The Lay
Speaker Renewal form may be downloaded here. The 2007 Audit
form may be downloaded here. Application
to begin Lay Speaking
Basic Class Registration
form
Refresher Class
Registration form
Advanced Class
Registration Form
2008 Charge Conference forms may be downloaded here. (Bible
Study will be added here soon.)
2008 Assessment forms may be downloaded.
Moweaqua UMC - will be sponsoring
a Youth Rally on Saturday, September 6 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The Harvest
Ministry Team from Troy, IL will be leading the youth in praise and worship and
Mike Rayson will be delivering the message in word and song. There will be
plenty of Pizza, soda, and other goodies on hand. A $5 donation is
requested as a love offering for Mike Rayson. For more information,
contact Rev. Sharon Treptow streptow@frontiernet.net
or call the church at 217/768-4860.
Latham UMC - will be host an
evening with Singer/Humorist, Mike Rayson on September 7 at 7:00 pm. The
public is invited. A free will offering will be taken. For more
information, call 217/674-3749 or 217/792-3918.
Buckeye UMC
- will hold their Annual Ice Cream Social on Sunday, September 7 at the
church located at Christian County Road 600 North and 1600 East. Donations
will be accepted for the Winter Retreat. In addition to ice cream, there
will be Barbeque, Chicken Salad, Hot Dogs, and other deserts. For more
information, call 879-8565.
UMM Ingathering -
will be held at the Illiopolis UMC on October 25, 2008. See the UMM
page for further infomation.
Cantrall UMC
- will have an event on Saturday October 25 for Men. "Men,
Tool UP" will be led by Tom Cheshire, of Relevant Practical Ministry for
Men. Tom will help answer Why reach Men and How to reach men. For
more information, call Don Goodenow at 487-7305 or 899-3300. Registration
is $10. Send check to Cantrall UMC, P O Box 123, Cantrall IL 62625
attention: Don Goodenow.
IGRC Fellowship of UM in Music
& Worship Arts
- will hold a workshop on October 18, 2008 for Piano & Organ, and Choral
Classes. Sessions include The Piano & Organ in
Worship; How to Survive in a Changing Culture; The
Piano Music of Joel Raney; In the Mind of the Worship Pianist;
Taking your Vocal Choir to the Next Level; and Choral
Reading Session. Clinicians are Joel Raney, and Jane
Holstein. Registration cost is $30 per person for Fellowship Members, and
$40 if not a member. Registrations should be postmarked by Friday, October
3 or add a $10 late registration fee. Make checks payable to "The
Fellowship". For more information, call or e-mail Laura Drennan
217/498-8072 217/747-0752, ldrennan@ilbanker.com
Asbury Children's Supper Hour
- It's
back to school time for the children of Asbury Children's Supper Hour. We
have seen the numbers of children eating dinner at the supper hour swell to an
all time high of over 250 children. Our
23rd Psalm bicycle challenge was a great success with 62 children working very
hard memorizing the 23rd Psalm in order to earn a bike. Thanks to all
those who donated bicycles for the children. We
are NOW collecting only the following school supplies, 3 ring binders,
colored pencils, markers, pencil boxes, boxes of crayons, loose leaf notebook
paper, pencil sharpeners, pocket folders, mechanical pencils, boxes of Kleenex,
ink pens, tempera paint and boxes of Band-aids. We also need new
children's white low cut socks, new girls underwear, new boys
boxers for school age children. Monetary
donations for our daily food purchases are also needed. For more
information, contact vickilpotter@comcast.net
In
the first picture the children are shown putting on the play, "It's Hot in
the Firey Furnace!" In this scene they learn about the courage of three
brave boys who follow God even though they might get burned; the Bible lesson of
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Daniel 3:1-30. Pictures 2 & 3 are of
the Supper Hour.
Kumler Outreach Ministry - Currently,
we are seeking monetary donations for our building renovations at 303 N. Grand
(former Trinity UMC) so we can get the rest of the ministries moved in to this
building. Any monetary donations can be mailed to 600 N. 5th St.,
Springfield, IL 62702 with the donation clearly marked for Outreach Center
renovation in the memo line of the check. We would be happy to give individuals
or groups a tour of the center and explain the work we're doing. We
will not be able to move the medicine program to the Outreach Center
until we have private offices, which currently do not exist there.
We are also working on long-term partnerships with our fellow UM congregations
for continuing support of the Ministries and would like to speak to
congregations, small groups, UMWs, UMMs, etc. People can contact Sharon
Brown via e-mail at kumlerumc@hotmail.com
or call me at 217-415-9408 to set up a speaking engagement or to
arrange for a tour.
For regular operating purposes, we seem to always have a need for boxes of
cereal, canned fruit, peanut butter and jelly. We would like to have
churches commit to becoming our cereal or peanut butter or jelly, etc. church.
People can contact Sharon Brown if they're interested in this, too.
Auburn UMC Corn Maze - will be
back this year with the theme "Down On the Farm" It will open
for weekend visitors on September 13 and every weekend thereafter until October
12. Hot dogs and drinks will be available for sale to visitors during the
hours of 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturdays, and noon to 6:00 pm on Sundays.
Admission will be $5 per person (under age 5 free). School groups can also
tour the maze and learn about corn and agriculture on September 16-17 &
18. The A-Maze-ing Corn Festival will be held September
20-21 and September 27-28. On those weekends, there will be free kids
activities, and games for older youths, as well as hay rides, a silent
auction, dunk tank, pumpkin painting and more. For more information, call
the church office at 217/438-3126
Older Adult Conference - Bringing
in The Boomers will be held at the United Methodist Center on October
3, 2008 from 9:30 am until 3:15 pm. This worship will focus on defining
who the Boomers are, how they are different from other Older adults, Challenges
of the Boomer generation, Spirituality and faith issues for the Boomers, and
Ministry ideas to help churches bring in the Boomers. Dr. Richard H.
Gentzler, Jr. will be the featured speaker. Dr. Gentzler is the director
of the Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries for the General Board of
Discipleship of The United Methodist Church, and is a much sought after speaker
and author. The registration fee is $25 which includes lunch and a
continental breakfast. Registration deadline is September 24. Send
registrations to Sidna Young, P O Box 3487, Springfield,
IL 62708-3487. To download the registration brochure click on this
link http://www.igrc.org/older-adult-ministries.aspx
Hands Of Hope for Liberia -
The roof is now on the Weala District Center. Click
here for more pictures of the District Center in Weala. This
is the most recent picture of Paye Mondolo and the building that is in progress. Work
continues.
LIBERIAN INITIATIVE
- To help support our brothers and sisters in Liberia, each District in Illinois
Great Rivers is paired with districts in Liberia. In the Sangamon River
District, we are paired with the Gbarnga District, Superintendent Ben Korpellah;
and the Weala District, Superintendent Paye Mondolo. There are three main
areas of support for which we have Advance Special and Conference Advance
numbers. Donations to these should be sent to the Conference treasurers
office in the same manner that Apportionments are sent. Please clearly
mark your checks to show the Conference Advance number for which the donation is
to be credited. These donations will receive 5 Star Credit. Scholarships:
Gbarnga District # 2097 - Weala District # 2100. Pastor Salary
Support: Gbarnga District #2098 - Weala District # 2101. Reconstruction
Assistance: Gbarnga District # 2099 - Weala District
#2102. There are also some "Special" projects in the
District: to purchase a Truck for each District; Wells; and also the
Hands of Hope to build the District Parsonage and Office complex in Weala. None of the Special projects have Advance special status, will not
count toward 5 Star status, and have no #'s. Donations for the Special
projects should be sent to the District Office with a letter explaining for what
the donation is intended (i.e. trucks, wells, or the Weala District Center.)
Checks should still be made payable to IGRC, but as stated above, mail to the
District Office, P O Box 3487, Springfield 62708. Donations in any amount
are accepted and appreciated. To cover the full cost of a well, a donation
of $1,500 is needed. To cover the full cost of a truck, the amount needed
is $10,000; however, smaller donations will be held
until we have enough to fund the project. Each church has been asked to help
support the building of the Weala District Office & Parsonage through the
Hands of Hope Initiative. (See above article about Hands Of Hope for Liberia)
The people in Liberia are deeply grateful for the support they are receiving
from their brothers and sisters in the Sangamon River District and Conference
wide. Donations for three wells have already been sent from this
district. This is a picture of Rev. Ben Korpellah,
District Superintendent of the Gbarnga District, with the truck purchased with
donations from churches in Sangamon River District. Donations are still
being accepted to purchase a truck for Rev. Paye Mondolo of the Weala
District.

Welcome Celebration for Bishop Gregory
Palmer - Bishop Gregory V. Palmer
has been assigned to the Illinois Great Rivers Conference beginning September
1. A service of
Celebration for Bishop Palmer will be held at Springfield First, (Koke Mill and
W. Wabash Avenues) on Sunday, September 28 at 4:00 pm. A reception will be
held following the service.
Athens & Cantrall UMC's - WOMEN OF PROMISE
next meeting will be held on
Tuesday, September
16, in the Upper Room at Athens United Methodist Church at
110 W. Jackson St. All area women
are invited to attend either the morning session from 10:00 AM - Noon, or the
evening session from 6:30-8:30 PM.
Ashley
Cookson, a Springfield native and missionary with Campus Crusade for Christ,
will be the featured speaker. A
light, delicious meal will be served and childcare is provided.
You
may call 636-8789 for more information, or e-mail kay@kaycoach.com
Transportation in
the local area can be provided if requested in advance and an elevator is
available for those with limited mobility.
The church is located at
110 W. Jackson St.
in
Athens.
All Women of Promise events are non-denominational by design and open to all
area women and their guests. A $6 donation is suggested.
Kumler UMC - WOMEN With
PURPOSE (WWP), is held on the third Wednesday’s of each month at
6:00p.m.
in the Fellowship Hall - Kumler United
Methodist
Church,
600 N. 5th St
. All women in the community
are invited to attend. A variety of
soups and sandwiches along with chips and drinks are provided as a light meal
beginning at
6:00 p.m., followed by a speaker or Bible study (events will vary).
If child care is
needed please call the church at 523-2046 and leave a message for Flo Scott,
Women’s Ministry Leader, also if you would like to share your God given
talent(s) please call Flo. The
church is located at
600 North 5th St.
in
Springfield
. All Women With Purpose events are non-denominational by design and open
to all area women and their guests.
RETIRED
CLERGY LUNCHEON -
The next District Retired Clergy group luncheon will be held on September
8 at 11:30 am in Springfield at the
Lighthouse Restaurant, 3751 S. 6th St. in the Travel Lodge Motel building.
(This is on the West side of 6th Street, just north of the Road Ranger gas
station .) All Retired Ministers, spouses and Retired clergy widows are invited to
attend. Please call the District office 529-3257 to make your reservation.
Reservations are requested just to have an idea on how much room is needed,
but not required. Everyone will order from the
menu.