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From Your Bishop: A Year of Practicing Hope

Acknowledging the challenges of a fractured and uncertain time, Bishop Dan Schwerin lifts up gratitude for the resilience, courage, and faithfulness of the Northern Illinois Conference. He reframes smaller numbers not as loss, but as opportunity, reminding readers that God uses remnants to create new possibilities. Looking ahead, he invites congregations to consider how they will actively practice hope in 2026, offering a clear and compelling witness to the hope found in Christ.

Stronger Together: Grants Make a Difference

Over the past year, the Northern Illinois Conference has supported local churches through a range of grants designed to nurture innovation, sustain vital rural ministries, and advance justice and compassion. Rev. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer shares how these investments, totaling more than $55,000, are strengthening communities and encouraging faithful experimentation across the conference. Together, our shared giving is helping churches live boldly into God’s mission.

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This Life Changing Journey: Hope for What Comes Next

In her column, Rev. Danita R. Anderson calls the church to embrace practicing hope as a way of navigating loss, change, and uncertainty. Rather than remaining stuck in despair, she invites readers to recognize God’s ongoing work of renewal and new beginnings. Through hope, we are challenged to see our lives, churches, and communities with new eyes and renewed trust in God’s faithfulness.

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Reimagining Church: The Neighborhood is My Parish

Rev. Christian Coon challenges a familiar Wesleyan phrase by urging churches to make their mission more local and personal. Instead of starting with the world, he encourages congregations to see their immediate communities, their streets, neighborhoods, and towns, as their parish. This shift, he suggests, leads to deeper relationships, more meaningful ministry, and a renewed commitment to social holiness

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Leading the Laity: Moving Forward With Hope

Eugene Williams calls on believers to embrace hope as the foundation for facing the uncertainties of 2026. Rooted in Christ’s victory, this hope equips Christians with courage, strength, and authority to live faithfully and persevere in ministry. Laity Convocation 2026, “Moving Forward With Hope,” offers an opportunity to gather and strengthen this resolve together.

Make Your Dollars Grow: A Call to Cultivate Church Finances

As churches review their 2025 finances, Rev. Chris Walters invites leaders to consider whether surplus funds and reserves are truly working for ministry. Rather than leaving money idle in low-yield accounts, churches can cultivate their financial “pots” through thoughtful investment strategies that help funds grow and keep pace with inflation.

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