New Communications Specialist Joins NIC Staff

Please help us in welcoming Lisa Smith to the NIC Staff as the new Administrative Assistant/Communications Specialist as of Oct. 1, 2021. She will work closely with Rev. Arlene Christopherson, Dir. of Connectional Ministries and Anne Marie Gerhardt, Director of Communications. Diane will be responsible for special publications, brochures, graphics, Annual Conference media support, web content, social media, and other communication projects.

Schaumburg church takes stand against racism

Over Labor Day weekend, Our Saviour’s UMC (OSUMC) held an Anti-Racism event in conjunction with the Schaumburg’s end-of-summer festival and the church’s youth group annual parking lot fundraiser.

A Wesleyan take on personal finance

Saving Grace is a six-session course mainly intended for small groups, with extra content for clergy, who have special circumstances in such areas as housing and taxes. Participants use a workbook (the primary cost), and there’s a leader’s guide, too.

Update on Boy Scouts of America Bankruptcy Case

While the bankruptcy case is ongoing, the Boy Scouts of America, along with its local councils, recently reached an agreement with representatives of most of the survivors on a proposed $850 million settlement. This would be the largest settlement in a child sexual abuse case in U.S. history.

Bishops' Statement on Violence against Asian Americans

NIC Interim Bishop John Hopkins has signed a joint statement with the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, condemning the shootings in metropolitan Atlanta on March 16 that left eight people dead and one injured. They recognize these shootings are the product of a culture of violence, misogyny, and hatred against Asian American people—particularly Asian women—that has intensified over the last year.

Laity Convocation recording available online

More than 300 people attended the first virtual Laity Convocation, “The Other Side: Making Churches Vital in a Post-Pandemic World,” held as a Zoom webinar on Feb. 13, 2021. The session focused on the NIC’s strategic goals of ending racism, growing and reaching new disciples, and building vital congregations. The three speakers included Rev. Sue Nilson Kibbey on communal prayer, Rev. Adam Hamilton on helping people grow in faith, and Rev. Dr. F. Douglas Powe on reaching out to our neighbors.

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