The church reaches out to the poor in many ways but some United Methodist leaders are reexamining how the church ministers with the poor, and if we can do better. Host Bishop Sally Dyck of the Northern Illinois Conference welcomed participants to a two-day meeting and prayed that their time together would help rediscover the Wesleyan foundational movement to be with the poor in the world.
Read MoreNearly a 150 people, adults and youth, gathered at Michelle Clark Academic Preparatory High School in Chicago on Nov. 16 to look at ways to address community safety in the city and surrounding areas.
Read MoreWearing red t-shirts with the phrase “putting legs on our prayers” on the back, more than 50 United Methodists marched in the 84th annual Bud Billiken Parade in Chicago on Aug. 10, 2013. The NIC Urban Strategy team organized this year’s entry in the oldest and largest African-American parade in the country which traditionally kicks off the school year.
Read MoreOn Change the World weekend, more than 400 United Methodists gathered at a high school on Chicago’s south side to start a movement.
Read MoreAround 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 13, a fire broke out on the second floor of Epworth UMC’s parsonage at 5249 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago. The Rev. Amos Oladipo was elsewhere leading devotion with leaders of African Community UMC, but his wife, his daughter and 20-month-old grandchild were inside the home. Thankfully, they managed to escape unharmed.
Read MoreThanks to the new Red Door Refinance Program, overwhelmingly approved by members of Annual Conference at a special session on Mar. 16, up to 30 NIC churches will be able to refinance existing loan agreements at 4.5% for 20 years under a collective (up to) $25 million dollar mortgage through Wintrust Bank. A reserve fund will also be established to assist with cash flow, to offset any interest rate jumps and for any unforeseen circumstances.
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