Praise be to God! The guilty verdicts in the Derek Chauvin trial are a crucial step towards rebuilding trust in our democratic system of justice that is celebrated around the world. Although justice has been served, my heart goes out to George Floyd’s family, as they will never have him back. We hope the knowledge that his death sparked an anti-racism movement with a demand for police reform may give them some solace.
Read MoreIn spring 2020, the United Methodist Foundation of the Northern Illinois Conference challenged congregations to raise funds to support the three Food Banks serving their conference. The match began as a $50,000 challenge, but because of generous support was increased to $75,000. In total gifts of more than $150,000 were made to support feeding neighbors.
Read MoreThe trial of Derek Chauvin, charged in George Floyd’s death, has begun with jury selections and will continue for a number of weeks. We know that this is the focus of many in our country. As the church, we can be a witness as we call for justice in this and many other places.
Read MoreThe Rev. Junius B. Dotson, the General Secretary of Discipleship Ministries, died late Feb. 24 surrounded by family, less than a month after announcing his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 55.
Read MoreMore 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.
Read MoreThe Conference Board of Global Ministries (CBGM) announces the release of a new conference mission-giving book called “Mission Links: Living the Beatitudes” which replaces the Rainbow Covenant book.
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