This Week's Current Week in Review

The Current Week in Review

October 21, 2022

Jurisdictions to elect 14 new bishops

Just ahead of Americans heading to the polls for Election Day, United Methodist delegates will be heading to five simultaneous jurisdictional conferences across the U.S. to elect new bishops.

But unlike during previous bishop elections, jurisdictional leaders are recommending that the delegates gathering Nov. 2-5 not fill every vacant episcopal office.

All told, 20 United Methodist bishops in the U.S. will have retired between 2021 and the end of this year. However, at this point, the recommendation is to elect 14 new bishops.

The elections will bring the number of active U.S. bishops up to 40, but the U.S. currently has 46 episcopal areas.

It will be up to each jurisdiction’s college of bishops and committee on the episcopacy to arrange coverage of the remaining episcopal areas either by asking retired bishops to serve in an interim capacity or assigning bishops to serve more than one episcopal area as 16 bishops have done over the past two pandemic-marred years. All active bishops are eligible for reassignment at jurisdictional conferences.

Most jurisdictions also will have to vote on the number of bishops to elect when they meet Nov. 2-5.

Bishop to host virtual clergy meetings on disaffiliation Nov. 7

Bishop Beard also announced this morning that three virtual sessions for IGRC clergy will be held on Monday, Nov. 7.

The 90-minute sessions will start at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

The sessions will be a time where questions may be asked concerning disaffiliation issues and its effect on clergy status.

Registration for the three sessions is required and the form will be live early next week.

DOWNLOAD "OUR UNITED METHODIST BELIEFS"

Listening Sessions slated

Each of the five regions comprising the new districts will be invited to attend Listening Sessions during the month of November aimed at hearing concerns and feedback to the proposed reorganization plan. The sessions are designed at providing additional explanation and clarify details to the plan.

Bishop Beard is inviting United Methodists to consider these three questions during the Listening Session:

“What if anything, is unique about this district, that we do not want to lose?”
“How do we assist two districts in coming together to form a new district?”
“How do we assist our district laity and clergy in being better connected?”

After the listening sessions are completed, each district’s leadership team will be formed and will begin functioning to ensure a smooth transition.

The webpage will be updated as additional sessions are announced by the Superintendents. Check back often to find one near you.

VISIT THE IGRC REORGANIZATION WEBPAGE

Invitation to Breakthrough Prayer

Psalm 127:1a says, “Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.” IGRC is undergoing a restructuring. The 2022 Annual Conference approved going from 10 Districts to five Districts effective July 1, 2023.

The Bishop, Extended Cabinet, and IGRC Committees are working on how to “build our [IGRC] house.” We are inviting the entire Annual Conference to join with us in calling upon God to breakthrough and guide our plans.

Throughout October and November, we are covenanting together to pray for ONE MINUTE each day asking God to breakthrough and reveal God’s will. You are welcome to utilize the prayer provided below or your own prayer. Opportunities will be provided throughout the IGRC to receive what you are hearing from God during this prayer time.

In light of Psalm 127:1, you are invited to join with the Bishop & Extended Cabinet to pray wherever you are at 1:27 p.m. for one minute. It is suggested that folks set a daily alarm on their phones at 1:27 p.m. (to begin your prayer time) and at 1:28 p.m. (to close your prayer time).

Potential Prayer:

Gracious and Merciful God, we come before You acknowledging that Your ways are higher than ours and Your wisdom is greater than ours. While we love and care deeply for our communities and congregations, Your Love for the people of and in IGRC is greater than ours. We also know that You do nothing except in believing prayer. So, we are calling out to You and asking for You to breakthrough in new and fresh ways. Reveal to us and our leaders Your will, Your guidance, Your direction. Bring Your wisdom as we seek to restructure in ways that will allow us to be more faithful and fruitful in making disciples of Jesus the Christ that will lead to our world being transformed in God-glorifying ways. Thank You, in advance, for working in and through us to accomplish Your plans and purposes. Please speak for Your servant is listening…. Amen.

A possible devotional companion to the breakthrough prayer is Dynamite Prayer: A 28-Day Experiment by Rosario Picardo and Sue Nelson-Kibbey. The book is available through Amazon.com as a paperback for $14.99. A Kindle version is instantly available.

DOWNLOAD "BREAKTHROUGH PRAYER CALENDAR

Updated clergy photos, church photos needed

IGRC Communications is updating clergy and church information on the IGRC website in preparation for a launch Jan. 1 of a clergy portal that will enable clergy to update their information in real time.

Churches will also migrate over to a new Church Dashboard that will enable churches to update its leadership roll at any time during the year as well as contact information. The Church Dashboard also will have online journals that enable the church to see what money has been remitted to the Conference as well as itemization of benevolent and mission giving.

You can assist in this transition time by uploading a photo of the church below. The photo should not be downsized nor taken from Facebook but rather a photo that can be attached to an email (do not embed the photo in a Word document either).

Pastors can take a look at the Clergy Locator to view their current photo. If a different photo is desired, the photo can be uploaded and it will be put in the clergy locator file for that pastor. Pastors also will have the opportunity to get a new photo taken at the 2023 Covenant Keepers event Feb. 27-28 in O'Fallon.

UPLOAD CHURCH OR CLERGY PHOTO

Internship program opens for applicants,

host churches

Applications for the 2023 and 2023-24 IGRC Intern Program open Saturday, October 1. Prospective interns, mentors, and host churches/ministries are all invited to apply. The program handbook and application links are available at the IGRC Intern page by clicking the button below.

Priority deadline is Jan 17, 2023. Final deadline is March 1, 2023.

Charge conference forms online

Forms for charge conferences which will be held in the fall are now available through your Church Portal Page.

To access the documents, click on Church Portal on the IGRC Homepage or go to: https://www.igrc.org/churchportal to find the log-in page. Select your District from the dropdown menu. This will trigger a second drop-down menu where you select your Church. The passcode is the church's six-digit GCFA number which can be found on the monthly remittance form for apportionment payments.

In preparation for charge conferences in the fall, the Finance Office has prepared two pages of information that will assist you in your budget building for 2023.

A document outlining the Clergy Benefits and Costs for 2023 includes action taken by the 2022 Annual Conference with regard to minimum salaries for full-time elders and full-time local pastors.

A second document Important Numbers for Charge Conference provides additional information and background. The Apportionment calculations and the Charge Conference forms will be published in the next few weeks.

Churches that have been identified as receiving an additional member to annual conference for equalization purposes should elect that person at the church's charge conference.