The Annual Conference Committee is busy organizing details and finalizing plans for the 2020 Annual Conference. It will be held June 7-9 and returning to the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center and Hotel for a second year. The Clergy Day Apart and Session will be held on May 26. Location and details will be announced soon.

The Annual Conference theme this year is "Y Church" while reflecting on the scripture 1 Peter 3:15b that calls us to always be ready to make an account of the hope that is within you. Bishop Sally Dyck asks us to reflect on why church matters to you and why the church still plays an important role in our communities.

“In times of uncertainty such as we find ourselves today in our denomination and the changes in the religious landscape in America, it’s essential that we all ask ourselves what it means to be the church,” said Bishop Dyck. “What has it meant to us? What difference does and can the church make in an uncertain and chaotic world?” Bishop Dyck hopes these questions and more will help us re-focus and stay focused on how to live out the mission that Jesus has given to us. How would you answer the question, Y Church?

Online registration will open Monday, April 6, 2020. In the coming months, more updates will be provided, but read on for information to start to prepare yourself for our time together with worship, business, and fellowship.

Presenting at Annual Conference

In order for the conference schedule to run smoothly, the AC committee has established a new procedure for organizations and individuals who would like to present at Annual Conference. All potential presenters must provide essential information to the Annual Conference Committee, including contact information, reason for requesting an opportunity to present, a short description of the proposed presentation, estimated time for the presentation, and whether the presentation includes slides or video. To do so, please fill out the “2020 NIC Annual Conference Presentation Request Form” available at umcnic.org/AC2020. Priority will be given to requests received January through March. Final decisions regarding scheduling are made by the Daily Proceedings Coordinator in conjunction with the Annual Conference Committee.

Legislation/Historical Documents

ALL historical documents and proposed legislation for the conference must be submitted by April 1, 2020 to Rev. Katie Voigt, ACdocuments@umcnic.org (no exceptions). If you have any questions about how to format your documents, please feel free to contact Rev. Voigt at this same email address during your writing process, well in advance of the deadline. All legislative documents must be in the Action/ Rationale format with a maximum of 500 words for the rationale, be submitted as a Word document and editable. At-conference documents must be submitted to her BEFORE the start of the annual conference. The author must submit both a printed version and on a flash drive or similar USB storage device (the device may or may not be returned), and the author must bring 1000 copies to the annual conference session for distribution.

Worship Leader

This year’s worship leader is Rev. Rich Rubietta, NIC elder serving in extension ministry with Abounding Ministries. Rubietta considers himself a “Circuit Riding Musicianary,” crisscrossing the Midwest each week to create family-friendly worship experiences. With the creative use of music, multiple generations enjoy upbeat worship experiences beyond traditional or contemporary categories. Rich has a music degree from Northwestern University, an MDiv from Trinity Divinity School in Deerfield, and has pastored churches in Freeport, Morris, Joliet and Grayslake in Illinois. His mission is to use God’s gift of music to help bring people closer to God and to one another.

Bible Study Leader

This year’s Bible study leader will be Rev. Junius B. Dotson, the General Secretary/CEO of Discipleship Ministries (formerly General Board of Discipleship.) Dotson is a nationally recognized leader, speaker, and author on evangelism and church revitalization. He launched “See AllThe People,” the highly successful church-wide initiative that helps church leaders concentrate on intentional discipleship while learning new behaviors around engaging their surrounding community.

Memorial Service Message

NIC Dir. of Human ResourcesWoody Bedell will be delivering the message at the Memorial Service. Bedell manages the benefits and human resources needs of the NIC. From a benefits perspective, this includes design and implementation of the medical programs and working with Wespath to ensure all participants are being adequately covered in their pension and disability programs. During the beginning of his career, Bedell was a Principal with Mercer Consulting in the area of benefits. He left the private sector and became the Benefits Officer for the Virginia Conference, which led him to Wepath as their Chief Strategic Relations Officer during a time when they were redesigning their pension and benefits programs. He was also the Director of Pension and Benefits for the Reformed Church of America in NYC. Bedell loves sports and has twice participated in the Ironman triathlon in Hawaii. 

Bishop’s Appeal

Bishop Sally Dyck has designated the Secondary School in Tanzania as the recipient of the 2020 Bishop’s Appeal. Churches are encouraged to fundraise to help finance the second stage of the school’s construction and bring their offering to the Annual Conference in June. Global Missions Missionary and NIC elder Rev. Young Seon (Christina) Kim is leading the project, which is in the second stage of construction. The foundation, walls, and roof are expected to be completed in the coming months before the rainy season. Rev. Kim hopes to open the school to students by Jan. 2021. For more information and resources, visit umcnic.org/bishopsappeal.

Hotel Reservations

Room reservations at the Renaissance Hotel are open. The rate is $152 + tax, per night. The deadline to cancel a reservation is 72 hours to arrival date at no penalty. To book your room online by May 22, a link at umcnic.org/AC2020 or you may call the hotel directly at 847.303.4100.

Booklet Advertising

New this year, we will be selling advertising space in the AC booklet. Limited space is available. Full-page, half-page or quarter-page ads must be submitted as 300-dpi JPG, PNG, or PDF files: no WORD files will be accepted. Ads will be included on a first-come, first-served basis. The Annual Conference Committee will make the final decisions on inclusion. Special pricing for display tables will be available for groups reserving ad space. Costs and details can be found on the AC webpage at umcnic.org/AC2020. The deadline for ad submittals is April 1, 2020.

Worship Schedule

• Sunday, June 7 - Ordination
• Monday, June 8 - Retirement Service
• Tuesday, June 9 - Memorial Service
   

Also:

• Childcare will be available for those attending Annual Conference. Details will be available soon.
• Registration forms for the display tables will be made available by February 15.
• If you are interested in ushering, greeting or volunteering during plenaries and worship services, please email Annual Conference Committee Chair Alka Lyall at nilconfacc@gmail.com
• Stay informed with our weekly eNews, Facebook, Reporter and website at umcnic.org/AC2020 for more details.