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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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Why I Am Going to Minneapolis for a Clergy Action

A call went out this week for clergy to come to Minneapolis and protest what is taking place in the Twin Cities. I have given it a great deal of consideration and decided that I need to stand with Somali people and other immigrants to send a message that it is not the actions of bad people that are most damaging; it is the silence of the good people.

MLK Celebration: Dangerous Times Call for Dangerous Religion

Over 300 people gathered at Trinity United Methodist Church in Mount Prospect on Jan. 18 for the conference's annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, where they affirmed that King’s words and life are still relevant to our Christian witness today.

Dr. King Wanted to Build a Better World, Not a Monument

In his reflection, Rev. Dr. Charles A. Woolery Sr., challenges readers to move beyond a comfortable, sanitized remembrance of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to engage his full prophetic witness. He lifts up King’s critique of racism, poverty, and militarism, warning that honoring monuments and sound bites is easier than living out the costly work of justice.

NIC Delegation Celebrates Amendments Adoption

The NIC delegates to the 2020/2024 General Conference celebrate the ratification of the four constitutional amendments that affirm the UMC as a fully inclusive church.

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