Methodism and May Day: Intertwined in History
May Day, May 1, is internationally recognized as a day to lift up voices in the struggle for labor rights. Born with John Wesley’s care for coal miners and oppressed workers, Unite…
The Boy Scouts of America settled a lawsuit related to accusations of sexual abuse of children. The United Methodist Church has chartered BSA troops or packs over the years and were assessed liability.
The denomination agreed to raise and contribute $30 million over a three-year period to a fund created by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to compensate survivors. The church also committed to supporting the healing of survivors and to continuing its work to end sexual abuse of young people. Of the $30 million committed by The United Methodist Church, the amount allocated to the Northern Illinois Conference was $754,348.
In the Northern Illinois Conference, the Repair the Harm to Children campaign was created by the Conference Committee on Finance and Administration and the Board of Trustees, in collaboration with Bishop Dan Schwerin, to address the needs of survivors in three ways: listening to and providing healing for survivors, contributing our fair share to the survivor fund, and strengthening safeguards to prevent harm in the future. Pledges and donations were requested from churches and individuals from Sept. 2023 through Dec. 31, 2025, to support restorative healing for survivors.
We are grateful that 108 churches and 212 individuals participated in this endeavor. This giving is above and beyond apportionment and mission link contributions. Because of the generosity of these churches and individuals, apportionment funds were not used to pay our portion to the Boy Scouts of America.
Thank you to the 108 churches:
May Day, May 1, is internationally recognized as a day to lift up voices in the struggle for labor rights. Born with John Wesley’s care for coal miners and oppressed workers, Unite…
The Northern Illinois Conference has decided to discontinue The NIC Reporter. Survey feedback, declining readership, and budget constraints made it necessary to shift resources toward more wid…
About 40 youth and adults from across Northern Illinois took part in the “Who Is My Neighbor?” interfaith bus tour on April 18, visiting several places of worship in the…
About 40 United Methodists from across Illinois gathered at the state Capitol on April 15 for an advocacy day organized by the Northern Illinois Con…