2026 Will Be a Year of Hope
Bishop Schwerin looks ahead to 2026 by turning to scripture; specifically, Psalm 130:5: “I wait for the Lord; my soul waits, and in his word, I hope.” He ponders, What kind of spiritual focus is nee…
The Academy (Hispanic/Latino) for Faith Community Development is a two-year training program for pastors and lay persons who feel called to start a “new thing” with the Hispanic/Latino community of Northern Illinois.
This intensive process provides support, ministry skills development, and leadership training in order to prepare a pool of leaders for reaching out to religious “nones” through Hispanic/Latino ministries in the Northern Illinois Conference.
We invite you to recommend prayerfully someone whom you believe is suited and gifted for planting a new church or starting a new ministry. This could be a colleague, a clergy person, a lay person, or even yourself! The Academy seeks participants who have the following traits:
(1) A passion for starting a “new thing.” Many Academy participants will not launch a church plant. We simply desire participants zealous for reaching religious “nones.”
(2) Hunger for learning. We desire participants who want to learn from the presenters, peer-to-peer sharing, personal accountability, and the spiritual formation process.
For more information, contact Martin Lee, at mlee@umcnic.org.
Bishop Schwerin looks ahead to 2026 by turning to scripture; specifically, Psalm 130:5: “I wait for the Lord; my soul waits, and in his word, I hope.” He ponders, What kind of spiritual focus is nee…
Rev. Lora Zink, a retired member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025.
Mrs. Freda Whittle, surviving spouse of Rev. Paul Whittle Jr., a deceased member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away on April 16, 2025.
This summer, churches across the conference brought vacation Bible school to life, each one putting its own unique spin on the beloved tradition. From creative scheduling and special…