On February 20, Pastor Roger Bronkema and families from Warren and Elizabeth UMC traveled to the Lake Carroll snow tubing hill in Lanark, Ill., for a day of fun. The trip was a “thank you” to the youth who helped Bronkema in ministry throughout 2020. Amid bright sunshine and crisp blue skies, about 25 youth and adults grabbed inner tubes and let gravity speed them along down the hill.
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.
Read MoreLike many people eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, Rev. Marilyn Nolan, senior pastor at Lanark UMC, went on the search to find an appointment to get her shot, which would surprisingly turn into a community outreach. “Since I was in 1b category, I called the local Caroll County Health department to make an appointment and was told I was number 500 on a long waitlist,” said Nolan, a bit discouraged. “But while on the phone, I asked the administrator if the county needed sites to distribute the vaccine and offered our church as suggested by one of our members.”
Read MoreDuring the first quarter of 2021, the Northern Illinois Conference Insurance Board, under the leadership of our Director of Risk Management and Ministry Protection Dwayne Jackson has undertaken the mission of ensuring that every church in the Northern Illinois Conference has a process of screening and training for church volunteers who work with children, youth, and vulnerable adults. Thank you to all those churches who have filled out the survey and take this responsibility seriously.
Read MoreAs I start a conversation about our Church, I think it is helpful to begin with basic foundational values. When I was a new bishop in the Minnesota Area, I was working on a list of core values that could direct our shared ministry and bind us to Christ and each other.
Read MoreContinuing to keep the health and safety of clergy and lay members a top priority, the 2021 Northern Illinois Annual Conference will convene again as an all-virtual session from July 16-17 with Interim Bishop John L. Hopkins presiding.
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