The Current Week in Review
February 10, 2023
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Washington UM Fellowship update
From a barn to a schoolhouse...Washington UM Fellowship continues to grow in community, faith and understanding...together!
Beginning Sunday, Feb. 12, the church will be meeting at its brand new "temporary home," Central Primary School.
In addition, they will welcome visiting pastor, Rev. Dr. Curtis Brown, who will deliver our first LIVE message: Sing a New Song.
Attendance last Sunday grew from 100 to 130, and 87 persons have already organized themselves into small discipleship groups.
Check out the website below that will continue to develop as they determine who we are as a congregation...together!
Following the vote by Crossroads UMC on Jan. 22, to disaffiliate from the denomination, about 85 people met to begin the process of continuing their discipleship and ministry as a part of The United Methodist Church.
The Washington United Methodist Fellowship has already been recognized by Bishop Frank Beard as a new church plant of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. As they continue to organize and prepare to launch worship they will continue to receive support through their District Superintendent, IGRC Congregational Development, and directly from other churches. All of our IGRC churches are invited to pray for this new ministry during their Sunday worship services. Financial support can be given through local church offerings marked with IGRC Advance Special # 6701 or through the online giving portal below.
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Landing page for information on remaining in The United Methodist Church
IGRC Communications has developed a new landing page on the IGRC website with resources and materials for remaining in The United Methodist Church. This page provides one place for various resources.
Churches studying disaffiliation issues are urged to consider a variety of viewpoints and this landing page seeks to balance some of the materials and resources being provided by those advocating for disaffiliation.
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Annual Conference information
Information on the regular session of the 2023 Annual Conference was released this week with a letter from Annual Conference Secretary Ethan Carnes.
The regular session will be an in-person event June 8-10 at the Peoria Civic Center. Two special sessions -- one on May 6 and the other on Dec. 2 -- will be held virtually to solely consider disaffiliation agreements negotiated between the Conference and the departing churches.
Registration for the June session will open April 3. Registration for the May special session is already open, and persons will need to register in order to receive credentials for the online meeting.
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Prairie Fire Prayer Meetings continue across the IGRC
God is up to something amazing in the churches of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, and we want to invite you to join us in prayer for God to continue to pour down the Holy Spirit on our churches, our leaders, and our ministries.
IGRC staff directors Curtis Brown and Sam Rodriguez are traveling across our Conference hosting prayer meetings to invite God set our Prairie State on fire with passion for Christ’s mission. Five prayer meetings were held this week at Jacksonville Grace, Pawnee, Decatur First, Mattoon First and Paris First. The remaining schedule is listed below.
Everyone is welcome to these hour-long meetings. We’ll seek God’s word together but spend most of our time praying for God’s blessings on our churches, pastors, and leaders. We’ll seek together God’s permission for us to reach out to new people in our communities. And we’ll seek God’s guidance for how our churches will move into a vibrant future of engaging a new generation with God’s love in Jesus Christ.
Join us at any location:
- Quincy Melrose Chapel UMC – Weds Feb 22 @ 10 a.m.
- Macomb Wesley UMC – Wed Feb 22 @ 3 p.m.
- Moline Riverside UMC – Thur Feb 23 @ 10 a.m.
- Henry UMC -- Thur Feb 23 @ 3 p.m.
- Dayspring Native American Fellowship -- Thur Feb 23 @ 7 p.m.
- Coal City UMC – Tues Mar 7 @ 10 a.m.
- Site to Be Determined -- Tues Mar 7 @ 3 p.m.
- Normal First UMC – Tues Mar 7 @ 7 p.m.
- Alton Main Street UMC – Wed Mar 8 @ 10 a.m.
- O'Fallon First UMC -- Wed Mar 8 @ 3 p.m.
If you’d like to host a prayer meeting contact Curtis Brown (cbrown@igrc.org or 217-529-2442), and we’ll see if we can set one up!
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UMCOR responds to earthquake in Syria, Turkey
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey at 4:17 a.m. on Monday, -- the most powerful earthquake recorded since 1939. In the hours that followed, at least 78 aftershocks were reported, followed by a second earthquake of 7.5 magnitude. More than 21,000 people were killed, with deaths expected to rise.
The earthquake also heavily impacted northwest Syria, where 4.1 million people depend on humanitarian assistance. The majority are women and children. At this time, Syrian communities are simultaneously facing an ongoing cholera outbreak and extreme winter weather events, including heavy rain and snow. The humanitarian response is overstretched due to the devastation and cold weather.
UMCOR has released an initial solidarity grant to a longstanding humanitarian partner, International Blue Crescent (IBC), which has offices in Turkey. The grant will provide tents, heaters, blankets, warm clothes, ready to eat meals and basic first aid kits.
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Ode to Aunt Martha
"My whole life has been nurtured by the local church and Methodist agencies -- even before I was born," writes Judith Unger. "In addition to my parents, Aunt Martha reached out as a loving representative of the church.
"Without her support, our family could have made very different decisions. I choose to remain United Methodist because of the past and present care offered by our church to all people."
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Disobedience didn't start with sexuality debate
Defiance of rules passed by General Conference is nothing new for the people called Methodist. Examples include violation of prohibitions against slavery, women clergy, smoking and, these days, rebaptism.
The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr. questions why defiance of church restrictions related to homosexuality is seen as different from those examples and a reason for church separation.
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With new lungs, he leads a new church
The Rev. Jerry Neff had a double lung transplant less than a year ago and is now leading a new church consisting of East Texans who are staying United Methodist after their local churches disaffiliated.
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New year-end reporting tool for local churches
A new year-end reporting tool for local churches have been unveiled by the General Council on Finance and Administration and has been adopted for use by IGRC churches.
The IGRC AC Stats is open for 2022 annual statistical reporting and ready to be accessed by the local church. The report from local churches is due Feb. 28.
The reporting is the same as has been used in the past with three tables using the same questions. What is different is how to access the report.
Church have two options -- they can access the direct year-end reporting option from the AC Stats link on the homepage or they can access it through a new Church Dashboard that is replacing the Church Portal page on the IGRC website. The long-term goal is to create a one-stop shop for local churches when it comes to interactions with the conference.
Each option for AC States has a different user name and password for access so please read carefully!
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Bishop's Confirmation Rally March 25
Bishop Beard is inviting all students that are engaged in confirmation classes or were recently confirmed to join in a Day of Celebration and Witness with him on Saturday, March 25 at Springfield First UMC, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The celebration will be a day of interactive fun, worship, fellowship and of course, food!
There is a small pre-registration fee of $5 per student. Adult leaders are free but must register so there is an accurate headcount for lunch.
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Registration for Covenant Keepers now open
Registration is now open for Covenant Keepers 2023, which will be Feb. 27-28 at the Regency Convention Center in O’Fallon.
The theme for the event is Joyful Resilience, based upon Psalm 30: 11-12 and Isaiah 55:12.
Links for making hotel accommodations have been added to the registration form. Those already registered can access the registration form to get direct links to the Hilton Garden Inn, the Hampton Inn or Fairfield Inn to make reservations with the Covenant Keeper block rates.
After two years of holding the annual gathering of clergy online, the 2023 event returns to an in-person format. The agenda shows a 10:30 a.m. start on Feb. 27 and a end time of 12:30 p.m. Feb. 28.
Registration can be made by clicking the button below.
Cost is $25 per person, which includes lunch Feb. 27 and breakfast Feb. 28.
Individuals are responsible overnight accommodations and for the Feb. 27 evening meal. Rooms are available at the Hilton Garden Inn St. Louis/Shiloh/O’Fallon and the Hampton Inn O’Fallon, both in near proximity to the meeting site.
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Registration at East Bay, Little Grassy now open
Registration is underway for the Summer 2023 Camping season at East Bay and Little Grassy camps.
Camp makes a great Christmas gift! Want to give the gift of camp and still have something wrapped under the tree? Send an email to camping@igrc.org for assistance.
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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.
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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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