2022 Annual Celebration

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Illinois Conference Annual Celebration
Wednesday, October 19 – Saturday, October 22
Register Online Here

You too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives! ~Ephesians 2:22

WELCOME to the 2022 Illinois Conference Annual Celebration! The theme for this year’s Annual Celebration is “RECONNECT: Finding a Way Forward in a Post-Pandemic World.” This will once again be an entirely virtual event using Zoom technology. The Annual Celebration Planning Committee has been hard at work putting together this year’s event, and more details will be shared soon about how to participate and sign-up for the various workshops being offered. But until then, here is a sneak peek at what you can look forward to at this year’s event.

Below is an overview of the schedule of events for October 19-22.

Wednesday:

  • 12-1:30 PM – Workshop Block 1
  • 6:30 PM – Keynote with Rev. Cameron Trimble, Convergence CEO
  • 7:30 PM – Youth/Young Adult Led Opening Worship

Thursday:

  • 9 AM – 3 PM – Clergy Boundary Awareness Training
  • 12-1:30 PM – Workshop Block 2
  • 6:30-8 PM – Workshop Block 3

Friday:

  • 12-1:30 PM – Workshop Block 4
  • 2-5 PM – Business Session 1
  • 6:30-8 PM – Workshop Block 5

Saturday:

  • 9 AM – 12 PM – Business Session 2
  • 12 PM – Closing Worship w/Communion and guest preacher, Dr. Brad Braxton, the new President of Chicago Theology Seminary

There will be multiple workshop offerings during each block for you to choose from, covering various topics such as Open and Affirming, creation justice, outreach ministry, mental health, stewardship, disaster ministries, and more! Our workshop leaders feature members of National staff – Rev. Dr. Sarah Griffith Lund, UCC Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice, Rev. Andy DeBraber, UCC Major Gifts Officer, and Rev. Susan Mitchell, Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives for Church Building & Loan Fund – along with numerous other folks from the Illinois Conference and beyond.

Registration is $50 per person and is being done online through Realm. Click on the button below to register. You may register more than one person at a time by clicking the “Add Another Guest” button.

The deadline to register is October 11th. You can pay online by credit/debit card or ACH payment, or pay by check. Instructions for both are below. PLEASE NOTE: your registration will not be considered complete until payment has been received.

  • To pay online when registering (preferred): select the “Pay Now” option at check out then click “REGISTER”. A new window will pop-up for you to fill out your payment information. When done, click “Register & Pay.”
  • To pay by check: select the “Pay in Person” option at check out then click “REGISTER” to complete your registration. Make your check payable to “Illinois Conference UCC” and include “Annual Celebration” in the memo line. Mail your check, along with a copy of your registration or paper with your church name and/or registrant(s) name(s), to the Conference office at 1840 Westchester Blvd., Suite 200, Westchester, IL 60154.

If you need assistance registering, please contact the Conference Office at 708-344-4470, Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

IMPORTANT NOTE: YOU MUST CLICK THE “REGISTER” BUTTON AT THE END OF THE REGISTRATION PROCESS TO SUBMIT YOUR REGISTATION/PAYMENT.
If you do not receive a confirmation email from Realm, then your registration was not submitted.

 

In order to complete the business portion it is imperative to have a quorum to complete the vote.
According to the IL Conference Constitution, Article VI:
One hundred delegates who are members of churches in a majority of the Associations shall constitute a quorum. 

Illinois Conference Bylaws – Article II – Voting Membership

  1. Every local church which has standing in an Association of the Conference shall be entitled to representation in the Conference by one voting lay delegate, and in addition thereto, each such church shall be entitled to representation by one voting youth delegate (a person at least 14 years of age, but not older than 22). A church of 800 or more members shall have one additional delegate and one additional youth delegate. Delegates shall be chosen by each church, and unless otherwise ordered by the church shall serve for a term of two years or until their successors are elected, except that a delegate’s term of office shall terminate upon removal from membership in his/her local church. Each church may appoint or elect one or more alternate delegates, one of whom shall be designated by the church as its voting delegate in the event the regular delegate cannot be in attendance at the annual or special meetings of the Conference.
  2. All ordained, commissioned, and licensed ministers who have standing or recognition in an Association of the Conference shall be voting members at the annual meeting or special meetings of the Conference.
  3. The members of the Conference Council shall be members of the Conference during their term of office.