Rev. Gessel Berry Jr., retired member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away Friday, November 24, 2023. During his ministry he served Vincent; Chicago: Gorham; Highland Park: Bethany; General Board of Pension and Health Benefits; Zion: Memorial; Chicago: Hartzell Memorial; and Evanston: Sherman.
Read MoreA new mission project from Midwest Mission is being woven across Northern Illinois. Church groups are turning clean plastic shopping bags into sleeping mats. The mats are distributed to organizations around the world that serve people who lack homes, who have been displaced by disaster, or who need temporary sleeping arrangements—anyone who needs a clean, dry barrier between them and the ground.
Read MoreWhat would you give to keep a child safe? What would you give to help the wounded heal? Northern Illinois Conference’s Bishop Dan Schwerin asks churches to prayerfully consider these questions as they make a pledge to the conference’s Repair the Harm campaign. The campaign is raising $754,348 toward a survivors’ fund for those who endured abuse while participating in Boy Scout activities.
Read MoreJohn Wesley taught that the covenants of Methodist polity affirm that we share for the good of the whole, be it the trust clause, the appointment, or the apportionment. I write today to ask you to pray and consider how to finish well and move toward 100 percent payment of all your church’s apportioned items, both conference and general church apportionments.
Read MoreOn Nov. 11, North Central College installed their eleventh president, Dr. Anita Jones Thomas. This Midwest institution is more than home to a winning football team. North Central College traces its roots to the early faith movements that spread across our country.
Read MoreNow is the time to embrace all the blessings of the past year and look forward to what lies ahead for the remainder of 2023 and all of 2024. Opportunities, prospects, and challenges abound. But siblings, there is always a special excitement in the air at this time of the year as we embark upon the Advent season. There is anticipation and remembrance, and it never grows old as each year we celebrate anew the greatest gift ever given—for unto us a savior was born.
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