Lent is a container—or a set of training wheels that give way to whatever grace has done in us and through us all. We have this season in time to be formed and set free for the newness of Easter. We are Holy Spirit people, a movement. Followers and sojourners. The walk of faith is contemplative, sure, but the Spirit is always moving.
Read MoreWith the decision of our North Central Jurisdictional Conference delegates to move the Wisconsin Conference and Northern Illinois Conference into a relationship of sharing a bishop (not merger) beginning in September, we to can lean into our past to plan for the future.
Read MoreNow that the North Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church has confirmed that Wisconsin and Northern Illinois will share a bishop, the work of NIC's Shared Bishop Task Force has moved from hypothetical to reality.
Read MoreBishop Dan Schwerin has announced the appointment of Rev. Wendy Hardin Hermann as Prairie Central District superintendent, effective July 1, 2024. Rev. Hardin Hermann currently serves at Mt. Prospect: Trinity and will follow Rev. Jeffry Bross, who has been appointed as lead pastor at Libertyville United Methodist Church effective July 1, 2024.
Read MoreConversations among leaders of the Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Conference express increasing confidence and enthusiasm for the conference’s sharing a bishop beginning Sept. 1. At their most recent joint meeting--on Dec. 19 in Rockford, Ill.--conference lay leaders, ministry directors (lay and clergy), and representative full cabinet members from both conferences took a deeper look at the practical details of sharing a bishop.
Read MoreWesley’s Covenant Service has been recommended for Methodists who gather on New Year’s Eve to worship, leave behind a year, and cross the threshold of a new one. More deeply, Methodists were to receive new life afresh. The core petition of the prayer at the heart of the service is, “I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.”
Read More