Building Faith and Friendships at JOY Camp
JOY Camp 2026 brought together 61 campers and 27 volunteer counselors for a week of faith, friendship, and outdoor fun at Camp Reynoldswood in Dixon, Ill., June 21-27. Centered on the…
My Omaha is essentially a film about the search for truth and common ground between a son and his father. But it also traces the search for truth and common ground that has been playing out for decades between Omaha’s African American community and the larger, dominant white community. It is an 85-minute documentary released in February 2025, directed, written and produced by 31-year-old Nick Beaulieu. It premiered in Omaha in October last year.
My Omaha begins in 2016, as Donald Trump is elected president and the Black Lives Matter movement is burgeoning in Omaha. Nick is determined to understand how these forces are colliding in his hometown – including the white suburbs where he grew up and the Black community of North Omaha. Along the way, he meets Leo Louis II, a fiercely independent activist, who introduces him to the birthplace of Malcolm X in North Omaha, which is emerging as a hub for community activism. In parallel, Nick takes his camera home to explore the increasingly tense relationship he has with his father Randy – a pro-Trump, conservative Christian. After Randy is suddenly diagnosed with stage-4 cancer, they commit to a series of conversations in the hopes of finding a new place of mutual understanding. At the same time, Nick becomes closer with Leo, witnessing his ascension as a leading voice in the city as Leo guides the people of Omaha through crisis following the polarizing death of a protester. All the while, Nick confronts the reality of his father’s impending death and their uncompromising differences, as he searches for the deeper truths of what their relationship says about Omaha and the country at large.
JOY Camp 2026 brought together 61 campers and 27 volunteer counselors for a week of faith, friendship, and outdoor fun at Camp Reynoldswood in Dixon, Ill., June 21-27. Centered on the…
Rev. Nya Kwiawon Tarylor Sr., a retired member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away on Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Lula B. Sherman United Methodist Church in Evanston entered into a new community partnership on July 14 when it cut the ribbon on new office space in the church for the Consula…
From June 25 to 28, members from the Northern Illinois, Illinois Great Rivers, and Wisconsin Conferences embarked on a spiritual pilgrimage organized by the NIC Committee on Religion…