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News & Updates

September 28, 2023

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Hispanic Heritage Month in NIC celebrates vital ministries

In Northern Illinois, the Hispanic/Latinx population is 1.9 million and continues to grow rapidly. This makes Hispanic Heritage Month—Sept. 15 to Oct. 15—very important to the UMC as a whole and our conference in particular. Rev. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer spotlights some of our vibrant Hispanic/Latinx ministries. Read more.


Celebrate the Hispanic/Latino ministries in the conference with a time of worship, training, fellowship, renewal, and camaraderie. Invite your church to attend! All are welcome. Translation equipment and nursery will be provided. The celebration takes place on Sat. Oct. 7 at Franklin Park UMC, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Read more.


October Reporter Available Online

The October Reporter is now available to read online and in mailboxes soon.


Learn about the 60th Anniversary March, the opening of the Brooke Road Community Center, and how NIC Congregations are going solar. In their columns, Bishop Dan Schwerin and his wife reflect on their Holocaust site tour, Rev. Arlene Christopherson reminds us how Charge Conference connects us, and Co-Lay Leader Eugene Williams shares how we don't need to fear change.


Check out the issue online and read the news stories here.

Sunday, October 8 at 3:00 p.m.

Orland Park: Faith UMC

15101 South 80th Ave, Orland Park


Please join the Bishop as we welcome and celebrate the ministry of Audrea Nanabray as the new District Superintendent of the Lake South District. The Bishop will bring the message as we gather to sing, pray, hear the Word and break bread together in the Spirit of Christ.

Refreshments will be served following the service.

Download the Flyer or Visit the Website.

Messy Church training invitation

Hammond First UMC in Hammond Indiana is inviting its Illinois neighbors to its is Messy Church training event on October 14 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. located at 6635 Hohman Ave. in Hammond, IN. Read more.

Upcoming Events.png

Click on the event title below to find out more information

Hispanic Heritage Month

Sept 15 - Oct 15


UVC's Raising our Voices Event

Sept 29


Safe Sanctuaries Training

Sept 30


Creating a Life with God Workshop

Sept 30


Pastor Appreciation Month

October


World Communion Sunday

Oct 1


Hispanic/Latinx Celebration

Oct 7


Lake South Fall 2023 Lay Academy

Oct 7 &14


Installation of DS Audrea Nanabray

Oct 8


NIC Prayer Network Zoom Meeting

Oct 13


Laity Sunday

Oct 15


What Makes for a Vital Church Today? Workshop

Oct 21


NIC UW Faith Annual Celebration

Oct 28


United Voices for Children Sunday

Oct 29


All Saints Day

Nov 1


Accessibility Sunday

Nov 5


Vital Partnerships Workshop

Nov 4


Building an Inclusive Church

Nov 4


Safe Sanctuaries Training

Nov 11


Veterans Day

Nov 11


Thanksgiving

Nov 23


United Methodist Student Sunday

Nov 26


Kids Above All Gift Drive

Nov 27 - Dec 13


23 Film Series - Latinx History & Culture

Nov 30

Class list and registration here.


Other Lay Academy offerings:

Watch the most recent episode of The Recap

Gain a better understanding of what is going on in The United Methodist Church, find inspiration in stories of ministry and learn how our denomination is transforming the world. The newest episode of “The Recap” ensures you stay in the know from how The UMC is responding to the wildfires that devastated the Hawaiian town of Lahaina to learning how thousands of youth were “BOLD” in Florida. Read more and watch the episode.

Catch up on the Film Series presentation

On Thursday, Sept. 21 over 80 people joined across the conference and online with Frances Causey to discuss privilege, power, and race. A recording and more resources are available viewing here.


Save the date for the 4th event, Nov. 30 for a meal, presentation, panel discussion and table discussions around Latinx history, representation, and culture. Read more.


Mission Links Highlight - World Communion Sunday

World Communion Sunday is one of the Special Sundays set aside and celebrated as a way to recognize specific kinds of ministries.


On World Communion Sunday, we partner with other UMC congregations in a special offering to support young adults and make a global impact for Christ. Half of the offering provides World Communion scholarships for graduate and undergraduate students from the U.S. and other countries. The remainder provides grants to support training for worldwide inclusion, diversity, equity and access. Read More.

 HAPPENING AROUND THE CONFERENCE

Laity Sunday: Oct. 15

Laity Sunday celebrates the ministry of all Christians to love God and neighbor. The theme of this year’s Laity Sunday is “Rise Up – Remain committed to Love’s teachings “ (II Timothy 1:13). The 2023 focus is on what it means to hold on to the pattern of healthy words heard—words heard in those whose lives have been remade and restored by grace.

Read more.

Saturay, October 21: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Schaumburg: Our Saviour's, 701 E. Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg

Fee: $20 (includes box lunch)

Presentation by Rev. Dr. Paul Nickerson.

Read more.

Other Upcoming Events:

LOCAL CHURCH RESOURCES

Scholarship for Women Pursuing Faith Vocations

United Women in Faith offers a scholarship for women pursuing a church-related vocation, whether in ordained ministry, the lay diaconate (deaconess or home missioner), Christian education, or a similar field. To qualify, applicants must be accepted by an accredited graduate school, reside in the Northern Illinois Conference, demonstrate financial need, and supply a copy of their school transcript. Applications are due Oct. 10. Learn more.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month

No matter how humble or unassuming they may be, most people get a warm glow inside when someone says “thank you” for what they’ve done or expresses appreciation simply for who they are. Clergy and others who fill pastoral roles are no exception. It is a time to thank the people who may be most visible, but in reality are on call 24/7. They laugh, cry an pray with us, attend countless meetings, and lead us in mission to our communities and world. Find ideas, graphics and more here.

Communications Learning Week 2023

United Methodist Communications has announced the return of its week-long ecumenical training opportunity launching this fall for anyone in ministry seeking to enhance their communications skills. It is designed with busy schedules in mind. All of the learning week content will be recorded and stored in a learning portal that participants will have access to for six months following the event. Workshops led by experts on a variety of topics will be presented followed by Q&A sessions with each facilitator. Opportunities for discussion and networking round out the week’s activities.

Read more.

NIC Seeks Benefits & Human Resources Officer 

The NIC seeks a full-time Benefits and Human Resources Officer. Because this position has been vacant for three years and insurance and health benefits programs have become more complex, the NIC Board of Pensions is seeking to fill this position sooner than the conference treasurer position. Apply by Oct. 18. Read more.

UMC Outreach Resources for Advent

UM Communications offers churches customizable Advent outreach resources―banners, postcards, invitation cards, posters, digital ads, worship graphics and more. Your church's name, website, street address, and information like service times and age-specific programming can be included. Over 20 designs are available. See what's available and how to order. 

Hay Recursos de Aviento en Español.

2023 Church Conference Reports

Just a quick reminder that all Church Conference (CC) forms & reports are due at least 1 week prior to your CC date. There is plenty of time to submit them in time if you plan ahead and submit them early. We encourage everyone to be working on them now. All-Things-Church-Conference can be found here.

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. The next meeting is Friday, October 13 at 10:00 am. All are invited to join.  No preparation is necessary, just log in. The Zoom link is available here. Meeting ID: 897 7835 0821 Passcode: 152529


If you’d like to pray but have other appointments at that time, email us DiscipleshipTF@umcnic.org 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.

Other Resources

  • #BeUMC Resources -Tool Kits, Social Media Kits, Graphics, and more.
  • Social Media Shareables - Free graphics for social media for different events, months, and ministries. (Through Outreach, log-in is needed, but resources are free)
  • UMC Giving Resources - Mission Moments, Special Sunday Info, Leader Kits, Pew Cards, and more.
  • United Media Resource Center - Lending library of Christian materials for local churches, small groups, pastors, children, and individuals.

Rev. Audrea Nanabray

Lake South District Superintendent

ananabray@umcnic.org

312-346-9766 ext. 783


Leola Tucker

Administrative Assistant

ltucker@umcnic.org

312-346-9766 ext. 733

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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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