2022 North Central Jurisidictional Conference

DYK: All about bishops

This fall, the United Methodist Church will elect new bishops. In the past, bishops were elected following a General Conference and assigned to their Episcopal Areas on September 1 of that same year. Due to the delay in holding a General Conference, special attention was required to care for this vital component of our UM structure. Over the past two years, bishops have retired or gone on medical leave. Sixteen active bishops and four retired bishops are now filling in the gap, serving multiple conferences or returning from retirement, as is the case for Northern Illinois with Bishop John L. Hopkins.

Bishop's Column: Becoming a Bishop

In 1996 I was only in my sixth year in the South Indiana Conference and pastor of The Methodist Temple in Evansville when the delegation selected me as a candidate for bishop. The Rev. Susan Ruach led the delegation through a discernment process to see if anyone should be recommended from South Indiana, where Leroy Hodapp and David Lawson had been elected as bishops by previous jurisdictional conferences. I did not offer myself; they prayed and asked me!

Fall Bible Study

The Discipleship Task Force is excited about the Fall 2022 NIC Book Club selection, Soul Reset by the late Junius Dotson. You may read it on your own, gather a small group of your own together, or join one of the opportunities in place.

Normalizing Next Cohort

A Normalizing Next™ Cohort is a six-month group of clergy meeting together once each month in person or virtually to focus on subjects from the cohort curriculum: Normalizing Next™: A Post-COVID-19 Resource for Church Leaders.

Sympathy Notice: John Cantwell

Rev. John Cantwell, retired clergy member of the Northern Illinois Conference, died on August 16 at age 87. During his ministry, John served Winthrop Harbor, Chicago: Armitage Avenue, Chicago: Central Spanish Parish, Chicago: Albany Park, Thomson, Steward/Creston, and Frankfort. John retired in 2001.

Help immigrants arriving from Texas

More than 750 asylum seekers have arrived on buses sent from Texas since Aug. 31 and more are expected. In collaboration with local, state, federal, and community agencies, the city of Chicago is taking action to ensure they have access to shelter, food, and other resources.

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