Northern Illinois Justice for Our Neighbors (NIJFON) has been blessed with a $25,000 gift from Berry Memorial UMC in Chicago through the sale of the church’s historic building. As Berry UMC seeks to plant the seeds of a new church home in Chicago, they also chose to plant seeds for justice through supporting the mission and vision of NIJFON.
Read MoreThe United Methodist Men’s online Spiritual Congress 2020 brought clergy and laity together to hear top leaders discuss ways to mitigate and eventually eliminate racism. Some speakers were general in their presentations, but others gave concrete ways to improve understanding, build trust, and break down barriers.
Read MoreFor too long, in so many of our churches and communities, racism has been willfully ignored—and even perpetuated. The Bishop's message, building on generations of antiracism work in the church, inspired the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) to formally adopt the goal of living out the conviction that racism is incompatible with Christian teaching.
Read MoreA 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.
Read MoreFor 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.
Read MoreGovernor J. B. Pritzker is expected to move all the regions of Illinois into Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan on June 26. This will continue to move us toward more in-person gatherings but still with restrictions.
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