Important Dates:

• April 3 - Online registration opens.
  Cost:
  April 3 - April 28 - Early bird registration $100/person
  April 29 - May 28 - $125/person
  No on-site registration
• April 3 - Legislation and Historical Documents due
  (Details for submitting to be posted soon).
• April 30 - Registration cost changes to $125.
• May 2 - Submission of names and photos of AC lay members who have passed since May 2022 due (Send to Communications@umcnic.org)
• May 5 - Legislation and documents posted online
• May 8 - Video and Media presentations due. Send to ACMedia@umcnic.org
• June 6 - Annual Conference session begins
            - Evening Ordination Service
• June 7 - Morning Retirement Service
• June 8 - Morning Memorial Service

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184th Northern Illinois Annual Conference Comes to the Table

The 184th session of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference is set to take place June 6th – June 8th, 2023. The Conference will return to the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center at 1551 N. Thoreau Dr., Schaumburg, IL, again this year.

Continuing with the theme, “Connected in Christ”; the 2023 theme is "Connected in Christ: Come to the Table," placing the focus on one of the core elements of our Christian faith – communion. Communion brings us into the real presence of Christ on a regular basis. As we join at the table, we are nourished so that we might bring Christ into the world, ultimately forming community, from baptism to the communion table. By participating in communion and becoming a community, we are called in ministry and mission. This theme allows us to go outside of the temporal issues of the world into a deeper theological reflection and ideology of God’s grace offered to us while also calling us into action.

Rev. Arlene Christopherson reminds us that, "[The] Annual Conference is a central element of our life together in the United Methodist Church. It is in this gathering that we celebrate, worship, plan, and learn. Last year we stepped back into an in-person conference relearning what it means to gather together. We look forward to expanding our numbers, and our activities in 2023.  This year will also be the first of many years that our session will be led by Bishop Dan Schwerin. We look forward to growing in community under his leadership.”
 
Ordination and Commissioning will be held on the evening of Tuesday, June 6th. The conference will honor those retiring on Wednesday morning, June 7th. We will be remembering those who passed in the past year during the memorial service on the morning of Thursday, June 8th.

The cost of this year’s meeting is $100 for early registrations before April 28 and will increase to $125. Registration will close on Sunday, May 28. There will be NO on-site registration.
 
The committee is diligently working on the arrangements for childcare for this year, and details will be forthcoming. Clergy and lay members are encouraged to begin thinking of alternative plans for their children in case childcare will not be provided.

As we prepare to fellowship again, the Committee will continue to monitor all state and local health and safety guidelines on large gatherings.

Online registration will open in April 3. Bookmark this page umcnic.org/AC2022 and check back for updates and details in the coming months.