Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church

Mission Statement

The purpose of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference is to make disciples for Jesus Christ by equipping its local faith communities for a ministry of witness, justice, hope and love, and by providing a connection for mission beyond the congregation; all to the glory of God.

Celebration of Bishop Hee-Soo Jung’s Return to The Northern Illinois Conference - October 12

Bishop Hee-Soo and Reverend Im-Hyon Jung

An Annual Conference gathering to Welcome Back Bishop Hee-Soo Jung is planned for Sunday, October 12, at 4:00 p.m. at First UMC of Downers Grove, 1032 Maple Avenue, Downer’s Grove, IL.

There will be worship followed by a reception to greet Bishop Jung and his wife, Rev. Im-Hyon Jung.

Bishop Jung was re-assigned to serve a second quadrennium as the Episcopal Leader of The Northern Illinois Annual Conference at the North Central Jurisdictional Conference, July 2008.

Fall Opportunities for Learning and Growth

Small Group Institute - Starts October 11th

The Small Group Institute offers an opportunity for laity and clergy to be involved in the theory, theology and hands-on techniques of becoming an effective small group leader. Click here for more information on The Small Group Institute.

For more information on individual programs, click one of the following:

Theology of Class Meetings

Building our Spiritual Gifts

The Christian as Small Group Leader

Group Dynamics for Small Groups

How to Develop and Do Small Group Groups

The Spirit of Small Groups - Outreach Ministry

To register, contact: Natarsha Gardner, ngardner@umcnic.org, 847-931-0710, ext. 16

School of Evangelism – October 18th

Intimacy and Action: Keynote speaker: Dr. Tony Compolo plus eight dynamic workshops that will boost your evangelism skills. Dr. Compolo is a highly sought after speaker, renowned for his insight, his humor and his ability to deliver life changing messages. He is also the author of 35 books.

For more information and a registration form, click here.

Welcoming the Sojourner – October 16th - 18th

A conference on immigration with keynote speakers: Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Northern Illinois; Bishop Minerva Carcaño, Desert Southwest; José Oliva, Interfaith Worker Justice. Workshops include: The Bible & Immigration; The New Sanctuary Movement; INS Raids and Your Community. The conference will take place at the Hilton: Lisle-Naperville, Illinois. For more information, click here. To register, click here.

For more information, contact: Rev. Michael Mann, 815-286-7102, hinckleyumpastor@verizon.net

Challenging Business as Usual – October 17th - 19th

Challenging Business as Usual will run in conjunction with Welcoming the Soujourner. In addition to Bishops Jung and Carcaño, presenters will include: 'General Commission on Religion and Race' general secretary, Erin Hawkins, and the Revs. Barbara Issacs and Eliezér Valentín-Castañon, both GCORR staff executives. Dan Gire, Movie Critic of The Daily Herald will present a workshop on “Racism in Film.”

For more information, contact: Rev. John Alan Boryk, 847-825-3144, jaboryk@comcast.net

To register, click here.