DYK: Attend your church conference—you are a link in the connection

Church conferences focus on electing leaders, setting the pastor’s salary, approving the church’s budget (if available), recommending candidates for ministry, and approving lay speakers. The event also includes a time to review and affirm the congregation’s plans for ministry and mission and learning about the work of the conference and the wider United Methodist Church.These meetings are part of the fabric of our connectional nature. Through the connectional system, we are involved in God’s mission together. Together, we are able to do more than if we remained alone.

Leading the Laity: We can face change because our God is constant

The world is ever-changing and the church is ever-evolving. Change is like the storms of life: You are either in one, about to enter one, or coming out of one. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “Change is the only constant in life.” The world is always changing and so are its people. As a result, we find ourselves constantly adapting to it. It has been said, “If you are not changing, then you are dying.”

October is Pastor Appreciation Month

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.

Sympathy Notice: Rev. Daniel Facemyer

Rev. Daniel Facemyer, retired member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away September 22, 2023.

Northern Illinois Conference Seeks Benefits and Human Resources Officer

The Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist Church seeks a full-time Benefits and Human Resources Officer.

Children blossom as readers and confident students in St. Mark UMC’s Freedom School

St. Mark United Methodist Church in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood has been especially busy this summer. Some of its rooms were buzzing with the sound of children dancing, moving, or discussing a story they heard read aloud that day. After lunch, though, the building would settle into 15 minutes of stillness, when children and adults were quietly reading.

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