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The Current Week in Review
February 6, 2021
Annual Conference will be virtual June 11-12

The Annual Conference Sessions Committee approved Friday a recommendation to conduct the 2021 Annual Conference online June 11-12.

The decision followed a report that it was doubtful that the State of Illinois would be allowing large gatherings of people by June. There was also affirmation to having both the Memorial Service and Retirees Recognition as virtual events as on-demand viewing in the week leading up to the Annual Conference. The approach mirrors what was used in 2020.

Decisions yet to be addressed is whether Ordination and Commissioning will be a separate event and whether an additional session to consider items which may derive from a 2021 session of General Conference will be needed and whether such a session could be in-person if late enough in fall 2021.

Details are still being worked out but the committee discussed several options for opening the legislative process to more interaction. In 2020, conferees adopted rules of order not allowing amendments and all legislation was voted upon on an up or down vote.

Committee members are balancing the added complexities the additional interaction will require from a technology standpoint and from the comfort level of participants to use the complex system.

Remote sites will be a part of the 2021 plan but with fewer locations. In 2020, 13 sites were utilized by 165 persons, while 1,000 persons joined the online meeting room. The 2021 concept is to have fewer sites with larger gatherings -- probably in six locations around the conference.

Pages for the Annual Conference session will be launched Monday with a checklist and a list of deadlines. The first deadline is for all legislation with financial impacts on the conference budget must be submitted by Feb. 15.
This week's Coronavirus Update

The entire Illinois Great Rivers Conference (Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7) is now in Phase 4 with no mitigations.

  • Churches may gather indoors for any purpose in groups of 50 and less
  • Churches with larger rooms may gather indoor groups of up to 25% of the room capacity, but may not exceed 100 people in total
  • Churches may gather out-of-doors in groups of any size with proper distancing and masks
  • Children and youth ministry programs may occur
  • Social distancing, face masks, and other precautions should be taken for all activities
  • Churches should not practice group singing
  • Church buildings may be open all kinds of groups and meetings of appropriate size, and all church staff and volunteers can regularly use the building
  • Facemasks and social distancing are required

Congregational singing and serving of meals and snacks are still not advised until Phase 5. These two activities have been seen as the source of virus spread when churches are at the center of an outbreak.

Because the metrics are very fluid, the regions could move between Wednesday announcements. When this occurs, the church is asked to use prudent judgment and decide based upon the congregation's comfort level.
Cabinet hosting a virtual
Ash Wednesday service March 17

The IGRC Cabinet will host a virtual Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday, March 17, at 6 p.m. The service will be linked on the IGRC Online Worship Facebook page and the IGRC website.

Bishop Frank J. Beard will deliver a reflection with members of the Cabinet providing Scripture. A blessing over the ashes and oil and an imposition of ashes will be part of the service.

The Cabinet, in cooperation with IGRC Communications, is producing the service after there was widespread praise for a similar service on Christmas Eve. Music will be provided by persons with ties to the Illinois Great Rivers Conference.
Webinar planned for jurisdictional delegates

The Council of Bishops and jurisdictional leaders plan to hold a webinar for U.S. General Conference and jurisdictional delegates at 1 p.m. U.S. Central time Feb. 13. The event will include presentations on the Episcopal Fund, the Jurisdictional Study Committee report and General Conference options.

Following the webinar, delegations will be in breakout sessions by episcopal area. Delegation chairs will be facilitating the delegation discussion.
Guidelines issued for attendance with virtual worship, other statistics for year-end reporting

The IGRC Finance office has sent the following email to appointed pastors and local church treasurers concerning the Ezra statistical reports for 2020. A link can be found on the IGRC Homepage at the top. Deadline for filing is Feb. 28.
Click on the graphic above to Read More about these webinars
Click on the graphic above to register online
Both_And
Hybrid worship experience webinar

The IGRC Office of Congregational Development will host Both/And: Maximizing Hybrid Worship Experiences for Online and In-Person Audiences on Tuesday, March 2 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

Jason Moore will be leading the webinar. Registration information and a promotional video can be found by visiting: https://www.igrcreach1000.org/both-and Cost for an individual to view live is $15, $25 for a church team to attend and access the video for 90 after the webinar.

We face one of the most critical moves in the next iteration of the online worship experience. As we move back into our buildings, we must not return to making people at home observers after talking directly to them for so long. They will feel that too.

We also can't take an approach where we treat the in-person crowd as the studio audience, providing the laugh or clap track, for the people watching at home. Neither of these audiences should feel secondary.

If we fail to think about how to create a BOTH/AND scenario as we go back to in-person worship, we will lose so much of what we've gained in these last seven plus months.
UMCOR Sunday
March 14
UMCOR Sunday (formerly the One Great Hour of Sharing) can be observed any Sunday, although the official observance is the Fourth Sunday of Lent (March 14 in 2021).

Resources to assist your congregation's promotion of this Special Sunday offering is now available.

A pastor's and leader's kit can be ordered as well as resources for the congregation in English, Spanish and Korean.

Click the button below to order what you need free of charge.
United Methodist Center Contact Information
USPS (U.S. Postal Service)
P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207
Office Phone: 217-529-2040
UPS and FedEx deliveries only use the street address:
United Methodist Center
5900 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62711
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