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Racism, Environment, Immigration, and Youth Focused Springfield Advocacy Day

About 40 United Methodists from across Illinois gathered at the state Capitol on April 15 for an advocacy day organized by the Northern Illinois Conference Commission on Religion and Race. Participants met with legislators to discuss issues such as food and environmental justice, immigration, and youth empowerment, grounding their efforts in the United Methodist Social Principles. The day concluded with prayer, song, and a vigil at the Lincoln statue, calling participants to continue the work of justice.

Illinois Pilgrimage Unites Faith and History

United Methodists from across Illinois will gather for a four-day Illinois Pilgrimage focused on faith, history, and justice, offering opportunities for learning, reflection, and community-building. The journey will include visits to significant historical and cultural sites across the state, concluding with worship and a visit to Cahokia Mounds. Open to participants of all ages, the pilgrimage invites deeper understanding and connection through shared experience.

A Sign of Hope in Challenging Times: Emergency Solidarity Fund Update

With strong conference support of the Emergency Solidarity Fund, $60,000 was distributed in three rounds of assistance to 20 Hispanic/Latinx churches and ministries, helping meet urgent needs such as rent, food, transportation, and legal expenses. This generous response reflects the Northern Illinois Conference’s commitment to stand with immigrant siblings in Christ, embodying hope through compassionate action.

Video Shows Chicago Churches’ Help for Immigrants

"When Fear Knocks, the Church Shows Up: A Chicago Story” tells the stories of how immigrant communities in Northern Illinois struggle to continue working, attending worship, obtaining groceries and other needs, and sending their children to school, and how conference churches have reached out to help.

Uncover Our History Through Illinois Pilgrimage in June

The Commissions on Religion and Race of the Northern Illinois and Illinois Great Rivers Conferences are partnering to host a Pilgrimage Journey Through the Heart of Illinois, June 25–28, exploring sites that reveal the state’s complex history of racism and resilience. Beginning with an optional Chicago tour, the pilgrimage will visit key locations including a Lincoln-Douglas debate site, the El Paso Voting Rights Museum, Springfield, East St. Louis, and Cahokia Mounds. Designed as both an educational and spiritual experience, the journey invites participants to reflect honestly on the past in order to shape a more just future together.

Keep Hope Alive

On Feb. 17, we lost a civil rights icon in Rev. Jesse Jackson. He was a pivotal figure in the history of civil rights organizing in Chicago, but also a global ambassador for racial justice within a fabric of economic opportunity and equal protection under the law.

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