The NIC volunteers gathered before the event for orientation.

The first week in August was a powerful week for our United Methodist connection. The School of Congregational Development, organized by Discipleship Ministries, returned after several years as SCD (SEE CREATE DISCIPLE) and we, as Northern Illinois Conference, had the honor to host it in Schaumburg. More than 450 participants attended this event, which provided exceptional learning and networking experiences for church leaders including inspiration and empowerment as we move forward in our mission to make discipleship of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.  

Several workshops were offered to provide practical tools, processes, and frameworks for discipleship formation. Attendees also had the chance to dive into disciple-making with hands-on, practical insights from episcopal leaders, ministry cultivators, and practitioners across the world-wide connection. 

Our Bishop, Dan Schwerin, was the preacher at the Opening Worship. He used the text from the Road to Emmaus and affirmed that the road to transformation is a strange road, but the strange road is our home. He affirmed that the way of discipleship is a path of vulnerable love and, from Ephesians 4:15, that we walk this truth on the path of love. He told stories from his own work as a planter and asked us to look again at our metrics so that we see our work as transformational. “I believe we have a fundamental decision today, to get on the road of transformation, to risk and work out new hope, to get on a strange road and walk until we all arrive at an Emmaus newness. Until we arrive at the table of love,” said Bishop Schwerin. “Decide to risk. Decide to experiment. Decide to have each other’s backs.”  

Rev. Bener Agtarap, Executive Director, Community Engagement and Church Planting/Path1 Director, Connectional Mobilization, oversaw this event. His remarkable and visionary leadership continues to lead SCD to excellence. “As an immigrant and person of color, being entrusted with the responsibility to oversee an extraordinary group of leaders within the United Methodist connection for the SCD2024 event has profoundly reignited my faith, hope, and love as a disciple of Jesus Christ,” shared Rev. Agtarap. “This event has been a life-changing and heartwarming experience, not just for me, but for many others as well.”  

Some of the NIC welcomers described to SCD participants how Northern Illinois United Methodists reach the world in our own backyards.

As a conference, we had the honor to provide logistics support through the office of Connectional Ministries and radical hospitality through a group of 40+ volunteers, both clergy and lay. “Every one of the volunteers was cheerful, bubbly, and willing to offer their best to offer great hospitality to all SCD attendants. Our hospitality team was a very diverse group from all walks of life. Everyone did the big and small things with excellence and went above and beyond their roles,” shared Rev. David Lagos Fonseca of Our Saviour’s UMC in Schaumburg, coordinator of the volunteers. “We had great fellowship and the opportunity to meet lots of people and to make connections.”  

We are very thankful to all the volunteers who gave their energy, time, presence, and lots of smiles to create a truly welcoming atmosphere. Thank you to all the churches that were involved in different ways: donating candies for the goodie bags, knitting prayer squares for participants, providing communion elements, providing worship instruments, praying for this event, and sharing about their ministries through the experiential learning. Among them were Schaumburg: Our Saviors, Schaumburg: Our Redeemers, Roselle, Mt. Prospect: Trinity, Elk Grove: Prince of Peace, Elgin: First, Barlett: Journey of Hope, Naperville: Community, Franklin Park: The Movement in the City, Oak Park: Euclid Ave. and Sycamore.  

That’s practicing Jesus-like ministry looks like. Well done good and faithful servants! Praise be to God!!