Hispanic Heritage Month in NIC celebrates vital ministries

The Hispanic/Latinx community is one of the largest demographic groups in the U.S., with a population of 62.1 million. In Northern Illinois, the Hispanic/Latinx population is 1.9 million and continues to grow rapidly. This makes Hispanic Heritage Month—Sept. 15 to Oct. 15—very important to The United Methodist Church as a whole and our conference in particular. It’s a time we set aside to celebrate and appreciate the contribution of the Hispanic/Latinx community in our country and our churches.

DYK: Attend your church conference—you are a link in the connection

Church conferences focus on electing leaders, setting the pastor’s salary, approving the church’s budget (if available), recommending candidates for ministry, and approving lay speakers. The event also includes a time to review and affirm the congregation’s plans for ministry and mission and learning about the work of the conference and the wider United Methodist Church.These meetings are part of the fabric of our connectional nature. Through the connectional system, we are involved in God’s mission together. Together, we are able to do more than if we remained alone.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month

It is a time to say “thank you” to the people who may be most visible as preachers and teachers, but who, in reality, are on-call 24/7 standing with congregants and others to offer spiritual and other support in times of confusion and transition, times of heart-wrenching sorrow and times of overwhelming joy.

Children blossom as readers and confident students in St. Mark UMC’s Freedom School

St. Mark United Methodist Church in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood has been especially busy this summer. Some of its rooms were buzzing with the sound of children dancing, moving, or discussing a story they heard read aloud that day. After lunch, though, the building would settle into 15 minutes of stillness, when children and adults were quietly reading.

Annual Conference Shepherding Team hears hard truths as it determines its purpose

Clarifying its role in strengthening Northern Illinois Conference shared ministries is priority one for the Annual Conference Shepherding Team and was its focus at its July 29 meeting at Friendship United Methodist Church in Bolingbrook.

Will Wisconsin and Northern Illinois share a bishop?

Wisconsin and Northern Illinois conferences continue to anticipate the possibility they will share a bishop—something like a two-point charge—in the near future. A Bishop-Sharing Task Force in Northern Illinois met on Aug. 28 to plan NIC’s next steps in the exploration.

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