In late April 2023, a racially diverse group of 37 Northern Illinois clergy and lay people took a Civil Rights Pilgrimage to key historic sites where Black Americans courageously pursued freedom and justice.
Read MoreImages of trees torn out by their roots and roofs pierced by tree limbs and reports of tornadoes dominated the news in late March and early April. Northern Illinois United Methodists immediately offered help and support those whose lives were disrupted.
Read MoreThe Boy Scouts of America recently settled a lawsuit related to accusations of sexual abuse of children. The United Methodist Church—one of the parties in the suit—is committed to caring for the children who were harmed and to preventing abuse in the future. The Northern Illinois Conference Trustees and Council on Finance and Administration, in collaboration with Bishop Dan Schwerin and the conference staff, created the Repair the Harm to Children Campaign to respond to the victims’ needs.
Read MoreDuring the first days of April, a number of Northern Illinois communities have been battered by storms. These include Belvidere, where a tornado touched ground on April 1, and Camp Reynoldswood, which suffered damage to the roof of one of its buildings on April 4.
Read MoreJesus submitted to it for our sake. As we pray and fast on Good Friday, it seems a small thing to go without food for a little while. When hunger pangs strike, we are reminded to pray and give thanks for Jesus.
Read MoreDuring the Laity Convocation 2023, one of the host churches, Disciples United Methodist Church (DUMC) in Mt. Morris, created a display about the rich history of the Rock River Conference that then became our Northern Illinois Conference. The church’s history team hoped to share with guests, many of whom had never been in Mt. Morris, how our early Methodist settlers, ministers, and circuit riders followed a path of discipleship as they moved west from Maryland, Ohio, and Kentucky into the frontier of northwest Illinois.
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