I was grateful for the
opportunity as annual conference Lay Member from Sherman United Methodist
Church to attend the 2013 Northern Illinois Annual Conference. According to the Book of Discipline, ¶ 251.2,
local church Lay Members “…shall report to the local church council on actions
of the annual conference as soon as possible, but not later than three months
after the close of conference.” In
keeping with this responsibility, I submit the following summary of my
attendance at annual conference during the first two days of the conference.
On Wednesday, June 5, 2013 the
conference began with an opening worship service during which Bishop Dyck
delivered her Episcopal Address—“Who Is My Neighbor?” from the Biblical parable
of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10: 25-37.
She challenged the conference to be in ministry with both our local
immigrant communities and global neighbors.
In her address she provided sobering statistics about deaths of children
due to malaria. “In 2006, a child died
of malaria every 30 seconds but now it’s up to one child every 60 seconds;
still too many children are dying...but we can save lives.” The bishop urged Northern Illinois Annual
Conference churches to join the effort to raise $1 million dollars over the
next three years for the Imagine No Malaria Campaign to eradicate the disease.
Health/Hygiene Kits for Missions-I delivered 50 hand towels as
Sherman’s contribution to the Northwestern District goal of 500 hand towels donated by various
churches in the district. The hand towels
along with other items such as tooth brushes and soap were assembled into
individual kits during the annual conference for distribution to those in need
after weather disasters such as the tornadoes in Oklahoma.
On Thursday, June 6
th
the conference attendees participated in Bible Study that was led by Bill
Mefford who is on staff at the General Board of Church and Society in
Washington, DC. The study was based on
passages of scripture from the Book of Esther with a focus on historical and
current immigration issues. He
challenged churches in the conference to learn about the
Justice For Our Neighbor (JFON) ministry that has two clinics in
Chicago and Aurora and suggested that each church should have a line-item in
its budget for JFON. JFON is a faith-based
ministry welcoming immigrants into churches and communities by providing free,
high-quality immigration legal services, education and advocacy
www.jfonnic.org.
I have served as a member from
Sherman to the Northern Illinois Annual Conference United Methodist Foundation
board of directors for the past twelve years.
During the conference my three, four- year terms were acknowledged. The executive director of the foundation
reported that for the first time in 2012 the foundation’s assets surpassed $50
million. The foundation has a proud
history, when investment returns are favorable, of making monetary grants available
to local churches for ministry projects.
A representative from the General
Board of Pension and Health Benefits provided a brief presentation on the Clergy Retirement Security Program (CRSP)
that is changing effective January 1, 2014.
During the conference, lay
persons met in session separately from clergy and heard Lay Leader Arnold
Rivera address the laity. In his speech
he provided examples of the many ways
that lay persons participate in ministry
to their neighbors in the annual conference.
The Laity Session also included a worship and communion service.
I became aware of a number of upcoming conference events:
- Safe
Sanctuaries, Conference-wide Training on internet and social media safety,
Saturday, August 24, 2013, 9 AM-3 PM at 1st UMC, 216 E. Highland
Ave., Elgin, IL. Registration fee is
$25.
- Summer
Summit on Stewardship, Saturday, July 20, 9 AM-3 PM the event will be
available via live-stream at Park Ridge:
1st UMC, 418 Touhy Avenue, Park Ridge, registration fee is
$25 per person or $70 for 3 or more persons from the same church
- United
Methodist Men’s 2013 Men’s Spiritual Congress, September 13-15, 2013,
Williams Bay, Wisconsin.
- Northern
Illinois Annual Conference School of Evangelism-“Holiness of Heart, Life
and Witness” Saturday, October 19, 2013 at Barrington UMC, 98 Algonquin Road,
Barrington, IL 60010
- Turnaround
Church Boot Camp, October 26-27, 2013, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Northbrook, IL,
registration fee $60 per person until October 1st
- Natural
Church Development, September 27-28, 2013, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM, St. Charles,
IL, cost $60.
I have always found attendance at
previous annual conferences to be inspirational and motivational. This session
of annual conference was no exception. I urge other Sherman Church leaders to
personally experience this important annual event in the United Methodist
Church.
Vidette Bullock Mixon
June 11, 2013
