This Week's IGRC Events-full

IGRC Events-full

April 26, 2021

Registration for 2021 Annual Conference

Registration for the 2021 Annual Conference has opened through June 1.

The 2021 gathering will be a virtual meeting June 11-12. Details about the gathering and the schedule can be found in the April issue of The Current.

Registrants will be asked to indicate whether they are lay or clergy and lay members will be asked whether they are the lay member from their church, the equalization member or a District at-large member. This will assist in verification before voter credentials are emailed to participants the week prior to Annual Conference.

All eight remote sites have been confirmed: Marion Aldersgate, Belleville St. Matthew, Salem Grace, Champaign New Horizon, Bloomington Wesley, Pekin Grace, Quincy Vermont Street and Galesburg First.

Congregations are reminded that if its lay member(s) are different than those elected at the 2020 charge conference, they must complete a Change Form. Churches that were designated for an additional lay member for equalization purposes must also complete a form and return it to the District office so that these can be updated. Also copy Doug Stone (dstone@igrc.org) on the email so that the master list is updated as well. This will speed up the verification process for issuance of credentials.

Links are provided for both equalization and lay member changes below.

CHANGE IN LAY MEMBER FORM

EQUALIZATION MEMBER FORM

ABSENTEE REQUEST FORM

Making a Good Move workshop

A seminar designed to be helpful to pastors with new appointments and congregations receiving a new pastor will be held online on Saturday, May 8 from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to p.m. Both sessions are required attendance.

Bishop Frank J. Beard with Rev,. Mike Crawford, IGRC Coordinator of Congregational Development, will be facilitating the online workshop which is designed to enhance ministry and to prepare 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 is open through May 1.

Mission u 2021 registration open

Because of constraints forced by Covid-19, this year's United Methodist Women's Mission u will be virtual.

In an effort to make the studies as stress free as possible for the participants, the format will consist of three pre-recorded sessions to be viewed at your convenience between July 1 and the closing live session listed below. Each study will offer a choice of two times to attend a live, interactive (virtual) session to give participants opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion.

You can access the entire program from your own home or district to view the segments together if permitted by state gathering guidelines at the time. Check with your local or district president if you need to meet outside your home.

If you need additional information, please contact registrars Cinda or Stephen Pringle at 217-468-2265 or 217-412-4286. Text messages can be sent to 217-358-9987; or Mission u Dean Diane Goff at 618-383-1573.

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DOWNLOAD BROCHURE

Virtual lay servant classes available

The Sangamon River District Lay Servant Ministries is hosting virtual basic and advanced lay servant ministry classes that are open to all of the IGRC districts..

The Basic Lay Servant Ministry course will be offered on May 22 and June 5 (both sessions required) on the Zoom platform. Cost is $15 and deadline for registering is Wednesday, April 28. Cost is $15.

There are two advanced courses, both of which count toward the Certified Lay Speaker track:

Discover Your Spiritual Gifts, May 15, from 9 to 4 p.m. and May 16, from 2 to 5 p.m. on the Zoom platform. Cost is $15 and deadline for registering is May 7.
Leading Worship, June 26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and June 27, from 2 to 5 p.m. on the Lifesize platform. Cost is $15 and deadline for registering is June 20.

Questions may be directed to Sangamon River District Director of Lay Servant Ministries Carol Conover or read more to obtain additional information

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, Cunningham's 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

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.

Click on the graphic above to register

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.