About 700 clergy and lay members of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference met in session from June 9 to 11 in Schaumburg, Ill., to explore the theme “Grace is Sufficient” as they worshiped, heard inspiring sermons and Bible study, and passed legislation to further the conference mission and ministry.

Land acknowledgement

The first session began with a land acknowledgment led by Rev. Michelle Oberwise Lacock, the chairperson of the NIC Committee on Native American Ministry. She led the conference in respectfully acknowledging and honoring the original inhabitants (and their descendants) of the land upon which the conference was meeting, previously known as Turtle Island. The original stewards of this land were the Council of the Three Fires, comprising the Ojibway, Odawa, and Potawatami nations as well as the Miami, Menominee, Ho Chunk, Sauk, Fox, Kickapoo, and Illinois nations. 

Bishop Schwerin encourages experimentation

In his address, Bishop Dan Schwerin, leader of the Northern Illinois–Wisconsin Episcopal Area, explained that part of acknowledging that grace is sufficient is the willingness to try new approaches for a new time—and to accept failure as part of the experimentation.

The conference will encourage experimentation through its congregational development ministry, he said. Rev. Christian Coon, NIC’s director of congregational development, will start a cohort for large-church pastors and refer them to coaching services as requested.

Further, Bishop Schwerin urges churches to recognize that our nation’s religious landscape has changed. No longer can churches assume that newcomers will visit and stay at a church that is engaging in familiar activities that are meaningful to longtime members but of no interest to visitors. “People are looking for meaning; to learn where to find God,” he said. 

He also reminded the conference members that we follow Jesus, not the empire. Love of neighbor is our resistance to the empire’s oppression and dehumanization of others.

“Faith is the courage to let grace do its work,” he said.

Bishop’s Appeal for innovative churches

The bishop’s emphasis on experimentation is reinforced by this year’s Bishop’s Appeal for Innovative Outreach. Donations will provide grants to churches that try new ways to step outside of their building and engage with their communities. So far, churches have donated $18,746.95.

The Annual Conference Shepherding Team, which provides consultation and guidance to conference ministry groups and efforts, reported that in the coming months it will invest in adaptive leadership development, listen to the emerging needs of the church, and support ministry by aligning resources. “Your ministry in your neighborhood is our ministry as the conference,” said team co-leaders Mark Manzi and Rev. KyungHae Anna Shin. Rev. Shin retires as of July 1, and Rec. Caleb Hong will take her place on the ACST.

Bible study on the centrality of grace

Leading the conference in Bible study, Dr. Reginald Blount drew on 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 to teach on “Grace Is Not Plan B: Power in the Midst of Weakness” and “Grace Abounds.”

Dr. Blount is an associate professor of Formation, Leadership, and Culture and director of the Center for the Church and the Black Experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

“We often think grace is something God gives when everything else fails—a spiritual safety net,” Dr. Blount said. “But Paul reveals a deeper truth: grace is not Plan B. It is the plan. Grace is God's presence and power made visible, not in our strength, but in our weakness.”

Legislative decisions

Among the legislation passed by conference members:

• A commitment to connectionalism, specifically by celebrating the conference’s diverse membership, praying for the flourishing of each of our churches and all of our clergy, and contributing our full apportionments to support ministry across our conference, nation, and world
• A call to the conference Nominations Committee to create a conference Committee on Inclusion, particularly to advance the ministries of LGBTQ+ people and their participation in conference-level leadership
• Encouragement of conference churches to advocate for and minister among immigrants
• Endorsement of a human-rights advocacy and the right to engage in nonviolent actions, including boycotts and free speech on public policy concerns
• Support for a boycott of Chevron products, following the lead of the UMC Board of Church and Society, United Methodists for Kairos Response, and the Methodist Federation for Social Action
• Resistance to religious nationalist theology 
• Divestment from countries involved in prolonged military occupations 
• Creation of an Equitable Compensation Committee that is separate from the Conference Board of Pension and Health Benefits
• Closure of two churches: Malden and Franklin Grove UMCs
• Establishment of a Creation Care Committee
   

As all UMC annual conferences will do this year, NIC members voted on whether to ratify the amendments to the UMC constitution that were passed at General Conference last year. The vote tallies have been submitted to the general church, which will add up every vote cast before announcing the results.

Budgeting for ministry

Conference members passed a balanced 2026 operations budget of $5,108,000, supported by anticipated apportionment, dividend, and interest receipts of the same amount.

Responding to churches’ requests for a simplified, transparent, and equitable apportionment formula, the Conference Council on Finance and Administration proposed a three-tiered plan:

• churches with income under $250,000 will be apportioned 8 percent of their income
• churches with income between $250,000 and $750,000 will be apportioned 10 percent of their income
• churches with income over $750,001 will be apportioned 12 percent of their income

Conference members approved the formula, which becomes effective on Jan. 1.

Kim Emery, the chair of the CCFA, updated the conference on its Repair the Harm to Children campaign. This fund is helping to cover NIC’s portion of the settlement to compensate survivors of abuse that took place in Boy Scouts of America activities.

NIC’s portion of the $30 million settlement with the UMC is $742,000. So far, the conference needs to collect $95,650 for the fund in order to cover the full amount, which has already been sent. Contributions will be accepted up to Dec 31.

Generous Giving

 Ministerial Education Fund: Donations received at conference came to $3,046. Twenty-five percent of those gifts remain in the annual conference, to help support programs and services in theological education, the enlistment and continuing education of ordained ministers, and courses of study.

Mission Mission Collection:  About 70 churches donated more than $1,000 as well as over 4,000 pounds of in-kind donations to Midwest Mission. The Illinois-based organization sends tangible resources to make an intangible difference in the lives of people who have endured natural disasters, war, economic injustice, and other challenges. Several larger donations have been received over the past year, such as an ambulance, a fire truck, numerous sewing machines, and medical devices.

Recognizing Church Achievements

Mission Links Awards: These awards honor churches that have supported United Methodist missions in exemplary ways.

• The Philip Otterbein Award for Highest Total Mission Link Giving :  Kingswood United Methodist Church in Buffalo Grove and Deerfield: $21,542 
• The John Wesley Award for Highest Mission Link Giving per Member: Good Shepherd UMC in Oswego: 70%
   

One Matters Awards: Every year, the NIC recognizes five churches with One Matters Awards. The United Methodist Church’s Discipleship Ministries created this award in 2015 to encourage congregations that in the previous year increased baptisms and professions of faith from zero to at least one.  Discipleship Ministries grants one award, as nominated by the conference’s director of connectional ministries. Wanting to recognize more churches, NIC makes four additional awards. 

This year's recipients: 

• Lake North: Arlington Heights: First UMC (Rev. Brittany Isaac and Pastor David Profitt)
• Lake South: New Lenox: First UMC (Rev. Wesley Dixon and Rev. Mark Meyers)
• Prairie Central: Antioch UMC (Rev. Katie Voigt)
• Prairie North: Rockford: Grace UMC (Rev. Sejoon Jang)
• Prairie South: Hinckley UMC (Rev. Derek Rogers)
   

Celebration of Ministry

Eight elders were ordained: Kicheon Ahn, Jaeeon Cho, Chan Ik Choi, Clayton Scott Edwards, G. Morris K. Jarkloh Jr., and Matthew James Smith

One deacon was commissioned: Alexander Dade Dungan. Five elders were commissioned: Dawn Marie Gardner, Michael Mitchell Sr., D. Josiah Montgomery, Hyesang Jay Shin, and Jacob R. Tipantasig-Wolverton

One deaconess was consecrated: Rhonda Smith-Sumrall

Six new local pastors were recognized for having received their license for pastoral ministry in the past year: Rene Bello, Kurt Beystehner, Saturnino Espinoza, David Profitt, Sanha Kang, and Robert Wandell

Twenty-one certified lay ministers were recognized.

Eight clergy retirements were recognized.