News of the Cache River District



District News in "The Current" The Newspaper of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference May 1, 2008 To: Reverend J. Gregory Courtright, District Superintendent of the Cache River District of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of the United Methodist Church– We are very excited to welcome students from the Cache River District to the Wiley College campus! Wiley College is a faith-based learning community committed to the full development of each student. The institution focuses on the intellectual, social, physical, emotional, ethical and spiritual development of the student, encompassing student life both in and outside the classroom. Students are Wiley College ’s raison d’etre (reason for being) and as such, are treated as valued resources by the entire College community. Students are given appropriate time and attention from all College employees. And I know your students will find the core beliefs of Wiley College in the Campus Weekly Worship Convocations, Religious Emphasis Week, Women of Excellence Week, Men of Strength, and Weekly Bible Studies with the passionate worship, fervent prayer, connectional ministry, faith-forming relationships, and diligent study of scripture. We welcome you to find out more about Wiley College - an Institution of The United Methodist Church ! Melody Sheridan Patterson Director of Church Relations Wiley College 711 Wiley Avenue Marshall , Texas 75670 903.927.3391 (office) 903.927.2672 (fax) Visit us on the web at www.wileyc.edu Wiley College: Home of The Great Debaters Bishop Ough to Speak at Annual Conference Bishop Bruce Ough will be the guest speaker at the 2008 Annual Conference session June 4-7 in Peoria. Ough, who is episcopal leader of the West Ohio Conference, will address the conference Thursday and Friday mornings as lay and clergy members gather for the 12 th annual conference session. Elected to the episcopacy in 2000, Ough is completing his second term as superintendent, Council on Ministries director and local church pastor in Iowa. Bishop Issues Second Appeal for Funds Widespread flooding in southern Illinois has prompted Bishop Sharon A. Brown Christopher to issue a second special appeal for disaster relief. Bishop Christopher issued a request for a $10,000 grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief to assist flooding in southern Illinois. In addition, she is calling on IGRC congregations to take up a second special offering for funding the Conference Disaster Assistance Fund. Congregations need to note the designation for “Conference Disaster Relief Fund #6800” and notation ‘ Southern Illinois floods”. Locally you can contact Rev. Ed Hoke for flood bucket info and for offers of assistance to help with the clean-up. Call 618-942-3219 or email edpathoke@yahoo.com United Methodist Day at the ballpark June 14 The IGRC United Methodist Men will host United Methodist Day at Busch Stadium in St. Louis Saturday, June 14, when the Cardinals play the Philadelphia Phillies. Game time is 2:55PM. Tickets may be reserved between now and June 6. For more information, email Tom Correnti at UMMBBall@swbell.net or call 314-631-3994 UMW’s September Getaway Steeped in Chocolate How sweet it is! Join the IGRC UMW as they indulge at Chocolate Boutique: Where women taste and see that the Lord is good. The theme retreat will lavish participants as they connect the extravagance of chocolate with the extravagance of God’s love and grace. The Getaway will be held at The Chateau Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington and begins with indulgent desserts of the chocolate variety (with sugar free selections as well) at 6:00 pm Friday, September 19 and will finish by 3:30 pm Saturday. For more information, contact Julie Cunningham at 309-820-9827 or Claire Brucker at 309-662-3451. http://chocolateboutique.blogspot.com Upcoming Trips to Liberia Oct.21 to Nov. 3: IGRC Work Team. Project: an elementary school in Kakata Farmington District Dec. 27 to Jan. 8, 2009: College Age Mission Work Trip. Project: Conference Youth Center in Monrovia Jan 8-19, 2009: LaMoine River District Work Team (open to other districts) Project: A.B. Anderson UMC in Tubmanburg, St. Paul River District Cost for each trip: $3,7000, but project funds of $10,000 to $15,000 will be needed for each project. Cost includes airfare, travel insurance, Liberia visa, meals, lodging and transportation in Liberia. Airfare is subject to surcharge increase which may raise the total cost of the trip if necessary to meet all expenses while in Liberia. Inquiries should be directed to Bunny Wolfe at bwolfe@igrc.org Early Morning Earthquakes Felt in Several Midwestern States Southeastern Illinois and much of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference was given an early wakekup April 18 as an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, shook several states inthe Midwest. The earthquake, whose epicenter was near West Salem, in Edwards County, had sustained tremors lasting more than a minute. The region is along the Wabash Valley Fault Line and was felt as far away as Michigan to the north, Kansas City, MO to the west, Lousiville, KY to the east, and Memphis, TN to the south. Gary Patterson, a geologist with the Center for Earthquake Research and Information at teh University of Memphis, told the Evansville Courier-Press that the quake likely originated from the Southern Illinois Seismic Zone. The last quake that zone produced was a November 9, 1968 quake measuring magnitude 5.3. Patterson said the quake does ot appear to be connected withthe New Madrid Fault Zone. Some building damage was reported in Wabash County that included damage to the Mt. Carmel Trinity UMC and the West Salem Grade School. Illinois State Police said that damage reports ranged from cracks in walls and items falling off shelves to a mobile home knocked off its foundation with most damage to be minor.