Annual Conference update, registration open!
Plans are being finalized for the 2022 Annual Conference which will be a hybrid event June 9-11 at the Peoria Civic Center.
Clergy session
Clergy session will be June 4 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Melvin Price Convocation Center at McKendree University in Lebanon. The clergy session will also be a hybrid event.
Laity and full plenary session
Registration for June 9-11 session at Peoria is now open through May 27. Clergy need to register for both the clergy and the plenary sessions. Laity only need to register for the June 9-11 session. Registration for the June 9-11 session is at: https://www.igrc.org/ac2022registration
Pre-conference briefings
As part of our preparation for the upcoming 2022 Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference session on June 9-11, all lay and clergy Annual Conference members and interested guests are welcome to participate in a Pre-Conference Briefing.
These 90-minute briefings will provide an overview of proposed legislation, explanatory presentations, orientation to Conference processes, and respond to questions about legislation or reports. Annual Conference legislative materials will be sent to all registered members by May 1 and will be available on www.igrc.org. You may participate in any briefing, and there is no pre-registration for the briefings. The online briefings will be recorded for individual viewing and available on the Conference website.
Online Briefings
May 4, 1 p.m. – Online (Lifesize)
May 5, 7 p.m. -- Online (Lifesize)
Please use this login link or number:
Call in by Phone (audio only): +1 (312) 584-2401, extension 14213256#
In Person Briefings
May 7, 10 a.m. –Edwardsville: St. John’s UMC
May 12, 6 p.m. – Effingham: Centenary UMC
May 14, 10 a.m. –Champaign: New Horizon UMC
May 15, 4 p.m. –Mt. Vernon: First UMC
May 16, 6 p.m. –Marion: Aldersgate UMC
May 18, 6 p.m. – Rushville UMC
May 19, 6 p.m. – Galesburg: First UMC
May 23, 6 p.m. – Springfield: First UMC
May 26, 6 p.m. –Peoria: University UMC
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your District Superintendent, the host church, or IGRC Director of Connectional Ministries, Curtis Brown (cbrown@igrc.org).
MMDC collection in Peoria
Attendees to the 2022 Annual Conference are urged to have congregations collect items for the Midwest Mission Distribution Center. A trailer will be located at the Peoria Civic Center to accept those donations during the Annual Conference.
MMDC will be operating a drop-off site at Annual Conference. The trailer will be parked on the corner of SW Monroe and North William Kumpf Blvd. You are also welcome to drop your items off at one of the permanent collection sites located at Coal City UMC, Peoria: Forrest Hill UMC, Shiloh UMC, and Mt. Vernon West Salem Trinity UMC
Items most needed are:
· Liquid laundry soap, no larger than 150 oz.
· Dish soap, no larger than 64 oz.
· Liquid household cleaner, no larger than 80 oz.
· Five-gallon buckets with lids
Supplies can be collected and brought to Annual Conference or you may contribute to Advance Special #6620 and bring your offering with you.
Agenda
A draft agenda shows that the 2022 Annual Conference will begin with opening worship at 10 a.m. June 9. Bishop Jonathan Holston will be preaching.
The laity session will follow at 11 a.m. and the afternoon plenary session is slated to start at 2 p.m.
The Memorial Service with Bishop Holston preaching will be 7 p.m. Thursday. The recognition of 28 retirees with a combined service of nearly 700 years will be at 11 a.m. Friday. Rev. Janice Ringenberg, one of the retirees in the Class of 2022 will be preaching.
Saturday's schedule includes a Prayer Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and the Service of Ordination and Commissioning begins at 9:30 a.m. Bishop Frank J. Beard will be the preacher. Adjournment is expected to be around noon on Saturday.
Childcare and youth camp
On-site childcare will not be offered in Peoria for this year’s Session We appreciate that this in inconvenient, and hope that members will still be able to participate in person or online.
Offsite childcare will be provided for K-8th graders at the East Bay Mini Bay-Cation camp which is happening at the same time as Annual Conference. After finalizing your Annual Conference registration, Annual Conference members should email Curtis Brown (cbrown@igrc.org) before May 23 to be provided a discounted registration code so that the camp will cost only $125 and the age range extended for registered members. East Bay Camp is willing to work with members to accommodate their needs and drop-off times.
More information can be found about the camp here: https://www.eastbaycamp.org/campsessions. Specific questions about the camp programming, schedule, or age-range may be addressed to the IGRC Coordinator of Camping and Retreat Ministries, Rev. Nancy Lane (nlane@igrc.org) or Camping Operations Manager, Lea Schuler at 309-365-7531 or by emailing camping@igrc.org.
Covenant to Keep Each Other Well at Annual Conference
Registrants must answer the question about agreeing to the following covenant during Annual Conference in order to be on-site.
The people of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference agree about many things, but we also have our differences. Our covenant of relationship and care for each other helps us bridge those differences and live in community together while we follow and serve Jesus Christ. As we prepare to gather for our 2022 Annual Conference session on June 9-11 in Peoria, we agree to put aside personal differences or risk assessments about COVID-19 and agree to this covenant of mutual wellness.
The IGRC Committee on Annual Conference Sessions asks each on-site member and visitor to Annual Conference to:
- Strongly consider becoming fully vaccinated before arriving on-site for Annual Conference (if it is medically advisable for you to do so)
- .If you are not fully vaccinated, please take a test for COVID-19 within 48 hours of your planned arrival on-site. If you test positive for COVID-19, adjust your plans to participate in Annual Conference on-line and do not come in person. No one will be checking tests or vaccination cards at the door, but we are expecting our IGRC community to be honest with each other about this.
- At this time, our meeting is not in an area of high COVID-19 community risk, but some people who are at higher risk of serious disease may still choose to wear a mask indoors or in crowded places.
- If you have or develop any symptoms of COVID-19, adjust your plans to participate in Annual Conference on-line and do not come in person. These symptoms include fever, cough, headache, congestion, runny nose, or nausea.
Each member or participant at Annual Conference will be asked at registration to agree to support the mutual wellness through this covenant that states:
- I agree to abide by the health safety plan put forward by the IGRC Committee on Annual Conference Sessions. This plan states all Annual Conference members and visitors will abide by safety recommendations made by local, state, or federal public health officials.
- I understand that conditions and recommendations may change before the start of Annual Conference, and I will pay attention to communications from the IGRC with any updates.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out the Chair of the IGRC Committee on Annual Conference Sessions, Rev. Curtis Brown: cbrown@igrc.org
Parking Passes and Special Meals
Parking will be managed by the Peoria Civic Center – no parking passes will be sold through IGRC. The Peoria Civic Center has two convenient parking lots located right next to the facility.
The Peoria Civic Center Fulton Lot is located on the corner of Fulton Street and Monroe Street.
The Peoria Civic Center Marquee Lot is located off Kumpf Blvd. There will be plenty of designated handicap parking spaces available, if needed. The daily rate for parking at each of these lots is $7.
Special meals are somewhat more limited this year as there has been a significant price
increase due to the Civic Center closing its catering service. All catering for special meals is with a third-party vendor.
Concessions will be open within the Peoria Civic Center and there are several restaurants within walking distance from the Civic Center. The Annual Conference agenda has also been adjusted to provide two hour meal breaks instead of the standard 90 minutes.
The following special meals will be available at registration:
Thursday lunch: Disaster Response Ministries ($20) and Illinois Wesleyan University ($20)
Friday lunch: Asbury Theological Seminary Alumni and Friends ($20); Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary ($20); PASBF Retired Ministers and Spouses ($10; limited seating available); UM Foundation ($20).
Saturday breakfast: All Community Prayer Breakfast ($17 adults, kids 5 and under Free)
In addition, the IGRC chapter of the Wesleyan Covenant Association will host a breakfast on Friday from 7 to 8 a.m. at Peoria First UMC. Cost is $5, payable at the door. Pre-register at the following link: https://fumcpeoria.wufoo.com/forms/q15f5l1p010uvac/
