It is a time to say “thank you” to the people who may be most visible as preachers and teachers, but who, in reality, are on-call 24/7 standing with congregants and others to offer spiritual and other support in times of confusion and transition, times of heart-wrenching sorrow and times of overwhelming joy.
Read MoreWisconsin and Northern Illinois conferences continue to anticipate the possibility they will share a bishop—something like a two-point charge—in the near future. A Bishop-Sharing Task Force in Northern Illinois met on Aug. 28 to plan NIC’s next steps in the exploration.
Read MoreThe Northern Illinois Conference is thankful to its many churches for their faithful apportionment giving and celebrates those who paid in full. In 2022, 173 churches paid 100% of their calculated apportionments compared to 198 in 2021. Because of your apportionment giving in 2022, the Northern Illinois Conference will be able to help fund the conference budget for programs and ministries both locally and globally. Apportionments denote an understanding that the purpose of the church is not just to care for its members, but also to reach beyond itself to engage with the world, minister to the world, and be in mission to the world.
Read MoreOne of the goals of the Northern Illinois Conference for 2022 was to ramp up our Safe Sanctuaries training and increase the number of volunteers who have gone through this valuable course. Online training through Safe Gatherings is an ongoing tool for this training. In addition, eight Safe Sanctuaries Trainings were held in 2022 throughout the summer and fall to train over 1,850 lay and staff. This brings our number of people leaders in the past 2 years to over 2,790!
Read MoreThe word Fresh [Expressions] was borrowed from The Declaration of Assent, which is made by deacons, priests, and bishops of the Church of England. The Church of England and British Methodists started Fresh Expressions to revitalize existing churches and to start new forms of churches.
Read MoreThe Board of Trustees is excited to announce the Northern Illinois Conference office is moving to a new location in Chicago’s East Loop to a 30-story building along the riverfront at 303 E. Wacker Drive on November 1. When the Conference’s current lease at 77 W. Washington St. at the Chicago Temple came up for renewal this summer, the Trustees took the opportunity to reassess office needs and consider many factors in whether to stay or go.
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