The Current Week in Review
January 21, 2022
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IGRC finishes 2021 in the black
IGRC Director of Administrative Services and Conference Treasurer Mike Potts reports that the Annual Conference finished with a $309,704 surplus for 2021.
"Considering the challenging times in which we live, we give thanks for the faithfulness of our local congregations," Potts said.
The surplus is the difference between apportionment receipts less actual spending from the budget.
Apportionment receipts came in at 89.97 percent -- down from 90.21 percent in 2020. Spending came in at 77.29 percent of the $11,206,875 budget approved by the 2020 Annual Conference for 2021.
Income totaled $8,971,845 and expenses were $8,662,241.
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Annual Conference plans are underway
The Annual Conference Sessions Committee will be meeting Saturday to make general plans for the 2022 Annual Conference scheduled for June 9-11.
Due to trends associated with Covid-19, planners are looking at some type of hybrid event which would allow persons to meet at the Peoria Civic Center in-person, while accommodating those persons virtually that due to health concerns, are unable to attend.
The initial plan is to develop a system in which voting can occur both in-person and online for properly credential persons.
More details will be forthcoming in the next few weeks as plan materialize. Should trends worsen or conditions be such that Annual Conference cannot safely meet, the event will switch to an all-virtual event, similar to conference sessions in 2020 and 2021.
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Sexual ethics training videos now posted
IGRC Communications has just produced -- in two 2 1/2 hour segments -- a recording of the quadrennial sexual ethics/boundary training held Jan. 13-15 online with Dr. David Olsen. Both videos are embedded on this page along with the link to the handout of Dr. Olsen's presentation.
Watching the videos now will not qualify persons as meeting their quadrennial training since they did not actively participate in the training.
For those unable to participate in this training, information on the Alternate Training event through the Lewis Center for Church Leadership can be found here as well. On a separate page, which you can find in the right-hand menu listed under this page is the list of resources referenced during the training.
Participants:
Persons who completed the training were asked to finish the requirements by completing a survey about the event. THE DEADLINE for submitting those surveys is Saturday. For those that have completed the survey, CEU certificates will be emailed to the address you used to register for the event on Monday, Jan. 24. You are to complete the certificate, print out a copy for your records and send a copy to your District office for their records.
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Bishop hosts conversations with clergy and laity
Nearly 500 attended one of the four Conversations with Bishop Beard which included the Bishop preaching a word of encouragement and answering your questions. Here’s a recording of Bishop Beard’s preaching from Tuesday evening’s conversation.
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Pre-retirement seminar videos now available
IGRC Communications has produced 10 videos from the Pre-Retirement seminar hosted by Preachers' Aid Society and Benefit Fund in the fall of 2021.
If you are considering retirement in the next 10 years, you may want to familiarize yourself with the various issues as a way to assist you in your pre-retirement planning.
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Covid-19 safety practices updated
The Illinois Great Rivers Conference is seeing continuing outbreaks of COVID-19 throughout the communities in our region. This current wave is larger and more widespread than previous outbreaks, and it has put a critical strain on our health care services, especially availability of Intensive Care Unit beds and Emergency Room capacities.
With this in mind, an update to the best safety practices was issued Tuesday to assist local churches in their management plans. It is located on the Coronavirus page linked below. You may also get a direct download on the document by using the link to the right below..
If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to your District Superintendent or our IGRC Director of Connectional Ministries, Curtis Brown at cbrown@igrc.org.
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Covenant Keepers 2022 to be all virtual
Registration continues for Covenant Keepers 2022 which will be an all-virtual event Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
For those that have already registered for the in-person option, you can cancel any hotel reservation you may have.
All those who are registered should have received the Zoom log-in credentials in a mailing Jan. 7. Persons which registered after Jan. 7 received the credentials in their confirmation email following registration.
If you have not received those call-in credentials, contact Paul Black immediately. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE DAY OF THE EVENT! There are many responsibilities on those days to ensure the technology runs smoothly that the tech team won't be able to help you the day of the event with missing credentials.
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Applicants sought for IGRC scholarships
The scholarships awarded will be a minimum of $500.
Applications must be submitted by midnight on Feb.15.. If you have any questions, contact Christy Blickensderfer at cblickensderfer@igrc.org.
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EZRA portal open for year-end reports
The Ezra portal for year-end statistical reports is now open through Feb. 28. Remember - your user name is the church's six-digit GCFA number and the password on the initial log-in is password This is reset annually.
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IRS mileage rate raises to 58.5 cents per mile for 2022
The Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2022 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.
Beginning on January 1, 2022, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:
- 58.5 cents per mile driven for business use, up 2.5 cents from the rate for 2021,
- 18 cents per mile driven for medical, or moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the Armed Forces, up 2 cents from the rate for 2021 and
- 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations; the rate is set by statute and remains unchanged from 2021.
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United Methodist Center Contact Information |
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USPS (U.S. Postal Service)
P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207
Office Phone: 217-529-2040
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UPS and FedEx deliveries only use the street address:
United Methodist Center
5900 S. 2nd Street
Springfield, IL 62711
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