the Ministry and service as exemplified by the lives and labors of pioneer preachers of the Illinois Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.”

Festival of Quilts to be hybrid event June 4-5

Cunningham Children’s Home has announced that the 17^th Annual Festival of Quilts will be a hybrid (part-online, part in-person) event on Friday, June 4 and Saturday, June 5.

For a suggested donation of $5 for admission,the Festival of Quilts, our signature fundraiser, features something for everyone:

Quilt Show with hundreds of hand and machine quilted pieces including contemporary designs as well as antique quilts on loan for the show
Quilt Auction featuring traditional and contemporary quilts and wall hangings
Gift Shop packed with generously donated handcrafted items
Bake Sale with homemade goodies and treats
Quilt Boutique with quilts, wall hangings, and table runners for purchase
Walking Tours of Cunningham’s Urbana campus to learn more about the mission and ministry of Cunningham Children’s Home
Featured speakers detailing their quilting expertise

Each year, Cunningham Children’s Home hosts its Festival of Quilts in the Spiritual Life Center on the Cunningham campus in Urbana. The Festival is Cunningham’s signature fundraiser and honors the tradition of the United Methodist Women, and the quilts they, and quilters from across Illinois, have donated for our kids since 1895.

To volunteer or to discuss becoming a sponsor, please contact Colleen Combes at 217.337.9058 or ccombes@cunninghamhome.org

Serve On Purpose on-demand video training

Have you started a new role in your church? Do you wish you had resources to help you understand how to serve effectively?

Since COVID-19 has made in-person district leader training opportunities impractical, we have pooled talent and wisdom across the conference to provide training for any Illinois Great Rivers Conference leader who desires to be better equipped as they serve.

Leaders, both lay and clergy, from throughout the Illinois Great Rivers Conference have put together short video segments to equip people serving in key roles in their church to serve in a way that effectively fulfills our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

The first series of videos offers training for the following areas: Church Council, Lay Leader, Lay Member of Annual Conference, Staff/Pastor Parish Relations, Finance Committee, and Board of Trustees. For each of these roles there is a video specific to that role and there are additional videos to equip you to serve effectively.

The good news is you don’t have to be available at a certain time or in a certain place to benefit from this training opportunity. It is all online and can be accessed at any time. Just go to https://www.igrc.org/leadership. The “Featured Links” at the right side of the page will take you to information tailored for your specific role in the church. (This page can also be accessed from the Leadership Resources menu item at the top of the IGRC.org homepage.)

The goal is that EVERY local church leader will serve on purpose and make a kingdom impact.

GO TO IGRC LEADERSHIP PAGE

Mediation skills training, refresher offered

The Lombard Mennonite Peace Center is offering both its full mediation skills training and a refresher course for those who have already taken its Mediation Skills Training Institute (MSTI).

The one-day refresher event will be Tuesday, May 11 and repeated on Saturday, June 12. The fee is $99, and the event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time. The full five-day version of MSTI is also available on May 3-7, June 21-25, August 2-6, October 11-15, and November 15-19, 2021.

The session in August will include the option for in-person attendance in the Chicago area. Registration for all events being offered by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center is open now at www.LMPeaceCenter.org/ticketspice/.

Questions? Please consult the attached MSTI Brochure, call 630-627-0507, or send an email to Admin@LMPeaceCenter.org.

ILCAAAP sponsors poster contest

Illinois Churches in Action, a statewide prevention organization, invites students in grades 6 - 12 to participate in the 26th Annual Alcohol Awareness Poster Contest.

Alcohol affects youth differently than adults. The Poster Contest teaches about the dangers of underage drinking and empowers students to think independently and make good choices.

Students should design artwork around the theme "Alcohol is a Drug, Don't Do Drugs." A new category for 2021 is COMPUTER GRAPHIC DESIGN. Top prizes include laptop, tablet, and Fire HD8. Entries due by April 30.

Entry instructions and more information at http://ilcaaap.org or call 866-940-6871.

Scholarships

MacMurray Foundation launches

MacMurray Scholars initiative

The MacMurray Foundation and Alumni Association announced recently the debut of its Scholarship program, MacMurray Scholars.

In this first year the Foundation intends to award at least 15 $1,000 scholarships but hopes to increase the number of scholarships and the amount of the individual scholarships in future years. Priority is given to members of the MacFam Community, including students whose MacMurray Education was disrupted by the closing of MacMurray College, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees and their descendants.

Among the scholarships currently available are the Richard and Judith Dozier Hackman Scholarship, the William Stanton Scholarship for Future Educators, the Class of 1981 Scholarship, and the Nancy Witthoeft Scholarship. The Foundation has extended the application deadline to May 1.for assistance for the 2021-2022 school year. For more information about our scholarships and to access the application, visit www.MacAlumFoundation.org/scholarships.

Sondra Newman Scholarship for women clergy

The IGRC Commission on the Status and Role of Women offers a scholarship for any woman who is 1) a certified candidate from IGRC; 2) enrolled in seminary for degree or course of study; 3) completed at least one semester of training 4) CPE applicants will be considered if no others apply

Priority Protocol:

Seminary applicants receive first consideration followed by course of study applicants. If there are no seminary or course of study applicants CPE applicants will be considered.

Submit the following:

Transcript from Seminary. (If in Course of Study, documentation that tells us what and how well you have done in the process.) Please send to address below.
Personal statement about her ministry
A letter of recommendation from one of the following: her pastor, candidacy mentor, field site supervisor or professor at the seminary
Financial Statements will be requested as needed
A statement of the District DCOM that is to be contacted to verify that she is a Certified Candidate

Availability: The scholarship is available once a year. Once a student receives the scholarship she is not eligible for another award for four years. There will be four scholarships available at $1,000 each.

Deadline: May 1, 2021: IGRC COSROW will review all submissions and select the scholarship recipient.

Barber Education Trust scholarships

The Onarga UMC’s Barber Education Trust is accepting scholarship applications from students who are planning to pursue full-time Christian service.

Applications may be obtained by contacting the Barber Scholarship Committee at Onarga UMC by email at methodistof@att.net or by U.S. Mail at 109 E. Seminary Ave., Onarga, IL 60955-1240. Applications are due by May 31 with scholarships awarded by July 15.

Full-time Christian service includes those pursuing ordained ministry, Christian Education, youth ministry or other specialized ministries within the church. The fund is designed to give preference to those persons who are from the Iroquois West School District, or who were raised in the boundaries of the Iroquois River District.

Applicants are not required to be United Methodist; however, some preference will be given to those who are United Methodist Church.

Established in 1975, the Barber Education Trust has awarded 144 scholarships grants totaling $61,877 have been awarded. A minimum grant amount of $500 is given with each scholarship.