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Dear Friends,
Grace and Peace to you from Christ, the Savior of the World!
Each year around this time, we are blessed with the wonderful and wondrous message that our God, the Eternal Word, became flesh. We celebrate that God did not come as the superior ruler of the world but was born as a vulnerable baby among the lowly and powerless in the depths of poverty and alienation. The paradox of our gospel is that it is in such vulnerability that we witness the greatest power of love!
The church conference season is almost over, and I give thanks to God for all the faithful ministries I have witnessed at your churches. Thank you so much for sharing your stories of outreach, baptisms, mission, and creative ministry. Thank you, also, for sharing your struggles and challenges in discipleship in our highly secularized world. Please know I’m keeping all our churches and communities in my prayers. I believe we will grow stronger in all the challenges we face as we trust in God’s guidance.
In this season of Advent and Christmas, we celebrate that the Savior of the world came to our ancestors, is still coming for us, and will come for our future generations. What a beautiful gift to the world!
I pray that the good news of God-with-us brings you hope, peace, joy, and love!
Blessed Christmas to you and all your loved ones!
In Christ,
Hwa-Young
Prairie North District Superintendent
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Is your church in a small town or rural area (that is, not in an urban or suburban location)? Have you been dreaming of a creative ministry opportunity in your community, but need a little financial help? The Northern Illinois Conference offers two grants that are funded by a bequest from Martin Keagy, who had a big heart for small-town and rural churches. The deadline to apply is March 31. Learn more.
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Mission Links Highlight - Human Relations Day
Human Relations Day is one of six denomination-wide Special Sundays that is celebrated on January 14. Human Relations Day is a denomination-wide Special Sunday designed to celebrate and raise awareness to further the development of better human relations by involving congregations in community and youth outreach. Gifts received for the offering build King’s vision of “the beloved community” through programs such as Community Developers and United Methodist Voluntary Services and Youth Offender Rehabilitation Programs. Learn more.
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Bishops call for special North Central Jurisdictional Conference
The North Central Jurisdiction College of Bishops will convene a virtual special session of the North Central Jurisdictional Conference on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 7 p.m. CST for the sole purpose of approving new episcopal areas. Specifically, delegates will consider a proposal to form two new episcopal areas: (1) Northern Illinois and Wisconsin; and (2) East Ohio and West Ohio. Read more.
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HAPPENING AROUND THE CONFERENCE | |
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Apply for a Grant for Your Church's Ministry
Looking for a financial boost to help get a ministry off the ground? Healthy churches look share God’s love with their neighbors in meaningful ways. The NIC offers a number of grants to turn your church’s plan into reality. The deadline for the Connectional Ministry grants is December 15.
Read more
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What would you give to keep a child safe?
What would you give to help the wounded heal?
Northern Illinois Conference’s Bishop Dan Schwerin asks churches to prayerfully consider these questions as they make a pledge to the conference’s Repair the Harm campaign. It’s time for churches to submit their pledges and initial contributions to the Repair the Harm fund. Bishop Schwerin encourages churches to make their pledge as soon as possible. Contributions are payable over three years. Learn more.
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Apportionment Deadline Approaching
A friendly reminder that the deadline to pay apportionments is approaching quickly. Be sure to check your Prosper account at app.prosperumc.com before the year is over. As United Methodists, we are committed to connectional giving, and our primary way of doing that is through apportioned giving. By being a faithful 100% church, you allow the United Methodist faith to continue to grow around the world and here at home. Help spread our ministry and mission by catching up on your apportionments payment today. To find more information about apportionments, visit the Apportionments page.
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Subscribe to Language-Specific UM Info & More
Pastors and lay people whose preferred language is Spanish, Portuguese, or Korean can receive the latest UM ministry ideas, updates, and resources in their language. Twice‑monthly UMCOMtigo and weekly DuruAllimi are both carefully planned for their readers. Click on these to subscribe:
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Property Insurance Invoices Online
Churches enrolled in the NIC Property insurance program may retrieve their quarterly invoices online and may be viewed anytime here. Note, the website is the same site used for apportionments and health/ pension invoicing, but your log-in is different. If you sign-in and see your Apportionment invoice, please sign-out and sign-in using your church four-digit id followed by “@churches.nicum”. Questions on password reset should be sent to David Quinn. Questions on the Property insurance program may be directed to Dwayne Jackson.
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Tell Students: Apply Soon for a UMC Scholarship
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Each year the UM Board of Higher Education and Ministry awards over $5.5 million in scholarships. The application portal will open Dec. 15. Applicants must be active, full members of the UMC for at least one year and pursuing a degree at an accredited U.S. institution. Read more
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The UM Higher Education Foundation’s UM Dollars for Scholars program matches a sponsoring church’s $1,000 scholarship for a total of up to $4,000. Plan now to partner with UMHEF to help a student attend a UM-related college (such as North Central), university, or seminary. Matches in the NIC are made possible by UMHEF and the Midwest Methodist Foundation. Students may apply from Jan.1 to March 1. Read more.
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'The Recap' takes a look back at 2023
The latest episode, episode 13, of “The Recap” video series celebrates new and growing congregation, shares about UMCOR work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and highlights United Methodists putting their faith into action. Produced by United Methodist Communications, “The Recap” helps viewers gain a better understanding of what is going on in The United Methodist Church, find inspiration in stories of ministry and learn how the denomination is transforming the world. Watch episode.
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Payroll Partners Available to Assist Churches
The UMC General Council on Finance & Administration has added Payroll Partners, a national cloud-based payroll, timekeeping, and human resources solution provider, to its Ministry Partner Program. Payroll Partners, the newest addition to GCFA’s collaborative alliance, is dedicated to providing ministries in the connection with cohesive workforce management solutions. This service is available to NIC churches. Read more.
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Company Helps Churches Fundraise with Parking Lots
The UMC Council on Finance and Administration has named Park Thrive a ministry partner. This parking management organization aims to help congregations monetize underused parking lots and maximize funds from existing paid parking operations. "Park Thrive is excited to partner with the United Methodist Church to help congregations maximize parking income from their underutilized parking lots and existing paid parking operations,” says Matthew Kingsbury, chief operating officer of Park Thrive. “Through this exclusive revenue share program, UMC congregations can earn more from their parking lots to support their invaluable work and mission." Read more.
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NIC Prayer Network Monthly Zoom Meetings
The NIC Prayer Network is an entryway for joining in common prayer for the ministries of the Northern Illinois Conference. NIC Prayer Network team meets every month on the 2nd Thursday at 10:00 AM to pray for the churches, pastors and ministries of Northern Illinois. The next meeting is Thursday, January 11, at 10:00 a.m. All are invited to join. No preparation is necessary; just log in. The Zoom link is available here. Meeting ID: 813 9510 9144, Passcode: 459872. You can also call 312-626-6799.
If you’d like to pray but have other appointments at that time, email Katherine Howell at howellkvh@gmail.com and request the agenda or add to the agenda. Also, pray along each week for clergy, churches, leaders, and NIC Advances by visiting the Prayer Network website.
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Other Resources
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#BeUMC Resources -Tool Kits, Social Media Kits, Graphics, and more.
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Social Media Shareables - Free graphics for social media for different events, months, and ministries. (Through Outreach, log-in is needed, but resources are free)
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UMC Giving Resources - Mission Moments, Special Sunday Info, Leader Kits, Pew Cards, and more.
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United Media Resource Center - Lending library of Christian materials for local churches, small groups, pastors, children, and individuals.
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Copyright © 2023 Northern Illinois Conference | |
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Do you have news to share?
We are always looking for stories of what is happening in your church. We welcome articles from churches highlighting ministries, outreach, and missions that tell the story of being vital Christians. Events considered should be of conference-wide appeal and United Methodist-related.
District eNews are sent out the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month. Please submit stories and events by end of business on the 2nd and 4th Mondays. Space is limited. Stories of fewer than 250 words are preferred. Submissions will be edited at the discretion of Communications staff. Information can be emailed to communications@umcnic.org.
Check out our Submit News page for more details.
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