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 MoreWhen 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 MoreTen 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 MoreDuring 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 MoreThe 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.
Read MoreLent has always been considered an important time in the worship and discipleship life of a community of faith. Lent is a time for the church to journey together toward Easter and reaffirm their baptismal covenant. It is an opportunity for self-examination and reflection, as modeled by Jesus in Matthew 4: 1-11 when he prayed and fasted for 40 days before beginning his ministry. It can also be a time of great creativity and innovation, even while maintaining valued and sacred traditions. Many congregations and ministries across the conference are participating in tried and true traditions, as well as looking toward something new.
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