Many churches and youth are participating in Mission Trips this summer
Many churches are starting up Mission Trips after a pause or change due COVID. It is great to see everyone being the hands and feet of Christ in our word.
Read MoreGreen Community Outreach Earns Grants for Hartzell Memorial and Grace (Logan Square) UMCs
Many churches would love to have more money available to serve their communities with Christ’s love—and to become more environmentally responsible at the same time. Grace United Methodist Church, Logan Square, and Hartzell Memorial United Methodist (both in Chicago) recently received Chicago Recovery Grants that will make this possible.
Read MoreUM Bishops Receive Warm Welcome on a Chilly Afternoon
When First United Methodist members agreed to host the United Methodist Council of Bishops’ memorial service on April 30, they immediately organized for an opportunity they considered an honor. Hospitality comes naturally to this big-hearted congregation, who wanted to show the bishops "our little slice of heaven."
Read MoreAnnual Conference Members Will Consider Churches’ Disaffiliation Requests
Ten churches’ request for disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church will be considered by Northern Illinois Annual Conference session members on June 6. These churches, constituting 2.8 percent of NIC congregations, completed a set of required steps that the 2019 UMC General Conference, in special session, passed as church law.
Read MoreHow We Became a Reconciling Congregation
During that learning process, I found out that the Galena UMC congregation was not officially a Reconciling Congregation, even though they thought they were.They had already been openly in support of LGBTQ+ people for a long time, so I helped them start the process to become a Reconciling Congregation. It was difficult, but we prayed and communicated with each other.
Read MoreOpening space for discussion during the 2023 film series
The Anti-Racism Task Force kicked off its 2023 Film Series at the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie on March 25. This first event aimed to help participants better understand the media’s role in portraying people of color in ways that sometimes contribute to negative stereotypes an perpetuate a “white savior” narrative.
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