December

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New Reporter tabloid format
will make its debut on Jan. 9

(Dec. 26) The Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) is changing the look, contents and name of its weekly newspaper, beginning Friday, Jan. 9.

This issue of the Northern Illinois Conference edition of the United Methodist Reporter will be the last. There will be no newspaper next week.

Beginning Friday, Jan. 9, a new newspaper, The Reporter, will be issued each week by the Northern Illinois Conference. The publication will be a four-page tabloid format prepared entirely by Linda Rhodes, NIC Director of Communications. Most of the news in the new publication will be about the Northern Illinois Conference and local churches within the NIC, according to Rhodes. News items from United Methodist News Service will provide coverage of national and international church events.

Once a month the publication will consist of eight pages, with space dedicated to resources and mission opportunities for local churches. Training events, materials from United Methodist general boards and agencies and materials available from the NIC Media Resource Center will be highlighted.

50% more space for news

The new publication is expected to save the Conference $25,000 to $30,000 per year in publishing costs and provide about 50% more space for Conference news, Rhodes said.

“The firm consensus of the NIC Communications Commission has consistently been to continue improving Conference communications tools,” said the Rev. James T. Galbreath, chair of the NIC Communications Commission. “In spite of severe budget cuts, we are determined to move forward with a redesigned publication that will greatly increase coverage of local church and Conference news, while still including important information about general church and ecumenical issues. The new publication, The Reporter, will accomplish these goals and reduce costs significantly as well.”

“This past year, Linda Rhodes and the Conference Communications Commission have worked con- scientiously to help us be more effective in improving our connections in our annual conference,” said the Rev. Oscar Carrasco, NIC Director of Connectional Ministries. “My involvement with Linda and James Galbreath and the rest of the commission has been very energizing and rewarding.

“I believe that we are going to be blessed in a beautiful way by this new publication, and I pray that our churches and leaders will respond with their commitment to make this publication a successful one in their local settings by not only buying subscriptions, but also by communicating their stories with us.”

The newspaper will be printed and mailed by UMR Communications in Dallas. Churches using the United Methodist Reporter or United Methodist Review for their local newspapers will continue to get NIC news, excerpted from the new publication, in their newspaper editions.

Apportionments fund subscriptions

Funds contributed to the Conference through apportionments will continue to fund subscriptions to all NIC clergy and a small number of laity in each local church. All others may purchase a one-year subscription to The Reporter for $20.

“As chairperson of the Communications Commission, I strongly urge people to support this effort by subscribing at the very low price of $20 per year,” Galbreath said. “Paid subscriptions beyond the number provided each church through apportionment payments significantly increase our ability to further expand services to the people and congregations of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference.”

To subscribe to The Reporter, contact Margaret Lundahl, Circulation Manager, Northern Illinois Conference, 77 W. Washington St., Suite 1820, Chicago, IL 60602, (312) 346-9766, ext. 125, or >mlundahl@umcnic.org.

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Youth seminar at UN will be March 27-31

(Dec. 26) Northern Illinois Conference high school youths who want to learn how to reflect on international issues from a Christian perspective are invited to participate in the upcoming Plumb Line Tour to the United Nations and New York City, March 27-31. The seminar will be at the Church Center at the United Nations in New York City and will focus on the theme “How Do You Say I Love You? A Study of Diamonds, Chocolate and the Status of Women.”

The seminar will explore such questions as: Are our traditional symbols of love actually loving? How do we love our global neighbors with the same love that Jesus taught and lived? The program will include meetings with United Nations experts, worship, time for reflection and debate as well as visits to New York City attractions.

Seminar fee of $700 includes airfare, hotel accommodations, all meals and program costs. Scholarships are available. Application materials are being distributed to local churches.

Youths may contact the Rev. Chris Pierson, Director of Outreach and Witness Ministries, (847) 931-0710, ext. 15, with questions, or Natarsha Gardner, ext. 16, for application materials.

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Rosecrance Foundation reaches halfway to $4m goal

(Dec. 26) Rosecrance Foundation has passed the halfway mark in its goal to raise $4 million for Rosecrance Health Network’s new adolescent substance abuse treatment center in Rockford. As a symbolic gesture, a cornerstone, dated 2004, has been placed at the site.

“This new adolescent facility is the result of a significant need for more inpatient beds and a milieu that is conducive to recovery for young people and their families,” said Phil Eaton, Rosecrance president/CEO. “In the last five years, we have had at least 25 youths on our waiting list for treatment at any given time. We can’t get this building up fast enough to help families in our community.”

The 72-bed, 67,000 square foot treatment center will feature more patient bedrooms than are currently available at its facilities on Alpine adjacent to Christ UMC, which will acquire them once the new facility is ready. There will also be more classroom space for an on-site school, private family visiting areas, more space for counseling, a chapel, a small gymnasium for recreational therapy, and outdoor recreation space. The $14 million campus will be situated on 50 acres of land overlooking a large wooded area and a pond at Rote and Lyford Rds.

Rosecrance Foundation is committed to raising $4 million of the $14 million project. For more information or to make a contribution, call Lynne Vass, CFRE, vice president of development, Rosecrance Health Network, at (815) 387-2413.

Rosecrance Foundation will hold a benefit at Giovanni’s in Rockford on Monday, April 19.

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Humboldt Park UMC continues
to serve homeless against odds

(Dec. 19) For 15 years, a small Hispanic congregation on the north side of Chicago has been feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, providing shelter to the homeless, and offering services to empower those who feel powerless.

The 80-member Humboldt Park UMC, 2120 N. Mozart, Chicago, incorporated Humboldt Park Social Services (HPSS) in 1989 as an independent, non-profit social services agency consisting of three ministries: 1) Warming Center that provides a place to sleep, bathroom, shower facilities and breakfast to 60 men every night October though June; 2) Second Stage Housing consisting of eight furnished apartments that serve as temporary housing for homeless families or single mothers while they are helped to get back on their feet; and 3) La Posada Por El Dia, support center that offers substance abuse counseling, employment assistance, housing referrals, credit counseling, federal and state benefits assistance, food pantry, clothing distribution, and lunch and dinner daily.

“There are a lot of holes in our country’s social net,” said the Rev. Fernando Siaba, Humboldt Park UMC pastor and HPSS president. “We help pick up the people who fall through the holes.”

But Siaba quickly points out HPSS “is not about welfare. We’re about empowerment.”

Clients are required to meet with case workers who try to move men in the Warming Center into transitional or permanent housing within 120 days. Families in Second Stage Housing can stay for one year, during which time case workers help them find jobs and affordable housing. Several hundred clients each day are helped to navigate their way through Social Security and other government agency systems. Many are provided an address and mail box so they will be eligible to receive Food Stamps, Medicare and other government services.

HPSS helps an estimated 2,000 individuals every year, despite economic recessions, an attempt by an alderman to shut down its operations, and steadily declining fundraising since 9/11/01.

Ministries have continued because of sacrificial giving from members of the congregation, funding from the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC), grants and loans from boards and agencies of the United Methodist Church, help from about 50 local churches in the NIC, and subsidies from the Chicago Department of Human Services.

“Most of the staff members are church members,” said Siaba, “and for them this is a labor of love. They get paid, but not a lot. This is the way they live out their Christian faith.”

The congregation not only supports HPSS, but also has paid 100% of its apportionments and been a Rainbow Covenant church for the past four years.

“Most of our parishioners give sacrificially,” said Siaba, “but our congregation’s financial base is low.”

And the current economy is stretching the congregation to its limit. More and more people show up at their doors needing help, and less money is available to help fund services.

“We’ve been able to keep our programs in place,” said Omar Figueroa, HPSS executive director, “because we have a congregation committed to what we do, and we have staff members who are part of that congregation. If we were a regular social services agency, we’d be closed by now.”

This fall, staff members, who were making $7 to $7.50 per hour, took 15% pay cuts. “For the mission to continue, I had to ask for pay cuts,” Figueroa said. “None of them batted an eye. They all agreed.”

“Programs have been cut,” Siaba said, “staff has been cut. But we’re still here. It’s a miracle. But we’re more and more dependent on our church base. We need support from other United Methodist churches more than ever .”

Volunteers in Mission (VIM) groups often come to Humboldt Park to help with building improvement projects. A team from Wesley UMC in Naperville recently helped remodel Second Stage Housing apartments.

“We hope that VIM groups will continue to come,” Siaba said. “Licensed electricians and plumbers are especially needed. So many people are moving through here, there is a lot of wear and tear on our building.”

Some congregations have sent volunteers to prepare and serve meals. “For the last 8 or 9 years, First UMC in Park Ridge has been sending volunteers once a month to prepare and serve the Sunday afternoon meal,” Siaba said, “freeing our staff to spend time with their families.”

Members of Libertyville UMC “are continuously here,” Siaba said, and they often contribute furniture for Second Stage Housing.

Members of Central UMC in Skokie regularly volunteer at the Chicago Food Depository, earning credits that HPSS uses to get food for the food pantry and feeding programs.

Because HPSS spends 30% of its budget on food, cleaning products, office supplies, toilet paper and soap, contributions of those items are greatly appreciated, Siaba said. “I can’t tell you how much Pine Sol we go through,” he added.

Humboldt Park’s ministries are Chicago Northwestern District Advance Specials and can be supported through the Rainbow Covenant. Contributions to the Warming Center and La Posada support services can be made to Advance Special #60000106. Contributions to Second Stage Housing can be made to Advance Special #60000165.

Advance Special #60000176 will help the church add bathrooms, refurbish its fellowship hall, create a new kitchen and further improve the building for the congregation’s use and make the church building more appealing to potential new members.

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Young adults sought to become US-2 missionaries

(Dec. 19) The Conference Committee on Mission Personnel (CCMP) is recruiting young adults, ages 20-30, for the 2004-2006 class of US-2 missionaries. US-2s serve for two years at placement sites within the United States. These sites include non-profit organizations, community centers, churches and schools working within their communities to fight social injustice.

The Rev. Noah Panlilio, CCMP chair, said the application deadline is Jan. 30.

Interested persons can contact Panlilio at (630) 257-5210 or by e-mail to pstrnoah@comcast.net. For more information about the Young Adult Program contact the General Board of Global Ministries, (212) 870-3660 or send e-mail to miryap@gbgm-umc.org.

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Virtual ‘God squad’ helps Harvey
police fight crime, defuse tensions

(Dec. 12) United Methodist News Service - The police force in Harvey is calling on a higher power in its fight against crime.

A group of 10 chaplain volunteers — a virtual “God squad” — is helping police defuse tension, comfort crime victims and restore the community’s sense of safety.

Resident Jackie Bynum says she’s seen a change in her neighborhood already. “It’s stopping a lot of crime. Where they shoot over here all the time, it’s stopped that. Kids can play out here.”

Mayor Eric Kellogg organized the team earlier this year to help the small Chicago suburb respond to its big-city problems. The community, which has 30,000 residents, reported 11 murders, 800 assaults and 42 rapes last year.

Time right for spiritual solution

The time was right for a spiritual solution, according to the Rev. Charles Woolery of First Wesley Academy UMC. “Laws can’t legislate morality and ethical living. Laws cannot legislate godly living.”

The police department is thankful for the extra help, and patrol commander Darnell Keel admires the chaplains’ commitment. “That’s saying a lot for the ad- ministration, the mayor, and saying a lot for the clergymen. They are taking a chance, but they put that to the side because they care about the people.”

The mayor is planning on expanding the program and is looking for a rabbi or imam to include in his city’s fight against crime.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State complained that the program violated the principle of the separation of church and state, but those complaints were dropped after meetings with city officials. Kellogg notes that the ministers are not paid.

Do not proselytize

The ministers do not proselytize, says head chaplain Lance Davis, bishop of New Zion Christian Fellowship. “If we’re trying to convert anyone to anything, we’re trying to convert them to a message of the community has to be accountable for what takes place in it.”

Woolery contends that the program is purely an effort to stabilize a city in trouble. “It’s a situation that is volatile and could explode at any moment, and the pastors need to be out here to transform it.”

Keel agrees. “I’m glad to see it because when we go to somebody’s house, (say) their mother died, as a police officer, I can’t really give them that comfort being in a uniform. It may intimidate them. But when you have a minister there to talk to about God, it helps them.”

Davis adds that the intervention decreases the likelihood of retaliation following a crime.

Ministers also hope a safer community will encourage new economic development.

“The jobs have already left us,” Woolery says. “We want to try to create an environment where businesses want to come back.”

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Deadline for conference materials is Feb. 1

(Dec. 12) Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) Secretary Harriet McCabe has announced that she must receive all reports and proposed legislation to be considered during the 2004 session of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference by Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004. The 2004 session of the Northern Illinois Annual Conference will be held June 10-12 at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles.

McCabe said the Feb. 1 deadline includes:

Resolutions

Resolutions calling for the Annual Conference to take an action or position, but not requiring expenditure of money or significant staff time, will be considered at the June session. Budget items will be dealt with at the November Special Session of Annual Conference.

All legislation should be prepared in Microsoft Word and sent to McCabe on a computer disk with a hard copy attached ready for duplication. A separate page should be used for each document, she said, with a title for the resolution and the name, address and phone number of the person or group submitting it.

Promotional items

All promotional items, such as dinners, events and advertisements for coming events that sponsors want included in the pre-conference mailing must be received by McCabe no later than Feb. 1. All submissions of promotional items for the pre-conference mailing should include 1,900 copies of each promotional item, ready for collating into the packet materials.

Late promotional items not received in time to be included in the pre-conference mailing, must be handled by the sponsors and can be placed on literature tables for pick up during the conference, McCabe said.

For more information, contact McCabe at (630) 355-4617 or send an e-mail to jackharriet@msn.com.

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Marcy-Newberry puts new van to work

(Dec. 5) Thanks to Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) United Methodist Women (UMW), Marcy-Newberry Association, a United Methodist-related social services agency on Chicago’s west side, is now enjoying the use of a non-passenger cargo van to haul supplies and equipment among its 17 sites.

After nearly eight years of collecting labels from Campbell’s soup, Pepperidge Farms and other related brands, NIC UMW redeemed more than 1.5 million labels last June to get a van for Marcy Newberry from the Campbell’s Labels for Education program.

Original intent was to get a 15-passenger van for the community center. But the Rev. Margaret Ann Williams, associate executive director of Marcy-Newberry Association, said recent safety warnings have been issued for the 15-passenger vehicles, and federal regulations no longer allow dealers to sell the 15-passenger vans to transport children.

“Although Illinois permits these 15-passenger vans to be used,” Williams said, “they do not meet federal or state school bus safety standards. There is a dramatically higher risk of rollovers. These 15-passenger vans are nearly three times more likely to roll over when carrying 10 or more people than the same van carrying five or fewer.”

Campbell’s representatives offered Marcy- Newberry a 7-passenger mini-van for 1.1 million labels, a rebate of 400,000 labels and a 50,000 labels bonus. But the mini-van didn’t really meet the agency’s needs, according to Willliams. “We couldn’t even carry all the players on a basketball team in a mini-van,” she said.

So the agency took the mini-van from the Campbell’s Labels program and then worked out an exchange with a local Dodge dealer for a utility van. “We had a great need for a vehicle to move things between our sites,” Williams said. “We will really be able to use this.”

Williams noted that the van will be used to pick up food at food depositories, pick up donations from area churches, carry cleaning and maintenance equipment (floor buffers, institutional rug shampooers, lawn mowers, snow blowers, etc.) to the various sites as they are needed, and distribute office and maintenance supplies bought in bulk quantities.

And Williams encouraged everyone to continue eating soup, making casseroles and saving Campbell’s soup labels. “We will continue to collect the labels and use them as they accumulate to order program supplies for our day-care, Head Start and after-school programs,” she said.

Williams pointed out that art supplies, computers and software, sports equipment, library books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, office supplies, cameras, electronics and gym supplies are among merchandise that can be obtained through the Campbell’s Labels for Education catalog.

“Winter is coming,” Williams said. “So eat Campbell’s soup and keep warm.”

Labels should be sent to Williams at Marcy-Newberry Association, 1073 W. Maxwell St., Chicago, IL 60608.

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89 youths seek ‘Heroes’ at Elgin District retreat

(Dec. 5) Eighty-nine youths drawn from nine churches in the Elgin District gathered at Wesley Woods Retreat Center in Williams Bay, Wis., recently to identify who the “heroes” are in their lives. The 89 youths were an increase from fewer than 70 who attended the Elgin District Youth Retreat last year.

“This is the biggest of the three so far,” said the Rev. Cerna Rand, pastor at Grace UMC, Lake Bluff, who was one of the event’s planners. “We may have maxed out the facilities here this year, when you consider that we have 22 adults here also that accompanied the kids.”

Rand and her co-planners, Kari Meyer and Lori Harper, youth directors at First UMC, Waukegan, and Libertyville, respectively, donned costumes and presented short talks based on Bible verses to the whole group. For her talk, Meyer came before the group wearing a wig, appearing quite pregnant and pushing a baby carriage.

The youths then broke out into nine smaller groups, which included the adults, and discussed how the short talks played out in their own lives.

“The kids expressed some keen insights into being a hero,” said Donna McCondichie, adult sponsor from Libertyville. “They addressed some very deep subjects.”

Kaetlyn Anderburg, age 11, from Christ UMC, Algonquin, described the event as “inspiring because we learn more about Jesus and we don’t just sit there and listen to people. We talk and walk around.”

Aly Przybyl, age 11, also from Christ UMC, Algonquin, praised the event because the leaders try to “include the kids, not just have them sit around.” She also said the music, which was led by Northern Illinois Conference evangelist, the Rev. Rich Rubietta, was “very good.”

Stuart Swank, an adult from First UMC, Waukegan, which had 11 youths in attendance, said, “The kids are really enthusiastic and open about sharing in the small groups.” He said it was his first time at the event, but the second for his son Timothy, age 13.

Harper, who helped plan the retreat, said she is normally a little concerned about mixing junior high and senior high school youths. “It works well here,” she said. “We didn’t worry about ages when we mixed them up. We worried more about trying to spread the churches out among the groups, and the discussions have been excellent.”

Martha Walker, youth director at Our Saviour’s UMC, Schaumburg, brought the largest contingent: 28 youths and four adults. “This event started largely through the efforts of our former associate pastor, the Rev. Dean Shapley (now at First UMC, Western Springs),” she said. “We started with 10 to 15 kids in the beginning and when others heard how much fun it is, it began to grow.”

Mike Sukow, an adult volunteer from Our Saviour’s UMC, said he became involved in the event with his own kids. This year, however, he was there without them because of two reasons. “It’s fun and easy to get involved,” he said, and the event gives youths an opportunity to talk about their faith in a new venue.

“They tend to hear the same things over and over again at their own churches,” Walker explained. “This helps spread it out and reinforce that they are not alone in some of their concerns.”

In addition to the small group activities, the retreat offered an opportunity to design t-shirts emblazoned with each youth’s personal hero, participate in large group, team-building activities, and raise the roof with hand-clapping, foot-stomping music led by Rubietta.

Other congregations that brought youths to the event were Calvary UMC, Villa Park; Alden UMC; Cary UMC; and Mt Hope UMC.

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