A virtual first for annual conference

“When did I first start zooming?” I wondered one day. I went back in my virtual calendar and to the best of my knowledge, it was September 10, 2019. Almost to the day of writing this, it’s been a year of Zoom video conferencing. But not all days and weeks and months of zooming are equal. Since mid-March, I have been zooming every day, sometimes for hours. My guess is that many of you have been zooming these last months (or using another platform like Zoom). Even my 88-year-old mother zooms (when her computer works), and she’s very proud to be the only person in her senior facility to do so.

Bishop's Appeal Update: School passes inspection

On Sept. 11 God’s miracle happened. The first school inspection was successfully completed because God made a way in an impossible situation. When we failed to reach 75% of construction by August 2020 according to the Ministry of Education, a light of HOPE to open the school in Jan. 2021 was almost gone.

Annual Conference moves to webinar format

This has been a season of changes and new learnings, as we all figure out ways to do things differently. The Annual Conference committee is also working through these changes. Last time we communicated, we shared that the 2020 Annual Conference session would be held using a telephone platform. However, as the committee heard from other Annual Conferences using the same technology, we learned of their challenges and started to look for other options.

Interim Bishop announced to serve NIC in 2021

A couple of months ago, the NCJ bishops (called the College of Bishops) began to meet and discuss how to provide coverage for the NIC during the 2021 year. In consultation with the NCJ Committee on Episcopacy, the NIC Committee on Episcopacy, and the NIC cabinet, a strong preference was made for a retired bishop to provide coverage.

Clergy Session Held Virtually

For the first time, clergy gathered not in-person all together but behind a computer screen or on the phone from their homes or offices for the annual Clergy Session while practicing social distancing guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Northern Illinois Annual Conference moves to teleconference meeting in November

Given the uncertainty of how long we will need to maintain safe distancing, and how long before gatherings of about 1000+ people will be permissible, the Annual Conference Committee and Bishop have approved to hold a ‘virtual 2020 Annual Conference session’ on Saturday, November 14, 2020.

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