Jesus submitted to it for our sake. As we pray and fast on Good Friday, it seems a small thing to go without food for a little while. When hunger pangs strike, we are reminded to pray and give thanks for Jesus.
Read MoreDuring the Laity Convocation 2023, one of the host churches, Disciples United Methodist Church (DUMC) in Mt. Morris, created a display about the rich history of the Rock River Conference that then became our Northern Illinois Conference. The church’s history team hoped to share with guests, many of whom had never been in Mt. Morris, how our early Methodist settlers, ministers, and circuit riders followed a path of discipleship as they moved west from Maryland, Ohio, and Kentucky into the frontier of northwest Illinois.
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 MoreThe Northern Illinois Conference and the Conference Global Board of Ministries would like to thank the forty-three churches that went the second mile as 100% Mission Links churches. In addition to the apportionment dollars received for General Church and the Annual Conference, the NIC received over $560,000 in 2nd Mile giving and almost $100,000 in Special Sunday offerings.
Read MoreThe Northern Illinois Conference has the vision to do no harm to our planet by reducing the emissions of our church properties as close as we can to zero. To work on this goal, we are proud to announce the formation of the Net Zero Team, co-chaired by Richard Alton and Rev. Nancy Blade. On January 20th, leaders from all five districts gathered in Glenview to pray and plan together.
Read MoreOn Sunday, January 15th, Julian Davis Reid presented one of his spiritual retreats, Notes of Rest, specifically tailored for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at First United Methodist Church of Oak Park. The event, sponsored by the Northern Illinois Conference and the United Methodist Foundation, focused on the importance of rest in fueling the continued pursuit of justice for all and Dr. King’s dream of the Beloved Community.
Read More