MayOn May 18, nearly 150 bikers, most clad in blue jeans and black leather, brought their highly polished motorcycles to the parking lot of Grace UMC, 300 E. Gartner Rd., Naperville, for a “Blessing of the Bikes.” The Northern Illinois Conference is sponsoring a “Second Step” Igniting Ministry Regional Training event Saturday, June 28, at First UMC, Elgin, 216 E. Highland Ave. This training will present more ideas about building a church lifestyle of welcoming. The Rev. Joseph Roberson, pastor of South Columbus UMC, Columbus, Ga., and former Executive Director of National Black Methodists for Church Renewal, was the guest preacher at Southlawn UMC, 8605 S. Cregier, May 25 worship service. His appearance marked the second gathering of what the Illinois and Georgia congregations have dubbed as “The Southern Connection.” Outdoor and Retreat Ministries is offering camping opportunities for all ages, including families, at two retreat centers. “Under God’s Roof,” the summer camping experiences, are being offered at Reynoldswood Christian Camp and Retreat Center in Dixon and Wesley Woods Conference Center in Williams Bay, Wis., on the shores of Lake Geneva. Children at First UMC of Chicago (The Chicago Temple) painted bird houses and flower pots to sell on Mother’s Day to raise money for the Millennial Challenge. They raised $656 to contribute to the Northern Illinois Conference campaign to fund projects to help children and youths in Angola, India and Illinois. First Church Builders’ Call: Members of Marengo UMC, 119 E. Washington St., are planning to break ground next month for a $1.5 million building project that will almost double the size of their current church and incorporate the former parsonage located next door into the new facility. With Libertyville UMC helping lead the way, representatives from 61 religious groups, non-profit organizations and unions from Lake County gathered on April 27 in Libertyville to form Lake County United, a new organization to work for a just society through active citizenship. Northern Illinois Conference Lay Leader Roger Curless is giving up M&Ms to raise his $250 contribution to the Millennial Challenge at this year’s annual conference session. Twenty-seven youths from across the Northern Illinois Conference spent four days, March 22-25, in New York City on a conference sponsored “Plumbline Tour” to examine Christian perspectives on the theme “A Just War or a Just Peace.” The Plumbline Tour is designed to help young people link faith with timely global issues. Nueva Vida UMC, 60 S. Lincoln Ave., Aurora, celebrated a “Life in the Spirit Seminar” during three days in March. This seminar, by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries, was the first to be offered in a Hispanic church in the United States. All materials had been translated into Spanish. The Sunday school students at Marengo UMC undertook their annual mission project and the Rev. Steven Bullmer, pastor, got to kiss a pig as a result. Plush toy animals multiplied to more than 100 at Manhattan UMC during the weeks before Palm Sunday. Bev Brooks, who coordinated the gathering, came up with an idea five years ago to help children in hospitals get a comforting stuffed toy for Easter.
150 gather at Naperville Grace
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On May 18, nearly 150 bikers, most clad in blue jeans and black leather, brought their highly polished motorcycles to the parking lot of Grace UMC, 300 E. Gartner Rd., Naperville, for a “Blessing of the Bikes.”
Niswonger said he hopes the annual “Blessing of the Bikes” will grow so that “next year we’ll have 1,000 bikes here.”
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NIC to host regional 2nd Step Training on June 28
(May 30) The Northern Illinois Conference is sponsoring a “Second Step” Igniting Ministry Regional Training event Saturday, June 28, at First UMC, Elgin, 216 E. Highland Ave. This training will present more ideas about building a church lifestyle of welcoming.
Participants will hear success stories from churches around the country, learn more about welcoming, marketing, inviting, and discipling, and talk to people from other churches about what they’ve done with Igniting Ministry. Segments of the training will focus on how congregations can deal with change.
In addition to the all-day training event and packets for each participant, your church will receive the new video curriculum, Beyond 30 Seconds: Developing a Welcoming Congregation and a CD of new ideas and materials to help enhance your church’s welcoming ministries.
Beyond 30 Seconds is a curriculum designed for small-group study. Churches are encouraged to use the materials in adult Sunday school classes, adult Vacation Bible Schools, and other small groups within the congregation.
Registration fee for the regional training session is $90 per church, plus $10 per participant for lunch. Participants in the “Second Step” training must have participated in one of the first Igniting Ministry training sessions held in 2001 or 2002.
If your church has not participated in any other Igniting Ministry training sessions, you can come early on June 28 and get a 90-minute overview that will help you more fully participate in the day. That session will cover the basics of Igniting Ministry and introduce the resources in the Igniting Ministry Planning Kit.
The Igniting Ministry Overview will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Second Step Training will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you don’t have a Planning Kit or need another one, “Second Step” training participants can order one at a special rate of $65, a $25 savings off the regular price.
To register, contact Betty Hillsman at the Northern Illinois Conference office, 77 W. Washington St., Suite 1820, Chicago, IL 60602, (312) 346-9766, ext. 124. For more information, contact Linda Rhodes, NIC Director of Communications, (312) 541-1602.
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Southlawn participates in ‘Southern Connection’
(May 30)
The Rev. Joseph Roberson, pastor of South Columbus UMC, Columbus Ga., and former Executive Director of National Black Methodists for Church Renewal, was the guest preacher at Southlawn UMC, 8605 S. Cregier, May 25 worship service.
His appearance marked the second gathering of what the Illinois and Georgia congregations have dubbed as “The Southern Connection.”
Last year, Southlawn’s congregation traveled by bus to South Columbus. This year, close to 60 members of South Columbus UMC made the journey to Chicago.
A broad range of activities greeted the South Columbus delegation’s arrival May 23, including touring, shopping and a block party barbecue. This festive weekend concluded Sunday with worship that also featured the South Columbus Harambee Dancers, and the Voices of South Columbus under the direction of W. Faye Strong and accompanist Sandra Oliver. Emphasis of the event was conventionalism.
For more details, call Southlawn UMC, (773) 734-7708.
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Outdoor Ministries offers camping for all ages
(May 30) Outdoor and Retreat Ministries is offering camping opportunities for all ages, including families, at two retreat centers. “Under God’s Roof,” the summer camping experiences, are being offered at Reynoldswood Christian Camp and Retreat Center in Dixon and Wesley Woods Conference Center in Williams Bay, Wis., on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Single day, weekend, half-week and full-week options are available. A 10-day canoe trip is also scheduled for the Boundary Waters in Minnesota.
For more information or brochures describing the opportunities, call the individual camps: Reynoldswood, (815) 284-6979, or Wesley Woods, (262) 245-6631.
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Temple children sell flower pots, bird
houses to benefit Millennial Challenge
(May 23) Children at First UMC of Chicago (The Chicago Temple) painted bird houses and flower pots to sell on Mother’s Day to raise money for the Millennial Challenge. They raised $656 to contribute to the Northern Illinois Conference (NIC) campaign to fund projects to help children and youths in Angola, India and Illinois.
Children in the pre-school and kindergarten Sunday school classes painted small flower pots. Second and third graders painted large flower pots, and fourth and fifth graders painted wooden bird houses.
“We didn’t set a specific price on anything,” said Michelle McGee, second and third grade teacher. “We just asked for a donation.”
And all the items were scooped up by church members anxious to support both their children and a worthy cause.
“After the 8:30 a.m. worship service, everything was selling very quickly,” McGee said. “At that time, we sold almost all of the bird houses.”
Adopted by the Annual Conference Special Session in November 2000, “The Millennial Challenge” is a four-year campaign to raise $1 million by the end of 2004 for four projects to help children:
1. Angola Partners is a cooperative effort with the West Angola (Africa) Conference and four other United Methodist conferences in the United States to build a residential school for orphans and street children in Catete, Angola.
2. India Reconnect is intended to reestablish the relationship between the NIC and the India Methodist Church by helping repair and modernize 20 churches, schools and hospitals.
3. After School Action Plan (ASAP) will expand and strengthen after-school programs in local churches in the NIC.
4. Establishment of a Mission Endowment Fund will provide interest income to help fund future NIC ministries for children.
Following the 11 a.m. worship service on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11, Bishop C. Joseph Sprague spoke to a group of Temple members about the importance of the Millennial Challenge.
“Given the downturn in the economy, given the war and rumors of war, and given all the other things that we have had on our plate, we got a slow start,” Sprague said. “But now momentum is building. We’ve raised one-third of our goal. We’re going to go to a full court press for the rest of the quadrennium.”
The bishop noted that all money contributed to the Millennial Challenge goes directly to the projects. All administrative costs are paid for with Conference funds. “Every penny that you give is a penny that goes to mission,” he said.
At last November’s Special Session of Annual Conference, Bishop Sprague challenged the more than 1,000 members of Annual Conference to each bring a gift for the Millennial Challenge of at least $250 to the June 2003 session of Annual Conference.
Heidi Nelson, lay member to Annual Conference from the Chicago Temple, said she and other Temple members are planning to host dinners and “invite people we think can help us” to raise the money to meet the challenge.
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Marengo expansion will connect
church with former parsonage
First Church Builders’ Call
(May 16) Members of Marengo UMC, 119 E. Washington St., are planning to break ground next month for a $1.5 million building project that will almost double the size of their current church and incorporate the former parsonage located next door into the new facility.
When they’re through, the members hope to have a building that will enable them to grow into the future along with their community.
“Marengo is the next growth area” in the suburban expansion west of Chicago, according to the Rev. Steven Bullmer, Marengo UMC pastor. “The members here want to position themselves to take advantage of it.”
That vision has made Marengo UMC the first Church Builders Call for 2003.
Bullmer (shown at left pointing to the model f the expansion) said the expansion is necessary because the church has “maxed out” its current space.
“The church has had about 300 members for the last 20 years, at least,” Bullmer said, “maybe longer.” At the same time, the church has had about 150 people in worship every Sunday – the number the sanctuary can comfortably hold.
“We’ve maxed out our space,” Bullmer said. “We have as many kids as we have room for in Sunday school. We have as many people in worship as we have room for. We’ve done everything we can with what we have. So, now it’s time to expand.”
The “substantial addition” will be built behind the church and the old parsonage, connecting the two buildings. The interior of the former parsonage will be completely remodeled.
New space will include offices; conference room; a large, modern nursery; restrooms; an entryway and reception area; a two-story gymnasium and youth center; Sunday school classrooms; and an elevator to make all three floors of the entire church handicapped accessible.
Efforts are being made to match the brick and style of the church building, built in 1897, and the former parsonage with the new construction.
“We are trying to maintain the architectural beauty of the buildings because they are turn-of-the-century classic buildings,” Bullmer said.
Marengo, an old, established town with a population of 6,000, is on the northwest edge of the Elgin District in McHenry County. Because it’s about 30 minutes northwest of Schaumburg, it serves as a bedroom community for many workers commuting to Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Many of its residents also work in small businesses in the town.
“It used to be a farming area,” Bullmer said, “but there aren’t many farms left. You only go a little way to the interstate and then you can quickly be somewhere else.”
Because of its location, housing developments are springing up in and around Marengo, bringing new residents to the area. And members of Marengo UMC want to be ready to welcome them.
“Instead of just saying ‘this building was good enough for my children, why isn’t it good enough for yours?,’ the members of this church have said we have to change,” Bullmer said.
The congregation held a fund drive about a year ago, asking for three-year pledges. Pledges received accounted for more than a third of the cost of the project, and in one year nearly half of the pledged funds have been paid.
“Which means that people really do want this, and they’re coming through,” Bullmer said. The rest of the funding will be covered by private financing and a mortgage.
“Our hope is that we will have the ground breaking early this summer, perhaps the middle of June,” Bullmer said. “Then it just depends on how soon we can get city permits. We hope to start construction this summer and have the shell finished before snow falls in the winter.”
By spending next winter and spring completing the interior, the congregation could have the facility completed by this time next year.
“We hope that this will mean that we can better serve our current members as well as attract and serve new members,” Bullmer said.
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United Methodists help organize
Lake County citizen action group
(May 9) With Libertyville UMC helping lead the way, representatives from 61 religious groups, non-profit organizations and unions from Lake County gathered on April 27 in Libertyville to form Lake County United, a new organization to work for a just society through active citizenship.
More than 1,800 people — including 153 members of Libertyville UMC — gathered in the gymnasium of Libertyville High School to adopt temporary guidelines for operation of the organization, elect a steering committee and hear about some of the most pressing issues the new organization plans to address. (In the photo, an enthusiastic delegation of 153 members of Libertyville UMC is shown at the April 27 founding conference of Lake County United.)
“We’ve got problems that can be solved by all of us working together,” said June McCoy, member of Libertyville UMC who has been working to establish the organization for nearly three years. She named transportation, housing, school funding and health care as some issues she hopes the new organization will help improve.
“One of the big reasons I’m in this is to get to know other people in the community,” McCoy said. “Working together we can do a lot.”
The Rev. Jamie Geiger (at podium in photo), pastor of Libertyville UMC, was elected co-chair of Lake County United and presented the guidelines for the organization.
“This is a strong and accurate description of the work we see ourselves as called to be about,” Geiger said as he read the purpose statement that said the group will “build relationships across Lake County, identify community concerns and/or needs, and work together as a united power for human dignity, social justice and the greater good.”
In order to be “independent and accountable,” the organization is asking each member organization “to provide the funds we need to do our work,” Geiger said.
Membership dues and number of delegates to the governing assembly are determined by size of member organizations. Dues for Lake County United are “ambitious, but flexible,” Geiger said.
A delegation of 35 members of Grace UMC, Lake Bluff, was present at the founding conference. Also represented were Christ UMC, Deerfield; Faith UMC, Waukegan; and Winthrop Harbor UMC. (In the photo, are members of Grace UMC, Lake Bluff, which brought 35 members to the founding of Lake County United.)
Lake County United evolved from an eight-person sponsoring committee of local religious and secular leaders, including Geiger, who raised $400,000 to trigger a multi-year organizing effort.
Those attending the organizational conference were asked to make a commitment to initiate at least two one-on-one relational meetings with members of their own institutions or communities; attend a public life leadership workshop from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Libertyville UMC; attend a house meeting training session at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, at Lake County Center for Independent Living in Mundelein; and convene and host a house meeting to promote the new organization.
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M&Ms: They’re plain and I love ’em
By Roger Curless, Northern Illinois Conference Lay Leader
(May 2) I really love M&Ms. Nothing fancy, no peanuts or almonds, no peanut butter ones or those with crunchies. Just plain milk chocolate M&Ms. In fact, every day as I return to my office on North Wacker Dr. from lunch, I would stop in the little store just off the lobby and pick up a bag of plain M&Ms. It’s my treat of the day and I take all afternoon to enjoy my bag of plain M&Ms.
At the Special Session of Annual Conference in November, Bishop Sprague challenged all of us, clergy and lay members alike, to find a way to raise or save $250 (or more) to bring as an offering in June for our Millennial Challenge. If all 1,000+ of us do that we will have at least $250,000 to add to the funds already raised for children in Angola, India, for after-school programs in our Conference and for support of an endowment to ensure that there will be children’s ministries in our Conference in the future.
Now for many, such a gift may be easy and could be done without much thought or sacrifice. But the idea of the challenge, as I recall, was to be do something that would help remind us just why we were either saving the funds or doing something special to raise them.
So what does this have to do with plain, milk chocolate M&Ms? It struck me on that Monday after the Special Session that if I bypassed the sundries areas after lunch and, instead, put that dollar or so into the Millennial Challenge account I would come up with just about the amount needed.
Sense of significant sacrifice
So with a strong commitment and sense of significant sacrifice, I began going without my after-lunch bag of plain M&Ms.
It only took a week before I started to bargain with myself. I thought about what to do if I “slipped” and just couldn’t pass up the treat. Perhaps a fine — you know, put in the dollar paid for the M&Ms, then the dollar that would have been saved and a dollar fine. That would put my after-lunch treat at over $3. No, I resolved to stay the course, and I have watched the fund grow.
We all know the overwhelming needs of the children in India and Africa, more specifically Angola. The situations there are most desperate for children. We know how we need to have more of our churches become safe places for children in our communities to be after school. We want to solidify an endowment so that children’s ministries will always be an important part of the ministry of our Conference.
Remember what Jesus said about children when some did not want the children to bother him: “Don’t hinder them. For the kingdom of Heaven belongs to them.” (Matthew 19:11, Mark 10:13 or Luke 18:15) This admonition was not missed by the Gospel writers. I think He meant that we should do everything possible to enable children to learn and grow and understand how precious each of them is in God’s sight.
It was all the children, not just the children of friends or children of people known to him. Jesus blessed all the children. As disciples of Jesus you and I have a special call to the ministries for children: all children.
Everyone can bring $250 or more
Everyone of us can find a way to bring $250 or more. I know that we may be experiencing some extra costs for Conference this year and that many are facing difficult times. Yet, God has given us this opportunity and God will make certain each of us will be able to make this gift, if we are open to God’s guidance on how to get the task done.
So for now, plain, milk chocolate M&Ms after lunch is something I can do without. How are you setting this mission to yourself?
Why not share your story on how you fulfilled this call to ministry and mission to some of God’s children in some pretty awful circumstances? Feel free to drop me a note at: 441 Featherock Dr., Aurora, IL 60506 or an e-mail at rcurless@aol.com. When we gather in June we can share with one another how we put children — yes all the children, whether here in Northern Illinois or halfway around the world — first, and how we made our offering gift possible.
May God bless all of us as we put the children of Northern Illinois, Africa and India not only in our prayers but in the center of actions that will bring forth a wonderful offering from all of us in June.
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27 NIC youths travel to NYC
to learn about ‘Just war, just peace’
By the Rev. Melissa Earley
(May 2) Twenty-seven youths from across the Northern Illinois Conference spent four days, March 22-25, in New York City on a conference sponsored “Plumbline Tour” to examine Christian perspectives on the theme “A Just War or a Just Peace.” The Plumbline Tour is designed to help young people link faith with timely global issues.
“This trip was empowering,” said Brendan McCollam, First UMC, Savanna. “So often young people are concerned about global issues but we don’t believe there’s anything we can do. This trip opened my eyes to real opportunities to make a difference.”
Another student, Ashley Garrison from Ingelside-Whitfield UMC, Chicago, described her experience as “phenomenal.” “If I had to take one thing I learned and say it was the most important aspect of the seminar it would be to become active,” she said.
This year’s Plumbline Seminar was held at the United Methodist Church Center at the United Nations and included nationally recognized leaders on the issue of war and peace. These included David Wildman, executive secretary for Human Rights and Racial Justice at the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries; Dr. Elhane, director of Disarmament and Security, World Conference on Religion and Peace, and Mel Lehman from Church World Service.
During the seminar the youths were invited to critically examine the role of the media in war and peace, Just War theory and how it applies to the current conflict in Iraq, and to consider the costs of war and the challenges to peace.
“The seminar gave me a religious and peace-yearning perspective of the war,” said Erik Valdez from West Ridge UMC of Chicago. “The speakers were phenomenal with all they knew about the situation and how they presented to us many more issues in the world that are all connected in one big web of problems. It showed me how important it is to have the whole picture before you make a judgment. It also raised my awareness of world issues.”
One concrete outcome of the seminar was the decision made by the youths to tithe the amount they spent on souvenirs as well give additional donations toward a related cause. The youths gave a donation of $208.04 to Church World Service to be used in the Iraq Humanitarian Crisis.
The Rev. Lois Parr, associate pastor, Grace UMC in Naperville and one of the adult leaders of the trip, said, “I was struck by both the individual and global care these young United Methodists possess. They cared for one another in a covenant community and they care deeply for the state of the world.”
In addition to Parr, adult leaders were Lonnie Chafin, Conference Treasurer; the Rev. Christopher Pierson, Conference director of Outreach and Witness Ministries; Diane Walker, Epworth UMC, Chicago; and the Rev. Melissa Earley, associate pastor, UMC of Geneva.
Youth participants were Melissa Benemarito and Christine Caures-ma, Cosmopolitan UMC, Melrose Park; Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger, Ravenswood Fellowship UMC, Chicago; Katherine Bursheim, Community UMC, Naperville; Nicole Farnsworth, Vincent Frazee, Jenny Greenawalt and Nicole Oberwise-Frank, all from Trinity UMC, Yorkville; Ashley Garrison and Marcus Miller, Ingleside-Whitfield UMC, Chicago; Kim Geiger and Lauren Gilmore, Libertyville UMC; Traci Johnson and Stacy Timm, Geneva UMC; Alyssa Jones, First UMC, Savanna; Brendan McCollam, First UMC, Down- ers Grove; James McMahon, Sandwich UMC; Megan Miskiewicz, Grace UMC, Naperville; Tyler Nichols, Wyanet UMC; Lucile Ogie-Kristianson, North Shore UMC; Olufi-kayo Oladipo, St. Mark UMC, Chicago; Philip Ozaki, Jason Sus and Erik Valdez, West Ridge UMC, Chicago; Luke Pepper and Tim Shaw, Our Redeemer’s UMC, Schaumburg; and Mica Thompson, United Church of Rogers Park, Chicago.
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Nueva Vida celebrates ‘Life in the Spirit’
(May 2) Nueva Vida UMC, 60 S. Lincoln Ave., Aurora, celebrated a “Life in the Spirit Seminar” during three days in March. This seminar, by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries, was the first to be offered in a Hispanic church in the United States. All materials had been translated into Spanish.
A team from different churches in the nation joined at Nueva Vida to conduct the seminar for adults and youths. Other people came from Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey and Puerto Rico to participate in the seminar.
The Rev. Miguel Perez of Nueva Vida said one of the members of the church declared: “The Holy Spirit touched me and I will never be the same again.”
Perez said the declaration aptly summarizes the experience that the church members had during this weekend.
“We wanted people to experience the movement of the Spirit,” Perez said. “Having the team ministering throughout the weekend opened the eyes of our people and showed them that we cannot limit God to the experiences we already have had. God worked on the lives of many people in ways that they never had experienced before.
“It is a blessing to experience the touch of the Holy Spirit, and through Aldersgate many have done this for the first time!”
Aldersgate Renewal Ministries is associated with the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship. The seminar exhorts attendees “ to be born in the Spirit,” “to be led by the Spirit,” “to live in the Spirit” and “to worship in the Spirit.”
For more information about Aldersgate Renewal Ministries and the “Life in the Spirit Seminar,” visit the web site: www.aldersgaterenewal.org.
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Pastor puckers up for pig
after kids bring in $1,900
(May 2) The Sunday school students at Marengo UMC undertook their annual mission project and the Rev. Steven Bullmer, pastor, got to kiss a pig as a result. 
Sally Hoesel, superintendent of Marengo’s Sunday School, chose to purchase pigs through Heifer Project International. Bullmer and Hoesel agreed that if the children raised $1,080 to purchase nine pigs he would kiss a pig during worship.
This was announced during children’s time at worship. The children had two weeks to reach their goal. At the end of one week the “Pig” project had collected more than $1,300. One week later, after exceeding $1,900, Hoesel walked through the sanctuary carrying a 10-day-old piglet for Bullmer to kiss during children’s time.
Bullmer admitted that prior to that moment he was under the impression that baby pigs were not available. Bullmer said that he thought he would be kissing a big sow.
“This was a great morning,” Hoesel said, “and the children all had a chance to see and touch a baby pig.” But only one big kid got a taste sensation out of the morning.
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Manhattan gathers ‘bunnies’
(May 2) Plush toy animals multiplied to more than 100 at Manhattan UMC during the weeks before Palm Sunday. Bev Brooks, who coordinated the gathering, came up with an idea five years ago to help children in hospitals get a comforting stuffed toy for Easter.
This year, a record 131 toy animals were collected, nearly doubling the best efforts of past years. Twelve of the animals went to Manhattan’s Food Pantry, 25 to Joliet Hospice, 10 to Silver Cross Pediatrics, eight to St. Joseph Hospital Pediatrics, 50 to Easter Seal Rehab, and 25 went to the Easter Seal Intervention Crisis Center.
“I don’t know how to thank everyone,” Brooks said of the people who donated all shapes and sizes of stuffed animals, including bunnies, ducks, teddy bears, angels, Beanie Babies, lambs and even a beaver.
Although the project started with the congregation, many area people responded. “A lady from New Lenox brought two big boxes of bunnies,” Brooks said. Others left bags of plush bunnies at the front door of the church, 335 E. North St.
A representative from Easter Seals sent thanks to all who donated stuffed animals, saying “how much the bunnies meant to the kids who received them and how much joy they brought.”
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